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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Deputy Secretary England, for that generous introduction. I am so honored to be here at Bethesda National Naval1 Medical Center. This is often called the "Presidents Hospital." The reason why is this is where the President gets medical care. But Im relieved today not to be on the treadmill2, weighing in and getting a blood test. (Laughter.) I also will tell you that the care that the President gets here is extraordinary.
I am so excited to be here for what is a grand occasion. This is a big deal, the breaking ground of a new joint3 medical facility for the men and women of our Armed Forces. Thank you all for joining us.
In a few years the current campus at Walter Reed will close, and many of its services will be relocated to the new complex here on the grounds at Bethesda. The two hospitals will be merged5 into one central campus, which will be called the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. At this new center, wounds will be healed, medical knowledge will be advanced, lives will be rebuilt. And those who wear our nations uniform will be reminded that they have the enduring gratitude6 of the American people. I thank all who serve Walter Reed and Bethesda. I love being with the healers and caregivers, and incredibly compassionate8 people who makes our current facility successful and will make this new center a great success.
Congressman9, thank you very much for joining us. I know you are proud that this new facility is in your congressional district. Thank you for working hard to see vision become a reality.
Lieutenant10 Governor, proud to be with you. This man wear [sic] the uniform of the United States military, and Im proud to be with this veteran, and now public servant for the state of Maryland.
Members of the administration who are here, thank you all for coming. Chaplain York, thanks for the blessings11. And all those who wear the uniform, thanks for sacrificing for the country.
This morning, we gather in a place that was chosen by another President to be the site of a world-class naval hospital. When President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated12 Bethesda in the early years of World War II, he placed this facility on the front lines of what he called the "battle against disease, disability and death." The military "surgeons and nurses, scientists and technicians," he said, "are anonymous13 heroes of this war."
More than six decades later, our nation is engaged in a very different battle for our freedom. Yet our success still relies on these "anonymous heroes" -- the healers who care for the troops, those troops who keep the American people safe. In this new war, giving our troops the care they deserve requires cutting-edge medical facilities. And that is what this new medical center will provide.
When the construction is complete, this facility will encompass14 345 beds and 6.7 million square feet. It will join the resources of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and make it easier for medical professionals in all three services to collaborate15 and care for the patients. Our troops and their families will no longer have to travel between Bethesda and Walter Reed to see multiple specialists. The new complex will also benefit from the good work of the Dole-Shalala Wounded Warriors16 Commission, which has issued recommendations for modernizing17 and improving our military health care system. Those recommendations will provide a strong foundation for effective, accountable care here at the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
This new medical center will be a place of healing. Every day, our military doctors and nurses and medical staff demonstrate their immense skill and their caring hearts. You soothe18 the pain and fear of patients. You console families who keep constant vigil over their loved ones. You share the joy of a neurology patients first recovered words, and an amputees first steps. When required, you can show tough love -- but you also like to remind patients that laughter is the best medicine. And we look forward to the day when the joy of recovery echoes through the halls of the new medical facility that will be built here.
This new medical center will be a place of innovation. Major Walter Reed was the Army doctor who found that Yellow Fever is transmitted by mosquitoes -- a discovery that has saved countless19 lives. The new institution bearing his name will continue his legacy20 of lifesaving research. Today, our nations military doctors are revolutionizing how we approach traumatic brain injuries, Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder21, and amputee care. In many fields, you are far ahead of civilian22 medicine. And when Bethesda and Walter Reed merge4 into one campus across from the National Institutes of Health, this will be the site of many more promising23 breakthroughs that will benefit not only our troops, but all mankind.
This new medical center will be a place of compassion7. At Bethesda and Walter Reed, volunteers organize holiday celebration, poker24 nights and field trips. They distribute care packages from thousands of Americans who want to show their gratitude for our troops. Recently, schoolchildren from New York made pillows for soldiers at Walter Reed, and sent letters along with the gifts. The children wrote: "[You are] everyones hero." "Thank you for fighting for our freedom." At this new center, the Americans who fight for our freedom will get the compassion and support they deserve.
This new medical center will be a place of courage. Our wounded warriors show that while the human body is fragile, the human spirit is strong. Anybody who has met the wounded at Walter Reed and Bethesda cannot help but be incredibly impressed by the courage and sacrifice of our troops.
Recently, I saw this strength in a young Air Force Staff Sergeant25 named Scott Lilley. Scott was serving in Iraq when an IED left him with a severe brain injury. I think it was last 4th of July that you came to the White House. Yes, I was one who felt like this guy had no chance. And yet, he -- the doctors here used state-of-the-art technology and aggressive treatment to get Scott better. Their perseverance26 paid off. And so has his. I welcomed he and his mom and dad to the Oval Office the other day. He was more eloquent27 than I was, which isnt all that hard. (Laughter.) He drives a car, he goes to baseball games, he loves to joke.
His doctor calls Scotts recovery "miraculous28." And thanks to the extraordinary care he received at Bethesda, as well his own extraordinary resolve, he is now back on active duty in the Air Force. And we are glad youre here. (Applause.)
The greatest privilege of serving as President is to be the Commander-in-Chief of such an extraordinary group of men and women who wear our nations uniform. And Im pleased to help start construction on the new hospital that will continue to provide the excellent care our troops deserve. It is fitting that this new facility be built in a place called Bethesda, which draws its name from the Biblical pool of healing. It is there that a lame29 man was made to walk, and was dispatched with the words: "Behold30, thou art made whole."
I pray that this will be the site of many miracles of healing -- where the lame will walk again, where broken bodies will be made whole, and where youll always know that youre in our prayers and in the hearts of the American people.
May God bless you, and may God continue to bless our country. (Applause.)
1 naval | |
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的 | |
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2 treadmill | |
n.踏车;单调的工作 | |
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3 joint | |
adj.联合的,共同的;n.关节,接合处;v.连接,贴合 | |
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4 merge | |
v.(使)结合,(使)合并,(使)合为一体 | |
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5 merged | |
(使)混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 ); 相融; 融入; 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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6 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
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7 compassion | |
n.同情,怜悯 | |
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8 compassionate | |
adj.有同情心的,表示同情的 | |
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9 Congressman | |
n.(美)国会议员 | |
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10 lieutenant | |
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员 | |
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11 blessings | |
n.(上帝的)祝福( blessing的名词复数 );好事;福分;因祸得福 | |
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12 dedicated | |
adj.一心一意的;献身的;热诚的 | |
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13 anonymous | |
adj.无名的;匿名的;无特色的 | |
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14 encompass | |
vt.围绕,包围;包含,包括;完成 | |
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15 collaborate | |
vi.协作,合作;协调 | |
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16 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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17 modernizing | |
使现代化,使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 ); 现代化,使用现代方法 | |
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18 soothe | |
v.安慰;使平静;使减轻;缓和;奉承 | |
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19 countless | |
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的 | |
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20 legacy | |
n.遗产,遗赠;先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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21 disorder | |
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调 | |
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22 civilian | |
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的 | |
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23 promising | |
adj.有希望的,有前途的 | |
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24 poker | |
n.扑克;vt.烙制 | |
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25 sergeant | |
n.警官,中士 | |
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26 perseverance | |
n.坚持不懈,不屈不挠 | |
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27 eloquent | |
adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的 | |
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28 miraculous | |
adj.像奇迹一样的,不可思议的 | |
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29 lame | |
adj.跛的,(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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30 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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