[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[December 7, 2004]
[Pages 3051-3056]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at Camp Pendleton, California
December 7, 2004

    Thank you all. Thank you for the warm welcome. It was getting a 
little quiet back at the White House--[laughter]--so I decided to drop 
in on the Devil Dogs. Thank

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you for coming out to say hello. I've been looking forward to this for 
quite a while. It's a pleasure to be with so many squared-away, gung-ho 
United States marines.
    I'm here to thank you for serving our country in a time when we need 
you. In a season where Americans stop to count their blessings, I want 
you to know one of America's greatest blessings is the men and women who 
wear our Nation's uniform. And many of you are blessed by having a 
husband or wife or a son and daughter who stand with you during this 
time of sacrifice. Our Nation is blessed because of our military 
families. Your fellow citizens are proud of you, and so is your 
Commander in Chief.
    I appreciate Secretary of the Navy Gordon England for joining us today. I want to thank Major General Tim 
Donovan for his leadership. I want to 
thank Brigadier General James Williams for 
being here as well. I want to thank all the State and local officials. I 
want to thank the military families. But most of all, I want to thank 
the United States Marine Corps.
    Last month, marines across the world broke out their dress blues to 
celebrate the 229th birthday of the Corps. But the men and women of Camp 
Pendleton's 1st Marine Expeditionary Force marked the occasion a little 
differently, by fighting the enemies in Iraq. As one Pendleton marine 
near the frontlines put it, ``This is what we, as marines, do. It is 
where the American people expect us to be.'' The marines of Camp 
Pendleton are serving our Nation with valor and integrity.
    This is the home of the 1st Marine Division, one of America's oldest 
and most decorated units. In Korea, the marines of the 1st Division were 
surrounded at the Chosin Reservoir by 10 divisions of Chinese troops. 
When Colonel Chesty Puller heard the news, he said, ``They've got us 
right where we want them. We can shoot in every direction now.'' He 
wasn't bluffing.
    The 1st Marine Division made it out, destroying seven enemy 
divisions and upholding the great tradition of the Corps. That courage, 
determination, and devotion to duty have made the United States Marines 
one of the most feared and respected fighting forces in the world. And 
in these dangerous times, when terrorists seek to harm our families and 
murder free citizens, Americans are thankful that the marines are on the 
frontline, taking the fight to the enemy.
    Since I took office almost 4 years ago, I have visited our troops 
around the world, and one of my first stops as the Commander in Chief 
was right here in Camp Pendleton. It was in the summer of 2001. I told 
you that day, because you're marines, you would be asked to perform our 
Nation's most difficult and dangerous missions. Since that day, you have 
performed every mission with honor and with courage and with commitment.
    In the war on terror, you have fought enemies' freedom--freedom's 
enemies from the caves and mountains of Afghanistan to the deserts and 
cities of Iraq. Marines of Camp Pendleton's 15th Marine Expeditionary 
Unit were the first conventional forces to fight in Operation Enduring 
Freedom. They deployed hundreds of miles into a landlocked country to 
help seize the Kandahar Airport, hunted down the Taliban and Al Qaida 
fighters, and helped to liberate more than 28 million people from one of 
the world's most brutal regimes.
    If any of you were in that 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I want 
you to hear what's happening today. Today the Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of 
Defense are in Kabul for the inauguration 
of Afghanistan's first democratically elected President. Afghanistan has been transformed from a haven for 
terrorists to a steadfast ally in the war on terror, and the American 
people are safer because of your courage.
    When America led a coalition to enforce the demands of the free 
world and to end the regime of Saddam Hussein, the marines of Camp Pendleton made us proud once

