Speeches & Remarks 2008
On the Occasion of the 232nd Anniversary
Of the Independence of the United States of America
Ambassador David C. Mulford
Roosevelt House
July 4, 2008
Honorable Foreign Minister,
Honorable Ministers of State,
Honorable Members of Parliament,
Honorable Ambassadors,
Colleagues and Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Fellow Americans,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentleman
Good Evening. On behalf of everyone who is part of the United States Mission to India, my wife Jeannie and I welcome you to the Roosevelt House this evening and thank you for joining us to celebrate 232 years of American independence. We are also proud to call attention to the 61st anniversary of US-Indian ties that we are marking this year.
Tonight, it gives me the greatest possible pleasure to acknowledge and introduce our guest of honor, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. This is a man, a leader, known to all in India and around the world as among India's most experienced, and most highly regarded political leaders - not just today - but over the entire history of modern India. He serves as India's Foreign Minister, but has also served as Defense Minister, Minister of Finance and Commerce, and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission among numerous other Cabinet positions throughout his long and distinguished career. I have had the pleasure of working with Minister Mukherjee these past 4 ½ years and I can attest to his diplomatic skills and to his wisdom as a leader.
In the U.S.-India relationship, we share a multitude of common values and have a wide variety of common interests. Among them is our mutual devotion to freedom and for justice for all. These are enduring cornerstones in the pillar of our relationship - which today touches every area of human endeavor. In all its many dimensions, Pranab Mukherjee has been a friend and constructive force of progress.
This will be our last 4th of July serving in India. It has been a privilege and a great honor to represent the United States of America in India, to serve in this remarkable country and to see and feel our relationship growing in every direction.
This is the fifth and last year that we have had the opportunity to hear Nilu Dorschner sing the American and Indian national anthems. We do this because she sings beautifully but also because she is living testimony of the ties that bind our two great countries together. We are fortunate to continue to have her as part of our Embassy community while her husband Jon serves in Iraq.
Today all across the US, Americans will be celebrating our national holiday, none more so than President George W. Bush. And as his personal representative to India it is my honor to pass along his Independence Day greetings.
For Jeannie and me the Fourth of July is America's greatest holiday. We both grew up in small town America where this day is America's day for Americans of every description.
This was the day that America declared its Independence, not the day, or all the days, it took to win that freedom.
By signing the Declaration of Independence, 232 years ago fifty-six courageous patriots pledged their lives, wealth, and sacred honor to securing freedom and attested to the fundamental idea of America, namely that all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights - among them life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We still work to achieve and to maintain these ideals. Our history attests to this ongoing effort. America, like India, is an unfinished work with the goals of freedom, justice, and liberty for all undimmed. We have defended our freedom many times, and the freedom of others, and we recognize that the need for this defense is a daily responsibility for us all. I would like to take a moment to recognize all military people present here this evening and to thank them for their service.
Now, I have to admit that growing up, thoughts of self evident, inalienable rights were not always at the top of our minds when it came to the Fourth of July. The popular manifestation of the 4th of July is that it is an exciting family day, a local day, a time for parades in every town, picnics, baseball, swimming, games and finally the fireworks. It is hard to convey to others the sheer excitement and pleasure of this day for Americans, where family and friends and the simple pleasures of freedom come first.
Thank you again for joining us and it is with that spirit that we thank you for joining us to celebrate the independence of the United States. Please enjoy your evening and to all happy 4th of July.