[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[June 11, 1992]
[Pages 921-923]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the American Community in Panama City

June 11, 1992
    Thank you so very, very much for that warm welcome. And General 
Joulwan, thank you for the introduction. And may I salute not only the 
general but also Ambassador Hinton, our distinguished Ambassador. He and 
Mrs. Hinton, Mrs. Joulwan, and

[[Page 922]]

you and the Embassy staff, Mr. Ambassador, are doing a first-rate job 
here in Panama. And I salute you for your work, your career, and your 
dedication in representing the United States of America.
    I want to greet the graduates, seniors at Balboa and Cristobal High 
who are graduating today. Let me say hello to the Panama Canal 
Commission members, the Smithsonian Institute office people that are 
here. And to all of you serving the cause of freedom across the 
continents and oceans, my thanks for your service to our great country 
and for your dedication to the United States of America. And may God 
bless you all.
    Now I want to say a few words to the Americans here, but before I do 
that, I want to say a word to the citizens of Panama. My Spanish isn't 
very good, so I'm going to ask for a little translation. But I first 
want to thank President Endara, Vice President Ford, Mayor Correa for 
the warm welcome they gave to us from the minute we arrived. I am 
grateful to each and every one of them.
    May I say to the people of Panama, Barbara and I will never forget 
the warm welcome you gave us as we drove in from the airport and indeed 
as we drove to this base, thousands of people along the road expressing 
their appreciation for our great country. And let me say to them, we 
appreciate Panama. We appreciate Panama's move to democracy, and no tiny 
little left-wing demonstration is going to set your democracy back.
    May I say in conclusion to the people in Panama, democracy takes a 
while to solidify it, to perfect it. Democracy doesn't come easy. But I 
could sense in that crowd today and amongst the leaders today the 
determination to perfect and see Panama's democracy come to total 
fulfillment. And let me say to the people of Panama, Barbara and I are 
grateful for the welcome. The day of the dictator is over, and you 
should take great pride in what your country has done.
    All right, now, to all you Yankees out here--[applause]. In fact, I 
think I'll go to work here; it's hot out there. But a special hello to 
those from this base, from other bases here in Panama. I know that some 
of you came a long, long way, an hour-and-a-half drive across the 
Isthmus to come and give us this tremendous welcome. And let me salute 
the seven from the Pacific side, Quarry Heights, Fort Clayton, Fort 
Kobbe, Howard, Albrook, Panama Canal-Rodman Naval Air Station, and Port 
Amador, and then the three on the Atlantic side, Fort Davis, Fort 
Sherman, and Galeta Island.
    Working abroad, and Barbara and I have been there, is a learning 
experience in a way, managing diplomatic and domestic responsibilities. 
I just want you to know that we have tremendous respect, whether it's in 
the military, whether it's as civilians, for all who serve their country 
overseas. Your work, whether it was on the civilian side or on the 
military side, has helped give this wonderful country a chance for what 
we take for granted in the United States, that democratic experience and 
freedom. That's what your mission is about.
    I know that a lot goes into planning a Presidential visit. I was on 
the receiving end of one of them over in China, and I thought I would 
never recover. But to all of those who worked with the arrangements on 
this visit, let me simply say we will do what we said: We will leave on 
schedule. And you can get back to normal.
    But before I do, before I leave and before Barbara leaves, let me 
just say that you all should take pride in knowing that you serve at a 
time when Panama is reaching an entirely new status in the community of 
nations. Those of you who took part in Just Cause and those of you who 
have come since must take great satisfaction in Panama's 
accomplishments. Don't let this little ripple out there today that took 
place in the plaza, a handful of people trying to disrupt this wonderful 
welcome, don't let it discourage you. I'd say the same to the people. 
You can feel the heartbeat here, and you are partly responsible for that 
wonderful feeling between Panama and the United States of America.
    Justice and freedom have been restored. With each sunrise the people 
of Panama wake to liberty's greatest gift: free elections, free press, 
and free worship. I must say that the plaza where we came from, there's 
a history there of protest and also vigil. But today that plaza is the 
people's park. And I wish every one of you could have seen the

[[Page 923]]

welcome we had before a handful of characters tried to disrupt it all. 
Each day you serve, you are visible reminders that freedom and democracy 
work. You're laying a foundation for cooperation between our nations 
that will last for generations to come.
    As I know, as we saw tragically just yesterday, there are times when 
some of your comrades are called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice. I 
want you to know as Commander in Chief that we honor the memory of 
Corporal Hernandez here today, a veteran of Desert Storm, and the 
memories of all the proud, brave men and women in uniform who gave their 
all in the service of their country. The most fitting tribute to their 
memory and to their sacrifice is to complete the work they began. And 
therefore, we will continue to help the Panamanians build on their 
progress in strengthening democracy and developing their economic system 
so that future generations can share what you all have helped start, 
this new beginning.
    We're going to work together to secure a future of free trade, a 
link to economic recovery, progress, and prosperity. Our countries are 
going to work together to bring an end to that dreadful narcotic 
trafficking that are poisoning the kids in Panama and poisoning the kids 
in the United States. We will not fail in crushing the narco-
traffickers.
    And so to each and every one of you, our profound thanks for your 
service. Once again, to President Endara and his colleagues, my sincere 
thanks for the warmth of the welcome and, much more important, for what 
Panama is doing as now a newly found proud member of the family of 
nations, moving down the path to democracy and freedom. It is a 
wonderful example.
    Now we head off to the Environmental Conference down there in Rio. 
And I look forward to that because we're taking down there a sound, 
forward-looking message on the measure of the environment. And I believe 
that we're going to go just fine.
    But thank you all for the service to the greatest, freest country on 
the face of the Earth, the United States of America. Thank you very 
much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 3:25 p.m. at Albrook 
                        Air Force Base. In his remarks, he referred to 
                        Gen. George Joulwan, commander in chief, 
                        Southern Command, and U.S. Army Cpl. Zak A. 
                        Hernandez, who was killed June 10 by gunmen in 
                        Panama.