[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[September 15, 1992]
[Pages 1561-1564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the National Guard Association in Salt Lake City, Utah
September 15, 1992

    Thank you all so much. May I first thank General Ensslin for being 
my host here today, and all of you for that wonderful reception. And of 
course, I want to single out Utah's Governor, Norm Bangerter, who's just 
done a superb job for this--[applause]. I see we have some Utah Guard 
folks here. And while you're clapping, Jim Hanson, a Member of the 
United States Congress, doing a great job for our country. And may I 
salute all the leaders of the National Guard.
    I understand, with some embarrassment, I understand that some of you 
may have had to go through room changes to--[laughter]--sorry about 
that. I really feel badly about that. I apologize for any inconvenience. 
But I really am very, very pleased to be here with you.
    I was thinking of giving a political speech, a real stemwinder with 
catchy sound bites, the usual biting insults. Then I got to thinking: 
I'm not going to do that; you've already sacrificed enough for your 
country. [Laughter]
    Instead, I'd like to talk about a more serious subject: America's 
national defense and, really, our place in the world. I firmly believe 
that just because we face stiff challenges at home, and we do, it 
doesn't mean that America can pull in its wings and ignore the world 
outside our borders. Think of the world of change that we've seen the 
past few years. Today, the Berlin Wall, the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet 
Union itself, Soviet empire, all are gone, swept away by the most 
powerful idea known to man, the undeniable desire of every individual to 
be free. Remember the Communists' claim that history was on their side? 
Well, today, the ``dominoes'' all fall in democracy's way.
    We must recognize these events for what they were: a vindication of 
our ideals, but also a victory for the men and women who fought for 
freedom, because this triumph didn't just happen. Imperial communism 
didn't just fall. It was pushed, and the National Guard was pushing 
every inch of the way. From Concord and Lexington Green to the sands of 
Desert Storm, guardsmen or their forefathers have served with 
distinction in every major war that America ever fought.
    In August of 1990, within days of my de- 
cision to draw a line in the sand, more than 4,000 volunteers from 
National Guard units all across America were activated, airborne

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and on the way to the Persian Gulf, the first of 767 National Guard 
units called up during Desert Storm. And when American troops rolled 
across the Iraqi border, and I'll never forget that day, the National 
Guard was among the very first to cross.
    Here at home, when riots ripped South Central, ripped Los Angeles, 
the California Guard answered the call, 2,000 in just the first 6 hours. 
You went into the streets to protect the innocent against the outlaws, 
to restore the peace.
    Late last month, when Hurricane Andrew roared in, again the National 
Guard answered the call, delivering 215 tons of food, water, and 
supplies to Miami in the first 24 hours alone, helping bring hot meals 
and comfort to people who had lost their homes. Guardsmen are working 
right now to bring comfort to the island of Kauai.
    You've all seen the pictures of people hugging the Guardsmen in 
their fatigues. You know one thing for sure; it wasn't to thank them for 
their cooking. But nevertheless--[laughter]--what the Guard is doing in 
Homestead and Hawaii and in Lafayette Parish is a godsend. It shows us 
the true meaning of service, of leadership, of love of country.
    This is an important task for which the Guard has and will continue 
to have the primary responsibility and where we only turn to our Active 
Forces for backup. Indeed, that happened in the Miami situation, as you 
know. It's happening now out in Hawaii as well. We need to know that the 
Guard is there, there for the crises at home, there for the challenges 
abroad, there when a nation in need looks to you to protect life and 
liberty.
    As all of you know, our cold war victory means a downsizing in our 
national defenses, Active, Reserve, and Guard alike. But we remain 
committed to our total force concept: the smallest standing army 
consistent with our national security and yet large enough to deal with 
any likely threat. For that total force policy to be effective, a strong 
Army and Air National Guard are absolutely essential.
