general andrew goodpaster and dwight eisenhower.s that i've toiled in the fields of military history and biography, i'veç been sustaine by the honor of not only writing about gmeat men but also of ordinary soldiers, sailors and airmen. the men and women who stepped forward to their nation and did their duty. those at the american veterans center so ably represents. my late father, likewise, understood the essence of what duty and leadership were all about.ñr although he like so many other italians who lived in the austria-controlled city wanted no part of world war i, he was conscripted into the austrian army and given a commission. when the unit he commanded was left to fend for itself in russia after russia capitulated in 1917, he brought them all home safely. and his later decision to live in freedom in the united states rather than under fascism is the reason that i am here tonight. thank you so much for inviting me here to receive this wonderful honor. and enabling me to help celebrate the memory of two great americans. i clos

as no surprise to you that two of the participants have been the first to recipients of the andrew goodpaster award. [laughter] it is fitting that i had a chance to meet general goodpaster in two different settings. in 1994i was honored to be a member of a group of historians that were invited to the white house to brief president clinton before his trip to europe to commemorate the 50th anniversary of d-day. and at his side that evening, at both the briefings that were given to the president and later at a dinner was general goodpaster. although the audience included key white house staffers, the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury the one individual might that the president consistently turned to whenever he had a question was general goodpaster. it was perfectly fitting that a president of the united states would turn to general goodpaster for advice. by my reckoning, president clinton was the seventh president that he either served in some capacity or was an advisor or has been recognized by a sitting president. he has been awarded the medal of freedom, he has listed the acc