 450 United States Navy ships stood off a tiny island in the Pacific. Few Americans had heard of the place. It measured four and two-thirds miles by two-and-a-half miles, ash-covered beaches, and one extinct unknown volcano. A command was passed to the ships, land the landing force. No one, not even you, the Marines and Navy corpsmen who stepped ashore from the Amtrak at two minutes after nine knew that what you were about to do would forever enshrine the island, Iwo Jima and the volcano Mount Surabachi, in American history. Today, Iwo Jima is remembered with other names like Saratoga, the Alamo, Gettysburg. Remembered not simply because Americans were again conspicuously gallant in battle, but because our sons were called upon to endure unspeakable hardship for the sake of freedom. Your flag raising at Mount Surabachi remains a beacon, indeed a birthright for America's young people and for every future American. On behalf of all Americans, we salute today the men of Iwo.