[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.