    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [July 4, 2005]
    [Pages 1180-1183]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at an Independence Day Celebration in Morgantown, West Virginia
    July 4, 2005

        The President. Thank you all. Happy Fourth of July. Thanks for
    coming. I am honored to celebrate Independence Day in Morgantown, West
    Virginia. I appreciate you all being here. The history of this land
    dates back to the earliest days of our Republic. Turns out George
    Washington used to drop by this part of the State. And I appreciate a
    warm welcome for another George W.
        Coming to West Virginia is becoming a Fourth of July tradition for
    me. And every time I come here, I appreciate the beauty of West
    Virginia, and I appreciate being with decent, hard-working, patriotic
    Americans who call the Mountain State home.
        Today we gather to celebrate the 229th anniversary of America's
    independence. Across our great land, families will gather to fly the
    flag, to watch the fireworks, and count our blessings as Americans. We
    are grateful for the bounty and opportunity of our land. We are grateful
    for our liberty, and we are grateful for the men and women in uniform
    who keep our country safe. [Applause] Thank you all.
        I bring greetings from First Lady Laura Bush.
    She said, ``You go over to West Virginia and tell them how much we love
    them.''
        Audience member. We love her!
        The President. I love her too. [Laughter]
        I appreciate Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito. I appreciate her service. I appreciate her love for the
    great State of West Virginia. Thank you, Shelley Moore. I want to thank
    the mayor of Morgantown, West Virginia, Ron Justice, for serving the people. Mr. Mayor, thanks for coming out
    today. I want to thank all the local and State officials who are here. I
    want to thank David Hardesty, the
    president of West Virginia University. I appreciate you. I appreciate
    being on this fine campus, and I appreciate the good work that the folks
    do here to educate the people of West Virginia.

        The history we celebrate today is a testament to the power of
    freedom to lift up a whole nation. On Independence Day, we remember the
    ideals of liberty that led men from 13 Colonies to gather in
    Philadelphia and pen a declaration of self-truths. And we remember the
    band of patriots who risked their lives to bring freedom to a new
    continent.

        On July 4, 1776, more than 5 years of the Revolutionary War still
    lay ahead. From the Battle of New York to the winter at Valley Forge to
    the victory at Yorktown, our forefathers faced terrible losses and
    hardships. Yet, they kept their resolve. They kept their faith in a
    future of liberty, and with their hard-won victory, we guaranteed a home
    for the Declaration's proposition that all are created equal.

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        Through the centuries, the Declaration of Independence has remained
    a revolutionary document. As President Kennedy said on the Fourth of
    July, 1962, ``The Declaration unleashed not merely a revolution against
    the British but a revolution in human affairs.''
        The revolutionary truths of the Declaration are still at the heart
    of America: We believe in the dignity and rights of every person. We
    believe in freedom and equal justice, the rule of law, and a Government
    of the people, by the people, and for the people. Through the centuries,
    this creed of freedom and equality has lifted the fortunes of all
    Americans. And we know that this great ideal of human freedom is
    entrusted to us in a special way and that the ideal of liberty is worth
    defending.
        Defending the ideals of our founding has required the service and
    sacrifice of every generation, and the men and women of our Armed Forces
    have always answered our Nation's call. With their courage, they have
    crossed oceans, defeated murderous ideologies, and liberated the
    oppressed. And today on this Fourth of July, our grateful Nation thanks
    our 25 million veterans for their service to our country.
        At this hour, our men and women in uniform are defending America
    against the threats of the 21st century. The war we are fighting came to
    our shores on September the 11th, 2001. After that day, I made a pledge
    to the American people: We will not wait to be attacked again. We will
    bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies.
        Our enemies in this new war are men who celebrate murder, incite
    suicide, and thirst for absolute power. They seek to spread their
    ideology of tyranny and oppression across the world. They seek to turn
    the Middle East into a haven for terror. They seek to drive America out
    of the region. These terrorists will not be stopped by negotiations or
    concessions or appeals to reason. In this war, there is only one option,
    and that is victory.
        We are pursuing a comprehensive strategy to win the war on terror.
    We're taking the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to
    face them here at home. We're denying our enemies sanctuary and making
    it clear that America will not tolerate regimes that harbor or support
    terrorists. And we're spreading freedom, because the terrorists know
    there is no room for them in a free and democratic Middle East. By
    advancing the cause of liberty in a troubled part of the world, we will
    remove a source of instability and violence, and we will lay the
    foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.
        Iraq is the latest battlefield in the war on terror. Our work there
    is difficult and dangerous because terrorists from across the region are
    converging on Iraq to fight the rise of democracy. The images of cruelty
    and suffering we see on television are real, and they are difficult for
    our compassionate Nation to watch. Yet, the terrorist violence has not
    brought them any closer to achieving their strategic objectives. The
    terrorists tried to intimidate the Iraqi Governing Council, and they
    failed. They tried to delay the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq, and
    they failed. They tried to stop the free Iraqi elections, and they
    failed. They continue to kill in the hope that they will break the
    resolve of the American people, but they will fail.
        The lesson of this experience is clear. The terrorists can kill the
    innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. This January, the
    world watched as the Iraqi people defied intimidation, dipped their
    fingers in ink, and cast their votes in the country's first free and
    democratic election in decades. And last week, on June the 28th, the
    free nation of Iraq marked the first anniversary of the day when
    sovereignty was restored to its rightful owners, the Iraqi people.
        By helping Iraqis build a free and democratic nation, we will give
    strength to an ally in the war on terror, and we'll make America more
    secure. To continue building