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again. When the appointed hour came, the 1st Marine Division rolled 
across the border, pressing more than 500 miles over the Iraqi desert in 
less than one month. Backed by the 1st Force Service Support Group and 
the 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, you helped liberate the Iraqi capital, 
pulled down the statues of the dictator, and pushed north to secure the 
homeland of Tikrit. You drove Saddam Hussein from his palace into a 
spider hole, and now he sits in an Iraqi prison awaiting justice. 
Because of your bravery, because of your skill, America and the world 
are a safer place.
    In recent days, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force has once again 
shown America's purpose and resolve, this time in Fallujah. Block by 
block, building by building, marines and soldiers and Iraqi security 
forces took that city back from the terrorists and the insurgents, and 
when the smoke is cleared, we saw once again the true nature of the 
enemy. We found bloodstained torture chambers where hostages had been 
executed. We found videos of beheadings and brutal terrorist attacks. We 
found travel documents of foreign terrorists and equipment of forging 
Iraqi passports to make the foreign fighters appear to be Iraqi 
insurgents. We found more than 600 improvised explosive devices, 
including an ice cream truck that had been loaded with bombs for a 
terrorist attack.
    In the battle for Fallujah, the terrorists hid weapons in the 
cemetery. They hid ammunition in private homes. They hid bombs in 
mosques, but they could not hide from the United States Marines.
    We have dealt the enemy a severe blow. The terrorist 
Zarqawi has lost his main sanctuary in 
Iraq. The Ba'athist insurgents have lost one of their main bases of 
operation. We seized tons of weapons and shut down terrorist bombmaking 
factories, killed more than 2,000 enemy fighters, and captured thousands 
more. The enemies of freedom in Iraq have been wounded, but they're not 
yet defeated. They'll keep on fighting, and so will the Marine Corps.
    Next month, Iraqis will vote in free and democratic elections. As 
election day approaches, we can expect further violence from the 
terrorists. You see, the terrorists understand what is at stake. They 
know they have no future in a free Iraq, because free people never 
choose their own enslavement. They know democracy will give Iraqis a 
stake in the future of their country. When Iraqis choose their leaders 
in free elections, it will destroy the myth that the terrorists are 
fighting a foreign occupation and make clear that what the terrorists 
are really fighting is the will of the Iraqi people.
    The success of democracy in Iraq will also inspire others across the 
Middle East to defend their own freedom and to expose the terrorists for 
what they are, violent extremists on the fringe of society with no 
agenda for the future except tyranny and death.
    So the terrorists will do all they can to delay and disrupt free 
elections in Iraq, and they will fail. As Iraqi President al-Yawr said in the Oval Office yesterday, the 
Iraqi people are anxious to go and cast their votes and practice, for 
the first time in 45 years, their right and duty of voting. Free 
elections will proceed as planned.
    The United States has a vital interest in the success of a free 
Iraq. A free Iraq will be a major victory in the war on terror. Free 
nations do not export terror. Free nations listen to the hopes and 
aspirations of their people. Free nations are peaceful nations. And a 
free Iraq will make America more secure and the world a peaceful place.
    America and our coalition have a strategy in place to aid the rise 
of a stable democracy in Iraq. To help the Iraqi Government provide 
security during the election period, we will increase U.S. troop 
strength by about 12,000 personnel for a total of 150,000 troops. As the 
election approaches, coalition forces will continue hunting the 
terrorists and the insurgents. We'll help the

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people of Fallujah and other cities to rebuild and to move forward. 
We'll continue training Iraqi security forces so the Iraqi people can 
eventually take responsibility for their own security.
    Some Iraqi units have performed better than others, as you know. 
Some Iraqis have been intimidated enough by the insurgents to leave the 
service to their country. But a great many are standing firm. In 
Fallujah, Iraqis fought alongside our soldiers and marines with valor 
and determination. One American soldier who saw them up close in combat 
said, ``They really excelled, kicking in the doors, clearing the houses, 
running out into fire to pick up wounded marines.'' The Iraqi security 
forces made up about 20 percent of the forces in Fallujah. They're 
killing the terrorists, blocking the escape routes, and saving American 
lives. These brave Iraqis are fighting for their freedom, and we are 
proud to stand by their side.
    Our coalition is determined to help them succeed. We're working to 
develop a corps of well-trained senior, mid-level Iraqi officers. After 
all, Iraqi soldiers want to be led by Iraqis. NATO trainers are already 
in Iraq, and the Alliance will soon develop a new training center for 
the Iraqi security forces and a military academy outside of Baghdad. We 
will help the Iraqi Government build a force that no longer needs 
coalition support so they can defend their own Nation. And then American 
soldiers and marines can come home with the honor they have earned.
    Our success in Iraq will make America safer for us and for future 
generations. As one Marine sergeant put it, ``I never want my children 
to experience what we saw in New York, at the Pentagon, and in 
Pennsylvania.'' He said, ``If we can eliminate the threat on foreign 
soil, I would rather do it there than have it come home to us.'' That's 
why we're on the offensive today in Fallujah and Mosul, Ramadi and north 
Babil. We're getting after the terrorists. We're disrupting their plans. 
We're holding the state sponsors of terror equally responsible for 
terrorist acts. We're working to prevent outlaw regimes from gaining 
weapons of mass murder and providing them to terrorists. We'll stay at 
these efforts with patience and resolve, and we will prevail.
    A time of war is a time for sacrifice, especially for our military 
families. Being left behind when a loved one goes to war is one of the 
hardest jobs in the military. It is especially hard during the holidays. 
Families here at Camp Pendleton endure long separation. Carrying these 
burdens, you serve our country. America is grateful for your service.
    Our Nation also honors the men and women who've been injured in the 
line of duty. I met some of these Americans. This Saturday, I'll be 
going to Bethesda to meet more. Many face a hard road ahead. They've 
inspired their comrades with their strength of will. General 
Sattler recently visited with some of the 
wounded in the Fallujah campaign. One marine was pretty beat up, but 
when he saw the general, he lifted his hand and said, ``Sir, I've still 
got my trigger finger. I can get back out there.'' That is the spirit of 
the Corps, and America will show the same sense of duty. We will provide 
the best possible medical care for every American servicemember wounded 
in action.
    And some of you have lost comrades and family members in the war on 
terror. Words can only go so far in capturing the grief and sense of 
loss for the families of those who have died, but you can know this: 
They gave their lives for a cause that is just. And as in other 
generations, their sacrifice will have spared millions from the lives of 
tyranny and sorrow. America prays for the families of the fallen, and we 
stand with the families of the fallen, and their sacrifice will always 
be remembered.
    In the last 4 years, I've seen and the world has seen the courage 
and the skill and the decency of the United States military. You are a 
great force for good in this world. The American people know it,

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and they are behind you. Your service and sacrifice has touched the 
hearts of our people and inspired millions to show their gratitude.
    Last month, I met a 15-year-old from California named Shauna 
Fleming, who collected a million thank you 
letters for our military personnel. In Washington, DC, veterans--Vietnam 
vet Steve Cobb and his wife, Tanya, have been coming out regularly to 
Andrews Air Force Base to meet wounded servicemembers returning from 
Iraq and Afghanistan. Those two good folks welcome the troops home, and 
they offer whatever help they can provide. Steve earned four Purple 
Hearts and the Silver Star in Vietnam, but this is what he said. He 
said, ``When I came home, there was nobody but demonstrators to meet our 
troops. I never wanted to see another generation of troops come home 
without being welcomed and appreciated.''
    In Massachusetts, a contractor named John Gonsalves says--heard about a soldier who had lost both legs in an 
RPG attack in Iraq. So he started Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit 
dedicated to building and adapting homes for disabled veterans with 
special needs. John says, ``The war on terror is something the American 
people should all be a part of, not just the people on the frontlines in 
Afghanistan and in Iraq.'' He says, ``We have a responsibility to do 
more for our veterans who are out there fighting every day and putting 
their lives on the line.''
    Here at Camp Pendleton, a nurse named Karen Guenther saw the financial strain on the families of the injured 
sailors and marines. Many spent weeks, even months away from home, 
standing by their loved ones recovering at a military hospital. They 
struggle with the cost of food and lodging and travel and lost income. 
So she and other Marine spouses started the Injured Marine Semper Fi 
Fund to raise money for those struggling military families. Since its 
founding here 6 months ago, it has grown into a national organization 
that has helped over 300 military families across the United States, 
with more than $400,000 in grants.
    As a wife of a wounded marine recently put it, ``There was no 
redtape. They just helped. Had it not been for the Injured Marine Semper 
Fi Fund, I would not have been able to pay my bills for the past 3 
months or stay at my husband's bedside.''
    These examples represent the true strength of the country, the heart 
and souls of your fellow citizens, and they make America proud. Across 
our country, Americans are coming together to surround our deployed 
forces and wounded warriors with love and support. We should be doing 
more, so I want to speak to our fellow citizens who might be listening 
today. I urge every American to find some way to thank our military and 
to help out the military family down the street. The Department of 
Defense has set up a web site: americasupportsyou.mil. If you're 
interested in finding out how you can help, go to 
americasupportsyou.mil. You can go there to learn about efforts in your 
own community to say you support our troops. In this season of giving, 
let us stand with the men and women who stand up for America, our 
military.
    Every man and woman who serves at Camp Pendleton and all who wear 
the Marine Corps uniform are part of a great history. The general 
mentioned, 63 years ago today, our Nation was attacked at Pearl Harbor. 
And soon, the United States Marines were storming beaches and engaging 
the enemy in distant lands. In places like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, our 
fathers and our grandfathers struggled and sacrificed to defend freedom. 
And today, in places like Fallujah and north Babil, this generation of 
marines is fighting to extend freedom.
    Today's war on terror will not end with a ceremony, a surrender 
ceremony on a deck of a battleship. But it will end with victory. Just 
as we defeated the threats of fascism and imperial communism in the 20th 
century, we will defeat the threat of

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global terrorism. And we will help the people of liberated countries to 
rebuild and to secure a future of freedom and peace.
    I have confidence in our country, and I have faith in our cause. 
There's still important work ahead, yet the outcome is assured. History 
moves toward freedom because the desire for freedom is written in every 
human heart. And the cause of freedom is in the best of hands. It's in 
the hands of people like the United States Marine Corps.
    The United States Marines will fight, in the words of the Rifleman's 
Creed, ``until victory is America's and there is no enemy.''
    May God bless you, and may God continue to bless the United States 
of America.

Note: The President spoke at 9:34 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Donovan, USMC, commanding general, Marine Corps 
Base Camp Pendleton; Brig. Gen. James L. Williams, USMC, acting 
commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base Camp 
Pendleton; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan; senior Al Qaida 
associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; President Ghazi al-Ujayl al-Yawr of the 
Iraqi Interim Government; and Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, commanding 
general, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Fallujah, Iraq. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
these remarks.