Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Thursday, 8 Oct 1992 20:08:09 CDT
From: <U56503@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton
Subject: ==> Clinton American Legion Speech

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Subject: CLINTON NEW TEXT: AMERICAN LEGION CONVENTION (CHICAGO)

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Governor Bill Clinton
             American Legion Convention
                 Chicago, Illinois
                         August 25, 1992


     Thank you.  Thank you Commander DiFrancesco.

     Thank you Commander DiFrancesco, and thank you
all Legionnaires who have been so gracious in
welcoming me here and inviting President Bush and
me to address this convention.

     I want to salute all my friends in the
Arkansas Department of the American Legion.  And I
promised Al Gore that I would also recognize the
Legionnaires from the Volunteer State of Tennessee
also.

     I want at the outset to pay a personal tribute
to two Legionnaires:  First, my good friend Hershel
Gober, a Vietnam Veteran, former Adjutant of the
Arkansas Department of the American Legion, and
current American Legion Department Service Officer
for Arkansas, who is my National Campaign Manager
for Veterans' Affairs.

     I also want to recognize Al Lynch, whose
heroism in Vietnam earned him the Congressional
Medal of Honor and who has volunteered for another
tough mission:  serving as my veterans' coordinator
for Illinois.

     I know it's become fashionable for some
politicians to claim that they won the Cold War.
But I know who won the Cold War -- you did.

     No American would be free today if it weren't
for the heroic sacrifices of you and all the
millions of men and women who have served America
in times of trouble. I feel a special sense of
gratitude.  You not only gave me the freedom you
won for all Americans on the field of battle.  You
gave me the opportunity to serve America myself in
the arena of public service.

      It is literally true that I might not be here today
if it weren't for the American Legion.  Without
your dedication to the youth of America -- which
gave me the opportunity to attend American Legion
Boys' State and American Legion Boys' Nation.  If
that hadn't happened, I might not be standing
before you as my party's nominee for President.

     I still remember that July afternoon in 1963,
in the Rose Garden of the White House as I was
waiting eagerly, a young 16- year-old, to shake the
President's hand.

     I couldn't help thinking that only in America
could someone like me be so fortunate as to meet
the President of the United States.

     I knew then that I wanted to answer President
Kennedy when he said "Ask not what your country can
do for you, ask what you could do for your
country."

     Just three months before a lot of America's
innocence died, when President Kennedy was
assassinated, those warm and hopeful summer days,
the American Legion taught me lessons I have tried
to live by all my life. Lessons about the greatness
of America, and the responsibility to stand up for
what you believe.

     The strength of our people and the durability
of our Bill of Rights.  The nobility of public
service.  That summer I learned from the American
Legion that being a citizen involves
responsibilities as well as rights -- including the
responsibility to love your country even enough to
right its wrongs; the responsibility to get
involved, to make a difference, to serve.

     I am not the only American whose life has been
made better by your continuing service here at
home.  From baseball to the Boy Scouts; from
keeping veterans hospitals open to keeping kids off
drugs; from addressing homelessness to preventing
child abuse to instilling a deep sense of
patriotism into still another generation of
Americans, a grateful nation owes you a debt of
gratitude.

     Like any adult I have to take full
responsibility for the mistakes I've made in my
life.  But the American Legion deserves a large
measure of credit for whatever successes I have
enjoyed.

     The first group I introduced Al Gore to as my
running mate was the Arkansas department of the
American Legion.

     Because of my respect for the American Legion,
I am here to speak to you as a candidate for the
presidency.  But before I can speak in that role, I
have to tell you something very personal -- not as
a Governor  -- but as a citizen.

     You know that I never served in the military.

     You know that I opposed the war in Vietnam.

     But I want you to know this:  I was never
against the heroic men who served in that war.  I
honored your service then, and I honor it still.

     Although I have discussed my conduct during
the Vietnam War in great detail, I feel I owe you
one final statement, to set the record straight.

     In 1969, while studying at Oxford on a Rhodes
scholarship, I received a draft notice, which
arrived late.  My draft board postponed the
induction date to give me time to finish my first
year of study.  That summer, I agreed to join the
ROTC program and attend law school at the
University of Arkansas.  But a few weeks later, I
changed my mind and decided I should take my
chances with the draft.

