I think that was the most moving speech I have heard President Clinton give (and he is an excellent speaker). I can say, having been a soldier, that I do not think there was any hyperbole in the comparison he made.
In every war, in every battle, there is a critical place and time; an objective that MUST be taken, a line which MUST be held, at any cost, and when heroes rise to the occasion with extraordinary valor, they become the stuff of legends. Ten year ago, a group of everyday American men and women on a routine flight suddenly and unexpectedly were snatched from their daily lives into the very front line of a new kind of war. The enemy was not AT the gates; the enemy was iINSIDE the gates, and these people, not professional soldiers, nor even hastily trained reserves, found themselves at the tip of the spear, trapped, beyond help or reinforcement, facing the enemy alone, unarmed but for courage and determination. Yet what they did, in those desperate minutes, was gallantry worthy of the greatest warriors; in those moments, they became soldiers, striking America's first blow against armed foes, and overcoming them at the sacrifice of their own lives. No nation ever owed its finest warriors more humble gratitude, than America owes that extraordinary handful of ordinary citizens. Their place really IS with the 300 Spartans, with the Light Brigade, with Travis, Crockett and Bowie at the Alamo, and the RAF's gallant few. That is the company they now keep. Let us always remember that, as we mourn their loss, honor their sacrifice, salute their valor, and cherish them forever in the heart of a grateful nation.
Now about that memorial; Surely this is something ALL of us Americans can agree on, despite all our other differences. I calculate that with 300 million of us, the remaining bill works out to a bit over...3 CENTS, for each of us. Even in these times, I trust we can afford that much, so let's all join President Clinton and Speaker Boehner in a national effort to get that done. In the battle cry immortalized on Flight 93 that September morning, "LET'S ROLL!"
