[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[May 19, 2004]
[Pages 905-907]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at the Sons of Italy Foundation Gala
May 19, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Please be seated.
Audience member. Mr. President!
The President. I promised the Prime Minister you'd behave yourselves. [Laughter] It's great for the
son of Barbara to be here with the Sons of
Italy. [Laughter] Thank you for having me. I'm honored.
It's a privilege for me to join you all as we celebrate the
achievements and contributions of Italian Americans. I'm especially
pleased to join you in welcoming our great friend the Prime Minister of
Italy, Silvio Berlusconi. At this crucial
moment in history, America and Italy are standing together as proud
friends and strong allies in the cause of freedom. Our two peoples are
bound together by affection and respect, and today, Americans feel
respect and gratitude for the leadership of the Prime Minister.
I appreciate Charlie; thank you for
being the honorary chairman of this event. I thank Phil as well for being the host. I want to thank Joe
Sciame, who is the chairman of the Sons of
Italy Foundation, Paul Polo, who is the
president. Our Ambassador to Italy is with us, Mel Sembler. I appreciate the job he is doing on behalf of the
American people. Sergio Vento is with us, who
is the Italian Ambassador to the United States. And Sergio, I appreciate
your leadership.
I know there are some Members of Congress and the Senate here. I see
Santorum and Lieberman, and I appreciate you both being here. Thanks for coming. I
would recognize the other Members of Congress by name, but you evidently
are not here or have lousy seats. [Laughter]
I appreciate the fact that we've got scholarship and award
recipients who are with
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us, and I appreciate the distinguished guests who are here as well.
This annual event is an opportunity to express well-justified pride
in the Italian ancestry of millions of Americans. The immigrant journey
to America could be difficult. Families were often separated, and life
in a new country brought its hardships. But this country, the United
States, is fortunate that generations of Italian families made the
journey. They brought to our country strength of character, a deep faith
in God, love of family, and an appreciation of freedom. Without
question, America is a better place for the influence of the sons and
daughters of Italy.
In so many aspects of American life, it is hard to think of this
country without the Italian influence. The life of our country has been
richer because of names like DiMaggio and Lombardi, Capra and Sinatra,
LaGuardia, Scalia, and Giuliani. Countless of other Italian Americans, less well
known, have excelled in every field, from the artisans who carved the
figure of Lincoln that overlooks the Mall right here in Washington, to
business leaders, to educators, to many good priests and nuns who have
kindly looked after Italian parishes here in America. It was an Italian
American, Mother Frances Cabrini, whose mission to build hospitals and
orphanages for poor immigrants made her America's first saint. Of
course, that's the official count--every Italian American man will tell
you his mother is the saint. [Laughter]
From our Nation's beginnings, the sons and daughters of Italy have
been fierce defenders of American liberty. Italians crossed the Atlantic
to fight with us in the Revolutionary War. In later struggles, dozens of
Italian Americans would receive the Medal of Honor. One of these was
Marine Sergeant John Basilone. For 3 days, he battled an entire enemy
regiment at Guadalcanal with nothing but his own machine gun, leading
General Douglas MacArthur to call him ``a one-man army.''
Sixty years ago, Allied troops freed Rome, and next month the Prime
Minister and I will meet in that city to
commemorate its liberation. The sacrifices of that terrible war were
shared by both our countries and helped to forge our determination to
resist tyranny wherever it exists. For more than five decades, Italy has
shown great resolve and courage as a member of NATO. In the past 3
years, America and Italy have been steadfast allies in the war on
terror.
The war on terror continues in Iraq. We're standing together in that
desperate country as a part of a strong coalition. America appreciates
the contributions and sacrifice of nearly 3,000 soldiers that Italy has
deployed in that country. We honor the memory of 19 Italians killed by a
terrorist's bomb last November and the memory of the Italian
soldier killed this week.
And we honor the courage of men like Fabrizio
Quattrocchi, a baker who went to Iraq
to work as a security guard. He was kidnaped by terrorists and faced his
killers with the bravest defiance. Just before he was murdered, he stood
up and shouted, ``Now I will show you how an Italian dies!'' In that
moment, this good man from Genoa showed us that and more: He showed us
how a hero lives.
Now all our efforts in Iraq are approaching a crucial moment. The
Prime Minister and I had a strategy
session on how to help the Iraqis realize their liberty. I appreciate
his good, strong advice. On June 30th, our coalition will transfer its
authority to a sovereign Iraqi government. With the assistance of the
United Nations and our coalition, Iraqi citizens are currently making
important decisions about the nature and the scope of that interim
government.
In time, Iraq will be a democratic nation at the heart of the Middle
East. This will send a powerful message from Damascus to Tehran that
democracy and freedom can bring hope to lives in every culture. And this
advance of freedom will bring greater
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security to America, to Italy, and to all who love freedom.
As June 30th approaches, the enemies of freedom grow even more
desperate to prevent the rise of democracy in Iraq. That's what you're
seeing on your TV screens, the desperate tactics of a hateful few,
people who cannot stand the thought of free societies in their midst.
They're targeting brave Iraqis who are leading toward democracy, such as
Mr. Salim, who was assassinated in
Baghdad on Monday. They're murdering Iraqi policemen, who stand as
symbols of order. They kill foreign aid workers who are helping to
rebuild Iraq. They attack our military. You see, their goal is to
undermine the will of our coalition and to drive us out before our
mission is complete. They will not succeed. They will not shake the will
of America or our coalition.
My resolve is firm. The resolve of the Prime Minister of
Italy is firm. The resolve of the American
people is firm. Our military is skilled and determined. We all
understand the stakes are high for America and the world. We will not be
intimidated by thugs and assassins. We will win this essential victory
in the war on terror.
These are historic times. This is an historic moment. The world
watches for any weakness. They will see no weakness in America. They
will see no weakness in Italy. We will answer every challenge. U.S.
soldiers and Iraqi security forces are systematically destroying the
illegal militia in the south of Iraq. Coalition forces are working with
Iraqis in Fallujah to end control by Saddam
loyalists and foreign fighters. We're building up Iraqi security forces
so at some point, they can safeguard their own security. We're flexible
in our methods, but our goal is unchanging. Iraq will be free. Iraq will
be a democratic nation.
The sons and daughters of Italy who are serving and sacrificing with
us in this cause have earned the gratitude of the American people. We're
honored to call the Italian Republic one of our closest friends and
strongest allies in the world. We are proud of the great Italian
heritage in America. I thank each of you for carrying this heritage
forward.
I thank you for your warm welcome tonight. And I ask for God's
blessing on the United States of America.
Note: The President spoke at 7:50 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. In his
remarks, he referred to Charles Gargano, honorary gala chairman; Philip
R. Piccigallo, executive director and chief executive officer, Sons of
Italy Foundation; Rudolph W. Giuliani, former mayor of New York City;
Iraqi Governing Council President Izz al-Din al-Salim, who was killed in
a suicide car bomb attack on May 17 in Baghdad; and former President
Saddam Hussein of Iraq.