    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [December 18, 2003]
    [Pages 1751-1753]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1751]]

    Remarks to Medical Personnel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
    December 18, 2003

        Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. Laura and I are thrilled to be here at the Army Medical
    Center. We're thrilled because this is a place of love and healing and
    great compassion. This Center has a great history and an important
    mission, and that is, you are serving those who serve our country. In
    this time of war--and we are at war with an enemy that hates what
    America stands for--the good people of Walter Reed are giving the best
    of care to the men and women who have been wounded in action. During a
    difficult time in their lives, they count on you. You give them the
    kind, professional care and decency and hope they deserve. And on behalf
    of America, I thank you for your service.
        Laura and I have had a great visit here. I
    know I'm not supposed to get out of my lane and give medical reports--
    [laughter]--but I can report that Colin Powell received great health care here and he is doing very well.
        I want to thank General Kiley and
    Babs for your hospitality again. I appreciate
    Colonel Jaffin. I appreciate Colonel B.J.
    Mielcarek. She is--she's been kind of
    looking after my body on occasion too. [Laughter] Fortunately, she's got
    a lot to work with. [Laughter] But she's in charge of the physical
    therapy services. We've just come from her department, where we saw some
    incredible work being done and some brave soldiers who are working hard
    to get to 100 percent.
        I appreciate Colonel Saulsbery,
    deputy commander for nursing; Colonel Greenwood; Colonel Fitzpatrick.
    And thank you all. I really appreciate the hard-working staff, the docs,
    the nurses, the people who make this fantastic facility operate in a way
    that makes me proud and in a way that will make every American proud
    when they learn your story.
        Each one of you has got a demanding job, and it's a tough job here.
    I've seen your work firsthand. I know how tough it is. But I also know
    that you count it as a privilege to look after some exceptional
    Americans, people who are willing to sacrifice for their country.
        When I spend time with members of our military, I'm impressed by the
    idealism and the concern for each other and the strong sense of duty
    that our soldiers feel. Members of the Armed Forces are now serving in a
    great cause, serving in an historic time. Peace and security of our
    fellow citizens depend upon their bravery and their willingness to
    serve. In so doing, our soldiers accept the dangers and the hardships
    that this cause sometimes requires. You know them well. I'm coming to
    know them. They're the finest of our citizens.
        If you spend any time with these young men and women, you know that
    whether it's on the battlefield or in the hospital, our men and women
    are always thinking of one another. Even after being wounded, they often
    speak about returning to their units. And these aren't idle words. These
    are words that come from people who have seen the true nature of combat.
    I'm proud to be their Commander in Chief. I'm proud to lead such fine
    men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their country.
        There's something else the wounded say, and they say it often, and
    they say it clearly. They praise you all, and they praise the incredible
    health care they receive here at Walter Reed. The doctors and nurses
    here are superb and dedicated and tireless. The administrative staff and
    the patient advocates and the chaplains are incredibly committed
    Americans and compassionate souls. You show concern for the patients,
    and you love their families as well. You give attention to the medical
    needs, to the emotional

    [[Page 1752]]

    needs, and to the spiritual needs of those recently removed from the
    battlefield.
        I want to thank the volunteers at Walter Reed. Many of you are
    veterans. Many of you have known war injuries of your own. You're a
    source of inspiration and your good advice for people who are in
    recovery. The country is grateful for your service in the past, and your
    country is very grateful for your continued service to help lift the
    spirits of those who have been wounded on the battlefield.
        Military medicine is a model of professionalism and organization. It
    starts with the combat medic, the combat medic who is on the scene, the
    first health care a wounded soldier receives within moments of the
    injury. Patients are then treated by forward surgical teams and at
    combat support hospitals. I found it interesting that Walter Reed has
    more than 60 of its staff serving in the Iraqi theater today. You've
    moved your great medicine from this fantastic facility to the
    battlefront so that our soldiers get instant professional care.
        Our wounded troops might next go to Landstuhl Medical Center in
    Germany, where they receive fine medical treatment before being
    delivered into your hands. Our fellow citizens must understand that
    every stop that a soldier makes from battlefield to Walter Reed is
    manned by a staff trained in every skill of trauma medicine.
        This morning, I had a chance to visit, as I said, B.J.'s shop, which is the physical and occupational
    therapy facilities. Walter Reed is second to none in this kind of
    medicine. You're using the latest prosthetic technology to help patients
    overcome great challenges and resume their lives. I know firsthand--I
    remember coming here a couple of months ago to pin the Purple Heart on a
    fellow who lost both legs and one arm. Today I saw him walking. What
    makes this story even more profound is, he lost both legs and one arm
    not as a citizen of the United States but as a soldier fighting for the
    United States. Today I saw a citizen of the United States walking.
        Americans would be surprised to learn that a grievous injury such as
    the loss of a limb no longer means forced discharge. In other words, the
    medical care is so good, and the recovery process is so technologically
    advanced, that people are no longer forced out of the military. When
    we're talking about forced discharge, we're talking about another age
    and another army. This is a new age, and this is a new army. And today,
    if wounded servicemembers want to remain in uniform and can do the job,
    the military tries to help them stay.
        This country takes--asks a great deal of the men and women who serve
    our military. We're asking a lot of them, particularly in the first war
    of the 21st century. We put a lot of fine troops into harm's way to make
    this country more secure and the world more free and the world more
    peaceful. We ask them to face great dangers to meet a national need. In
    return, we have made a commitment. We have made a commitment to the
    troops, and we have made a commitment to their loved ones, and that
    commitment is that we will provide excellent health care--excellent
    care--to anybody who is injured on the battlefield.
        Here at Walter Reed, all of you are making good on that commitment.
    You're saving the lives of liberators. You're healing the defenders of
    our country. You're comforting the champions of freedom. For that, every
    single person who works here has the respect and the gratitude of our
    entire Nation.
        All of you here today are engaged in a great cause, a noble cause,
    an important cause for our country and for freedom and peace. By your
    good work, you're helping to protect America. And for that, your
    Commander in Chief says God bless, and thank you.
        Happy holidays. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at noon in the Lawrence Joel Auditorium. In
    his remarks,

    [[Page 1753]]

    he referred to Maj. Gen. Kevin Kiley, USA, commanding general, North
    Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center,
    and his wife, Babs; Col. Jonathan Jaffin, USA, commander, Walter Reed
    Health Care System; and Col. Billie Mielcarek, USA, chief of physical
    therapy, Col. Patricia A.H. Saulsbery, USA, deputy commander for
    nursing, Col. Jim Greenwood, USA, deputy commander for administration,
    and Col. Thomas M. Fitzpatrick, USA, deputy commander for clinical
    services, Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.