Obama: Memorial commemorates two battles fought by disabled veterans

President Obama honored disabled U.S. veterans on Sunday, saying that those injured during war represent the character and resilience of a nation that has endured countless conflicts.

Obama said that those who visit the new American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington “will come to this place and ponder the immense sacrifice made on their behalf” since the nation’s inception more than 200 years ago.

He said if Americans want to see examples of true strength, “if you want to see the character of our country — a country that never quits — look at these men and women,” he said to 3,100 people in attendance at the memorial’s dedication.

The memorial stands for the many sacrifices made by the nation’s war veterans who returned to fight another battle, Obama said: one of recovery.

{mosads}“With this memorial we commemorate, for the first time, the two battles our disabled veterans have fought — the battle over there, and the battle here at home — your battle to recover, which at times can be even harder, and certainly longer,” he said.

He called the memorial a reminder that “as a nation, we have not always fulfilled our obligations to those who served in our name.”

“This is a painful truth,” the president said.

To truly honor veterans, the nation should never rush into war, Obama said, “because it is America’s sons and daughters who bear the scars of war for the rest of their lives.”

“When our wounded veterans set out on that long road of recovery, we need to move heaven and earth to make sure they get every single benefit, every single bit of care that they have earned, that they deserve,” he added.

The memorial, which is near the Capitol building, has been in the works since the late 1990s.

Philanthropist Lois Pope, former Veterans Affairs Secretary Jesse Brown and Art Wilson, who was the CEO of the Disabled American Veterans organization into 2013, raised $80 million for the memorial’s construction.

The memorial also got a boost of star power from actor Gary Sinise, who has been raising money for more than a decade for disabled veterans.