[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[October 13, 2005]
[Pages 1547-1551]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Teleconference Remarks With United States Troops in Iraq
October 13, 2005
The President. Captain Kennedy?
Capt. Brent Kennedy. Yes, Mr. President.
The President. Well, it's good to see you. Thanks. Thanks for taking
time out of your busy schedule to allow me to visit with you a little
bit. I've got some questions for you here in a minute, but I do want to
share some thoughts with you.
First, I want to thank the members of the 42d Infantry Division and
Task Force Liberty for serving our country with such distinction and
honor. I want you to know that the mission you are on is vital to
achieving peace and to protecting America. One of my most solemn duties,
a duty that you have joined me on, is to protect the American people.
And we're facing an enemy that is ruthless and coldblooded, an enemy
that actually has a philosophy, and the philosophy is so opposite of
ours. It is the exact opposite of what America stands for. We stand for
religious freedom and freedom to speak and women's rights and capacity
for people to realize their dreams. They stand for a vision that is--
doesn't believe in freedom, that if you don't agree with their narrow
point of view, that you're subject to reprisal.
And so I want to thank you for being a part of this global war. And
Iraq is a part of the war, because the enemy understands that a free
Iraq will be a blow to their vision and their strategy of spreading
dominance throughout the broader Middle East. And so I want to thank
you. When you e-mail your families, you tell them how proud the
Commander in Chief is of their patience and their support as well.
One of the tactics of the enemy is to shake our will. Part of their
strategy is to use the killing of innocent people to get the American
Government to pull you out of there before the mission is complete. I'm
going to assure you of this, that so long as I'm the President, we're
never going to back down; we're never going to give in; we'll never
accept anything less than total victory. It's important for you to know
that. It's important for the enemy to know that as well.
We've got a strategy, and it's a clear strategy. On the one hand, we
will hunt down these killers and terrorists and bring them to justice
and train the Iraqi forces to join us in that effort. The second part of
the strategy is a political strategy, based upon the knowledge that you
defeat a backward, dark philosophy with one that's hopeful. And that
hopeful philosophy is one
[[Page 1548]]
based upon universal freedom. I'm very impressed that the Iraqi
Government has continued to work to have a constitution that attracts
Sunnis and Shi'as and Kurds. They've worked hard to get a constitution,
and now the people of Iraq are going to get to vote once again, on a
constitution, in this case.
And I want to thank you for providing the security necessary for
people to exercise their free will. You're part of an historic mission
that is laying the foundation for peace. I am convinced that when we
look back at this time in history, those who follow us, whether it be in
the armed services or in the political process, will say, ``Thank
goodness the United States of America didn't lose our nerve or will,
that we've put in motion something that can't be stopped,'' and that is
the march of freedom.
So I want to thank you for giving me a chance to visit with you. You
just got to know the American people are proud of you. You've got
tremendous support here at home, and there's nobody more proud of you
than I am.
Let me ask you some questions, Captain, if
you don't mind. One of the, you know, questions I have is about the pre-
election operations, about what you've been doing, and what are the--
what's your strategy, and how do you think it's going for--to make sure
the people have a chance to vote.
By the way, you're in Tikrit, as I understand it as well. It's kind
of an interesting place to be. It's Saddam's old stomping grounds.
Capt. Kennedy. Good morning, Mr.
President, from Tikrit. I'm Captain Brent Kennedy. To my right is
Sergeant Major Akeel from the 5th Iraqi Army Division. We're working
together here with the Iraqis in Task Force Liberty for the upcoming
referendum. We're surging in an operation, called Operation Saratoga,
that includes the securing of over 1,250 polling sites. We're working
right alongside with the Iraqis as they lead the way in securing these
sites.
The President. That's good. And so, like--I mean, and so the vote is
in less than 48 hours--or about 48 hours, I guess. And so how do you--
how would--are you confident? I mean, how do you feel like the
operations are going?
Capt. Kennedy. Mr. President, I'm going to
field that question to Captain Smith.
The President. I didn't want to give you--I didn't want to throw you
a hardball there, Captain.
Capt. David J. Smith. Morning, Mr.
President. I'm Captain Dave Smith from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'm
representing the 3d Brigade Combat Team here in--headquartered in
Ba'quba.
The President. Right.
Capt. Smith. I work directly with the
Iraqi army. I am responsible for coordinating all their security
responses in our area of operations.
Sir, our Iraqi partners have been conducting battalion and brigade-
size operations since April. They have been planning and coordinating
with other Iraqi security forces, such as the Iraqi police and local
government agencies, preparing for this referendum. Sir, we as coalition
forces, we have taken a supporting role only as they prepare to execute
this referendum.
The President. How are they doing? Give us an assessment. One of the
things, Captain, that people in America want
to know is, one, do the Iraqis want to fight, and are they capable of
fighting? And maybe somebody can give us an appraisal.
Capt. Kennedy. Mr. President, I'm going to
field that question to Captain Pratt.
Capt. Stephen N. Pratt. Good morning,
Mr. President. My name is Captain Stephen Pratt from Pocatello, Idaho,
serving with the 116th Brigade Combat Team as the Iraqi army
coordinator. The Iraqi army and police services, along with coalition
support, have conducted many and multiple exercises and rehearsals.
Recently we've conducted a command post exercise in which we brought
together these Iraqi security forces with emergency service units
[[Page 1549]]
and the joint coordination center, in which we all sat around a terrain
model and discussed what each one would do at their specific location
and what they would do at the referendum.
