    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [February 17, 2004]
    [Pages 229-233]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Military Personnel at Fort Polk, Louisiana
    February 17, 2004

        Thank you all. What a week, first NASCAR and today Fort Polk,
    Louisiana. Thank you for the warm welcome. It is an honor to be here
    with the soldiers and families of Fort Polk. This post is home to some
    of the Army's oldest and finest units. All of you are living up to the
    motto of our 2d Armored Calvary Regiment, ``Always ready.''
        The 2d Calvary is now deployed in Iraq. So is the mighty Warrior
    Brigade from Fort Polk. This post has long been vital to the defense of
    America, and today, the men and women of Fort Polk are serving with
    skill and bravery in the war on terror. Since our Nation was attacked on
    September the 11th, 2001, this post has trained and deployed more than
    10,000 troops to fight the terrorist enemy. The JRTC Operations Group is
    providing superb training for America's soldiers. And with people like
    you in the fight against terror, there is no doubt that the enemy will
    be defeated and freedom will prevail.
        In the war, America depends on our military to meet the dangers
    abroad and to keep our country safe. The American people appreciate this
    sacrifice, and our Government owes you more than gratitude. We must
    always make sure that America's soldiers are well-equipped and well-
    trained to fight this war on terror.
        Every person in uniform also depends on the faithful support of
    their family. Military families have faced many hardships in this time
    of testing, and you have faced them together. Every military
    installation is a strong and caring community. You look out for each
    other. You accept the sacrifices of service to America. And I want you
    to know, our whole Nation is grateful to our military families.
        I appreciate General Kamiya for his
    introduction. When I was walking here from

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    Marine One, somebody told me he just got promoted. Congratulations,
    General. Les Brownlee, the Acting Secretary of
    the Army, is with us. General Pete Schoomaker, who is the Army Chief of Staff, is with us today. General,
    thank you for coming. General Ellis, I
    appreciate you being here. Colonel Woolfrey, Command Sergeant Major Christian; Command Sergeant Major Savusa is with us as well. I'm honored that you men are here.
        Today I had the privilege of traveling with Senator Mary
    Landrieu from the State of Louisiana,
    Congressman David Vitter, and Congressman
    Rodney Alexander. I want to thank all the
    State and local officials who are with us today. I appreciate so very
    much Kevin Sharp and John Berry for taking time out to provide the entertainment for the
    troops and families today.
        I just met Margie Nobles. Margie
    volunteered more than 1,400 hours helping families of soldiers during
    their transition to Fort Polk and during times of deployment. People
    often talk about the strength of America being our military, and it is
    strong, and I intend to keep it that way. But the real strength of the
    country lies in the hearts and souls of our citizens, people like Margie
    who are willing to help somebody who hurts, people who are willing to
    take time out of their busy lives to love a neighbor just like you'd
    like to be loved yourself. For those of you who are soldiers in the army
    of compassion, I want to thank you for your service to your community
    and to your country.
        The Fort Polk community is also home to thousands of veterans and
    retired military. Our veterans defended our Nation and served the cause
    of freedom in the great struggles of the 20th century. Many veterans
    from the area are with us today, and we honor your faithful service to
    America.
        Our service men and women today follow in a great tradition of
    achievement and courage. You're living up to that tradition in hard
    missions and decisive victories. This generation of our military has
    been called to duty to fight and to win the first war of the 21st
    century.
        The struggle began on a September morning, when terrorists murdered
    thousands of our fellow citizens. We saw the violence and grief that
    terrorists can inflict. We had a glimpse of a far worse harm that the
    terrorists intend for us. And on behalf of this Nation, I made a pledge:
    Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies,
    justice will be done.
        Life in America in many ways has returned to normal, and that's a
    good thing. And I want every American to know that I understand my job
    as your President. I have a duty to protect the American people, and my
    resolve is the same today as it was on the morning of September the
    12th, 2001. My resolve is the same as it was on the day when I walked in
    the rubble of the Twin Towers. I will not relent until this threat to
    America is removed, and neither will you.
        In the past 29 months, many terrorists have learned the meaning of
    justice. Nearly two-thirds of Al Qaida's known leaders have been
    captured or otherwise dealt with. The terrorists are on the run, with
    good reason to fear what the night might bring. Thousands of very
    skilled and determined military personnel are on an international
    manhunt, going after the remaining killers who hide in caves and in
    cities. When they attacked our country, the terrorists chose their own
    fate, and they are meeting that fate, one by one.
        Success in the war on terror also requires that we confront regimes
    that might arm terrorists with the ultimate weapon. There's no greater
    danger before this Nation and humanity than the possibility of secret
    and sudden attack with a nuclear or chemical or biological weapon. We
    must confront this danger with open eyes and unbending purpose. I've
    made clear the policy of this country: America will not permit
    terrorists and dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most
    deadly weapons.

