    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [January 18, 2005]
    [Pages 62-63]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks ``Saluting Those Who Serve''
    January 18, 2005

        At ease. Thanks for the warm welcome. It is such a pleasure to be
    with the courageous men and women of the United States Armed Forces. As
    we prepare to celebrate our Nation's 55th Presidential Inauguration, I
    can think of no better way to begin than by giving thanks for our
    freedom and those who make it possible.
        Please be seated. It may be a long speech. [Laughter]
        Whether you serve in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, Marines, or
    Coast Guard, each of you has stepped forward to serve. You have risked
    your lives in faraway mountains and arid deserts, in perilous skies and
    on the high seas, to defend liberty and to free those trapped by
    tyranny. As I prepare to take the oath of office, I want you to know how
    grateful I am for your service and sacrifice and how proud I am to be
    your Commander in Chief.
        And I am really proud of our First Lady, my wife. I love her dearly.
    I appreciate so very much the service and advice and friendship of our
    Vice President, Dick Cheney. Like me, he married
    well. [Laughter] It's good to see my mother and
    father. Secretary Rumsfeld, thank you for your great service to our Nation, and
    it's good to see Joyce.
        I appreciate the military commanders who are here. I want to thank
    the members of my administration who've joined us, Members of Congress,
    members of the active military, wounded troops, Congressional Medal of
    Honor recipients. Family members of our fallen soldiers, thank you so
    much for being here today.
        Our troops watching from Baghdad, Iraq, and Bagram Air Force Base in
    Afghanistan, God bless you all.
        I thank Kelsey Grammer--what a fine man.
    I appreciate his patriotism and being the emcee of this fantastic event.
    I want to thank all the other entertainers who have taken of their time
    to entertain our troops and really to say--what they're doing here is to
    say, ``Thank goodness for your service.''
        The Inauguration of a President is a great moment in the life of our
    country. With an election behind us, the American people come together
    in unity to celebrate our freedom. A Presidential Inauguration is a
    testament to the power of democracy, a symbol of our confidence in the
    popular will, and a sign of hope for freedom-loving people everywhere.
        We are blessed to live in hopeful times, when the promise of liberty
    is spreading across the world. In the last 4 years, more than 50 million
    people have joined the ranks of the free. The people of Afghanistan have
    thrown off an outlaw regime and chosen a President in the first free
    elections in that nation's 5,000-year history. And in coming days, the
    Iraqi people will have their chance to go to the polls, to begin the
    process of creating a democratic government that will answer to the
    people, instead of to a thug and a tyrant.
        These are landmark events in the history of liberty. And none of it
    would have been possible without the courage and the determination of
    the United States Armed Forces.

    [[Page 63]]

        Through your service and sacrifice in the war on terror, you are
    making America safer. You're making America safer for not only those of
    us who live today but for future generations of Americans. Your
    sacrifice has made it possible for our children and grandchildren to
    grow up in a safer world.
        Many here today have endured long separations from your families. We
    understand that, and we thank you for that. Some are preparing to do so.
    Others have suffered terrible injuries, wounds you will carry with you
    for the rest of your lives. Still others have lost loved ones in this
    struggle, heroes who gave their lives so that we might live in freedom.
    We hold them in our hearts; we lift them up in our prayers.
        We're grateful to you, and we are grateful to your families who love
    and support you. Your families miss you, and they worry about you, and
    they pray for you, always wondering where you are and if you're safe. By
    their sacrifice, they also serve. Our Nation is grateful to our military
    families.
        You, those who wear our uniform, have given much, and much more will
    be asked of you in the months and years ahead. In Afghanistan and Iraq,
    the liberty that has been won at great cost now must be secured. We
    still face terrorist enemies who wish to harm our people and are seeking
    weapons that would allow them to kill on an unprecedented scale. These
    enemies must be stopped, and you are the ones who will stop them.
        The road ahead will be difficult and dangerous, but we can proceed
    with courage and with confidence. 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, the hands of the United States Armed
    Forces.
        And so, thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice.
    May God bless you, and may God bless your families, and may God continue
    to bless the United States of America.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:18 p.m. at the MCI Center. In his
    remarks, he referred to Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of Secretary of Defense
    Donald H. Rumsfeld; and actor Kelsey Grammer.