    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [February 1, 1991]
    [Pages 94-96]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Community Members at Fort Stewart, Georgia
    February 1, 1991

        Thank you for that great welcome. Jill--Jill McCaffrey--it is my
    great pleasure to be here and to meet with you. Barbara and I met the
    commanding general--met Jill's husband, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, and many
    of his troops, many of your loved ones--and we shared a meal with them
    on Thanksgiving Day. And it was special, and we Bushes

    [[Page 95]]

    will never forget it. And the food wasn't bad, either. [Laughter] But
    I'll tell you, the morale was great.
        I want to salute General Burba, thank him for his leadership in this
    most important command of his. I want to salute and pay my respects to
    these two Senators from this State in which this installation is
    located--Senator Nunn, chairman of our Armed Services Committee; Senator
    Wyche Fowler--and of course, your own Congressman from this district
    who's been so supportive of everything all of you are involved in,
    Congressman Thomas. To the new Governor of this great State, Governor
    Miller, who is with us today, my respects. And Colonel Lucas, thank you,
    sir, for your prayers. And Colonel Frank Miller, if you can sing like
    your wife does, why, you guys ought to go on the road. [Laughter] But I
    think I've mentioned everybody but Beetle Bailey here. [Laughter]
        But nevertheless, it is indeed a real pleasure to meet with you.
    I've heard a lot from Colonel Miller and others about Hinesville, and I
    heard a lot out in the Saudi desert--you can believe me--about all of
    you, the Fort Stewart family. I came down here to thank you on behalf of
    a grateful nation for your steadfast service and sacrifice because when
    proud men and women of Fort Stewart and Hunter Field put it all on the
    line, every one of you is right there with them.
        In times of trial, we fall back on faith and on family--what a wise
    man once called the ``little platoons'' to which we all belong--the
    little platoons that provide the 24th Infantry Division with its
    fighting spirit and its staying power.
        Right now, it's night in Saudi Arabia. The soldiers from Fort
    Stewart are on duty, 1 more day in more than 5 long months away from
    home. Our thoughts are with them, day and night--America's finest,
    standing against an aggressor who must be stopped, standing up for the
    best--all that is best in us. Because those men and women know and you
    know--we all know that when the forces of aggression take up arms,
    America cannot look the other way.
        It began with Kuwait, but that wouldn't have been the end. What
    we've witnessed these last few weeks removed any last shred of doubt
    about the adversary that we face: the terror bombing, without military
    value--the terror bombing of innocent civilians with those Scud
    missiles; the brutal treatment--that brutal, inhumane treatment of our
    POW's; the endless appetite for evil that would lead a man to make war
    on the world's environment. All of us know what we're up against. All of
    you know why we're there.
        We are there because we are Americans, part of something that's
    larger than ourselves. Our cause is right. Our cause is just. And
    because it is just, that world's cause will prevail.
        And when we win--and we will--we will have taught a dangerous
    dictator and any tyrant tempted to follow in his footsteps that the U.S.
    has a new credibility, and that what we say goes, and that there is no
    place for lawless aggression in the Persian Gulf and in this new world
    order that we seek to create. And we mean it. And he will understand
    that when the day is done.
        I know that all of you--especially all of you--are anxious to know
    if and when a ground operation might begin. Let me tell you now, it will
    only begin if necessary and when we decide that the time is right. We
    will conduct this conflict on our terms, on our timetable, not on Saddam
    Hussein's timetable.
        Let me assure you that Desert Storm is right on course. Our
    training, our investment, our planning are all paying off. American and
    allied forces are systematically destroying Iraq's capacity to wage war.
        Every member of the 24th Infantry Division is part of a fighting
    tradition stretching back some 50 years. Back in November, when I met
    with the men and women of the 24th, I told them about the last
    Thanksgiving that I had spent so far away from home. It was on a ship
    off the Philippine coast back in 1944. The 24th was there, fighting to
    take Red Beach on Leyte Island in the campaign that earned the 24th the
    nickname it so proudly bears today: the ``Victory'' Division.
        And back then, those--close to 50 years ago--Franklin Delano
    Roosevelt sent a cable out to General MacArthur and the 24th Division, a
    message that--very short--I'd like to read it to you today. FDR wrote

