Few have left such a towering legacy as a face of America to the world as Richard Holbrooke, and the mourners at his memorial this afternoon — from current and former Presidents to foreign heads of state to what might have been taken for America's entire diplomatic corps — reflected that legacy.
President Obama began his remarks looking to the family that loved him:
To Kati, Anthony, David and Elizabeth, to all the friends and admirers of Richard, we come together to celebrate an extraordinary life.
In 1999, at the height of the crisis in Kosovo, Richard gave an interview in which he addressed the question of why the United States was engaged in bringing peace to that war-torn corner of the world. Why bother? His answer was simple: “Because we could make a difference.” Because we could make a difference.
That is the story of American leadership in the world. And that is also the story of Richard Holbrooke. He made a difference.
President Barack Obama, with from left; Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, for President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Samantha Power, NSC Director of Multilateral Affairs, listen to one of the speakers at Ambassador Richard Holbrooke’s memorial service at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.,
That story began in Vietnam where he served as a Foreign Service Officer, and criss-crossed the world making history as it went:
Fonte: White House