250 Years of Honoring the American Soldier

Tonight, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States Army—the oldest branch of the greatest fighting force ever known to man—I want to say to all the soldiers across our nation’s capital and around the world: Happy birthday, soldiers. We are proud of you.

You represent an unbroken line of greatness, of excellence. And one of the things the President of the United States has told his entire administration—from the Vice President on down—is that we must remember that the young men and women who wear the uniform and serve this nation are our most valuable resource.

We must honor them. We must respect them. We must fight for them. And that is exactly what the Trump administration is committed to doing every single day.

So to our soldiers, we are incredibly proud of you. And let me say that the way we honor and respect you is, number one: we never ask you to go to war unless it is truly necessary. And number two: when we do ask you to go to war, we give you the weapons and support needed to kick the enemy’s ass and return home safely.