    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [November 19, 2005]
    [Pages 1740-1745]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to United States Troops at Osan, South Korea
    November 19, 2005

        Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Please be seated--unless you
    don't have a seat. [Laughter] Laura and I are so
    honored to be here. We thought we'd stop by and feel the thunder and the
    fury of the Mustangs. Thanks for greeting us. It's a privilege to stand
    with the brave men and women of the 51st Fighter Wing and the 7th Air
    Force. Our citizens are safer because you're ready to fight tonight.
    You're serving the cause of liberty on distant frontiers, and I bring a
    message from home: Your Commander in Chief is proud of you, and so is
    the American people.
        For half a century, American service men and women have stood
    faithful and vigilant watch here in Korea. You've kept the peace, and
    you secured the freedom won at great cost in the Korean war. You've
    ensured that no American life was lost in vain. In five decades, since
    Task Force Smith first landed at Pusan, the world has watched America's
    steadfast and unwavering commitment to freedom.
        Three years of war made America and Korea enduring allies in the
    struggle for liberty. And five decades of sacrifice by the men and women
    of our Armed Forces secured peace and democracy on this peninsula. And
    the world is better off for it. Your courage has brought stability to
    the region, freedom to millions, and honor to the uniform. Our Nation is
    grateful for your service--your service for freedom and peace.

        The Republic of Korea is now a beacon of liberty that shines across
    the most heavily armed border in the world. It is a light reaching to a
    land shrouded in darkness. Together the United States and the Republic
    of Korea have shown that the future belongs to freedom, and one day, all
    Koreans will enjoy the blessings of freedom.

        I'm proud to be traveling with the First Lady, Laura Bush, and the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.. I thank General LaPorte and his wife, Judy. I want to
    thank

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    General Trexler and his wife,
    Kathie; General Campbell; General Joe Reynes and his
    wife, Karen; Command Sergeant Major Barry
    Wheeler; Command--Chief Master Sergeant
    Vance Clarke; Chief Master Sergeant Richard
    Jette. Thank you all for being here.
        I'm pleased to see the military families here. I thank you from the
    bottom of my heart for your sacrifice in the cause of freedom. Our
    military families stand strong, and America appreciates you very much.
        I visited Osan before, and I notice you've got an impressive runway
    here, a lot of room for any pilot, so as Air Force One was approaching,
    I told our pilot, ``No excuses, you better spike it at Osan.''
    [Laughter] And he did. This air base and runway were earned by the
    determination and the grit of the United States military and a brave
    coalition of the willing. Not far from here, during the Korean war,
    Captain Lewis L. Millett took Hill 180.
    Faced with superior numbers, Captain Millett repelled Communist forces
    by leading the first bayonet charge by a U.S. Army company since World
    War I. For his valor, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
        As part of the 30,000 active duty personnel in Korea, you're
    upholding the same proud tradition. You know what it takes to win a war;
    you know how to protect the peace; and you know what it takes to defend
    our Nation.
        To defend our country and to defend freedom, we've got more work
    ahead. For decades, America's Armed Forces abroad have essentially
    remained where the wars of the last century ended in Europe and in Asia.
    So more than 3 years ago, we launched a comprehensive review of
    America's global force posture, the numbers and types and locations and
    capability of our forces around the world.
        We're transforming our military. Over the coming decade, we'll take
    advantage of 21st century military technologies so we can deploy rapidly
    with increased combat power. This will help improve the lives of our
    military and their families, because more of our troops will be
    stationed and deployed for home. And this will help us meet the threats
    of the 21st century. By transforming our military, we'll more be able to
    do our duty to protect the American people.
        As South Korea has grown more free and prosperous, it's built an
    increasingly capable military that is now ready to assume a larger role
    in defending its people. By assuming some responsibilities that have
    traditionally been shouldered by American forces, South Korea will
    strengthen the deterrent on the Korean Peninsula and free up some of our
    combat forces to help us win the war on terror.
        And that war began on September the 11th, 2001. On that morning,
    Americans saw the violence and hatred of a new enemy. We saw the
    terrorists' destructive vision for us and for all who love freedom. And
    in the face of this threat, our Nation has made a clear choice: We'll
    confront this mortal danger; we will stay on the offensive; we will not
    wait to be attacked again; we will not rest or tire until the war on
    terror is won.
        For more than 4 years, we've seen the brutal nature of the enemy.
    They've targeted the innocent in scores of countries, from almost every
    walk of life. In Casablanca, they killed diners enjoying their evening
    meal. In Bali, they killed tourists on a holiday. In Beslan, they killed
    Russian schoolchildren. They've murdered workers in Riyadh and commuters
    in Madrid and hotel guests in Jakarta and guests at a wedding
    celebration in Amman, Jordan. They kill Iraqi children. The tragic
    images of innocent victims can make it seem like these terrorist attacks
    are random, isolated acts of madness. While these killers choose their
    victims indiscriminately, their attacks flow from an ideology and a
    terrifying vision for the world. Their acts are evil, but they're not
    insane.
        Some call this evil Islamic radicalism, others, militant jihadism,
    still others,

