Vice President Al Gore Honors War Dead on Memorial Day, Reflects on Personal Experience in Vietnam

In a somber Memorial Day ceremony, Vice President Al Gore commemorated the nation's war dead, recounting his personal experience in Vietnam and the complex emotions that led him to enlist three decades ago. Gore acknowledged that his service was not the most grueling or dangerous, but it taught him about sacrifice, honor, and loyalty among soldiers. He emphasized the bond shared by veterans across various conflicts, saying, "You felt the same feelings, saw the same things, and made the same sacrifices."

Key Takeaways:

• Vice President Al Gore delivered a personal speech on Memorial Day, reflecting on his experience in Vietnam and the emotions that led him to enlist.
• Gore acknowledged that his service as an Army reporter in Vietnam was not the most grueling or dangerous, but it taught him about sacrifice, honor, and loyalty among soldiers.
• He emphasized the bond shared by veterans across various conflicts, saying, "You felt the same feelings, saw the same things, and made the same sacrifices."
• Gore's speech was part of a broader effort by his campaign to reintroduce him to voters through television commercials, speeches, and other events highlighting his biography.
• He will promote cancer programs later this week by discussing the death of his sister, Nancy, of lung cancer.
• Gore opposed the war in Vietnam but enlisted in the Army just two months after graduating from Harvard in 1969.
• Friends have said he signed up in part to protect his father, Senator Albert Gore, from criticism by Republicans who supported the war effort.
• Gore described feeling disillusioned upon returning to a nation that was ambivalent, and sometimes hostile, toward Vietnam veterans, which kept him from running for public office for several years.
• He highlighted the importance of sharing stories of American courage and character with the next generation, saying, "We must pass stories of American courage and character to the next generation, to capture their imaginations."
• Both Gore and Governor Bush emphasized the need to honor the sacrifices of veterans and to strengthen the country's armed forces.

Statistics:

• Gore served in the Army for five months as an Army reporter in Vietnam.
• He graduated from Harvard in 1969 and enlisted in the Army two months later.
• Gore's speech was held in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, a region with large numbers of war veterans and union members.
• Gore's comments referenced President John F. Kennedy's statement on democracy, saying, "Democracy is a call to untiring effort, to continual sacrifice and to the willingness if necessary to die in its defense."

Sources:

• The New York Times, May 28, 2000 (no byline)