[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
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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.