[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[September 12, 2003]
[Pages 1141-1145]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks to Military Personnel and Families at Fort Stewart, Georgia
September 12, 2003
The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome.
It's a fine day here in Georgia. Of course, the Governor told me every day is a fine day in Georgia.
Audience members. Hooah!
The President. It's a great day to visit the soldiers and the
families of the 3d Infantry Division and to visit Fort Stewart. When I
came here in February of 2001, it was my first--one of my first official
trips, my first visit to an Army post as Commander in Chief, and my
first chance as President to say: Hooah!
Audience members. Hooah!
The President. Since we last met, soldiers of the 3d Infantry
Division have fought in Afghanistan and have hunted terrorists in
Pakistan; you've launched the coalition offensive into Iraq, defeated
the enemy in Najaf; you took the Saddam Hussein International Airport and seized his palaces; and
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you led the fighting into Baghdad the day the statue of the dictator was
pulled down.
Audience members. Hooah!
The President. Following that day of liberation, 3d ID soldiers have
helped the Iraqi people to recover from years of oppression, to begin
the work of building a free Iraq. Two months ago, the Sergeant Major of
the Army, Jack Tilley, spoke to the 3d ID
troops in Fallujah. He said this--he said, ``Be proud of who you are.
Stand up straight. You made history.'' As Commander in Chief, I second
those words. You made history. You've made our Nation proud. And you
have earned the Presidential Unit Citation.
After a long deployment, the 3d ID is now home. America is grateful
for your devoted service in hard conditions. America is grateful to the
men and women right here on this base who supported your mission.
And we're especially grateful to our military families. I know it
has been a tough 9 months for Fort Stewart families. But you've been
loyal and patient, and you've looked out for one another. I want to
thank you for the support you've given to your loved ones. Thank you for
the love of your country. Our Nation is grateful.
I want to thank General Blount for
inviting me here today. I told him, I said he's a pretty eloquent
speaker for a good warrior. [Laughter] I appreciate General
Ellis, good to see him again today, the
commander of U.S. Forces Command.
I'm honored to be traveling with two fine United States Senators,
Senator Zell Miller and Senator Saxby
Chambliss of the great State of Georgia,
strong supporters of the United States military. As well, we traveled
down with Jack Kingston and Max Burns, two fine Members of the House of Representatives. As
well, they are strong supporters of the United States military.
Of course, I already mentioned the Governor
once. He said, ``Every day is a beautiful day in Georgia.'' I'm proud to
be with him. He's a good friend, solid American.
I also am pleased to be here with Brigadier General Joe
Riojas, assistant division commander; Bob
Caslen--Colonel Caslen, assistant
division commander; Colonel Larry Burch;
Colonel John Kidd; Sergeant Major
Kellman; and Captain Vern Tubbs. I want to thank you all very much for bringing me here
today. It's an honor to be here.
Two-and-a-half years ago--or 2 years ago, this Nation came under
enemy attack. Two years ago yesterday we were attacked. On a single
morning, we suffered the highest casualties on our own soil since the
Civil War. America saw the face of a new adversary, an enemy that plots
in secret, an enemy that rejects the rules of war, an enemy that
rejoices in the murder of the innocent. We made a pledge that day, and
we have kept it: We are bringing the guilty to justice; we are taking
the fight to the enemy.
In this new kind of war, America has followed a new strategy. We are
not waiting for further attacks on our citizens. We are striking our
enemies before they can strike us again. As all of you know, wars are
fought on the offensive. The war on terror will be won on the offensive,
and America and our friends are staying on the offensive. We're rolling
back the terrorist threat not on the fringes of its influence but at the
heart of its power.
In Afghanistan, America and our broad coalition acted against a
regime that harbored Al Qaida and ruled by terror. We've sent a message
that is now understood throughout the world: If you harbor a terrorist,
if you support a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, you're just as
guilty as the terrorists. And the Taliban found out what we meant.
Thanks to our men and women in uniform, Afghanistan is no longer a haven
for terror, and as a result, the people of America are safer from
attack.
We are hunting the Al Qaida terrorists wherever they still hide,
from Pakistan to
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the Philippines to the Horn of Africa. And we're making good progress.
