    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [April 24, 2003]
    [Pages 367-371]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Employees at the Army Tank Plant in Lima, Ohio
    April 24, 2003

        Thank you for the warm welcome. It's great to be in Lima. It is
    great to be with the hardworking people, the incredibly skilled workers
    of the Lima Army Tank Plant.
        I want to thank you for greeting me. I want to thank you for giving
    me a chance

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    to come and talk to you about two things that are on my mind. The first
    thing I want to talk about is making sure that people in this country
    who want to work can find a job.
        We've been through some tough times here in America. We've had a
    recession, and then we had an enemy attack us. Then we attacked back.
    There's been the uncertainty, uncertainty of war hanging over our heads.
    Then we had some of our corporate citizens forget what it means to be a
    responsible citizen, and they didn't tell the truth to employees and
    shareholders. And we had to deal with the corporate scandals that rocked
    the confidence of America.
        But in spite of that, our economy is growing. In spite of that,
    we're the best economy in the industrialized world. But we're not
    growing fast enough. I don't like it when I hear stories about our
    fellow Americans looking for work and can't find a job. And therefore, I
    sent the Congress a package that will encourage economic vitality and
    job growth, a package that starts with this concept, that we need more
    demand for goods and services so our people can find work. And the best
    way to encourage demand for goods and services is, let the people keep
    their hard-earned money in the first place.
        I put out a plan that says that a family of four making $40,000 a
    year will have their taxes reduced from about $1,100 to $50. That's
    1,000 more dollars in their pocket every year, so they can spend; they
    can save; they can invest the way they see fit.
        I start with understanding whose money we're talking about. We're
    not talking about the Government's money in Washington, DC, we're
    talking about your money. And the best way to get this economy started,
    the best way to make sure people can find work is have an economic
    stimulus package that focuses on jobs. And that's what I've sent to
    Congress. And for the sake of the American workers, Congress, when they
    get back from that Easter break, needs to pass a robust jobs-creation
    program.
        But I've also come here to talk about peace and security and
    freedom. And this is a good place to talk about it. This is a fine
    place, right here in Ohio, to talk about peace and security, because
    after all, it is in this facility that has provided the American
    military with the most effective armored vehicle in the history of
    warfare, the mighty Abrams tank.
        I'm here to thank you all for your service to our country and thank
    you for the vital contribution you have made to peace and freedom. You
    see, we're determined in this country to overcome the threat to our
    country, wherever they may gather. And each of you have had a part in
    this mission. Each of you are a part to making sure this country is
    strong enough to keep the peace.
        In the liberation of Iraq, we've applied powerful weapons, like the
    tank you build here, to strike our enemy with speed and precision. In
    the use of the Abrams tank, we have got a vehicle that is the most safe
    vehicle for our fighting personnel, precise enough to protect innocent
    life.
        Work is not done. There's still dangers and challenges to remain.
    But one thing is certain: Saddam Hussein is
    no longer in power. And thanks to the courage and might of our military,
    America is more secure today. And thanks to the courage and might of our
    military, the Iraqi people are free.
        I appreciate Lieutenant Colonel Walsh for
    letting me come. [Laughter] He didn't have any choice. [Laughter] I want
    to thank General Thompson.  Ross, III I want to
    thank your plant manager, Gary King. I want to
    thank the UAW local president, Jeff Monroe. I
    want to thank all the workers who are here.
        I want to thank you for bringing your families. I thank you for
    showing your families what you have done to help make history, to help
    make the world more peaceful. You tell your children, when they see the
    images of war on their TV sets, that