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        With good allies at our side, we have shown this resolve in decisive
    action to liberate two nations once ruled by terror regimes. The first
    to see our determination were the Taliban, who made Afghanistan the
    primary base of Al Qaida. That was where the training camps operated.
    That is where the attacks of September the 11th were conceived. And
    that's where we first took the fight to the enemy.
        Two years after we liberated Afghanistan, our troops continue to
    face danger. Our coalition is leading aggressive raids to rout out
    surviving members of the Taliban and Al Qaida. The new Afghan army is
    adding to the stability of that country. Afghanistan still has
    challenges, but that nation is a world away from the nightmare of the
    Taliban.
        As of last month, Afghanistan has a new constitution, guaranteeing
    free elections and full participation by women. Businesses are opening,
    health care centers are being established, and the children of
    Afghanistan are back in school--boys and girls. The people of
    Afghanistan are building a nation that is free, that is proud, and that
    is fighting terror. And America is honored to be their friend.
        The former regime in Iraq also witnessed America's resolve to
    confront dangers before they fully materialize. My administration looked
    at the intelligence information, and we saw a danger. Members of
    Congress looked at the same intelligence, and they saw a danger. The
    United Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence, and it saw a
    danger. We reached a reasonable conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a danger. We remembered his history. He waged
    aggressive wars against neighboring countries and aspired to dominate
    the Middle East. He cultivated ties to terrorists. He built weapons of
    mass destruction. He used weapons of mass destruction against his own
    people. He hid those weapons.
        In 1998, the President and the Congress made it the policy of the
    United States to change the regime in Iraq. In September of 2001,
    America made a decision: We will not live in the shadow of gathering
    threats. In 2003, after 12 years of deception by Saddam
    Hussein, he was given one final chance. The
    U.N. Security Council demanded a full accounting of his weapons programs
    or face serious consequences. Saddam Hussein chose defiance. And we had
    a choice of our own: Either take the word of a madman, or take action to
    defend America and the world. Faced with that choice, I will defend
    America every time.
        Having broken the Ba'athist regime in Iraq, we face a remnant of
    violent Saddam supporters. Men who ran away
    from our troops in battle are now dispersed and attack from the shadows.
    These killers are joined by foreign terrorists. Recently in Iraq, we
    intercepted a letter sent by a terrorist named Zarqawi, a man well-known to our intelligence services.
    Zarqawi operated in and out of Saddam Hussein's Iraq. He ordered the
    murder of an American diplomat in Jordan. He fought against our troops
    in Afghanistan. And now, in a letter we intercepted, Zarqawi is urging
    Al Qaida members to wage terrorist war on our coalition in Iraq.
        In the document, Zarqawi describes
    the terrorists' strategy. He lays it all out: To tear the country apart
    with ethnic violence; to undermine Iraqi security forces; to demoralize
    our coalition; to prevent the rise of a sovereign democratic government.
    This terrorist outlines his efforts to recruit and train suicide
    bombers. He boasts of 25 attacks on innocent Iraqis and coalition
    personnel.
        Zarqawi and men like him have made
    Iraq the central front in our war on terror. The terrorists know that
    the emergence of a free Iraq will be a major blow against the worldwide
    terrorist movement. And in this, they are correct. But we've seen this
    enemy before, and we know how to deal with them. Fighting alongside the
    people of Afghanistan, we are defeating the terrorists in that country.
    And fighting alongside