     Not long after that, the lottery was
initiated.  My draft lottery number was 311.  If it
had been 3, or if my number had been called, I
would have served, and gone to Vietnam if so
ordered.  But I won't lie to you:  I was relieved
when I saw my number was 311, not because I didn't
want to serve my country, but because I "believed
so strongly that our policy in Vietman was wrong.

     I still believe that. It weakened and divided
America and made us reluctant to use our strength
in other parts of the world.  But I know many of
you then and many of you today disagree with me.  I
respect that.

     If you choose to vote against me because of
what happened 23 years ago, that's your right as a
American citizen, and I respect that.  But it is my
hope you will cast your vote while looking toward
the future with hope, rather than remaining fixed
to the problems of the past.  For in this critical
year, if all of us vote our hopes and not our
fears; if we use this election to bring our country
together instead of keeping it apart; if, in short,
we all begin to behave like Americans again, then I
know that the greatest country in human history we
make itself greater still.

     The other question that arises, of course, is
perhaps inevitable, not just in this election, but
in other elections to come, as the post-World War
II generation comes to leadership. And it is:  Can
someone who has never served in the military serve
as Commander in Chief?

     Lincoln might have thought the question odd.
He used to joke about his lack of military
experience, saying the only blood he lost in
defense of his country was to mosquitoes.  As a
Congressman, he had been a passionate critic of the
Mexican War, and the sum total of his military
experience consisted of a few weeks as a militiaman
called to service during the Black Hawk War, in
which he saw no action.  And yet he had the
judgment and the wisdom and the strength of
conviction to lead America through its bloodiest
and most painful conflict.

     In our own century, the professorial Woodrow
Wilson -- a Governor who was never in the service -
- led America and its allies to "make the world
safe for democracy" in the First World War, and
another Governor Franklin Roosevelt proved himself
one of history's greatest wartime commanders,
though he had never served in the military.

     In 1980, still another Governor, Ronald
Reagan, was derided for having spent more time
filming "Hellcats of the Navy" than actually
serving in the armed forces during Word War II.
And yet he never wavered from the use of American
might when he felt it was right.

     In President Bush's administration, Secretary
of Defense Dick Cheney, who had deferments during
the Vietnam era, has served with genuine
distinction, especially during the Gulf War.

     Our history -- and common sense -- tell us
that competent commanders draw their wisdom from
the strength of our country -- and our countrymen
and countrywomen.

     What makes a President fit to command is, in
my view, faith in God, belief in the greatness of
our country and the goodness of our people, a
commitment to making and keeping America the
strongest country in the world -- militarily,
economically and morally -- and an understanding of
the essential character of the American people.
We Americans love peace.  But we will not shrink
from force of armsif arms are required to keep the peace and defend
our interests.

     In the end, every decision must be guided by
principle as well as experience.  Just after his
election, with the prospects of war appearing
imminent, Lincoln told his neighbors in Springfield
that defending the nation in a civil war was a task
"more difficult than that which devolved upon
General Washington.  Unless the great God who
assisted him shall be with and aid me," he said, "I
must fail.  But if the same omniscient mind, and
Almighty arm that directed and protected him shall
guide and support me, I shall not fail, I shall
succeed."

     No one knows better than those of you in this
room the solemn responsibility of the decision to
use force to protect our nation's security and
interests.  When the American people choose a
president, they want someone who they can trust to
act when those moments arise.  Every president in
the last half-century has had to confront the
fateful decision to send Americans into combat.  I
do not relish this prospect, but neither do I
shrink from it.

     I know we must have the resolve constantly to
deter, sometimes to fight, always to win.  And as
Commander-in-Chief, I will fight to ensure that our
troops who must go to battle are the best trained,
best equipped and best supported in the world.
Good people ensure victory on the battlefield.

     As we scale back the force structure, we must
restructure those that remain to meet the new, less
predictable threats in the post-Cold War Era.  Our
forces must be ready and sustainable.  They must be
more mobile, more precise, and more flexible.  And
they must have the technologically advanced weapons
they need to get the job done.

     I will never allow a hollow army.  My five-
year defense budget over the next five years totals
$1.36 trillion compared to the President's level of
$1.42 trillion -- a difference of only 5%.

