    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [May 16, 2003]
    [Pages 497-498]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Commander in Chief's Trophy to the United
    States Air Force Academy Falcons
    May 16, 2003

        The President. Coach, how are you?
        Coach Fisher DeBerry. Sir.
        The President. Sit down, please.
        Coach DeBerry. Thank you, sir. Honored to
    be here.
        The President. Thanks. Getting to be a habit. [Laughter]
        It's my honor to welcome back to the White House the Air Force
    Academy Falcons, who have now won the Commander in Chief's Trophy for
    their 6th consecutive year and 16th time overall. The football rivalry
    amongst our academies is--our military academies is one of the great
    traditions in our Nation, and I want to congratulate the Air Force
    Fighting Falcons for supremacy on the football field.
        I particularly want to say something about Fisher DeBerry. He's obviously a unique guy who has got the
    unbelievable ability to motivate people in a good way. So Coach, I
    congratulate you. We're proud of you, and the school and the men you
    coach are better off for your presence.

    [[Page 498]]

        I want to thank the Members of the Congress who are here. For some
    reason it seems like the Colorado Congressmen have taken an interest for
    being here. [Laughter] Senator Allard, thanks
    for coming, and Congressman Hefley, as well as
    Congressman Dicks from the State of
    Washington and Congressman Sam Johnson from the
    State of Texas. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate you guys being
    here.
        Now, Sam is an old fighter pilot--well, not
    an old fighter pilot--[laughter]--was a great fighter pilot--
    [laughter]--who one time dead-sticked a Cessna onto the Dallas--the
    Dallas Tollway at night. [Laughter] That's how he got to be elected to
    the Congress. [Laughter]
        Jim Roche is with us, the Secretary of
    the Air Force. Thank you for coming, Mr. Secretary. The Acting
    Superintendent of the Air Force, General Weida, is with us as well. I'm glad you're here. I want to thank
    you all for coming as well, the folks that--not only the players but the
    folks that make sure the players get the helmet and the water and the
    tape on their ankles and the people who support Air Force football.
        The academies are really important for a lot of reasons. Obviously,
    what you learn on the football field is even more important since we're
    still at war. And it's the qualities of--that you learn on the football
    field that will serve our Nation in good stead after you graduate. Some
    of your fellow football players saw war in Iraq. And as a result of
    their bravery and their skill, the country is now more secure; the
    United States people are more secure; the world is going to be more
    peaceful; and the Iraqi people are now free from the clutches of an
    incredibly brutal dictatorship. What you--the character you displayed in
    your drive to be the best will serve our Nation well, because we're
    still at war. We learned that lesson in Saudi Arabia the other day. An
    Al Qaida--a group we think is Al Qaida killed innocent life just for the
    sake of killing them.
        And we'll do everything we can to protect our homeland. We'll do the
    best we can with the Transportation Security Agency. We'll do a better
    job on the borders. But the surest way to protect our homeland is to
    find these killers and bring them to justice, which is what the United
    States of America is going to do. The skills you have learned on the
    football field and at the Air Force Academy are going to be necessary
    skills to protect the American people from the true threats of the 21st
    century.
        So I'm proud to welcome you all here as football stars and
    champions, but I'm more proud to be able to reassure our fellow
    Americans that people of high caliber and high quality and high skill
    will serve in our Nation's defense during a dangerous time, which will
    allow me to boldly predict the United States of America will win the war
    on terror.
        And so it was an honor to bring a--you call it a six-pack when you
    win 6 years in a row? [Laughter] Six-peat. A great coach and a great
    American. Welcome.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:35 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Fisher DeBerry, head football
    coach, and Brig. Gen. Johnny A. Weida, USAF, commandant of cadets and
    commander, 34th Training Wing, U.S. Air Force Academy.