    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [July 19, 2002]
    [Pages 1270-1274]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York
    July 19, 2002

        The President. Thank you all. Thank you, General, and thank you all for such a warm welcome. I'm honored to
    be here. I've been looking forward to coming to Fort Drum.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. It gives me a chance to come to one of our Nation's
    finest military bases.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. But more importantly, it gives me a chance to speak
    to some of the finest Americans we have, our soldiers and their
    families. I'm proud of you. You have a vital mission, especially in this
    time of war. And you do it well, and you do the mission with honor.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. The 10th Mountain Division patch stands for the skill
    and it stands for the power of our military, and it stands for the best
    values of the United States of America.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. Many of you just returned from service abroad in
    Operation Enduring Freedom.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. Others have come home from duty in Kosovo or Bosnia.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. And the Sinai.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. Troops from this base will be needed again in
    missions yet to come.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. But you have the Nation's gratitude for all you've
    done and the Nation's confidence in all you will do.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. I want to thank General Huber for his service to our country. I want to thank Judy
    Hagenbeck, the wife of Major General Buster
    Hagenbeck, with whom I got
    to speak via one of these teleconferencing apparati. [Laughter]
        I want to thank General Larry Ellis for
    his leadership. I want to thank Colonel John Kelly. I want to thank Major General Ken Lopez. I want to thank all those who wear the uniform, on behalf
    of a mighty nation.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. I want to thank my friend Governor George
    Pataki of the State of New York. I
    appreciate you being here, Governor. I want to thank the Lieutenant
    Governor, who is here. I appreciate members
    of the New York congressional delegation who have taken time out of
    their schedules to come, Senator Clinton, Congressman McHugh,
    Congressman Boehlert, Congressman
    Reynolds, Congressman Sweeney, and Congressman Walsh. I
    want to thank the State officials who are here. I want to thank the
    local officials who are

    [[Page 1271]]

    here. And I want to thank the veterans who are here with us today.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. I know Watertown, New York, is proud to call hundreds
    of the veterans citizen, and the American people are so grateful to your
    service.
        I want to thank the family members who are here today. Our country
    depends upon those who wear the uniform, and our country depends upon
    their family members too. I want to thank you for the sacrifices that
    you make on behalf of a nation. I want to thank the wives and the
    husbands and the sons and the daughters. We appreciate the commitments
    you make to your family and to your country. This Nation is grateful to
    our military families.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. This great base, the 10th Mountain Division, has a
    special place in American military history. Under different names, Fort
    Drum has given continuous service to the defense of our country since
    the beginning of the last century. The ranks of the 10th Mountain
    Division have given distinguished and at times heroic service for six
    decades. This unit has produced some of the finest soldiers ever to wear
    the uniform----
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. ----including a World War II veteran, one of the
    great living Americans, Senator Bob Dole.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. This division has now been called to play a central
    part in the first war of the 21st century. In the fight against terror,
    you are responding as you always have in times of danger. Because of
    you, and men and women like you in all branches of our military, we will
    defend this Nation, and we will defeat the enemies of freedom.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. I can't imagine what the enemy was thinking.
    [Laughter] They must have thought we were so weak, so feeble a nation
    that we might, after September the 11th, file a lawsuit or two.
    [Laughter] They obviously had never been to Fort Drum. They didn't
    understand what I know, the character and the strength and the courage
    of the men and women of the United States military.
        This war came upon us suddenly. The response has placed great
    demands on our military. Yet at every point in the chain of command, you
    were prepared for the orders that came. As Major General
    Hagenbeck has put it, when
    this division was called in September to deploy, nobody ever asked,
    ``Are you ready?'' It was assumed. And as the enemy found out, you were
    ready.
        Within days, you stepped forward to guard against further attacks on
    the homeland. Within weeks, soldiers from Fort Drum were guarding bases
    in Uzbekistan and moving in to defeat a brutal regime in Afghanistan.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. You fought beside our allies in cold and rugged
    terrain, against trained and resourceful killers. You met the enemy half
    a world away, in his own element, yet the terrorists discovered no
    bunker could protect them.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. Darkness couldn't conceal them.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. And there was no cave deep enough to save them.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. The 10th Mountain Division cleared over 100 caves
    used by Al Qaida, seized more than 500 stockpiles of enemy ammunition,
    patrolled over 500 miles of border trails to block fleeing enemy, helped
    build or repair tent hospitals and deliver over a million pounds of
    food. In the Afghan campaign, more than 150 soldiers of the 10th
    Mountain Division were decorated for their noble actions, including one
    lieutenant colonel who calmly inspired his troops during 18 hours of
    grenade attacks and withering small arms fire.

    [[Page 1272]]

