On the first Memorial Day weekend since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, US President Bush Monday stood among the graves of more than 9,000 Americans killed on the beaches of Normandy, France, and honored US and allied soldiers who died for freedom.
"Our wars have won for us every hour we live in freedom," Bush said. "Our wars have taken from us the men and women we honor today, and every hour of the lifetimes they had hoped to live."
The US President and First Lady Laura Bush took a walking tour of the Normandy American Cemetery where perfect rows of white crosses and stars of David mark each of the 9,387 Americans buried there from combat during World War II.
Bush then paid tribute to the fallen soldiers throughout the world, and honored the bond forged between France, the United States and their allies in World War II.
"On Memorial Day, America honors her own, yet we also remember all the valiant young men and women from many allied nations including France who shared in the struggle here and in the suffering," he said.
Like the sacrifices of allied World War II soldiers who gave their lives for the "future of humanity," Bush said the efforts of soldiers taking part in the recent US-led military campaign in Afghanistan "have spared many others from tyranny and sorrow."
"Soldiers in many uniforms are defending the world from terrorists at this very moment," Bush said.
Soothing Frustrations of European Allies
After the Memorial Day ceremonies, Bush left France for Rome on the final leg of his four-nation European tour, which will end on Tuesday with a NATO summit of 20 world leaders. Bush is also scheduled to meet Pope John Paul II before heading home.
France was the penultimate stop in Bush's weeklong trip, which also included a visit with German politicians and the signing of a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Before arriving in Paris, Bush called on India and Pakistan to ease tensions, expressing "strong reservations" about new Pakistani missile tests.
Bush and Chirac were expected to discuss the US-led war on terrorism, the Middle East, trade relations between Europe and the United States, and the tension between India and Pakistan.
Of America's European allies, the French have been most critical of Bush's policies, particularly of what has been perceived as a unilateralist approach to foreign policy. The French, along with other US trading partners in Europe, also were particularly frustrated recently when Bush announced hefty tariffs on steel imports to the United States.
Protesters greeted Bush upon his arrival to France on Sunday, some in the northwestern city of Caen carrying banners proclaiming slogans such as "US imperialism: that's enough!"
In an apparent attempt to smooth over relations with France, Bush played up the United States' historic support for her European allies during his visit there - a rare Memorial Day trip abroad for an American president.
Remembering Terror Victims, Honoring Heroes
In the United States, Pentagon officials paid homage to fallen military heroes.
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is participating in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
Holiday observances were taking place at US military bases across the country, in foreign countries, and on all ships at sea.
While this Memorial Day has a special meaning for many Americans in the wake of the terror attacks and the war in Afghanistan, some say the patriotism that surged after Sept. 11 has waned.
"You notice there's not as much patriotism out there - not enough flags hanging up anymore," said Dionne Romero, whose husband Marlin is a Marine sergeant at Camp Pendelton near Oceanside, Calif.
In New York City, where more than 3,000 died at the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, officials planned memorial services for this week marking the official end of the search for human remains.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg chose Thursday, May 30, for the ceremony because the day marks the traditional Memorial Day. The ceremony will include a procession out of the site by an honor guard representing the thousands who took part in the recovery.
Bush's Europe Trip Continues
After Bush's speech, he and French President Jacques Chirac laid wreaths and floral arrangements of the US and French flags, at a memorial for fallen soldiers.
The national anthems of both countries were played, followed by a 21-gun salute, a military fly-over in the "missing man formation" and a bugler played "Taps."
Tens of thousands of American, British and Canadian troops landed on five beaches in the Normandy area on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day. Normandy American Cemetery, the site of Bush's address, stands above Omaha Beach on land given to the United States by France.
Bush's Memorial Day visit is part of a weeklong tour of Europe. He will fly to Rome tonight, where he will participate in a NATO-Russia meeting on Tuesday and visit Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
(China Daily May 27, 2002)
