It was one of the defining moments of this century, a moment which symbolized the depths of the Cold War, a moment which represented the heights of German-American cooperation. In that moment anyone who stood for freedom, stood with President Kennedy. And whether you were at the Brandenburg Gate or the Golden Gate Bridge, if you believed in liberty you, too, were a Berliner. Although these memories remain fresh to many of us, they have receded to the pages of history. A new era has dawned, an era of peace, a time fraught with new opportunities and new fears.
Berlin is united and free.
Today, in this era of peace and prosperity, to declare oneself a Berliner is now an act of civic pride. You see, as much as I respected the courage of President Kennedy over 30 years ago, I did not need an international crisis to identify with the city. I was born in Berlin. My father was a Berliner and his father before him. Forced to flee this country with my parents in late 1939, the path I have traveled to this moment has been a long and difficult one.