        When the 10th Mountain Division first arrived in Afghanistan, the
    Taliban was in power. When some of you left, the Taliban was in ruins,
    and the Afghan people were liberated.
        For some of you, this may seem like a long war, particularly ones
    who have had loved ones overseas. But we've been at it for only 10
    months. We have a great deal to show for our efforts. Our country leads
    a mighty coalition of civilized nations, joined in facing a common
    threat, a real threat to humanity. We're uncovering terrorist cells all
    across the world, disrupting plots against us. We're seizing terrorist
    assets and keeping terrorists themselves on the run.
        So far, more than--thousands of terrorists have been captured, and
    thousands others, like several in the Philippines just weeks ago,
    weren't that lucky.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. One by one, they are meeting their fate, a fate they
    chose for themselves. Around the world, terrorists are learning that the
    justice of the United States of America cannot and will not be escaped.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. Some members of our coalition need America's aid and
    advice, and they're receiving it. Other nations need help training their
    armies to fight terror, and we're providing that. Some parts of the
    world, there will be no substitute for direct action by the United
    States. That is when we will send you, our military, to win the battles
    that only you can win.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. At this moment, around 60,000 Americans are deployed
    around the world in the war against terror. We've given great
    responsibilities to them and to you. And those of us in Washington have
    great responsibilities of our own. We must never cut corners when it
    comes to our national security. We owe our military every weapon you
    need, every dollar it takes to fight and to win this war.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. We're making progress, and I appreciate the fact that
    Congress has stood behind me. I appreciate the support I've received in
    Congress. I've been able to rely on leaders of both political parties.
        Earlier this year, I proposed the largest increase in military
    spending since Ronald Reagan was the President.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. I did so because our troops must be well trained,
    well equipped, and well paid in order to fight and win this war.
        We're investing in our military so we can deploy swift and agile
    forces anyplace, anytime they're needed. We're building precision
    weapons that can spare the lives of American soldiers and lives of
    innocent civilians in foreign lands.
        We will multiply every advantage--every possible advantage--so that
    we're prepared for any enemy, any enemy of freedom.
        Audience member. Let's get Saddam.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. In March of this year, I asked Congress to put
    defense appropriations at the beginning of the legislative line, not the
    end. I asked them to stop playing that old trick, ``We'll hold defense
    last.''
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. I think it needs to be first.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. The House of Representatives responded. The Senate is
    still delaying. The Senate must act so that we can plan the war. The
    Senate must act, and it must act this month, on defense appropriations.
    Congress has the responsibility to put first things first, and nothing
    comes before the freedom and the security of the American people.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. As we prepare our military for action, we will
    protect our military from international courts and committees with
    agendas of their own.
        Audience members. Hooah!

    [[Page 1273]]

        The President. You might have heard about a treaty that would place
    American troops under the jurisdiction of something called the
    International Criminal Court. The United States cooperates with many
    other nations to keep the peace, but we will not submit American troops
    to prosecutors and judges whose jurisdiction we do not accept.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. Our Nation expects and enforces the highest standards
    of honor and conduct in our military. That's how you were trained.
    That's what we expect. Every person who serves under the American flag
    will answer to his or her own superiors and to military law, not to the
    rulings of an unaccountable international criminal court.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. This new war is going to take some time. We're in
    this for the long haul. After all, we defend our Nation we love. We
    defend the values we uphold. We love freedom--we love freedom. We love
    our freedoms, and we will defend them, no matter what the cost.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. The work has just begun. And what we have begun, we
    will finish.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. In Afghanistan, coalition troops still have critical
    work, and the dangers haven't passed. Elsewhere, new threats are taking
    shape.
        In this war, there will be times of quiet, and there will be times
    of crisis, times that call for patience, and times that call for
    sacrifice. As members of our military, you understand this as clearly as
    anyone. You know the nature of the threat.
        Terrorism is fueled by boundless hatred. Terrorism will be stopped
    by a mighty nation with a strong and ready military.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. We fight against a shadowy network that hides in many
    nations and has revealed its intention to gain and use weapons of mass
    destruction. We're threatened by regimes that have sought these ultimate
    weapons and hide their weapons programs from the eyes of the world.
        The same regimes have shown their true nature by torturing and
    butchering their own people. These tyrants and terrorists have one thing
    in common: Whatever their plans and schemes, they will not be restrained
    by a hint of humanity or conscience.
        The enemies of America no longer need great armies to attack our
    people. They require only great hatred, made more dangerous by advanced
    technologies. Such enemies--against such enemies, we cannot sit quietly
    and hope for the best. To ignore this mounting danger is to invite it.
    America must act against these terrible threats before they're fully
    formed.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. We will use diplomacy when possible and force when
    necessary.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. We will prepare deliberately and act decisively.
        Our commitment should be clear to all, to friend and enemy alike:
    America will not leave the safety of our people and the future of peace
    in the hands of a few evil and destructive men.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. In this war, we fight against the advance of terror
    and its agents. We also fight for the advance of freedom and human
    dignity. We do more than oppose an ideology of violence and hatred; we
    offer a vision of democracy and development that can overcome resentment
    and despair in every part of the Earth.
        Seldom have the ideals of freedom been under greater threat. Seldom
    have the ideals of freedom had greater appeal. This Nation, this
    generation, you all have been entrusted with the ideals and with their
    defense. This is a charge we bear. This is a charge we shall keep.
        Audience members. Hooah!

    [[Page 1274]]

        The President. Your duties will take you many places. In some
    places, you and your fellow soldiers may be the only representatives of
    justice and order. As members of our military, you will stand between
    American citizens and grave danger. You will stand between civilization
    and chaos. And you will stand for liberty and tolerance and truth, the
    ideals of America and the hope of the entire world. Soldiers of the 10th
    Mountain Division and men and women of the Armed Forces, I'm honored to
    serve with you.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. This is a decisive moment in the history of freedom.
    As your Commander in Chief, I leave you this message: Be proud, be
    strong, and be ready.
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President. May God bless you all. May God bless you, and God
    bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:18 p.m. at Division Hill. In his remarks,
    he referred to Brig. Gen. Keith M. Huber, USA, assistant division
    commander operations, and Sgt. Maj. Kenneth C. Lopez, USA, 10th Mountain
    Division; Maj. Gen. Franklin L. ``Buster'' Hagenbeck, USA, commander,
    10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum; Gen. Larry R. Ellis, USA,
    commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command; Col. John J. Kelly, USA,
    commander, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Drum; and Lt. Gov. Mary O. Donohue
    of New York. An audience member referred to President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq.