    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book I)]
    [March 31, 1995]
    [Pages 435-437]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to United States Troops in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
    March 31, 1995

        The President. Thank you.
        Audience member. Go, Razorbacks!
        The President. Who said, ``Go, Razorbacks?'' We should have had a
    longer promotion ceremony up here. [Laughter]
        General Fisher asked me to take roll call. Are the 2d Brigade
    Warriors here? [Applause] The 65th Engineer Staffers? [Applause] The 1st
    of the 21st Gimlet? [Applause] The DISCOM Lightning Supporters?
    [Applause] The 1st of the 25th Aviation Bandits? [Applause] Special
    Forces Green Berets? Per person, they deserve applause. What about the
    3d Squadron 2d ACR Wolfpack? [Applause] Are all the Light Fighters
    present and accounted for? [Applause]
        I've been told that your lungs are as strong as your hearts and your
    hands.
        Did I leave out anybody? Would you like to be heard? [Applause]
        Audience members. Semper Fi!
        The President. Good for you. [Laughter]
        Every one of you who has taken part in Operation Uphold Democracy,
    on behalf of the American people, I am here to say thank you. Thank you
    for serving your Nation. Thank you for being democracy's warriors. Thank
    you for helping to bring back the promise of liberty to this long
    troubled land. You should be very proud of what you have done.
        We gave you a tough and demanding mission which some said could not
    be done, and you proved them wrong. Look what you have accomplished.
    Seven months ago, a brutal military regime ruled Haiti, beating and
    torturing and murdering its citizens. Now the Haitian people are moving
    from a dark night of fear to a new day of freedom. You and all those who
    have served since last September helped to make that happen.
        Seven months ago, thousands of migrants were streaming out of Haiti.
    Now tens of thousands of Haitians have come home, home to start to build
    a better life for themselves and their fellow country men and women. You
    helped to make that happen.
        Seven months ago, the world wondered whether the United States could
    summon the will to protect democracy in this hemisphere. Now the world
    knows once again that the United States will honor its commitment and
    stand up for freedom. And you helped to make that happen. For all this,
    you should be very, very proud.
        We gave our word, and the men and women of the Army, the Navy, the
    Air Force, the Marines, and the Coast Guard, you've kept our word. You
    have succeeded because you're the best trained, best prepared, best
    equipped fighting force in the world. Your reputation landed in Haiti
    before you did. And I am convinced that is one of the reasons that so
    much was done with so little bloodshed. The moment the military rulers
    learned that you were on the way, they got out of the way.
        Since you've been here, you've been asked to do it all, and you
    have. You've taken thousands of guns off the street. You've helped to
    train a new Haitian police force. You've repaired roads and bridges.
    You've brought food and medicine to the farthest reaches of our
    country--to this country. And of course, you have literally turned the
    lights back on in dozens of towns.
        You not only answered the call of duty, time and again you have gone
    beyond it. And that is what heroism is all about. Each of you in your
    own way has become a hero in Haiti. I'd like to mention a few of you
    whose stories I have learned about.
        Sergeant 1st Class Steven Lamb, whose platoon conducted over 140
    patrols, often under hazardous conditions: On one mission the platoon
    came across a mob using steel pipes to beat a man whose hands were tied
    behind his back. They dispersed the crowd, freed the man, treated his
    injuries. By stopping violence, confiscating weapons, and defusing
    problems before they got out of control, the platoon helped to give
    hundreds of Haitians a new sense of confidence and security. Thank you,
    Sergeant Lamb.
        I met Sergeant 1st Class Michelle Howard of the Army: Many men and
    women under her command were overseas for the first time. Their morale
    was a little low without any mail from home, so she wrote the families
    of every single soldier in her platoon and told them to sound off in
    writing more often. Then the letters, postcards, and packages came in by
    the dozens. And

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    now Sergeant Howard is called by the troops ``Mother Teresa With a 9-
    Millimeter.'' Well, thank you, Mother Teresa, and thank you, Sergeant
    Howard.
        I met 1st Sergeant Jose Garcia Apponte: And he and dozens of
    volunteers from all the service branches, on their free time and with no
    pay, started the School of Hope to teach Haitians English. Already the
    school has graduated more than 300 students. And now they'll return to
    their communities to share what they have learned. Thank you, Sergeant
    Garcia Apponte.
        I met Private 1st Class John Firneno, a medic from the 32 ACR: He
    was on patrol about midnight last month when he came upon a young
    Haitian woman about to give birth. Now, that requires courage.
    [Laughter] As his comrades clustered around him with flashlights, he
    helped to deliver an 8-pound baby boy. Well, he didn't get a medical
    degree, but the boy now bears his name. Thank you, Private Firneno.
        I want to thank the special forces who fanned out across the country
    and helped our local leaders learn the basics of government of, by, and
    for the people, good things like keeping the streets safe and holding
    town meetings and even some of the not so good things like collecting
    taxes.
        Through these and dozens of other acts, big and small, you have
    defended democracy and made it stronger here. You have shown the
    Haitians what it means to be a soldier in a free society, working for
    the people, not against them. And when you go home, you must know that
    you have inspired a new generation of Haitians, supported by the United
    Nations mission, to carry on the never-ending struggle for freedom.
        I know that for those of you who are preparing to leave, your loved
    ones are ready to welcome you home. General Sullivan, the Army Chief of
    Staff, recently visited in Hawaii with the families of the 25th Infantry
    Division soldiers. On my behalf, he thanked them for their sacrifice and
    the extraordinary support they have given to you. They and all of our
    military families have been heroes, too. And our country is in their
    debt, as well.
        I'd also like to thank the soldiers from other countries who have
    been our partners in this remarkable endeavor. I know some of them are
    represented to my right here. Some of them have shared this encampment
    with you, and some of them are in other places. I got to thinking about
    what a small world it can be when we are united for democracy and
    freedom.
        Some of you may know that the First Lady is about to visit two of
    the countries represented here, Bangladesh and Nepal. Americans there,
    the First Lady and my daughter and others, Bangladeshis and Nepalese
    here, all standing for freedom all across the world, led by the United
    States, led by you. You should be very proud.
        Even though, my fellow Americans, Haiti is democratic, free, and
    more secure than ever before, we know there is long hard work ahead. And
    we know that some of you will have a hand in it as part of the United
    Nations mission. In the end, of course, we all know the Haitian people
    themselves must rebuild their country and realize their dreams, just as
    we must in the United States. But now because of you, they have a chance
    to do so, just as we do in the United States.
        The hand-painted signs seen all over Haiti say it all, ``Thank you,
    America.'' Today America says thank you to the men and women of our
    Armed Forces who helped to give Haiti a second chance.
        Whether you serve in an active unit, the Reserves, or the National
    Guard, we ask you to bear many burdens. We ask you to travel far from
    home. We ask you to stand in the face of danger. We ask you to be away
    from your families and your friends for a very long time. We ask you to
    protect your country and to defend democracy and freedom. We ask all
    these things. And time and again, you have risen to the challenge.
    Today, because of you, the Haitian people know why we call the United
    States ``land of the free and the home of the brave.''
        You have allowed freedom to triumph over fear here. You have helped
    to remind the world that democracy is still on the march, even though it
    still has enemies. And you have stood up for a principle upon which our
    country was founded, that liberty is everyone's birthright.
        Thank you, each and every one of you, and God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:28 a.m. at Warrior Base. In his remarks,
    he referred to Maj. Gen. George A. Fisher, USA, Commanding General, 25th
    Infantry Division.

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