奥巴马总统每周电台演讲:总统向布里斯基地为国服役的士兵们致敬

Hi, everybody.

嗨，大家好。

On Friday, I visited Fort Bliss¹ in Texas, where I met with some of our extraordinary men and women in uniform to mark the second anniversary of the end of major combat in Iraq.

我在本周五走访了位于德克萨斯州的布里斯基地，在那里我见到了杰出的男女战士们，与他们一起纪念结束2周年的伊拉克战争。

It was a chance to thank our troops for the outstanding work they've done over the last decade.

这是一个最好的机会，感谢我们的军队，向在过去十年里出色完成的各种任务的他们表示谢意。

Fort Bliss is home to soldiers who took part in every major phase of the Iraq War – from the initial assault on Baghdad; to the years of fighting block by block; to the partnership² with the Iraqi people that helped give them a chance to forge their own destiny.

布里斯基地是投身到伊拉克战争每一个重要阶段的战士们在的家—从最开始的突袭巴格达到接下来数年里各地的战斗，再到协助伊拉克人民，帮助他们重新掌控自己的命运。

And while the war itself remains³ a source of controversy⁴ here at home, one thing will never be in doubt – the members of our armed forces are patriots⁵ in every sense of the word.

尽管国内对这场战争仍是争议不断，但有一件事情毋庸置疑，那就是任何语言都不足以表达我们的战士们的爱国精神。

They met every mission and performed every task that was asked of them with precision, commitment and skill.

他们不仅完成每一次的战斗任务，而且每一次都精确、无畏且巧妙。

And now, with no Americans fighting in Iraq, it's my privilege on behalf of a grateful nation to once again congratulate these men and women on a job well done.

现在，已经没有美国人在伊拉克继续战斗，我代表我们伟大的国家向他们优异的表现再次表示祝贺。

This anniversary is a chance to appreciate how far we've come.

这次纪念也让我们有机会回顾我们所取得的成就。

But it's also a reminder⁶ that there is still difficult work ahead of us in Afghanistan.

但这也在提醒着我们，在阿富汗还有很多困难的工作等着我们。

Some of the soldiers I met at Fort Bliss had just come home from the battlefield, and others are getting ready to ship out.

我在布里斯见到有些士兵刚从战场返回国内，而有些人则正整装待发。

We've broken the Taliban's momentum⁷ in Afghanistan, and begun the transition to an Afghan lead.

我们已经粉碎了阿富汗的塔利班势力，并开始逐步转交给阿富汗人来领导。

Next month, the last of the troops I ordered as part of the surge against the Taliban will come home, and by 2014, the transition to Afghan lead will be complete.

下个月，我派遣出去打击塔利班的大部队中的最后一支将返回国内，到2014年，向阿富汗人移交领导权的工作将全部完成。

But as long as we have a single American in harm's way, we will continue to do everything in our power to keep them safe and help them succeed.

但是，只要还有我们的同胞受到威胁，我们就将运用我们的力量尽一切可能保证他们的安全并帮助他们脱离险境。

That means giving them a clear mission and the equipment they need on the front lines.

这就需要给部队下达明确的任务并且提供给他们前线所需的装备。

But it also means taking care of our veterans and their families.

但这也意味着我们要照顾好我们的老兵和他们的家属。

Because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.

因为任何为国战斗的人都不应该在衣锦还乡后为找一份工作或是寻求一个安身之所而继续“战斗”。

I also told our soldiers at Bliss that part of honoring their service means strengthening the nation they fought so hard to protect.

我告诉这些在布里斯的士兵，他们的劳苦使国家更加强大，这也是对他们为国服役的真正含义。

As we turn the page on a decade of war, it's time to do some nation-building here at home.

当我们翻开十年战争的崭新篇章，是到了做好国内建设的时候了。

My grandfather's generation came back from World War II and helped form the backbone⁸ of the greatest middle-class in history.

我祖父那一代人从二战战场回国并且成为了我国历史上最伟大的一代中产阶级的脊梁。

They helped this country come back stronger than before.

他们帮助这个国家变得比以往更加强大。

Today's veterans have the skills, the discipline, and the leadership skills to do the exact same thing – and it's our job to give them that chance.

今天的退伍军人拥有技能，纪律严明，而且他们的领导能力足以让他们做好同样的事情，现在我们需要做的就是给他们一个机会。

It's time to build a nation that lives up to the ideals that so many Americans have fought for – a nation where they can realize the dream they sacrificed to protect.

现在到了建设我们国家的时候了，这样才能不辜负这么多的美国人民为之战斗和奋斗的理想：这是一个他们牺牲生命保护的要让大家能实现自己梦想的国度。

We need to rebuild our roads and runways and ports.

我们需要重建我们的道路、机场和港口。

We need to lay broadband lines across this country and put our veterans back to work as cops and firefighters in communities that need them.

我们需要铺设遍布全国的宽带网络，让我们的退伍军人像警察、消防队员一样在社会上需要他们的地方工作。

And we need to come together to make America a place where hard work is rewarded and anyone willing to put in the effort can make it if they try.

我们需要团结起来让美国成为辛勤工作就能得到回报，任何愿意付出的人都能成功的国家。

That's how we can honor our troops.

这才是我们尊敬我们的部队的方式。

That's the welcome home they've earned.

这也是他们衣锦还乡时应该得到的欢迎方式。

Thanks, and have a great weekend

谢谢大家，祝大家周末愉快

1 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

2 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

5 patriots   

爱国者，爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Abraham Lincoln was a fine type of the American patriots. 亚伯拉罕·林肯是美国爱国者的优秀典型。
• These patriots would fight to death before they surrendered. 这些爱国者宁愿战斗到死，也不愿投降。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

7 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

8 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。