Barry Goldwater Quotes

These are men and women who are willing to risk their lives in defense of their country. And the fact that their orientation - sexual orientation's been held against them is a blot on our nation's reputation.

No one has been barred on account of his race from fighting or dying for America, there are no white or colored signs on the foxholes or graveyards of battle.

When soldiers have been baptized in the fire of a battle-field, they have all one rank in my eyes.

I grew up with a deep belief that wherever our troops fought, they were on the side of the angels.

I don't see how you can separate human rights and the rights of all people, no matter what their sexual orientation is.

Pervasive 'whites-only' policies and hateful narratives could not be further from the values that underpin our Armed Forces: those of integrity, respect for others, and having the bravery to do the right thing.

My brother had the courage to come out in 1978, when equality was still a distant dream.

At its core, our military is comprised of service members who are proud of their country and are willing to go to great lengths to protect American virtues of liberty and justice. I was one of them.

Everyone in the street where I grew up was given the same message: You can be anything; you can do anything. That wasn't extraordinary; that was ordinary for us. My folks didn't believe in black exceptionalism. There's nothing exceptional about 'You can have that, too' - except when it comes to justice. You can't have that.

I am proud to have played a small part in ensuring that no veteran's heroic service will be cast aside due to prejudice.

Excellence is the best weapon against prejudice.

In our observances this Memorial Day, we honor the brave Americans who paid the highest price for their commitment to the ideals of peace, freedom, and justice. Our debt to them can be paid only by our own recommitment to preserving those same ideals.

I have a whole, whole lot of respect for the men and women that serve our country.

All Americans should take great pride in the men and women serving our nation in Iraq and in the courage, determination, resilience and initiative they demonstrate each and every day. It remains the greatest of honors to soldier with them.

I was raised with traditional stories of leadership: Robert E. Lee, John Buford at Gettysburg. And I also was raised with personal examples of leadership. This was my father in Vietnam. And I was raised to believe that soldiers were strong and wise and brave and faithful; they didn't lie, cheat, steal, or abandon their comrades.

We learned that whether or not you support the war, you honor the soldiers that fight.

My great-grandfather and his two brothers fought at Gettysburg. They were in artillery, and they survived the war, thank goodness. So I revere what they did. I think their motivations were honorable when they undertook the war and participated in it along with other Southerners.

The comforting news for every American is that our men and women in uniform, and every Marine, is as good today as any in our history.

I'm proud to have served there for 12 months with Alpha Company of the 39th Infantry.

My wife was as much of a soldier as I was.

Army Specialist Bradley Manning deserves a medal, not prison.

Once you're in the presence of people who have put their lives actively on the line, repeatedly, you're never allowed to complain again. And I do, and we all do. But now I look at things a little differently.

I see our veterans as American heroes, not as cartoon characters.

It's an extraordinary thing to do, to go into the military and to serve your country.

In the many roles I have played in my acting career as military figures, I have simply drawn upon the acts of courage, large and small, I have seen in the men and women with whom I served, and the countless others I met or have come to know through the years.