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    the people of Iraq, we will defeat the terrorists there as well. Iraq,
    like Afghanistan, will be free.
        We're making good progress against these enemies by staying on the
    offensive, with hundreds of patrols and swift and precision raids every
    single day. Thanks to our military, thanks to our brave soldiers, Iraq's
    citizens do not have to fear the dictator's secret police or ending up
    in a mass grave. The torture chambers are closed. Of the top 55
    officials of the former regime, we have captured or killed 46. And as
    for the once all-powerful ruler of Iraq, we found him hiding in a hole.
        At the same time, we're helping Iraqis make daily progress toward
    democracy. A year ago, Iraq's only law was the whim of one brutal
    man. Today, our coalition is working with the
    Iraqi Governing Council to draft a basic law with a bill of rights. But
    we're now working with Iraqis and the United Nations to prepare for a
    transition to full Iraqi sovereignty. As democracy takes hold in Iraq,
    the enemies of freedom will do all in their power to spread violence and
    fear. They're trying to shake the will of our country and our friends.
    But they don't understand America. They don't understand the nature of
    our troops. This country and our military will never be intimidated by a
    bunch of thugs and assassins.
        It is the nature of terrorism that a few evil people can bring grief
    to many. Here in the Fort Polk community, you have sent brave men and
    women to confront this evil, and you have said farewell to some of your
    best. One of them was Private First Class Rey David Cuervo, who was killed in Baghdad. Private Cuervo was born in
    Mexico and is one of several noncitizens in the military who have given
    their lives in the defense of America. At my direction, each of them has
    been posthumously granted a title to which they have brought great
    honor: Citizen of the United States.
        Last month, PFC Cuervo was laid to rest
    under a marker with these words: ``All gave some, and some gave all.''
    We do not take freedom for granted in America, and we do not take for
    granted the courage of those who face the danger and do the fighting.
    May God comfort the families of the lost. May He keep this Nation always
    grateful for their sacrifice.
        All the men and women we have sent to Iraq and Afghanistan have
    given vital service in the war on terror. By liberating these countries,
    we and our coalition have delivered more than 50 million people from
    cruel oppression. We've removed sources of violence and instability from
    the greater Middle East. We've removed from power enemies of this
    country. We have made America more secure.
        We face a clear choice in the greater Middle East: Either freedom
    will advance, or that region will continue to export violence to the
    world. The work of building democracies in nations that have endured
    decades of tyranny is hard. It's hard work. It will require the kind of
    sustained commitment that won the cold war. We accept that duty. We
    accept that duty in our time because our cause is right.
        Even governments that did not join in the removal of
    Saddam's regime now understand that democracy
    in Iraq must succeed. And that work will succeed, because the appeal of
    freedom is universal. Freedom is not America's gift to the world;
    freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
        The will of this country is strong. The will of our coalition is
    strong. And what we have begun, we will finish.
        For all Americans, the last 3 years have brought tests we didn't ask
    for and for achievements shared by all. And by our actions, we have
    shown what kind of nation we are. We're a nation with a mission, and
    that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We believe that freedom
    is the right of every single person in the world. By the unselfish
    dedication of Americans in uniform, people in our own country and

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    in lands far away, people can live in freedom and know the peace that
    freedom brings.
        America has been given great responsibilities, and they have come to
    the right country. We don't shirk from any challenge. We're rising to
    the call of history. Now and in the future, this great Republic will
    lead the cause of freedom and peace.
        May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless our country.
    Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:37 p.m. at Fort Polk Army Airfield. In
    his remarks, he referred to Brig. Gen. Jason K. Kamiya, USA, commanding
    general, Col. Arthur ``Wade'' Woolfrey, Jr., USA, deputy commander, and
    Command Sgt. Maj. Iuniasolua T. Savusa, USA, Joint Readiness Training
    Center and Fort Polk; Gen. Larry R. Ellis, USA, commanding general, and
    Command Sgt. Maj. Carl E. Christian, USA, U.S. Army Forces Command;
    country music entertainers Kevin Sharp and John Berry; former President
    Saddam Hussein of Iraq; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi;
    and USAID officer Laurence Foley, who was killed in Amman, Jordan, on
    October 28, 2002. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
    Spanish language transcript of these remarks.