     There are differences between these proposals.
This administration would keep more troops in
Europe and spend more on SDI; I would shift the
focus to real threats we are likely to face in the
coming decade: aggressive tyrants like Saddam
Hussein, new regional conflicts, terrorists, and
the threat of nuclear proliferation.  I would
preserve a more limited SDI option and support more
emphasis on some military weapons, including the V-
22 and fast sealift ships.

     I still believe we should strive for an
American, not a Republican or a Democrat, but an
American national security and defense policy.  I
supported  President Bush's efforts in Desert
Shield and Desert Storm.  I support the tough line
the Administration has taken with Saddam Hussein
recently.  I urged the policies the Administration
has adopted in Bosnia and Somalia.

     The American people do not believe either
political party has a monopoly on love of country.
Patriotism is not partisan.

     Nor does patriotism require a blind devotion
to the status quo.  Indeed, the risk of staying
put; the costs of standing pat; the dangers of the
status quo are far greater:  for economic decline,
more defense cuts without a conversion plan to
protect those who won the Cold War and promote
growth, more skyrocketinghealth care costs.

     From now on a large part of our national
security policy must be found in economic strength
as well as military might.  A country that is not
strong at home cannot be strong abroad.

     My economic plan will create millions of new
jobs -- for displaced defense workers, for
veterans, for all Americans -- by reinvesting in
our nation's infrastructure, civilian R&D and
development, for the highways jobs of the future,
in retraining our workers and our serviceman and
women, and in redeveloping our communities.

     As an American, I honor the service of every
man and every woman who has served our country in
uniform.  As President, I will honor your service
and sacrifice with deeds, not words.  You've earned
nothing less.

     I will honor it first by giving veterans the
kind of health care system your country owes you.
I will work to ensure the VA- the Veterans
Administration-- gets the funding it needs to
provide the excellent and timely care our veterans
deserve -- all our veterans.

     I will work to see that once again our
Veterans' hospitals works for veterans.  As long as
I am President, we will not merge the veterans
medical centers into the welfare system.

     Instead, we will simplify and reform
eligibility, and strengthen the VA's efforts to
deal with the special problems veterans face --
like post-traumatic stress disorder, complications
from Agent Orange, drug and alcohol abuse.  And we
will honor America's unbreakable moral obligation
to care for our veterans who were disabled in the
service of our country.

     And I will honor your service by appointing
not a Secretary for Veterans' Affairs, but a
Secretary for Veterans' Affairs -- not someone
appointed for political reasons, but a Secretary I
will choose after consulting with the American
Legion and other veterans' groups.

     Someone who will have your respect and esteem
-- and mine.  Of course, sitting even closer to me
than the Secretary of Veterans Affairs will be your
fellow Legionnaire and my running mate, Al Gore, so
you know your voice will be heard.

     I will honor your service by cutting the VA
bureaucracy to make sure you get the benefits
you've earned without a lot of red tape and delay.
It shouldn't take longer to get your VA benefits
than it took to liberate Kuwait.

     I will honor your service by carrying on your
tireless struggle to account for everyone who has
ever served this country.     Back home I formed
the Arkansas POW/MIA Verification Task Force to
determine the status of the 26 Arkansans whose
fates are still unknown.  I do not know if there
are still American POWs being held.  But I do know
this:  when I am your President the files will be
thrown open, the roadblocks will be torn down, and
the truth will come out.

     America must never leave its warriors on the
battlefield.  If there are men being held captive
still, I will not rest until they are returned.
And if they are not, at least we will know the "truth"
and the truth will set us free.

     I will honor your service by moving swiftly to
address the special needs of the veterans who have
been left out and left behind.  Too many homeless
shelters are bursting with veterans -- including
veterans of last year's victory in Desert Storm.
You Family Support program is an important and
helpful step -- veterans helping veterans.

     But all Americans should help their fellow
Americans.  The fact that the American Legion is
doing so much should not be used as an excuse for
the American government doing so little.

     And I will honor your service by making sure
the heroes who won the Cold War are not left out in
the cold.

     Our people in uniform are among the most
highly skilled in the areas of expertise we need
the most.  As gradual, sensible defense cuts take
effect, we must transfer their talents and hard
work to the civilian sector, and ensure they
receive the assistance to do so successfully.

