Now, Sal is a pretty humble guy.  And so when he came to the White House he said, “You know, I didn’t do anything special.”  He said he was just doing his job, that he didn’t do anything that his brothers wouldn’t have done for him.

“If I’m a hero,” he said, “then every man who stands around me, every woman in the military, every person who defends this country is also a hero.”

And he’s right.  Each of you has your own story.  Each of you is writing your own chapter in the story of America and the story of American armed forces.  Each of you have some losses.  Each of you have made sacrifices.  You come from every conceivable（可能的） background -- from big cities and small towns, from every race and faith and station.  You’ve come together to serve a greater cause, one that matters to the citizens of your country back home and to strangers who live a world away. 

So make no mistake, through your service, you demonstrate the content of the American character.  Sal is right -- every single one of you is a hero. 

Some people ask whether America’s best days lie ahead or whether our greatness stretches back behind us in the stories of those who’ve gone before.  And when I look out at all of you, I know the answer to that.  You give me hope.  You give me inspiration.  Your resolve shows that Americans will never succumb to（屈服于） fear.  Your selfless service shows who we are, who we always will be -- united as one people and united as one nation -- for you embody（体现） and stand up for the values that make us what we are as a people.

America is not defined by our borders.  We are defined by a common creed（信条，教义） .  In this holiday season, it’s worth remembering that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator by certain inalienable rights, that among these are the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

And that’s what you’re fighting for here in Afghanistan, and that’s what you’re protecting back home. And that belief is more powerful than any adversary（对手，敌手） .

So we may face a tough enemy in Afghanistan, and we’re in a period of tough challenges back home, but we did not become the nation that we are because we do what’s easy.  As Americans we’ve endured and we’ve grown stronger, and we remain the Land of the Free only because we are also Home of the Brave.

And because of you, I know that once more, we will prevail（盛行，流行） .  So thank you.  God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.  (Hooah!) 

Thank you, everybody, and Happy New Year.  Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.