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    we take the action we take and you build the products you build because
    we believe in peace in America. We understand we have an obligation to
    keep our nation secure. You build the weapons you build here because we
    love freedom in this country.
        I want to thank some elected officials who have come, your
    Governor and your Senator DeWine and Congressman Oxley.
    Remember I talked about how we had some citizens who forgot to be
    responsible citizens when it came to whether or not they told the truth
    on the books. We passed a bill called Sarbanes-Oxley that said, if you
    cook the books, you're going to be held to account. The Oxley of
    Sarbanes-Oxley is with us today. And I want to thank Mike Oxley for his
    good work on behalf of honest government.
        And Congressman Turner is with us and
    Congressman Gillmor and your mayor--your
    mayor, as well as local officials. Thank you
    all for coming. I'm honored to be here.
        You see, it's a chance for me to remind the people of this country
    that we're witnessing historic days in the cause of freedom. This is an
    historic moment. Just over a month ago, not all that long ago, a cruel
    dictator ruled a country, ruled Iraq by
    torture and fear. His regime was allied with terrorists, and the regime
    was armed with weapons of mass destruction. Today, that regime is no
    more.
        We have applied our might in the name of peace and in the name of
    freedom. That's why we applied our might. We gave our word that the
    threat from Iraq would be ended. And with the support of allies and
    because of the bravery of our Armed Forces, we have kept our word.
        Last year, one of the first preparations for possible war, one of
    the first parts of our planning for war, came when General Tommy Franks--from Midland, Texas, I want you to know--
    went to the same high school as First Lady Laura Bush did--who, by the way, sends her love and her best.
    Tommy Franks asked--one of the first requests in preparation for
    possible war was that we send 1,200 Abrams tanks to the theater. That
    was one of the first decisions that Tommy made. And when the war came,
    in the initial stages of that war, units equipped with Abrams tanks and
    Bradley fighting vehicles led the charge, were first in as we crossed
    into Iraq to free the people of that country.
        When our coalition met fierce resistance in An Nasiriyah and on the
    way up, south to north, our armored forces answered decisively. The
    tanks built right here in Lima, Ohio, charged through elements of the
    dictator's Republican Guards, led the forces
    of a liberation into the heart of Iraq, and rolled all the way into
    downtown Baghdad. Throughout the campaign, our enemy learned that when
    Abrams tanks are on the battlefield, America means business.
        Our edge in warfare comes, in part, from the American spirit of
    enterprise--no question about that--from great companies and great
    workers like you all. During the fighting in Iraq, tank commanders sent
    word that they needed better ways to protect the Abrams exhaust systems
    from enemy fire. During the battle, word came back from Iraq, right here
    to Lima. And so engineers and machinists, pipefitters and welders and
    packers and transportation specialists of this plant went straight to
    work. Within a week, you had a new part designed and manufactured, and
    the first kits to deal with that problem shipped to Iraq. When our
    soldiers and marines needed you most, when the pressure was on, you came
    through, and America is grateful.
        I understand that one welder here, Mark Springer, had a especially strong interest in completing the
    project, to making sure the Abrams were able to fulfill their mission.
    You see, his son Joshua is serving in Iraq
    as an Abrams tank commander. I thank Mark for his service. And the next
    time, Mark, you communicate with Josh, you tell him the Commander in
    Chief came to Lima to say how proud I am of his service and the others'
    service to our country.

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        I've seen buttons with pictures of troops on the shirts of moms and
    dads and loved ones. I want to thank you all for your prayers for the
    safety of our troops. I want to thank you for your love of your
    children. They need to know, over there in combat, that people here at
    home love them. I want to thank you for your patience and just let you
    know they'll be home when the mission is complete.
        The mission is not complete. Our forces still face danger in Iraq.
    Our enemy is scattered, but they're still capable of doing harm. But
    we're not going to lose our focus. We're going to press on until the
    mission is complete.
        In any conflict, America's greatest single asset is the character of
    the men and women who wear our uniform. In Iraq, they have shown us once
    again that powerful weapons are a great advantage in modern warfare, but
    courage is still decisive. Some of the bravest have been lost to us and
    to their families. Some of the best have not returned home, and we will
    never forget their sacrifice.
        In Iraq, we are defending this Nation's security. After the attacks
    of September the 11th, 2001, we will not allow grave threats to go
    unopposed. We are now working to locate and destroy Iraq's weapons of
    mass destruction.
        Iraqis with firsthand knowledge of these programs, including several
    top officials who have come forward recently, some voluntarily--
    [laughter]--others not--[laughter]--are beginning to cooperate, are
    beginning to let us know what the facts were on the ground. And that's
    important because the regime of Saddam Hussein spent years hiding and disguising his weapons. He
    tried to fool the United Nations, and did for 12 years, by hiding these
    weapons. And so it's going to take time to find them. But we know he had
    them. And whether he destroyed them, moved them, or hid them, we're
    going to find out the truth. And one thing is for certain: Saddam
    Hussein no longer threatens America with weapons of mass destruction.
        We're not only in Iraq to protect our security; we're also showing
    that we value the lives and the liberty of the Iraqi people. We're
    pressing forward with the critical work of relief and reconstruction in
    that country. And the work will be difficult. You see, Iraq is
    recovering not just from weeks of conflict but from decades of
    totalitarian rule. The dictator built palaces
    in a country that needed hospitals. He spent money on illegal weapons,
    not on the education of the Iraqi children or food for the Iraqi people.
    Statues of the man have been pulled down, but the fear and suspicion he
    instilled in the people will take longer to pass away.
        Yet I have faith in the Iraqi people. They have the resources, the
    talent, and the desire to live in peace and freedom. And in the hard
    work of building a free Iraq, they will have a consistent friend in the
    United States of America.
        We have sent teams of people over to Iraq to make sure that they
    have adequate food. We're restoring electricity. We're making sure the
    hospitals are full of medicine and staffed with people to help the
    people of that country.
        I've sent a good man to help the Iraqi people, retired General
    Jay Garner--sent him to Iraq, and he arrived in
    Baghdad just this week. You see, it wasn't all that long ago that our
    tanks were in Baghdad. It may seem like a lot of time--there's a lot on
    our TV screens--but it wasn't all that long ago that the people got the
    first whiff of freedom. And now we've followed up with a team of people,
    headed by this man Garner who's got one overriding goal, to leave a free
    nation in the hands of a free people. That is our goal in Iraq.
        Our mission--besides removing the regime that threatened us, besides
    ending a place where the terrorists could find a friend, besides getting
    rid of weapons of mass destruction--our mission has been to bring a
    humanitarian aid and restore basic