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    Islamo-fascism. Whatever we choose to call this enemy, we must recognize
    that this ideology is very different from the tenets of the great
    religion of Islam. This form of radicalism exploits Islam to serve a
    violent, political vision: The establishment by terrorism, subversion,
    and insurgency of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and
    religious freedom.
        We know the vision of the radicals because they openly state it in
    videos and audiotapes and letters and declarations and web sites. These
    extremists want to end American and Western influence in the broader
    Middle East because we stand for democracy and peace and stand in the
    way of their ambitions. The tactics of Al Qaida and other Islamic
    extremists has been consistent for a quarter century. They hit us, and
    they expect us to run.
        Recently, the world learned of a letter written by Al Qaida number-
    two leader, a man named Zawahiri. He
    wrote this letter to his chief deputy in Iraq, the terrorist
    Zarqawi. In it, Zawahiri points to the
    Vietnam war as a model for Al Qaida. He writes, quote, ``The aftermath
    of the collapse of American power in Vietnam and how they ran and left
    their agents is noteworthy,'' end quote. The terrorists witnessed our
    response after the attacks of American--on American troops in Beirut in
    1983 and Mogadishu in 1993. They concluded that America can be made to
    run again, only this time on a larger scale with greater consequences.
    The terrorists are mistaken; America will never run. We will stand and
    fight, and we will win the war on terror.
        The terrorists state their plans. They want to use the vacuum that
    would be created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, to
    build a base from which to launch attacks on America, and to conduct
    their war against nonradical Muslim governments.
        Over the past few decades, radicals have specifically targeted Egypt
    and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Jordan for potential takeovers. And
    for a time, they achieved their goal in Afghanistan, until they came
    face to face with the men and women of the United States military.
        In Afghanistan, we put the terrorists on the run, and now they've
    set their sights on another country. They're trying to turn Iraq into
    what Afghanistan was under the Taliban, a terrorist sanctuary from which
    they can plan and launch attacks against our people. The terrorists
    regard Iraq as the central front in their war against humanity. And we
    must recognize Iraq as the central front in our war against the
    terrorists.
        These militants believe that controlling one country will rally the
    Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow moderate governments in the
    region and establish a radical Islamic empire that reaches from Spain to
    Indonesia. If they're not stopped, the terrorists will be able to
    advance their agenda to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy
    Israel, to intimidate Europe, and to break our will and blackmail our
    Government into isolation. I'm going to make you this commitment: This
    is not going to happen on my watch.
        Some might be tempted to dismiss the terrorist goals as fanatical or
    extreme. They are fanatical and extreme, but we cannot afford to dismiss
    them. Evil men obsessed with ambition and unburdened by conscience must
    be taken very seriously. Against such an enemy, there's only one
    effective response: We will never back down, and we will never give in,
    and we'll never accept anything less than complete victory.
        We didn't ask for this global struggle, but we're answering
    history's call with a comprehensive strategy to win this war on terror.
    First, we're determined to prevent attacks by terrorist networks by
    protecting the homeland and working with our allies to destroy the
    terrorist networks and incapacitate their leaders.
        Together with our coalition partners, we've disrupted a number of
    serious Al

