Secretary Martinez was joined on Wednesday by HUD staff and National Congressional Chartered Veteran Service Organizations for a special Memorial Day tribute to the more than 650,000 American men and women killed in war, and Americans declared Missing in Action. Secretary Martinez presented a Memorial Wreath to commemorate the event, and spoke to the crowd of HUD employees and members of veterans' groups who gathered for the ceremony:

"On Monday, Memorial Day, in thousands of communities across our nation, citizens will pause and honor the Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country - those who were killed in combat while serving in the United States Armed Forces. This year, far too many new names have been added to that list. They were our spouses, members of our families, and our friends… and they chose to serve our nation in the military because they knew it was something they had to do. They trained, traveled home on holiday leave, went off to war… and never came back. They are missed, and their memories will always be with us - especially on Memorial Day.

"This year, we pay special tribute to the victims of September 11th and all those who have died fighting the war against terrorism. Whether the soldiers we have lost since that September morning were killed in the mountains of Afghanistan or at their desks in the Pentagon, they died as heroes. Their lives, however brief, have become powerful symbols of who we are as a nation, and why we cherish the freedom the terrorists hope to extinguish.

"We also honor those men and women who are still missing in action and unaccounted for in distant lands. Nor have we forgotten our disabled and homeless veterans and their families.

"President Ronald Reagan said, 'Freedom is not something to be secured in any one moment of time. We must struggle to preserve it every day.' We take those words to heart each Memorial Day as we honor the heroes of war, to ensure that they - and the pursuit of freedom for which every American soldier bravely fights - are not forgotten. It is with a deep sense of honor and respect that I join President Bush, his Administration, and the entire HUD family in expressing our sincere and abiding appreciation to those who served and those who died. On this Memorial Day, they continue to be with us… and through their sacrifice, help us to remember the true meaning of the word 'American.'"

Since last year, at the request of Secretary Martinez, the American Flag and the POW-MIA Flag have flown, proudly, over the HUD Headquarters Building 24 hours a day, seven days a week.