[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[July 22, 2000]
[Pages 1447-1448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the Community at Camp Foster Marine Base in Okinawa
July 22, 2000

    Thank you. Well, this is the largest crowd I have ever addressed at 
this late hour. Hello, U.S. forces, Okinawa!
    Thank you, General Hailston, General 
Smith, General Hughey, Admiral Schultz, Colonel 
Sullivan. Let's give another round of applause to Staff Sergeant 
Wehunt. [Applause] He did a good job for you up 
here, didn't he?
    I'm delighted to be here with my daughter, Chelsea, and Ambassador Foley. 
We're glad to be here. Thank you. We were supposed to do this tomorrow, 
but I think you know that I have to leave early to try to go back to the 
peace talks at Camp David on the Middle East. And I hope we will have 
your thoughts and prayers. And that's why we can't do it tomorrow.
    But now I will go back in the right frame of mind, since I spent the 
night with you. And when I fly back home to peace in the Middle East, 
maybe you'll be going to Okuma instead of listening to me give a speech.
    This is a really beautiful place, and I feel blessed to have had the 
opportunity to come here and to see the impact of your service here. In 
spite of how beautiful Okinawa is, I know you're still a long way from 
home. So let me begin, on behalf of every American citizen, by thanking 
our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines and your families for your 
service here for the United States.
    Earlier this month, I spent the Fourth of July, my last Fourth of 
July as President, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty on the flight 
deck of the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. On the very first Fourth of July 
back in 1776 George Washington was not in Philadelphia when the 
Declaration of Independence was signed. Instead, he was with his troops 
in New York, in Manhattan, as the British ships landed just a few miles 
away on Staten Island. When the Declaration of Independence arrived from 
Philadelphia, General Washington had it read aloud to his troops so they 
would understand that the success of America depended upon the success 
of our military. It was true 224 years ago; it remains true today.
    Thanks to you, the work you do everywhere, and here with our ally 
Japan, we live in peace. There is peace here, in part because III MEF is 
here, with the 3d Marine Division; the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing; the 3d 
Force Service Group; the Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler; the Air Force's 
18th Wing; the Army's 10th Area Support Group; the Navy's Task Force 76; 
and Fleet Activities Okinawa. And everybody I didn't mention, cheer for 
yourselves here. [Applause]
    All of you know well the sad and difficult history of the Battle of 
Okinawa. On Friday I had the honor of visiting the Cornerstone of Peace 
park. The names of all who died are inscribed on the walls there, 
Japanese and Americans and Okinawan soldiers and civilians alike.
    It is a remarkable memorial, not just to one side in a battle but to 
all the people who lost their lives. It is a stirring statement of our 
common humanity. And it strengthens our commitment to see that such a 
terrible thing never occurs again. That is why you are here. I don't 
want you to ever forget it, and I want you to always be very, very proud 
of what you are doing.
    You will never know how many wars you have deterred, how many deaths 
you have prevented. But you know the number of wars that have been 
fought in these waters since the United States forces have been 
stationed here. That number is zero. You should be very, very proud.
    We know our hosts in Okinawa have borne a heavy burden, hosting half 
our forces in Japan on less than one percent of its land. They, too, 
have paid a price to preserve the peace, and that is why we need to be 
good neighbors to them in addition to being good allies, why each one of 
us has a personal obligation to do everything that we can to strengthen 
our friendship and to do nothing to harm it.
    We must continue to hear the concerns of our Okinawan friends to 
reduce the impact of our presence, to promote the kinds of activities 
that advance good relations, activities like those of the volunteers who 
help with English language instruction for elementary schoolchildren in 
Okinawa; like the 9th Engineer Support Battalion, who just replaced a 
30-foot-high steel footpath bridge in an island village in northwest 
Okinawa; like the volunteers from the 10th Area Support Group who joined 
the people in

[[Page 1448]]

Yomitan Village in getting the island ready for the G-8 summit; like our 
naval hospital and our fire departments, working with their counterparts 
to improve emergency services; like the 7th Communication Battalion's 
efforts to do cleanup, make repairs, and pay visits to the residents of 
Hikariga Ogata Nursing Home.
    And so many of you, the rest of you who reach out in your own way to 
schools, to orphanages, to hospitals, to retirement homes, these acts of 
kindness give a whole new meaning to the old words: Send in the Marines.
    Two hundred and twenty-four years ago, when America was born, the 
world's only democracy was defended by an army that was then very badly 
outnumbered. Today, you are part of the greatest fighting force in 
history, part of the forward march of freedom.
    But the most important thing I want to say to you is that your 
fellow Americans are proud of you and grateful to you. As I think about 
the enormous honor I have had for 7\1/2\ years now to serve as 
President, an honor which includes visiting more military units than any 
other Commander in Chief in the history of the Republic, I am profoundly 
moved by what I have seen and by what I see here tonight. I wanted to 
come here, and I thank you for changing the schedule and coming out 
tonight. I thank you for the inspiration you've given me as I go back to 
try to finalize the peace talks on the Middle East. I thank you for 
giving your lives to the United States and the cause of freedom and 
peace.
    Thank you. God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 11:18 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
7th Fleet Landing Force Commander Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston, USMC; 18th 
Air Wing Commander Brig. Gen. James B. Smith, USAF; Camp Smedley D. 
Butler Commander General Brig. Gen. Gary H. Hughey, USMC; Seventh Fleet 
Amphibious Force Commander Rear Adm. Paul S. Schultz, USN; First Special 
Operations Squadron Staff Sgt. Shane A. Wehunt, USAF; and U.S. 
Ambassador to Japan Thomas S. Foley.