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    Qaida terrorist plots since September the 11th, including several Al
    Qaida plots to attack inside the United States. Our coalition against
    terrorists killed or captured nearly all those directly responsible for
    the September the 11th attacks. We've captured or killed several of bin
    Laden's most senior deputies and Al Qaida
    managers and operatives in numerous countries. And we will stay on the
    hunt. We will not relent until the terror networks that threaten us are
    exposed and broken and their leaders are held to account for their
    murder.
        Second, we're determined to deny weapons of mass destruction to
    outlaw regimes and to their terrorist allies who would use them without
    hesitation. Working with Great Britain and Pakistan and other nations,
    we exposed and disrupted a major black-market operation in nuclear
    technology led by A.Q. Khan. Libya has
    abandoned its chemical and nuclear weapons programs as well as its long-
    range ballistic missiles. And last year, America and our partners in the
    Proliferation Security Initiative have stopped more than a dozen
    shipments of suspect weapons technology, including equipment for Iran's
    ballistic missile program. So long as I'm your President, we'll continue
    to deny the world's most dangerous men the world's most dangerous
    weapons.
        Third, we are determined to deny radical groups the support and
    sanctuary of outlaw regimes. So I've laid out a clear doctrine: The
    United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of
    terror and those who support and harbor the terrorists, because they're
    equally guilty of murder. Any government that chooses to be an ally of
    terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization, and the civilized
    world will hold those regimes to account.
        Fourth, we're determined to deny the militants control of any nation
    which they would use as a home base and a launching pad for terror. This
    mission has brought new and urgent responsibilities to all who wear the
    uniform. American troops are fighting beside our Afghan partners against
    remnants of the Taliban and their Al Qaida allies. And American troops
    are fighting alongside courageous Iraqis against the remnants of a
    regime and a network of terrorists who want to stop the advance of a
    free Iraq. Our goal is to defeat the terrorists and allies--and their
    allies at the heart of their power. And so we will defeat the enemy in
    Iraq.
        As we pursue the terrorists, our military is helping to train Iraqi
    security forces so they can defend their people and so they can fight
    the enemy. And we're making steady progress. With every passing month,
    more and more Iraqi forces are standing up and the Iraqi military is
    gaining new capabilities and new confidence. At the time of our Fallujah
    operations a year ago, there were only a few Iraqi army battalions in
    combat. Today, there are more than 90 Iraqi army battalions fighting the
    terrorists along with our forces. American and Iraqi troops are
    conducting major assaults to clear out enemy fighters in Baghdad and
    other parts of Iraq. Iraqi police and security forces are helping clear
    the terrorists from their strongholds. They're holding onto areas we've
    cleared and are preventing the enemy from returning.
        Our strategy can be summed up this way: As Iraqis stand up, we will
    stand down. And when our commanders on the ground tell me that Iraqi
    forces can defend their freedom, our troops will come home with the
    honor they have earned.
        The second part of our strategy is a political strategy. Iraqis are
    moving forward in building a democracy. A month ago, millions of Iraqis
    turned out to vote for a constitution that guarantees fundamental
    freedoms and lays the foundation for lasting democracy. In a few weeks,
    Iraqis will vote again to choose a fully constitutional government to
    lead them for the next 4 years. Iraq is making amazing progress from the
    days of being under the thumb of a brutal dictator. Think about this: In 2\1/2\ years, they've gone from
    tyranny to an election

