[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[March 12, 2001]
[Pages 227-228]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Youth Activities Center at Tyndall Air Force Base
March 12, 2001

    S. Sgt. Amy R. Justice. Thank you for 
coming, sir. We're really looking forward to this.
    The President. I'm looking forward to hearing from them. But one of 
the things I--my job as the Commander in Chief is to boost morale in the 
military. In order to keep the peace, the military must be strong and 
morale has got to be high. And I've come to talk about base housing. We 
want to make sure people are well housed in the military, and there's 
some money in my budget to do that.

[At this point, a baby cried.]

    The President. Don't worry about it. Base housing's on the way. 
[Laughter]
    I got to see new housing, and I got to see not-so-new housing. And 
it was important to do so, and I appreciate the general giving me a 
tour. Anyway, thanks for letting me come by.
    And by the way, I'm proud to be traveling with my brother Jeb. If you've got any problems, write him--[laughter]--and 
the two Congressmen from this area. Congressman Boyd and Congressman Scarborough 
are with us. And of course, General Mike Ryan, who is from the Joint Chiefs. I appreciate you being here, 
General, as well.
    But thank you all very much for giving me a chance to come. I look 
forward to hearing what you have to say, and it's your chance to give 
the Commander in Chief a few suggestions. And I'm interested.
    I do want to say that I know a lot of families are worried about all 
the deployments that take place. And we'll honor our commitments. But 
the mission of this military is going to be, to be ready to fight and 
win war and, therefore, stop war from happening in the first place. And 
I think that's important for all of the folks who wear the uniform and 
their spouses to hear. The mission will be well focused, and that's what 
we'll be focusing our resources and

[[Page 228]]

attention on. I take it very seriously, because--and I believe strongly 
that we're going to be able to keep the peace. It's a noble mission for 
all of us involved with the military.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 12:16 p.m. at the center, where he was 
welcomed by S. Sgt. Amy R. Justice, USAF, 325th Medical Group. In his 
remarks, he referred to Brig. Gen. William F. Hodgkins, USAF, commander, 
325th Fighter Wing; and Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. A tape was not 
available for verification of the content of these remarks.