Good morning. It is wonderful to be back in Phoenix, and I am honored to
be here today with so many that make up America's finest law enforcement
community.
Today, we gather to honor the memory of men and women from across law enforcement
who dedicated their lives to serving and protecting our nation. Those whose
names we will hear today were our friends and partners, husbands and wives,
mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. They were also true professionals
we worked with and counted on each and every day. Their hard work, their
dedication, and most importantly, their friendship, made our jobs and our
lives more meaningful.
The Agents and officers we remember today came from different agencies – the
FBI, the DEA, the ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the State of Arizona.
They came from different backgrounds. But they were bound by common values.
Courage. Sacrifice. And service.
They were bound also by a common vocation, which was more than just a job,
or a career, or a profession. They lived so that when wrong was done, justice
would be served. They lived to protect children from predators, to eradicate
drug trafficking, to track down dangerous fugitives, to keep illegal guns
off our streets, to bring justice to victims, to make our communities and
our nation safer. Like so many of you here today, they chose to serve as
agents and officers of the law, as guardians of freedom.
They lived to make a difference in this world. And they died as they lived – defending
freedom, safeguarding peace, and preserving justice.
Their deaths remind us that we must never take our safety for granted, and
that our cherished freedoms do not come without a price. The sacrifices of
these men and women are the reasons we continue to live in a nation of freedom
and opportunity. Their deaths serve as a vivid reminder of why we do the
jobs we do. We are privileged – and proud – that these heroes
chose to stand beside us. We will always remember and be inspired by the
example they have given us. Their spirit remains, like a handprint on our
hearts.
In a few moments, we will hear the names of those who have fallen in the
line of duty. We will place wreaths in their honor. And we will seek to find
meaning in our loss. During this difficult time, we can find comfort in the
words of two great presidents. Theodore Roosevelt said, "It is not the
critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs
to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions,
who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the
triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold
and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat."
The credit he spoke of belongs to each and every Agent and officer we honor
today. They dared greatly. They knew the great enthusiasms and devotions,
and they spent themselves in a cause worthy of their character. But the credit
belongs also to you. You are carrying on their life's work – and this
is the highest honor we can pay to law enforcement, our friends, our loved
ones.
On the battlefield at Gettysburg, 141 years ago, Abraham Lincoln said, "It
is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which
they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to
be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us – that from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the
last full measure of devotion."
Today, as we honor our fallen Agents and officers, let us also rededicate
ourselves to their high ideals and great devotion. Let us live out their
legacy of courage, sacrifice, and service; fidelity, bravery, and integrity.
Let us recommit ourselves to defending freedom, guarding peace, and preserving
justice. I cannot think of a more fitting tribute.
Thank you and God bless you.
