- description
- # Closing Remarks
## Overview
This entity is a text segment labeled "Closing Remarks," extracted from lines 557 to 596 of a source document. It was processed on January 27, 2026, by an automated extraction system and represents part of a speech transcript. The segment contains the concluding portion of video remarks delivered by President William Jefferson Clinton to the people of Puerto Rico regarding U.S. Navy training operations on the island of Vieques.
## Context
The segment is part of a larger document detailing President Clinton’s response to public concerns following a fatal accident at the Navy’s Vieques training range in April 1999, which resulted in the death of civilian security guard David Sanes and injured others. The speech was re-drafted by Orzulak and finalized on November 29, 1999. It reflects the administration’s effort to balance national defense readiness with the legitimate safety, health, and environmental concerns of Vieques residents. This segment appears on pages 18 and 19 of the document, as indicated by embedded page references.
## Contents
The text includes expressions of condolence for the victims of the accident and acknowledges the deep-seated distrust among island residents toward military operations. President Clinton affirms his understanding of Puerto Rican citizens’ safety concerns while emphasizing the necessity of realistic military training for U.S. service members. He recognizes Puerto Rico’s long-standing contributions to national defense and notes that many Puerto Ricans have themselves trained on Vieques. The remarks aim to validate public sentiment while underscoring the federal responsibility to maintain military readiness. The segment also includes a placeholder for an image (arke:01KG0GSMX716HK5KHS5WZDV4D0) and references the National Security Council. This entity is archived within the collection [More Classics](arke:01KFXT0KM64XT6K8W52TDEE0YS).
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- 2026-01-27T20:04:56.574Z
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- Qwen/Qwen3-235B-A22B-Instruct-2507
- description_title
- Closing Remarks
- end_line
- 596
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-27T20:03:33.691Z
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- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 557
- text
- Thank you very much.
<!-- [Page 18](arke:01KG0GQ5D1X6675K6DN8ZA1RDH) -->
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
<!-- [Page 19](arke:01KG0GQ5HVSSAEM6XMWP5NNN6S) -->
11/29/99 Final
Re-drafted by Orzulak
PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
VIDEO REMARKS TO THE
PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO
CONCERNING NAVY TRAINING ON VIEQUES
NOVEMBER 29, 1999
Last April
My fellow citizens: Six months ago, there was a tragic accident at the Navy range on
Vieques. I was greatly saddened by the loss to the family of David Sanes (SAN-ness), and
the suffering of the others injured that day. We remembered them in our prayers on
Thanksgiving.
That terrible accident focused attention on the longstanding concerns of residents of the
island about training operations there. These concerns cover a wide range of issues – from
safety and health to the economy and the environment. They reflect a distrust that,
unfortunately, has been building for decades.
The accident led to a strong view in the Commonwealth that the Navy should end its training
operations in Vieques. I understand that view. I understand that those of you who live near
the firing range are concerned for your safety, and the safety of your children.
At the same time, as Commander in Chief, I cannot send our servicemen and women into
harm's way if they have not been adequately trained. I know that Puerto Ricans understand
that as well as anybody. Puerto Rico has a proud heritage of sending its sons and daughters
to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. You have never turned your back on your
duty to share in the burden of defending our country. Some of you have even trained on
Vieques.
- title
- Closing Remarks