DPSA Award

Hall of Heroes, Pentagon

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Dr. Madeleine K. Albright

 

Secretary Carter, dear Ash, Stephanie, leaders of the Pentagon, friends and colleagues from the Defense Policy Board, friends and colleagues not from the Defense Policy Board: I am grateful that you are all here.

Mr. Secretary, Ash, thank you for this honor, but what you said was so deeply moving. Thank you very, very much and thank you so much for your stewardship of this department during an important time in our nation’s history.

I appreciate as well the good company you have allowed me to keep, as I know that Henry Kissinger, Brent Scowcroft and George Shultz were also honored by you earlier this year.  

It is really great to be able to represent the youthful wing of the foreign policy establishment. And I am sure you would agree that it is always fun to have a “grey skirt” among greybeards.

This is certainly true in the Defense Policy Board, on which I am privileged to serve.  And the Defense Policy Board is a special entity – giving us the opportunity to discuss important issues, provide our perspectives, and interact closely with this Department’s leadership.  I am truly, truly honored to serve in that capacity and to be on your team, Mr. Secretary, dear Ash.

I know this is neither the place nor the time for a long speech, but I do want to share very briefly why it is so meaningful for me to have received this particular recognition.

As Ash said, I was not born in the United States.

Instead, I entered the world in Czechoslovakia and was still a young child when Hitler’s troops marched into Prague.

My father was a diplomat at the time and subject to arrest by the Nazis.

So my parents and I fled to England, which is where we spent World War II.  

Among my first memories are those of sitting with our neighbors during air raids, huddled together in a shelter while enemy bombers flew overhead, waiting for the “all clear” sound.

Our anxieties were heightened because the war in Europe had not begun well and it seemed that we – who had found refuge in Great Britain – might be left to fight alone.

But then, one day, wonderful news came from across the sea.

A brave military had answered the call and was on its way to rescue freedom.

Soon, the Yank soldiers arrived, bringing with them their boundless energy, confident wisecracks, and jaunty way of walking.

Then, in early June 1944, the troops were suddenly nowhere to be seen; Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious landing in history, had been launched.

In the months that followed, almost an entire continent lost to evil had been taken back village by village, hill by hill.  

In those days, my father was head of the broadcasting for the Czechoslovak government-in-exile; and as the fighting progressed, he reported each breakthrough to the millions of people back home – secretly listening in cellars and attics.

Meanwhile I celebrated – and for the first time but definitely not last time – fell in love with Americans in uniform.

I was just eight years old when the war ended and we returned to Prague.

Because the fighting was over, my parents and I did our best to settle in and resume a normal life.

But within a couple of years, the government of Czechoslovakia was taken over by the Communists.

So once again, my family was forced into exile, this time sailing across the ocean to a new and welcoming home.

I will always be grateful for the warm reception we received and for the opportunity I had to grow up in a country that cherished freedom.

For as long as she lived, my mother used to call me on the Fourth of July and want to know whether her grandchildren were singing patriotic songs. I plan to do that myself this weekend.

As for my father, he used to cite a contrast.  

He said that in Europe, people would say to refugees, “We’re so sorry your country has been taken over by a terrible dictator. You’re welcome here, what can we do to help you, and when are you going home?”

When we came to the United States, people said, “We’re so sorry your country has been taken over by a terrible system. You’re welcome here, what can we do to help you, and when will you become a citizen?”

So you cannot imagine how privileged I felt when, as secretary of state, I sat behind a sign that said: The United States of America.

But you also cannot imagine how humbled I felt when, as secretary, I participated in meetings that resulted in brave men and women being sent into harm’s way.

It never occurred to me that one of the things I would do when I raised my right hand was to send people to war.

I vowed never to forget the human lives at stake in these decisions, so while in office, I seized every opportunity I had to visit with our soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines who were stationed overseas.

At each stop, I would read their names and study their faces – these were men and women from across the land, representing every variety of background, race, color, and creed.

And I was impressed by their enthusiasm and commitment, whether their assignments were in Europe, the Balkans, the Arabian Peninsula, or East Asia.

When sitting with these service members, I never heard a single complaint – well, maybe that’s not exactly true.

After all, just because someone is in uniform doesn’t mean they’re too shy to speak up.

And yet the most frequent concern those young people shared had nothing to do with personal comfort; it was the fear that folks back home didn’t really understand how important their mission was – or how much good they were doing on behalf of the United States.

I was – and remain – deeply troubled by this.

But as this group knows full well, our military engagements going back to my time in office have played out against a complicated political backdrop, tinged with religious and cultural tension, questioning allies, less than conclusive results, and an American public that sometimes questions the purpose of our global engagement.

As one citizen, I acknowledge an enormous debt to all who have chosen to contribute their energy and talents to the armed forces of our country.

That debt extends, and especially so, to our veterans, many wearing permanent scars of battle, and meriting a permanent place of honor in our collective memory and in our hearts.

And yet as I stand here, I ask myself how well that debt is being re-paid by the American people and their elected representatives.

For it seems to me that, if we are to protect the security and prosperity of our country, we should put an end to partisan squabbling, do a little arithmetic, and develop a unified and lasting approach to the federal budget.

In the process, we should invest first of all in the education of our young people so that they will be able, when of age, to meet the demands that modern military service and the global marketplace require.  And that’s why I want to commend you, Mr. Secretary, on the set of initiatives you have launched to build the “Force of the Future.”

And I also want to congratulate you and the entire department on the policy changes you announced earlier today. Utilizing the talents of our entire population will be key to building lasting security in the twenty first century.

But it won’t be enough, for we also have to resist the suggestion heard more and more often that we Americans need not bother about problems overseas – and that if we just mind our own business, nothing like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 will ever happen again.

When I was in government, and in the years since, one of the things I have enjoyed most is the opportunity to visit the military service academies.

Having seen first-hand how these future officers learn about the qualities demanded of a leader, I know we do not have to tell the members of our military that American leadership is still needed in the world today.  

Past lessons inform us that we cannot allow our country to become tired; we cannot turn our backs on our responsibilities; we cannot pretend that we are not the United States.

For all our challenges and defects, America remains the only nation blessed with the power to lead and the ideals to do so in a direction that most of the world would prefer to go – towards fulfillment of that singular pledge: liberty and justice for all.

More than six decades have elapsed since I first came to these shores.  

But I have not forgotten the fundamental lesson taught to me by my parents.

And that is to honor and value American ideals, and never take for granted the privilege of living in the world’s greatest democracy.  

This ceremony is just one further reminder of the great opportunities this democracy affords to all its people, immigrant and native-born, male and female, military and civilian.

And let me say, you mention General Shalikashvili. He also was foreign-born. And one of the pictures that I will always remember; he and I were standing in front of the sit room door in the White House. Secretary Rubin walked by and he said “Ah ha! Force and diplomacy.” And Shalikashvili said, “Which is which?” He was a great friend and partner.

So to every member of the Defense Department leadership that is here today, let me say that for all you have done for our country in the past, I applaud you.

For all you are now doing and will do in the future, I salute you.

And for this wonderful honor, I can’t thank you enough.

Thank you very, very much for this.

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