     For example, I support incentives for military
personnel to earn military retirement by taking
jobs as teachers and police, as Sen. Nunn has
recommended.

     I want to add 100,000 police officers to help
reduce crime and drug abuse.

     I want to retrain defense industry technicians
for work in critical civilian fields such as bio-
technology, renewable energy and environmental
cleanup.

     The Pentagon stands as America's best youth
training program, and our most potent research
center.  It's time to put those assets to work at
home in the battle to make America strong once
again.

     We ought to encourage as many as possible to
serve as citizen soldiers in the National Guard and
Reserves.  Our talented men and women in uniform
are the best equipped to help solve the problems of
infrastructure, education and rural health --
offering the possibility to our military personnel
to serve as role models here at home, to many young
people who never have good role models here at
home, but still, all the while still meeting their
obligation to fulfill their primary military
mission.

     How do you know I will do these things?  Just
ask my good friends from the American Legion of
Arkansas.

     I am proud of what we've done to honor the
service of veterans at home.  I appointed the first
Vietnam veteran as Director of the cabinet-level
Department of Veterans Affairs.  We have a County
Veterans' Service Officer Program, which is the
backbone of our statewide outreach system, which
makes sure no veteran is left out or left behind.

     I am proud of the fact that Arkansas ranks
first in the per capita reimbursements we get for
our veterans from the federal Department of
Veterans' Affairs.  And we were first last year
too.  And the year before that.

     I signed executive orders ensuring veterans'
preferences in hiring.  And I helped find the money
to upgrade and expand the intermediate nursing
facilities of the Arkansas Veterans' Home; I
balanced 11 budgets in a row, but never on the
backs of the veterans of my state.

     In 1989, when the flag burning controversy
arose, I joined with the American Legion in taking
steps to react.  I signed legislation making it a
crime to burn or deface the flag.  But I also
wanted to stop flag burning before it starts.  So
together with the American Legion we established
one of the finest flag education programs in the
country.  Volunteers from the American Legion
launched an all-out assault in our grade schools,
instilling in our young students the deep
patriotism that gives you and I a lump in our
throat and a stir in our hearts every time we see
Old Glory go up the flagpole.

     I am proud of my record of support for
veterans.  And I admire the American Legion's 74-
year commitment to what's best about America.

     For three-fourths of a century you've been
advising Presidents -- from calling for the GI Bill
in 1944 to opposing the IRS's shameful attempt to
tax Cost of Living Adjustments to veterans'
disability payments.

     I will be a good President for America's
veterans.  After all, I've been taking advice from
the American Legion for 29 years.

     Some of you may know, my father served in
World War II.  But he didn't die in the war.  He
was killed in a car accident three months before I
was born, on his way home to Arkansas to see my
mother.

     He was killed just as he was about to start
living for all the things he had risked dying for.
And, when, many years ago, my mother showed me his
service citation from World War II, I felt as proud
as I've ever been.

     I doubt he ever dreamed that, some day, the
son he never knew would be standing here today as a
candidate for President of the United States.

     This could only happen in America.

     And in my case, it might never have happened
without  the encouragement and assistance of the
American Legion.

     I know you are unlikely to base this important
vote on the fact that I was in American Legion Boys
State 29 years ago, or that I have a good record on
veterans issues as a Governor.

     But I also hope you will not base your vote on
the fact that I didn't serve in Vietnam 23 years
ago.

     This campaign must be decided on the future of
our nation and on the issues -- on jobs and health
care and education and safer streets; on making the
government work for all Americans, not just the
special interests and the privileged few; on
building a strong America at home and abroad.

     In 1960, John Kennedy told the Greater Houston
Ministerial Association that they should not oppose
him just because he was a Catholic.  He said, "If I
should lose this election on the real issues I
shall be...satisfied that I tried my best and was
fairly judged."

     Much changes.  But much remains the same.
What Abraham Lincoln called the "mystic chords of
memory" preserve from generation to generation our
hopes and dreams for our country.  We "have a chance,
right here, right now -- the chance
of a dozen lifetimes -- to fulfill those hopes,
realize those dreams and create the finest America
yet.

     For the next 70 days I will try my best.  And
I have confidence that you and all Americans will
judge me fairly -- on the real issues.  Because
that's the American way.

     Thank you, God bless you, and God bless
America.