WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Barack Obama Thursday awarded Defense Secretary Robert Gates the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a surprise at a ceremony honoring Gates' retirement.
Obama awarded the medal to Gates for his long service to the nation and for his extraordinary leadership, serving as Defense Secretary during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
'As President, the highest honor that I can bestow on a civilian is the Presidential Medal of Freedom,' Obama said. 'It speaks to the values we cherish as a people and the ideals we strive for as a nation.'
He added, 'Today it is my great privilege to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to America's 22nd Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates.'
Obama hailed Gates for his willingness to continue to serve as Defense Secretary after his appointment by former President George W. Bush when he could easily have used the transition between administrations as an opportunity to return to private life.
'Why did Bob Gates serve?' Obama asked, rhetorically. 'Our nation is at war, and to know Bob is to know his profound sense of duty -- to country, to our security, and most of all, to our men and women who get up every day and put on America's uniform and put their lives on the line to keep us safe and to keep us free.'
Obama added, 'When the outcome of the war in Iraq was in doubt, Bob Gates presided over the extraordinary efforts that helped restore order.'
Obama also hailed Gates' efforts in devising the Administration's new course in Afghanistan as well as in domestic programs at the Pentagon.
'When institutional inertia kept funding systems our troops didn't need, Bob Gates launched a war on waste -- challenging conventional wisdom with courage and conviction, speaking hard truths and saving hundreds of billions of dollars that can be invested in a 21st century military,' Obama said.
He added, 'Bob Gates made it his mission to make sure this department is serving our troops in the field as well as they serve us.'
Obama said that Gates' greatest legacy may be the confidence he gave the members of the armed forces, 'who knew that there was a Secretary of Defense who had their backs and who loved them and who fought for them and who did everything in his power to bring them home safe.'
Gates said he was honored and moved as well as surprised by the Medal of Freedom award, adding that it had been a great privilege to serve two presidents as Defense Secretary.
'Looking forward to this moment, I knew it would be very difficult for me to adequately express my feelings for these young men and women,' Gates said. 'I'll just say here that I will think of these young warriors -- the ones who fought, the ones who keep on fighting, the ones who never made it back -- till the end of my days.'
Gates also referred to General George Marshall, saying the nation must develop responsibility for security around the globe and understand the 'overwhelming importance' of America's decisions to act or not act on the global stage.
'Now, as when Marshall first uttered those words, a sense of America's exceptional global responsibilities and the importance of what we do or do not do remain the great 'musts' of this dangerous new century,' he said.
He added, 'It is the sacred duty entrusted to all of us privileged to serve in positions of leadership and responsibility; a duty we should never forget or take lightly; a duty I have every confidence you will all continue to fulfill.'
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2011 AFX News