Nearly two-thirds of Al Qaida's known leaders have been captured or
killed. The rest of them are dangerous, but the rest of them can be
certain we're on their trail. Our resolve is firm. The resolve of this
Nation is clear: No matter how long it takes, we will bring justice to
those who plot against America.
And we have pursued the war on terror in Iraq. Our coalition
enforced the demands of the U.N. Security Council in one of the swiftest
and most humane military campaigns in history. Because of our military,
catastrophic weapons will no longer be in the hands of a reckless
dictator. Because of our military, Middle Eastern countries no longer
fear subversion and attack by Saddam Hussein.
Because of our military, the torture chambers in Iraq are closed, and
people who speak their minds need not fear execution. Because of our
military, the people of Iraq are free.
Now we're working with the Iraqi people to build a decent and
democratic society, a country that is an example of peace, not an
exporter of violence. This undertaking is difficult, and it is costly.
Yet it is worthy of our country, and it is critical to our security.
You've seen how Saddam holdouts and foreign
terrorists are desperately, desperately trying to undermine Iraq's
progress and to throw that country into chaos. You know, they understand
that a free Iraq will be free of them, free of assassins and torturers
and secret police. As democracy and freedom rise in Iraq, their
ambitions will fall just like the statues of Saddam Hussein.
The terrorists have a strategic goal. They want America to leave
Iraq before our work is done. You see, they believe their attacks on our
people and on innocent people will shake the will of the United States
and the civilized world. They believe America will run from a challenge.
They don't know us very well.
Audience members. Hooah!
The President. They're mistaken. Iraq is now the central front in
the war on terror. This Nation will complete our work, and we will win
this essential victory.
The people of our military have faced many hardships in Iraq, and
you faced them with courage. You know the names of some who fought for
our country and didn't come home, who died in the line of duty. You
remember them as comrades and friends. This Nation will remember them
for their unselfish courage, for their sacrifice in a time of danger to
America. We honor their memory. We pray for God's comfort on their
family and loved ones.
All who serve understand what this fight is about. Our military is
confronting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and in other places, so
that our people will not have to confront terrorist violence in our own
cities.
Our strategy in Iraq has three objectives. First, we are destroying
the terrorists by swift and decisive action. We continue to launch raids
against these enemies. We're rounding them up. We're seizing their
weapons. And as for the leaders of the former regime, we're working our
way through the famous deck of cards. The Iraqi people are helping with
critical leads, and with each new capture the word gets out.
In a letter home this summer, an American soldier described the
following scene in Baghdad after two of those cards were dealt with. He
wrote: ``The whole city was erupting in gunfire. There were tracer
rounds flying through the air all over. Everyone was hyped to the max.
Then we got the call over the radio. It was celebration fire because we
caught Saddam's sons.'' Altogether, 42 of the 55 most wanted former
Iraqi leaders have been captured or killed. It's a matter of time for
the rest of them.
Our second objective is to bring in other nations to help Iraq build
a free country; that'll make the world more secure. Already two
multinational divisions--perhaps you saw brothers and sisters in combat
when
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you were in Iraq--divisions led by the Brits and the Poles, they're
sharing responsibilities with us. And we thank all the nations who have
contributed.
It's time for others to join us. Tomorrow Secretary Powell will be in Geneva, consulting with friends and
allies and the officials of the United Nations. He'll carry a message:
No free nation can be neutral in the fight between civilization and
chaos. Terrorists in Iraq have attacked representatives of the civilized
world, and opposing them and defeating them must be the cause of the
civilized world.
Our third goal is to encourage the orderly transfer of sovereignty
and authority to the Iraqi people. We're helping to train Iraqi civil
defense forces and police and border guards. In these and other roles,
some 60,000 Iraqis are now helping to secure their country. Iraq's new
Governing Council represents the nation's diverse groups. Ninety percent
of the communities have local councils. In Baghdad, a new city council
is at work, chosen by all the neighborhoods in the cities. In the months
ahead, the Iraqis will be drafting a new constitution, and this will
prepare the way for elections. With our help, and with the great
strength of its own people, Iraq is getting rid of the days of
dictatorship and terror and is moving toward a future of stability and
freedom. And life is returning to normal for a lot of the citizens in
Iraq.