    Let me be clear: Maintaining strong, capable Reserve and Guard 
forces will remain essential to our military strategy. You are part of 
the flexible forces we will need to meet our new military challenges. In 
fact, we can move certain units or functions from Active Forces to the 
Reserves to lower costs. At the same time, we recognize the need to be 
sensitive to the demands placed on individual National Guardsmen, 
Reservists, and really to their families. As true citizen-soldiers, our 
Guardsmen must devote time to their families, civilian occupations, or 
education. If we intrude upon you for every trouble, we may find it hard 
to keep the very best soldiers that characterize the Guard today.
    I know that my opponent will be following me today. So you can 
expect to hear stories about my administration's cutback of the Guard. 
Of course, the new National Guard will be smaller, just as our Active 
Forces are being reduced. Anyone who tells you different is simply not 
leveling with you. But as long as I am President of the United States, 
the National Guard will be well-trained and well-equipped. And as 
Commander in Chief I can assure you, we will never shortchange the 
National Guard.
    Yes, I'm cutting back defense spending with the end of the cold war, 
through orderly and deliberate downsizing. But don't forget the facts. 
My opponent proposes to cut nearly $60 billion beyond which my civilian 
and military experts believe is responsible, $60 billion more than the 
cuts that I have proposed. Now, let me say this: You cannot cut $60 
billion more from defense and not touch the Armed Forces. You simply 
cannot do it.
    We have to be very careful with our defense downsizing. At other 
times in our history, political leaders rushed to carve apart our 
military--we remember that--leaving only a hollow shell. Then other 
Americans paid a big price, paid even with their lives, for those 
mistakes.
    The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for folks who want to 
get busy beating the swords into pork barrels. The President has got to 
stand up for an America second to none. And he must be able to say: 
America is safe, as long as America stays strong.
    I learned the value of military strength the hard way, and some of 
you might identify with this, commanders of the Guard units. I learned 
it the hard way, by sending

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our troops into battle. I am proud of our accomplishments, thankful that 
I've been able to give the order so many Presidents longed to give, for 
many of our nuclear forces to stand down from alert; proud to be the 
first President in 50 years to lead an America that's not at war, hot or 
cold.
    But the fact is: For all the great gains we've made for freedom, for 
all the peace of mind that we've secured for the young people in this 
country, the world remains a dangerous place. The Soviet bear may be 
extinct, but there are still plenty of wolves in the world: dictators 
with missiles, narco-terrorists trying to take over whole countries, 
ethnic wars, regional flashpoints, madmen we can't allow to get a finger 
on the nuclear trigger. And you have my word on this: I will never allow 
a lone wolf to endanger American security. We must remain strong.
    No, our work in the world did not end with our victory in the cold 
war. Our task is to guard against the crises that haven't caught fire, 
the wars that are waiting to happen, the threats that will come with 
little or no warning. I make this promise: As long as I am President, 
our services will remain the best trained, the best equipped, the best 
led fighting forces in the world. This is the way to guarantee the 
peace.
    Let me add something else that's really close to my heart. Even as 
we respond to the new challenges, we must never forget those who flew 
and fought in face of the old. The one hero we must never forget is the 
hero who has never come home. And I pledge to every American family 
awaiting word of a loved one: We will continue to demand the fullest 
possible accounting for every POW and MIA. We will not have normal 
relations with Hanoi until we are totally satisfied on that account.
    I speak of these matters this morning to this very special group 
because these matters are important. They're important to America. 
They're important to the whole world.
    Like every nation, America today is challenged by a global economic 
transition. I have outlined my Agenda for American Renewal. It's a 
comprehensive series of actions that we must take to match our military 
supremacy by remaining the world's largest export superpower and 
economic superpower. Yet I hope that in our zeal to concentrate on these 
problems here at home, we do not forget America's unique role abroad. 
Other nations still look to us for leadership: military leadership, 
moral leadership, and economic leadership.
    As one who has held this office for 4 years, I hope that when 
evaluating the two men who want this job, Americans will not ignore the 
President's role as Commander in Chief.
    There's been a lot of controversy swirling around about service to 
country, about using influence to avoid the military. I've read a great 
deal of speculation saying that I was going to come out here and use 
this forum to attack Governor Clinton. I want to tell you, I do feel 
very strongly about certain aspects of the controversy swirling around 
Governor Clinton, but I didn't come here to attack him. I came to defend 
and support the National Guard and those who serve in it.