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    services and put this country Iraq on the road to self-government. And
    we'll stay as long as it takes to complete our mission. And then all our
    forces are going to leave Iraq and come home.
        And we're making progress. There's tangible, visible progress on the
    ground there in Iraq. Step by step, the citizens of that country are
    reclaiming their own country. They're identifying former officials who
    are guilty of crimes. That deck of cards seems to be getting complete
    over time. [Laughter] They're volunteering for citizens patrols to
    provide security in the cities. They're beginning to understand that
    they need to step up and be responsible citizens if they want to live in
    peace and a free society.
        Many Iraqis are now reviving religious rituals which were forbidden
    by the old regime. See, a free society honors religion. A free society
    is a society which believes in the freedom of religion. And many Iraqis
    are now speaking their mind in public. That's a good sign. [Laughter]
    That means a new day has come in Iraq. When Saddam was the dictator and you spoke your mind, he would cut
    out your tongue and leave you to bleed to death in a town square. No
    fooling. That's how he dealt with dissidents.
        Today in Iraq, there's discussion, debate, protest, all the
    hallmarks of liberty. [Laughter] The path to freedom may not always be
    neat and orderly, but it is the right of every person and every nation.
    This country believes that freedom is God's gift to every individual on
    the face of the Earth.
        Last week there was an historic gathering that occurred in the city
    of Al Nasiriyah, where Iraqis met openly and freely to discuss the
    future of their country. And out of that meeting came this declaration
    by the Iraqis that were there: Iraq must be democratic. And that's the
    goal, the commitment of the United States and our coalition partners:
    Iraq must be democratic. And as new Iraqi leaders begin to emerge, we'll
    work with them. One thing is certain: We will not impose a government on
    Iraq. We will help that nation build a government of, by, and for the
    Iraqi people.
        Our country and our good allies are working to create the conditions
    for lasting peace. We're aiding the advance of peace by seeking the
    advance of freedom. Free societies do not nurture bitterness or the
    ideologies of terror and murder. Free societies are founded on the
    belief that every life has equal value. Free societies--free societies
    turn creative gifts of men and women toward progress and the betterment
    of their own lives. American interests and American founding beliefs
    lead in the same direction. We stand for human liberty.
        This past month has been a time of testing for our country. And the
    American people have responded with resolve and strength and optimism.
    Whatever challenges may come, we can be confident our Nation is strong;
    our purpose is firm; and our cause is just.
        Thank you for coming. May God bless you, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:13 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Lt. Col. Damon T. Walsh, USA,
    Army plant commander, and Gary King, plant manager, Lima Army Tank
    Plant; Maj. Gen. N. Ross Thompson III, USA, commander, U.S. Army Tank-
    Automotive and Armaments Command; Jeff Monroe, president, UAW local
    2075; Gov. Bob Taft of Ohio; Mayor David J. Berger of Lima; Gen. Tommy
    R. Franks, USA, combatant commander, U.S. Central Command; and Lt. Gen.
    Jay Garner, USA (Ret.), Director, Office of Reconstruction and
    Humanitarian Assistance for Post-war Iraq, Department of Defense.