The day the regime fell, only 30 percent of the hospitals in Iraq
were functioning. Now almost every hospital in Iraq is open. America and
our coalition have provided more than 22 million doses of vaccine to
over 4 million children and a million pregnant women. We're refurbishing
more than 1,000 schools in Iraq.
One school in Baghdad is called the Hiba School. It was founded by a
woman named Sarahiah, for children with
Down syndrome. The old regime gave the Hiba School no help. You see,
Down syndrome children were viewed as hopeless and useless. By now a
unit of American soldiers has--but now a unit of American soldiers has
taken the Hiba School under its wing. They've been collecting donations
from home to pay for supplies and clothing for the children and salaries
for the teachers. The effort has been led by Lieutenant Colonel
Bowyer of the 1st Armored Division. He's got
a special interest. You see, his own son, Samuel, has Down syndrome.
Sarahiah calls Colonel Bowyer ``our first friend and our best friend.'' And in the
Hiba School, the Iraqi children have put up a picture of Sam
Bowyer on the wall to thank him--to thank his
dad, to thank our country.
See, the Iraqi people are coming to know the kind of men and women
we've sent to liberate their country. In your courage and in your
compassion, the people of our Armed Forces represent the best of
American character.
When I addressed the Nation a few nights ago from the White House, I
read a letter I'd received from an Army captain serving in Baghdad. Some
of you know him. You gave him a pretty good seat here today--Captain
Vern Tubbs. He wrote about his pride in serving a
just cause and about the deep desire for Iraqis for liberty. ``I see
it,'' he said, ``in the eyes of a hungry people every day here. They're
starved for freedom and opportunity.'' Captain Tubbs and all of you have
helped put Iraq on the path to freedom and opportunity. And every man,
woman, and child in Iraq can be certain of this: The old regime is gone,
and the regime is never coming back.
As America carries out its strategy for security and reconstruction,
we need the resources to do the job in Iraq. Soon I will send Congress a
request for additional money we need to keep our commitments. In this
time of challenge of America, as we ask so much of our military, we in
Government have a solemn responsibility to give you every tool you need
to achieve victory.
This base and all of you serving here are critical to the defense of
the United
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States. You've shown that, once again, by enduring a long deployment and
performing brilliantly every day under difficult and dangerous
circumstances, that you're worthy of the task, and you're worthy of our
trust. Our whole Nation has been reminded that we can never take our
military for granted. I will keep our military strong.
This was the message of another President, John F. Kennedy, when he
visited Fort Stewart in 1962 and spoke to the troops on Donovan Field.
President Kennedy said this: ``Regardless of how persistent our
diplomacy may be in activities stretching all around the globe, in the
final analysis it rests upon the power of the United States, and that
power rests upon the will and courage of our citizens and upon you in
this field.'' Soldiers and families of Fort Stewart, those words are
still true today. Peace and America's security depends on you.
In meeting the dangers of a new era, the world looks to America for
leadership. And America counts on the men and women who have stepped
forward as volunteers in the cause of freedom.
I want to thank you all for your good service. Thank you for the
credit and honor you bring to our country every day. May God bless you.
May God bless your families, and may God continue to bless America.
Note: The President spoke at 10:02 a.m. at Trent Field. In his remarks,
he referred to Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia; Gen. Larry R. Ellis, USA,
commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command; Gen. Buford C. Blount III,
USA, commanding general, Brig. Gen. Jose D. Riojas, USA, assistant
division commander, Col. Robert L. Caslen, Jr., USA, assistant division
commander, Col. Glenn L. Burch, USA, chief of staff, Col. John M. Kidd,
USA, garrison commander, and Sgt. Maj. Julian A. Kellman, USA, division
command sergeant major, 3d Infantry Division, Fort Stewart and Hunter
Army Airfield; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; former President
Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, who were killed July 22 by U.S. military
forces in Mosul, Iraq; and Lt. Col. Richard Bowyer, USA, 1st Armored
Division.