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    for a transitional government to the ratification of a constitution to
    the election of a free government. The Iraqi people are proving their
    determination to build a future founded on democracy and hope, and the
    United States of America will help them succeed.
        The fifth element of our strategy in the war on terror is to deny
    the militants future recruits by replacing hatred and resentment with
    democracy and hope across the broader Middle East. If the Middle East is
    left to grow in bitterness, if countries remain in misery while radicals
    stir the resentments of millions, then that part of the world will be a
    source of endless conflict and mounting danger. If the peoples of that
    region are permitted to choose their own destiny and advance by their
    own energy and participation as both free men and women, then the
    extremists will be marginalized and the flow of violent radicalism to
    the rest of the world will slow and eventually end. History has proven
    that free nations are peaceful nations and that democracies do not fight
    their neighbors. By advancing the hope of freedom and democracy for
    others, we'll make our own freedom more secure.
        Our men and women in uniform who are serving on the Korean Peninsula
    have seen freedom succeed in Asia. By promoting freedom in Japan, we
    helped transform an enemy into a democracy that is one of the world's
    most prosperous nations and one of America's most trusted allies. By
    standing firm against a determined enemy, we helped provide the people
    of South Korea with the peace and stability they needed to transform
    their economy and claim their own freedom. And by helping the people of
    Asia build successful and thriving democracies, we have helped set a
    hopeful example for the world. In the 21st century, we go forward with
    confidence because we know that freedom is the destiny of every man,
    woman, and child on this Earth.
        Our work for peace and freedom involves great sacrifice by our
    troops. We see this sacrifice in Iraq, where our troops are hunting down
    the terrorists, and we're helping the Iraqi people build a working
    democracy. In Washington, there are some who say that the sacrifice is
    too great, and they urge us to set a date for withdrawal before we have
    completed our mission. Those who are in the fight know better. One of
    our top commanders in Iraq, Major General William Webster, says that setting a deadline for our
    withdrawal from Iraq would be, quote, ``a recipe for disaster.'' General
    Webster is right. So long as I'm the Commander in Chief, our strategy in
    Iraq will be driven by the sober judgment of our military commanders on
    the ground. We will fight the terrorists in Iraq. We will stay in the
    fight until we have achieved the brave--the victory that our brave
    troops have fought for.
        In this time of war and sacrifice, the greatest burden falls on our
    military families. We've lost some of our Nation's finest men and women
    in the war on terror. Each of these men and women left grieving families
    and loved ones back home. Each loss of life is heartbreaking. And the
    best way to honor the sacrifices of our fallen troops is to complete
    their mission and lay the foundation of peace for our children and our
    grandchildren.
        With the rise of a deadly enemy and the unfolding of a global
    ideological struggle, our time in history will be remembered for new
    challenges and unprecedented dangers. And yet this fight we have joined
    is also the current expression of an ancient struggle between those who
    put their faith in dictators and those who put their faith in the
    people. Throughout history, tyrants and would-be tyrants have always
    claimed that murder is justified to serve their grand vision, and they
    end up alienating decent people across the globe. Tyrants and would-be
    tyrants have always claimed that regimented societies are strong and
    pure, until those societies collapse in corruption and

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    decay. Tyrants and would-be tyrants have always claimed that free men
    and women are weak and decadent, until the day that free men and women
    defeat them.
        We don't know the course our own struggle will take or the
    sacrifices that might lie ahead. We do know, however, that the defense
    of freedom is worth our sacrifice. We know that the love of freedom is
    the mightiest force of history. And we do know the cause of freedom will
    once again prevail.
        May God bless you all. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:29 p.m. at Osan Air Base. In his remarks,
    he referred to Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, USA, commander, United Nations
    Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea, and his
    wife, Judy; Lt. Gen. Garry R. Trexler, USAF, deputy commander, United
    Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea, and commander, Air Component
    Command, Republic of Korea, and 7th Air Force, and his wife, Kathie; Lt.
    Gen. Charles C. Campbell, USA, commanding general, 8th U.S. Army, and
    chief of staff, United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces Command,
    and U.S. Forces Korea; Brig. Gen. Joseph Reynes, Jr., USAF, commander,
    51st Fighter Wing, and his wife, Karen; CSM Barry C. Wheeler, USA,
    command sergeant major, United Nations Command, ROK/US Combined Forces
    Command, U.S. Forces Korea, and 8th United States Army; CMSgt. Vance M.
    Clarke, USAF, command chief master sergeant, 7th Air Force Command;
    CMSgt. Richard E. Jette, USAF, command chief master sergeant, 51st
    Fighter Wing; Ayman Al-Zawahiri, founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad
    and senior Al Qaida associate; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al
    Zarqawi; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization;
    A.Q. Khan, former head of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program; former
    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Maj. Gen. William G. Webster, Jr.,
    USA, commander, Multinational Division Baghdad and Task Force Baghdad.