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    a free and democratic Iraq, Americans and Iraqis are fighting side by
    side to stop the terrorists and insurgents. And our military is helping
    to train Iraqi forces so they can defend their own liberty. Our strategy
    can be summed up this way: As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down, and
    then our troops can come home to a proud and grateful nation.
        West Virginians are serving with skill and honor in the war on
    terror. Some deployed from Camp Dawson right down the road. Soldiers
    from the 201st Field Artillery Unit of the West Virginia National Guard
    carried out vital missions in Iraq. Those soldiers are contributing to
    the proud history of their unit. The 201st has been defending our
    freedom since the Revolutionary War.
        One of the battery commanders from the 201st is Captain Jeff
    Setser. Captain Setser is a police officer in
    Charleston. He served a year in Iraq, and he was in Baghdad during the
    Iraqi elections. He and his fellow West Virginia guardsmen escorted
    convoys and protected supplies and patrolled cities. Here is what he
    said: ``We treated people with respect, and they respected us. You could
    see that they were starting to walk on their own instead of leaning on
    us. The progress is just amazing.''
        Guardsmen and reservists are helping Iraq build in other ways. First
    Lieutenant James McCormick, who is
    with us today, he's from Scott Depot, West Virginia. He served a 13-
    month tour in Iraq as part of the 518th Combat Gun Truck Company. His
    unit provided security for military convoys transporting troops and
    supplies. For his bravery, Lieutenant McCormick earned the Bronze Star
    and two Purple Hearts.
        He wrote me a letter last week.
    Here's what he said: ``If needed, all of us would return and continue
    the mission. It's a just and much needed fight. Please know that many of
    us still live by the code of honor that so many soldiers before us had,
    from Bunker Hill to Baghdad.''
        First Lieutenant McCormick is
    right. The men and women of America's Armed Forces are bringing great
    honor to the uniform they wear and to the Nation they serve. And in this
    time of testing, our troops, whether they be stationed here or abroad,
    can know that the American people stand behind them all the way.
        I thank all the military families who are with us today. Times of
    war are times of great sacrifice, and the burden falls especially hard
    on the families. You're playing a vital role at a crucial time in our
    Nation's history. All Americans are inspired by the strength and the
    sacrifice of our military families.
        Some of America's finest men and women have given their lives in the
    war on terror, and we remember them on Independence Day. We pray for the
    families who have lost a loved one in freedom's cause. And we know that
    the best way to honor their sacrifice is to complete the mission, so we
    will stay until the fight is won.
        On this Fourth of July and in the days ahead, I ask every American
    to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom. There's
    so many ways to do so. You can fly the flag or send a letter to the
    troops in the field or help a military family down the street. The
    Department of Defense has set up a web site, americasupportsyou.mil. You
    can go there to learn about efforts in your own community. And by the
    way, it's not too late to find something to do today. At this time, when
    we celebrate our freedom, our troops have got to understand that the
    American people support them all the way.
        And on Independence Day, we remember that we also have essential
    responsibilities here at home, the unfinished work of American freedom.
    In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning
    and the promise of liberty. The greatest strength of America is the
    heart and soul of the American people. Every time a volunteer reaches
    out to a neighbor in need, our Nation grows stronger and more hopeful.

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        Today when I landed at the airport, I met Chuck White. He's a volunteer with the local United Way. For those of
    you who are serving as a member of the army of compassion in America,
    thank you for loving your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved
    yourselves. By taking time out of your lives to help somebody else,
    you're helping to ensure that every American can share the blessings of
    liberty.
        As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we rededicate ourselves to the
    ideals that inspired our Founders. During that hot summer in
    Philadelphia more than 200 years ago, from our desperate fight for
    independence to the darkest days of a civil war to the hard-fought
    battles of the 20th century, there were many chances to lose our heart,
    our nerve, or our way. But Americans have always held firm, because we
    have always believed in certain truths: We know that the freedom we
    defend is meant for all men and women and for all times. And we know
    that when the work is hard, the proper response is not retreat. It is
    courage.
        We got a great future for our country. From the mountains of West
    Virginia to the Great Plains to our Pacific shores, the truths of the
    Declaration still guide America and remain the best hope of mankind. I
    believe that this century will be ``liberty century.'' In 1770--and I
    know that by carrying the spirit of 1776 into this new age, we will
    leave a stronger and better country for all who call this great land
    home.
        It is a great honor to be the President of such a great nation. And
    it's my honor to be here to wish you all a happy Fourth of July. May God
    bless you, and may God continue to bless our country.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:57 a.m. at West Virginia University.