[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[October 6, 1994]
[Pages 1710-1712]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Aboard the U.S.S. Eisenhower in Norfolk, Virginia
October 6, 1994

    The President. Thank you very much, Secretary Perry, Admiral Miller, 
Admiral Owens, Admiral Flanagan, Admiral Murphy, Captain Gemmill, and to 
all of you who are here. It's a great honor for me to be here. I asked 
to see the person responsible for decorating the F-14 with my name and 
the Vice President's name there. I guess I'm going to have to take 
flying lessons.
    Audience member. He's right here, Mr. President, Skipper Al Myers.
    Comdr. Alan Myers. Al Myers, sir.
    The President. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. I told someone 
to take a picture of that, and I'm going to take it back to the Vice 
President when I see him this afternoon and suggest that we both take 
flying lessons. [Laughter] Admiral Miller said, ``You understand on that 
plane, you would still control the eject seat.'' [Laughter] And I told 
him, ``I don't believe in ejecting. I'd never bail out.'' But I was glad 
to know that.
    I thank you all for your service. I'm pleased and honored to be with 
you today. I understand that some of you have actually chosen to come 
back from your leave to be a part of this ceremony, and I'm deeply 
grateful for yet another expression of your devotion to your country. I 
am proud of the job you have done, proud of the great work that all of 
our troops are doing in Haiti. And on behalf of the American people, the 
most important message I have to you today is a simple, straightforward, 
heartfelt thank you.
    I also want to thank, especially, Captain Gemmill and the crew of 
this magnificent carrier for the ``I Like Ike'' button. You know, you 
may think that's funny, since he was a Republican and I'm a Democrat, 
but--[laughter]--when I was born, President Truman was President. But 
obviously, I was an infant; I didn't

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have much consciousness of it. President Eisenhower was elected in the 
year I went to the first grade, so he was the first President I really 
ever knew anything about. And all of us, regardless of our party, liked 
Ike. I can still remember when the country was united in a way that it's 
not now and when political arguments were a little more civil than they 
tend to be now. President Eisenhower's life of service to our country 
and his incredible leadership throughout his military career, 
culminating in his leadership in World War II and of course ultimately 
in his election to the Presidency, was an inspiration to me and to every 
other young American and I know is a continuing inspiration to all of 
you who are privileged to serve on this great carrier and in this group.
    Much has been asked of you, and you have delivered. Thanks to your 
efforts, the Haitian people are moving from fear to freedom. Thanks to 
your efforts, the democratically elected government will soon return to 
power. Thanks to your efforts, the world knows that the United States 
will stand up for human rights and against slaughter, stand up for 
democracy, honor our commitments, and expect those who make commitments 
to us to honor them as well. We gave our word, and you, the men and 
women of the Eisenhower Battle Group, kept the word of the United 
States. And for that, we are all in your debt.
    The stories from Port-au-Prince and elsewhere in Haiti have inspired 
all Americans. We have seen the moving images of Haitians approaching 
and thanking American troops for their new-found freedom. We have seen 
the joy in their eyes and the hope in their faces. Operation Uphold 
Democracy is not over yet, and you know well that it still presents 
dangers to the men and women of our Armed Forces.
    But look what has happened in less than 3 weeks. In less than 3 
weeks, you've disarmed FRAPH, the attaches, and the other militia who 
terrorized thousands of Haitians. In less than 3 weeks, you took heavy 
weapons away from the military and made the cities and the towns more 
secure. In less than 3 weeks, you helped 1,900 refugees return home from 
Guantanamo, no longer afraid for their lives. In less than 3 weeks, you 
permitted Parliament once again to open its doors for business. And 
today, they're having a good, old-fashioned debate down there, about 
like what happens in Congress every day in Washington. In less than 3 
weeks, you returned Port-au-Prince Mayor Evans Paul, a man in hiding in 
his own country for 3 years, back to his office. In less than 3 weeks, 
you put state radio and television back into the hands of people who 
want democracy. In less than 3 weeks, you even turned the lights back on 
in Cap Haitien after 2 years of darkness. In less than 3 weeks, you 
showed the world what the men and women of the American military can do.
    All of us owe these achievements to the fact that you are the best 
trained, best prepared, best equipped, most highly motivated fighting 
force in the world. Your reputation preceded you to Haiti. When the 
military rulers learned that you were on your way, they agreed to step 
down. The awesome force you represent is the steel in the sword of 
America's diplomacy.
    The success of the mission in Haiti to date also shows how flexible 
our military has become. Thanks to careful planning by the U.S. Atlantic 
Command and the joint task force, we were able to quickly recall the 
massive assault force that was on its way. In its place, and within just 
hours of reaching agreement with Mr. Cedras and the other military 
leaders, we sent in troops, carried by the Eisenhower Battle Group, to 
keep the peace in Haiti.
    Operation Uphold Democracy demonstrates the value of mixing our four 
services together and drawing on the special capabilities of each of 
them, what Admiral Miller calls adaptive force packaging. You prepared 
the first-ever infantry air assault from a carrier. Had it not been for 
such innovation, it would have taken many more hours, if not days, for 
our troops to be on the ground there. I salute Admiral Miller and the 
members of his staff who developed this innovative plan, which will 
change our military planning and make it possible for us to do 
remarkable things well into the 21st century. You have laid the 
groundwork for a dramatic forward movement in a military planning and 
execution. You should be proud, and the Nation owes Admiral Miller and 
his staff a great deal.
    Of course, even the best strategists can only make a difference if 
they have the resources to do the job. That's why I was pleased 
yesterday to sign the fiscal year '95 defense authorization bill, which 
was passed with strong bipartisan support including the support of 
Virginia's two fine Senators, Chuck Robb and John Warner, and the two 
able Congressmen from this area, Norm Sisisky and Bobby Scott. This bill 
will

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assure that you remain better trained, better equipped, and better 
prepared than any other military in the world, and I am determined that 
it will always be that way. [Applause] Thank you. I know that one piece 
of this defense bill will be especially welcome news for all of you, the 
$3.6 billion we will spend on a new aircraft carrier, CVN-76. That 
carrier will be built right here in Norfolk by thousands of hard-working 
Virginians. Like the Eisenhower, it will give us the capability to 
project our power around the world, to support peacekeeping and 
humanitarian relief missions, and, if necessary, to fight and to win 
regional conflicts.
    In 2 weeks, just 2 weeks, you set sail for the Adriatic, to carry on 
your work of protecting our country's national interests around the 
world. I know you will demonstrate the same skill and professionalism on 
this journey that you have shown in Haiti.
    In a few moments, I'll have the distinct honor of presenting Navy 
commendation medals for meritorious service in Haiti to several of you. 
But I want every one of you to know that in my book, each and every one 
of you is a medal winner, an example of what is the very best in our 
country. You serve with distinction, you serve in a selfless way, you 
serve in a way that will help us to build a peaceful and freer and 
stronger world for yourselves and your children as we move into the next 
century, and we are all in your debt.
    Men and women of the Ike, you have proved your capabilities time and 
again. In Haiti, you brought a new day to a people who thought they 
would never get it. You answered the call; you did the job; your country 
is proud of you.
    Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 11:51 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Adm. Paul D. Miller, commander in chief, U.S. Atlantic Command; Adm. 
William A. Owens, USN, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. 
William J. Flanagan, Jr., commander in chief, Atlantic Fleet; Adm. 
Daniel J. Murphy, Jr., commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group 8; Capt. Mark 
Gemmill, commanding officer, U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower; and Comdr. 
Alan Myers, commanding officer, Fighter Squadron VF-32, Oceana Naval Air 
Station, Virginia Beach, VA.