    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [January 23, 1991]
    [Pages 60-62]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the Reserve Officers Association
    January 23, 1991

        Thank you, General Bob Hope. And I'm pleased to see so many Members
    of Congress here tonight. I don't want to get in trouble, but I want to
    single out Senator Strom Thurmond; Senator Ted Stevens; and, of course,
    a great friend of the Reserve, my old friend, Sonny Montgomery over
    here--the General. And all the rest of the Members who are with us
    tonight.
        My apologies to all for speaking before the broccoli and leaving--
    [laughter]--but given the circumstances, I'm sure you'll understand. And
    I am proud to share this evening with the leadership of the Reserve
    Officers Association, and I am deeply honored to be named Minuteman of
    the Year. But I know tonight our thoughts go out to men and women
    earning the honor of a grateful nation at this very moment: the citizen-
    soldiers, 100,000 strong, serving now with the coalition forces in the
    Gulf. And I salute them, each and every one.
        Those American Reservists are part of an allied force standing
    against the forces of aggression--standing up for what is right. They
    serve alongside hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen,
    marines, and coastguardsmen of 27 other nations--all united against the
    aggression of Saddam Hussein.
        As we meet right here tonight, we are exactly 1 week into Operation
    Desert Storm. But it is important to date this conflict not from January
    16th, but from its true beginning: the assault of August 2d, Iraq's
    unprovoked aggression against the tiny nation of Kuwait. We did not
    begin a war 7 days ago. Rather, we began to end a war--to right a wrong
    that the world simply could not ignore.
        From the day Saddam's forces first crossed into Kuwait, it was clear
    that this aggression required a swift response from our nation and the
    world community. What was, and is, at stake is not simply our energy or
    economic security and the stability of a vital region but the prospects
    for peace in the post-cold-war era--the promise of a new world order
    based upon the rule of law.
        America was not alone in confronting Saddam. No less than 12
    resolutions of the United Nations Security Council condemned the
    invasion, demanding Iraq's withdrawal without condition and without
    delay. The United Nations put in place sanctions to prevent Iraq from
    reaping any reward from its outlaw act. Countries from six continents
    sent forces to the Gulf to demonstrate the will of the world community
    that Saddam's aggression would not stand.
        Appeasement--peace at any price--was never an answer. Turning a
    blind eye to Saddam's aggression would not have avoided war; it would
    only have delayed the world's day of reckoning, postponing what
    ultimately would have been a far more dangerous, a far more costly
    conflict.
        Unfortunately, in spite of more than 5 months of sustained
    diplomatic efforts by the Arab League, the European Community, the
    United States, and the United Nations, Saddam Hussein met every overture
    of peace with open contempt. In the end, despite the world's prayers for
    peace, Saddam brought war upon himself.
        Tonight, after 1 week of allied operations, I am pleased to report
    that Operation Desert Storm is right on schedule. We have dealt--and I
    salute General McPeak and the airmen flying under the United Com-

    [[Page 61]]

    mand out there, from the Navy and the Marines, as well as, of course,
    the Air Force; I salute him--we dealt a severe setback to Saddam's
    nuclear ambitions. Our pinpoint attacks have put Saddam out of the
    nuclear bomb-building business for a long time to come. Allied aircraft
    enjoy air superiority, and we are using that superiority to
    systematically deprive Saddam of his ability to wage war effectively.
        We are knocking out many of their key airfields. We're hitting their
    early warning radars with great success. We are severely degrading their
    air defenses. The main danger to allied aircraft now comes from some
    20,000 antiaircraft guns in the Baghdad area alone. And let me say, I am
    proud of the way our aviators are carrying out their tasks. In head-to-
    head combat, our jet fighters have destroyed 19 Iraqi jets. And they
    have hit, at most, one American jet in aerial combat.
        Step by step, we are making progress towards the objectives that
    have guided the world's response since August 2d: the liberation of
    Kuwait and the restoration of stability and security in the Gulf. And
    there can be no doubt: Operation Desert Storm is working. There can be
    no pause now that Saddam has forced the world into war. We will stay the
    course--and we will succeed--all the way.
        As I said on the 3d day of this campaign, war is never cheap or
    easy. There will be problems. There will be setbacks. There will be more
    sacrifices. But let me say I have every reason to be very pleased with
    our progress to date.
        Saddam has sickened the world with his use of Scud missiles--those
    inaccurate bombs that indiscriminately strike cities and innocent
    civilians in both Israel and Saudi Arabia. These weapons are nothing
    more than tools of terror, and they do nothing but strengthen our
    resolve to act against a dictator unmoved by human decency.
        Prime Minister John Major of the United Kingdom said it well
    yesterday. ``Saddam,'' he said, ``may yet become a target of his own
    people. It is perfectly clear that this man is amoral. He takes
    hostages, he attacks population centers, he threatens prisoners. He's a
    man without pity, and whatever his fate may be,'' said Prime Minister
    Major, ``I, for one, will not weep for him.'' No one should weep for
    this tyrant when he is brought to justice--no one, anywhere in the
    world.
        I watched, along with all of you, that repulsive parade of American
    airmen on Iraqi television--one more proof of the savagery of Saddam.
    But I knew as they read their prepared statements criticizing this
    country that those were false words forced on them by their captors. I
    saw one of General McPeak's kids--one American pilot yesterday was asked
    why he was sure the pilots were coerced, their statements false. And he
    said, ``I know that because these guys are Americans.'' He could well
    have said the same thing about the other pilots being held--from
    Britain, Italy, and Kuwait--all men of courage and valor, too.
        Tonight, I repeat my pledge to you and to all Americans: This will
    not be another Vietnam. Never again will our Armed Forces be sent out to
    do a job with one hand tied behind their back. They will continue to
    have the support they need to get the job done, get it done quickly, and
    with as little loss of life as possible. And that support is not just
    military, but moral--measured in the support our servicemen and women
    receive from every one of us here at home. When the brave men and women
    of Desert Storm return home, they will return to the love and respect of
    a grateful nation. And with that in mind, I'd like to say to every
    family of every man or woman serving overseas: We're thinking of you,
    and you are in our prayers.
        And that is where I will close--with the aim of protecting American
    lives and seeing the heroes of Desert Storm return home safe and sound.
    All life is precious, whether it's the life of an American pilot or an
    Iraqi child. And yet, if life is precious, so, too, are the living
    principles of liberty and peace--principles that all Americans cherish
    above all others, principles that you and your comrades on duty tonight
    have pledged to defend.
        Thank you for this warm welcome tonight and for your strong support.
    And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very, very
    much.

    [[Page 62]]

                        Note: The President spoke at 7:42 p.m. in the
                            Ballroom at the Washington Hilton Hotel. In his
                            remarks, he referred to Maj. Gen. Robert C.
                            Hope, ret., president of the Reserve Officers
                            Association; Senators Strom Thurmond and Ted
                            Stevens; Representative G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery;
                            President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Gen. Merrill
                            A. McPeak, Air Force Chief of Staff; and Prime
                            Minister John Major of the United Kingdom.