English subtitles for clip: File:2012-05-26 President Obama's Weekly Address.ogv

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The President:
This weekend, folks across the
country are opening up the pool,

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firing up the grill, and taking
a well-earned moment to relax.

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But Memorial Day is more
than a three-day weekend.

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In town squares and
national cemeteries,

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in public services and
moments of quiet reflection,

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we will honor those who
loved their country enough to

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sacrifice their
own lives for it.

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This Memorial Day, Michelle and
I will join Gold Star families,

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veterans, and their families
at Arlington National Cemetery.

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We'll pay tribute to patriots
of every generation who gave the

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last full measure of devotion,
from Lexington and Concord to

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Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Later that day, we'll join
Vietnam veterans and their

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families at the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial -- the Wall.

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We'll begin to mark the 50th
anniversary of the Vietnam War.

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It's another chance to honor
those we lost at places like

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Hue and Khe Sanh, Danang
and Hamburger Hill.

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And we'll be calling on you
-- the American people --

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to join us in thanking
our Vietnam veterans in

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your communities.

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Even as we honor those who
made the ultimate sacrifice,

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we reaffirm our commitment
to care for those who served

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alongside them -- the
veterans who came home.

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This includes our newest
generation of veterans,

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from Iraq and Afghanistan.

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We have to serve them and their
families as well as they have

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served us: By making sure that
they get the health care and

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benefits they need; by caring
for our wounded warriors and

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supporting our
military families;

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and by giving veterans the
chance to go to college,

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find a good job, and enjoy
the freedom that they risked

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everything to protect.

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Our men and women in uniform
took an oath to defend our

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country at all costs, and
today, as members of the finest

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military the world
has ever known,

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they uphold that oath
with dignity and courage.

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As President, I have no higher
honor than serving as their

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Commander-in-Chief.

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But with that honor comes
a solemn responsibility --

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one that gets driven home every
time I sign a condolence letter,

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or meet a family member
whose life has been turned

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upside down.

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No words can ever bring back
a loved one who has been lost.

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No ceremony can do
justice to their memory.

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No honor will ever
fill their absence.

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But on Memorial Day, we come
together as Americans to let

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these families and veterans
know they are not alone.

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We give thanks for those who
sacrificed everything so that we

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could be free.

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And we commit ourselves to
upholding the ideals for which

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so many patriots
have fought and died.

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Thank you, God bless you,
and have a wonderful weekend.