and, gentlemen, i want each of you to know that your legacy is in good hands. for in a time when it has never been more tempting to pursue narrow self-interest, to slough off common endeavor, this generation of americans, a new generation -- our men and women of war -- have chosen to do their part as well. rock, i want you to know that staff sergeant melvin cedillo-martin, who's here today, is following in your footsteps. he just had to become an american first -- because melvin was born in honduras, moved to the united states, joined the army. after tours in iraq and afghanistan, he was reassigned to the 82nd airborne. and sunday, he'll parachute into normandy. "i became part of a family of real american heroes," he said. "the paratroopers of the 82nd." wilson, you should know that

specialist jannise rodriguez joined the army not even two years ago, was assigned to the 101st airborne, and just last month earned the title of the 101st airborne division air assault soldier of the year. and that's inspiring but not surprising, when the women of today's military have taken on responsibilities, including combat, like never before. [applause] i want each of you to know that their commitment to their fellow servicemembers and veterans endures. sergeant first class brian hawthorne's grandfather served under general patton and general macarthur. brian himself served two tours in iraq, earned the bronze star in baghdad for saving the life of his best friend, and today, he and his wife use their experience to help other veterans and military families navigate theirs. and brian is here in normandy to participate in sunday's jump,

and here, just yesterday, he reenlisted in the army reserve. and this generation -- this 9/11 generation of servicemembers -- they, too, felt something. they answered some call, they said "i will go." they, too, chose to serve a cause that's greater than self -- many even after they knew they'd be sent into harm's way. and for more than a decade, they have endured tour after tour. sergeant first class cory remsburg has served ten. and i've told cory's incredible story before, most recently when he sat with my wife, michelle, at the state of the union address. it was here, at omaha beach, on the 65th anniversary of d-day, where i first met cory and his fellow army rangers, right after they made their own jump into normandy. the next time i saw him, he was in the hospital, unable to speak or walk after an ied nearly killed him in afghanistan.

but over the past five years, cory has grown stronger, learning to speak again and stand again and walk again. and earlier this year, he jumped out of a plane again. the first words cory said to me after his accident echoed those words first shouted all those years ago on this beach -- "rangers, lead the way." [applause] so cory has come back today, along with melvin and jannise and brian, and many of their fellow active-duty servicemembers. we thank them for their service. they are a reminder that the tradition represented by these gentlemen continues. we are on this earth for only a moment in time.

and fewer of us have parents and grandparents to tell us about what the veterans of d-day did here 70 years ago. as i was landing on marine one, i told my staff, i don't think there's a time where i miss my grandfather more, where i'd be more happy to have him here, than this day. so we have to tell their stories for them. we have to do our best to uphold in our own lives the values that they were prepared to die for. we have to honor those who carry forward that legacy, recognizing that people cannot live in freedom unless free people are

prepared to die for it. and as today's wars come to an end, this generation of servicemen and women will step out of uniform, and they, too, will build families and lives of their own. they, too, will become leaders in their communities, in commerce, in industry, and perhaps politics -- the leaders we need for the beachheads of our time. and, god willing, they, too, will grow old in the land they helped to keep free. and someday, future generations, whether 70 or 700 years hence, will gather at places like this to honor them and to say that these were generations of men and women who proved once again that the united states of america is and will remain the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known. [applause] may god bless our veterans and all who served with them, including those who rest here in eternal peace. and may god bless all who serve today for the peace and security of the world. may god bless the people of france. and may god bless our united states of america. [applause]

the cemetery superintendent phil rivers talked with c-span about the d-day invasion in the creation of the ceremony in 1994 when c-span produced a special on the 50th anniversary of the invasion. this runs about 20 minutes. >> when was the cemetery built? >> the construction of the cemetery commenced in 1948. >> what was the purpose of it? >> the purpose? well, let's back up a little bit.

through the normandy invasion and subsequent days later, the united states establish temporary cemeteries throughout the beachhead area to bury our war dead. in 1948 congress annexed a 1923 law that permitted the construction of world war i cemeteries. with this law being annexed, the government went into a repatriation program that each family with a family member at normandy was asked to make a decision. permits and overseas burial or

-- permanent overseas burial or repatriation to the united states. when that process was completed, 39% of our war dead remains here at normandy. 61% were brought home. when that program was completed, they went into the construction of the cemetery. eventually that played into the design because we had to know how many were to be buried here. >> how many are there? >> 9326. -- 9386. from june 6 -- until the operation at the end of july 1944. >> who is buried here? >> american soldiers. airmen. sailors. >> how does that break down? >> as far as d-day castle tees,

-- casualties, we have 1000 buried or missing at the cemetery. the overwhelming majority are soldiers. we have approximately 1000 air force people buried here, and approximately 400 navy. aside from the burials, we have a garden of the missing on the memorial year. on the walls of that memorial, we have the names of 1570 americans who have never been recovered, missing in action. >> [indiscernible] >> it does occur at times. a few years ago, just by accident, a farmer decided a pasture area would be converted to cropland, so he plotted over.

and in doing so he found the remains. researching the story for development, that airfields was -- that air crew was among the missing. those remains are undergoing forensic study in honolulu. >> if they are found to be a missing crewman, will they come back here? >> that is a family decision. it would not be here. it would be at the only active world war ii cemetery in europe. the cemetery is closed. >> when was the last person buried at the cemetery? >> that i do not know. >> do you have a profile, how old they were?