Dedication of the Defense Humanitarian Relief Corridor (Washington, D.C.).(Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates)(Speech)

As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Alright Mike [Rhodes]. At Camp Leatherneck, I was introduced as Bill Gates. I said, "He's the rich one." Thank you all for joining us.

Given that so much of the history being cited today is related to inclement weather, it seems appropriate that the effort to commemorate that history began with a "snowflake." Four years ago, Secretary Rumsfeld proposed having a corridor of the Pentagon that would pay tribute to the humanitarian activities of the United States armed forces. Mr. Secretary, it was a great idea, and thank you so much for joining us today. Let me commend Ms. Betty Brennan and her team for bringing Secretary Rumsfeld's vision to fruition.

The U.S. military is the greatest fighting force in the world--but there is another side to what they do. That side is represented in this exhibit. The suffering caused by war and natural disaster prompts a compassionate nation to respond. These vivid displays take us around the world, and back in time, to understand more about the relief operations of our military. Some of these missions of mercy have been carried out on foreign soil; others here in the United States. Some are legendary; many more deserve to be.

"Legendary" certainly describes the Berlin Airlift of 1948 and 1949, one of the earliest events depicted in this corridor. We are lucky to have a veteran of that operation with us today, Colonel Gail Halvorsen, whom I will introduce shortly. He was part of the team flying C-47s, C-54s, and C-74s into Tempelhof airport around the clock during those famous 462 days, as Soviet forces choked off the city's food and energy supplies. That effort saved the lives of Berliners. We remember, too, that it cost the lives of 31 American servicemen.

In 1956, Hungarian men, women, and children streamed westward toward the Austrian border as Soviet tanks and attack planes pummeled Budapest. ...