[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.