    [[Page 96]]

    them: ``You have the Nation's gratitude, and the Nation's prayers for
    success, as you and your men fight your way back.''
        And now, many years later, once more the 24th is in the front lines,
    far from home. Once more, the Nation's prayers and the Nation's pride
    are with the 24th and all the brave men and women of Desert Storm.
        I don't know whether it was Jill, but somebody told me about the
    send-off back in August, when the 24th was among the first to deploy to
    Saudi Arabia--the way the people of Hinesville and the other towns near
    here lined not just the streets around Fort Stewart but lined the
    interstate all the way up I-95 to Hunter Field and Savannah. What a
    sight that must have been to the proud soldiers of Fort Stewart.
        And let me say to all the children here with parents that are
    serving over there in the Gulf, keep in mind that no matter how much you
    depend on your parents, your country depends on them, too. And you've
    read at school about the great generals and some of the Presidents--all
    about American history and American heroes. Well, you see, that's just
    part of the great story about our country because your moms and dads are
    the heroes, too, doing the hard work of freedom right now, half a world
    away.
        I know it's been tough. It may get tougher. We've got three of the
    Walker kids here somewhere: Michael, Sioban, and their little brother,
    Martin. Their mom and dad are both now serving in Saudi Arabia, and
    they've been living with their babysitter, Ida Sanders. Eddie and
    Brandon Bowman are here; their dad went over in August, and their mom in
    November. Eddie and Brandon are staying with a friend of their family,
    Reggie Bray, whose wife was called up in the Reserves. I know at times
    like this the Fort Stewart family draws together, just gets tighter;
    everyone pulls together, the way a family always does.
        And so, to all you kids, let me say: Be proud, and stay strong.
    Don't be afraid to ask family friends or your teachers at school to help
    you when things get tough. And know that we're doing everything we can
    to make sure your parents have the best possible support to get the job
    done and get every man and woman of the fighting 24th back home, safe
    and sound, just as soon as possible. That is my goal as your Commander
    in Chief.
        With those brave young men and women in mind, let this nation come
    together this Sunday--day after tomorrow--on a day that will be our
    National Day of Prayer. We are, you see, one nation under God. And we
    will pray for the safety of every American and allied serviceman and
    servicewoman, for every innocent caught up in this terrible conflict,
    and for our POW's and for our MIA's. And may all of our troops be safe
    and sound until the families of Fort Stewart are united once again.
        Thank you once again for this warm welcome and for all your support.
    And let me tell you what I told some of the wives that are supporting in
    this support group. When I got on Air Force One this morning, I heard
    one of the television commentators say, ``Well, the President is going
    to three different places to help with the morale.'' And, you see, it's
    been just the other way around. I've got good morale. But I'll tell you,
    I'm going on home to see Barbara with my morale sky-high because of the
    fantastic spirit of the families that are giving their all-out support
    to the finest fighting men and women that the world has ever seen.
        God bless you all, and God bless the United States. Thank you very,
    very much.

                        Note: The President spoke at 3:47 p.m. on Cottrel
                            Field at Fort Stewart. In his remarks, he
                            referred to Jill McCaffrey, wife of Maj. Gen.
                            Barry R. McCaffrey, commanding general, 24th
                            Infantry Division Mechanized; Gen. Edwin H.
                            Burba, Jr., commander in chief, Forces Command;
                            Senators Sam Nunn and Wyche Fowler, Jr.;
                            Representative Robert Lindsay Thomas; Gov. Zell
                            Miller of Georgia; Col. Thomas L. Lucas,
                            installation chaplain; and Col. Frank D. Miller,
                            installation commander, and his wife, Joan.
                            Prior to his remarks, the President attended a
                            reception with spouses of deployed personnel.
                            Following his remarks, he traveled to Hobe
                            Sound, FL, to visit his mother. Later in the
                            evening, the President traveled to Camp David,
                            MD, for the weekend.