Address on the USS Barry (May 8, 2008) - Ambassador Benson K. Whitney
Minister, Excellencies, Captain, Commodore, Distinguished Guests,
Jens Christian Hauge, famed Resistance leader and later Minister, wrote of Norway’s liberation:
In the skies above London,
In the African desert,
In the ruins of Stalingrad,
And on the beaches of Normandy,
Norway was given back to us.
This recognition of the American and allied contribution to Norway’s freedom is gracious and generous. And it is, of course, only part of the story. The spirit and courage of Norwegians serving in the Resistance, in allied forces, and in the merchant marine makes the victory of 1945, including the liberation of Norway, a truly shared achievement.
Victory in Norway came at a shared cost of precious lives. Captain Robert Losey, killed in April, 1940 in Dombas, was the first American military casualty of World War II. Per Steen was executed in Akershus Castle with dozens of Norwegian Resistance fighters in spring, 1945. Soon after, Sergeant H.W. Woodward died in a plane crash in the hills of Nordmarka together with 23 of his British, Canadian and Norwegian comrades on a mission to protect the peace following the Nazi surrender.
Today we celebrate Norway’s Liberation Day and we give honor to the spirit, strength and determination, of all those patriots who gave dearly in this just cause. It is these men and women who taught us once again that the price of freedom lies in common purpose, common action, and common sacrifice.
The war’s end marked only the beginning of the steadfast security partnership between Norway and the United States. Side by side we helped build NATO, meet the threats of the Cold War, then launch the new democracies of Eastern Europe.
Today, Norway and the U.S. are helping the Afghani people fight extremism and form a prosperous, democratic nation. Our pilots, soldiers and sailors train together, developing the skills needed to preserve peace around the globe. At the Joint Warfare Center in Stavanger, we are building a NATO ready for a new century of challenges.
However, at its heart, the special bond between Norway and the United States springs not from just the demands of security, but from an unwavering commitment to the shared values of justice, peace, and, above all, the freedom we celebrate today.
Those who sacrificed in war to make Norway free would be especially proud that our deep national friendship extends so far beyond traditional security matters. From human rights in Burma, to AIDS in Uganda, to poverty in Bangladesh, our peoples and institutions are toiling together to protect the weakest and the poorest.
And so Madame Minister, I am so very proud to stand with you today on the deck of the USS BARRY. The BARRY comes to Norway this Liberation Day as a clear expression of our gratitude for the achievements of this special partnership. But this ship carries more than a message about the past. The BARRY arrives on these shores as a concrete symbol of my nation’s continued commitment to the people of Norway and a symbol of the enduring resolve of the United States to our Northern-most NATO ally. This ship carries an invitation that the American people truly hope this alliance will continue to fulfill in the 21st century the potential that past achievements predict.
We cannot rely on shared history to provide the sustainable foundations of a 21st century relationship. We must instead consciously choose each other by actively building the ties that will make our partnership endure.
And so we must promote the continued people to people engagements that will build true mutual understanding. The men and women of this great ship, the very best that America has to offer, have come to personally experience the marvelous Norwegian people, and to share with them the essence of the American character. We must entrust this alliance to new generations by expanding the Fulbright program and building partnerships between our universities to greatly increase the number of students traveling to each others shores.
We must build our connections in 21st century commerce, from traditional energy in the High North to advanced green technologies that will help us, as Artic nations, to protect our northern environment.
And our 21st century partnership can only thrive if we treat each other with care and respect. It means criticizing a friend when we believe they have made a mistake but always making sure to balance that with credit for what we think they got right. It means avoiding the easy caricatures that merely diminish us to simple stereotypes.
Norway and the U.S. must also be vigilant to the protection of our vital values and security interests, especially in an area of such importance as the High North. While receding to a more distant past, Norway’s occupation and liberation reminds us of the uncertainty of the future and the demand, when necessary, to actively defend what we hold dearest. As Mr. Hauge’s writing suggested, our freedom cannot be stronger than the friends we can count on to help us defend it.
Madam Minister, the needs of the world are great. The capacity of our nations to respond is great as well. On this Liberation Day, let Norway and America stand together with resolution to overcome the challenges of this new century, jointly looking into a brighter future, one of shared prosperity and of brotherhood between our nations.
To do so is to honor the memory of Captain Losey, Per Steen, Sergeant Woodward, and all those patriots who laid the path that has brought us here today. For their greatest legacy is to remind us that this cherished alliance, forged by war, should endure undiminished to protect peace, preserve justice and assure our freedoms for generations to come.