    Four years ago, Dan Quayle was savagely attacked and ridiculed by 
the national press for going into the National Guard. His critics 
attacked the Guard as a haven for draft dodgers. Those critics are 
wrong. Dan Quayle spent 6 years in the Indiana National Guard. He was 
not sent to Vietnam, but some of his fellow Guardsmen were. And four of 
them never came back.
    No candidate has ever been attacked more unmercifully than Vice 
President Quayle, but he stood his ground, and he answered every 
question calmly and with candor. He told the truth. This is service to 
country, and I am very proud of the Vice President, and I am very proud 
of the National Guard.
    But why do these questions even matter? Why are they part of our 
national debate? They matter because despite all our problems at home, 
we can never forget that we ask our Presidents to lead the military, to 
bear the awful authority of deciding to send your sons and daughters in 
harm's way.
    I remember the night of Desert Storm. Barbara and I had Dr. Billy 
Graham over for dinner there in the White House. And our family--we 
still say the blessing at night. So we said our little prayer together,

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enjoyed some conversation, but my mind, I will confess, was thousands of 
miles away.
    And after dinner--I don't know if you can picture the White House 
complex--I went down the elevator in the White House and then walked 
across by the Rose Garden over to the Oval Office, waiting to hear the 
results of the initial strike. I remember walking along the Rose Garden 
and thinking. I was wondering if our military estimates were really 
accurate--General McPeak having briefed me in detail, an amazing 
briefing of what he was confident the Air Force could do--wondering if 
it was accurate, if our smart bombs were as smart as Tony McPeak and 
other experts told me they were. But mostly, I wondered how our young 
men and women in the sands of Kuwait felt and about their parents back 
home.
    In the months after that fateful night, I received letters from 
proud parents, and I tried to read as many as I could. But I lingered 
longest on the occasional note from the parent whose son or daughter had 
not returned.
    This summer, I got a letter from a woman in Illinois. And her son 
had been lost in a helicopter accident, no body ever discovered. On the 
day she received word, she received a letter from her son. He said, 
``Mom and Dad, don't worry about me. I love the Marines, and I love my 
country.'' And this July, the mother wrote, ``As a Gold Star Mother it 
is difficult to accept my son's death, but he is alive in my heart. And 
I could be bitter with the military and God, but my son would never want 
me to.''
    I know the commanders here know I feel a little emotional about 
this. But you get letters like these, and you can almost see the faces, 
faces of youth and innocence. You feel the weight of the job. Sending a 
son or daughter into combat, believe me, is the toughest part of the 
Presidency. Most Presidents never learn that lesson because, thank God, 
most don't have to ask others to put their lives on the line. But every 
President might.
    Does this mean that if you have never seen the awful horror of 
battle, that you can never be Commander in Chief? Of course not. Not at 
all. But it does mean that we must hold our Presidents to the highest 
standard because they might have to decide if our sons and daughters 
should knock early on death's door.
    I hope that I am reelected President this November. Like my 
opponent, I believe I'm best qualified. But I wish for something else 
even more. I hope that whomever is elected to this office, at whatever 
time in the future, he doesn't have to face the awful decision that I 
had to face twice. I hope that the next 4 years will pass, indeed, I 
hope that the next four decades will pass without the blood of young 
Americans being shed on foreign shores.
    Today, we can say this future is possible, but no one can say for 
sure it will happen. So I commit to you, the proud members and families 
of the National Guard, that as long as I am fortunate to hold this 
office, I will fight for a strong defense, for a strong America, for an 
America that, despite our troubles at home, remains the last beacon of 
hope and strength around the world.
    The Guard has always been a proud part of America's world 
leadership, and I know you'll continue to help us lead in this new world 
that we have forged together.
    Thank you all, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank 
you very, very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 9:03 a.m. at the Salt 
                        Palace Convention Center. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Maj. Gen. Robert F. Ensslin, Jr., 
                        Ret., president, National Guard Association, and 
                        Gen. Merrill A. McPeak, Chief of Staff, U.S. Air 
                        Force.