It was impressive to me to see the cooperation and the communication
that took place among the Iraqi forces. Along with the coalition's
backing them, we'll have a very successful and effective referendum
vote.
The President. Captain, thank you very
much. Let me ask you something. As you move around, I presume you have a
chance to interface with the civilians there in that part of the world.
And a lot of Americans are wondering whether or not people appreciate
your presence or whether or not the people are anxious to be part of the
democratic process. Can you give us a sense for the reception of the
people there in Tikrit toward coalition forces as well as the Iraqi
units that they encounter?
Capt. Kennedy. Mr. President, I'm going to
field this question to Captain Williams.
Capt. David Williams. Mr. President, I'm
Captain David Williams. I'm from Los Angeles, California. I'm currently
with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, attached to the Military Transition
Team. Sir, in north-central Iraq, voter registration is up 17 percent.
That's 400,000 new voters in north-central Iraq and 100,000 new voters
in the al Salah ad Din Province. Sir, I was with my Iraqi counterpart in
Tikrit, the city Tikrit last week, and he was going around talking to
the locals. And from what he told me that the locals told him, the Iraqi
people are ready and eager to vote in this referendum.
The President. That's good. It's pretty interesting. That's a pretty
interesting concept for the people of Tikrit, when you really think
about the fact that that was Saddam Hussein's hometown. They didn't get
to vote too often when he was the leader there. Let me ask you about the
progress. Most of you have been there for nearly a year, as I understand
it.
And is it possible to give us a sense, kind of a calibration of what
life was like when you first got there and what it's like today?
Capt. Kennedy. Mr. President, Master
Sergeant Lombardo will answer this question.
M. Sgt. Corine Lombardo. Good morning,
Mr. President. I'm Master Sergeant Corine Lombardo, with the
Headquarters 42d Infantry Division and Task Force Liberty, from Scotia,
New York. First, I'd like to say that this is a pleasure to speak with
you again. We had the honor of your visit in New York City on November
11th, in 2001, when you recognized our Rainbow Soldiers for their
recovery and rescue efforts at Ground Zero.
The President. Were you there?
M. Sgt. Lombardo. We began our fight
against terrorism in the wake of 9/11, and we're proud to continue it
here in north-central New York--north-central Iraq.
The President. Let me ask you something. Were you there when I came
to New York?
M. Sgt. Lombardo. Yes, I was, Mr.
President.
The President. I thought you looked familiar. [Laughter]
M. Sgt. Lombardo. Well, thank you.
The President. I probably look familiar to you too. [Laughter]
M. Sgt. Lombardo. Yes, you do, Mr.
President. I can tell you over the past 10 months, we've seen a
tremendous increase in the capabilities and the confidences of our Iraqi
security force partners. We've been working side by side, training and
equipping 18 Iraqi army battalions. Since we began our partnership, they
have improved greatly, and they continue to develop and grow into
sustainable forces. Over the next month, we anticipate seeing at least
one-third of those Iraqi forces conducting independent operations.
The President. That's important. The American people have got to
know--and I appreciate you bringing that up, Sergeant
[[Page 1550]]
Major, about how--what the progress is like. In other words, we've got a
measurement system----
M. Sgt. Lombardo. Well, together----
The President. I'm sorry, go ahead.
M. Sgt. Lombardo. I'm sorry--just,
together with our coalition forces, we've captured over 50 terrorists as
well as detained thousands of others that have ties to the insurgency.
And I believe it is these accomplishments and the numerous
accomplishments from our task force that will provide a safe and secure
environment for the referendum vote.
The President. Well, I appreciate that. There's no question that we
need to stay on the offense. And we need to stay on the offense with
well-trained Iraqi forces, side by side the finest military ever to
exist, and that's the United States military.
M. Sgt. Lombardo. That it is, Mr.
President. Thank you.
The President. Yes. Sergeant Akeel,
thanks for joining us. I appreciate--appreciate your service. You've got
something to say, Akeel?
Sgt. Maj. Shaker Nassir Akeel. Good
morning, Mr. President. Thank you for everything. Thank very much for
everything.
The President. Yes, you're welcome.
Sgt. Maj. Akeel. I like you.
[Laughter]
The President. Well, I appreciate that.
1st Lt. Gregg A. Murphy. Good morning,
Mr. President.
The President. Go ahead.
1st Lt. Murphy. I'm First Lieutenant
Gregg Murphy from the 278th Regimental Combat Team, from the Volunteer
State of Tennessee. I want to tell you, sir, that we appreciate you
coming with us today for this interview and hearing us express our
confidence in the Iraqi security forces' role in the upcoming
referendum. Sir, we are prepared to do whatever it takes to make this
thing a success. But the important thing here is that the Iraqi army and
the Iraqi security forces, they're ready, and they're committed. They're
going to make this thing happen.
Back in January, when we were preparing for that election, we had to
lead the way. We set up the coordination. We made the plan. We're really
happy to see, during the preparation for this one, sir, they're doing
everything. They're making the plans. They're calling each other.
They've got it laid out. So on Saturday, sir, we're going to be beside
them. We're going to be there to support them through anything. But we
can't wait to share in their success with them on Sunday.
Sir, from all of us here at Task Force Liberty here in Tikrit, we
want to express our gratitude to you for spending a little time with us
this morning, and thank you, sir, for hearing our assessment of the
current situation here in Tikrit, Iraq.
The President. Well, Lieutenant, thanks.
It's been my honor. And you know, I wish I could be there to see you
face to face, to thank you personally. It's probably a little early for
me to go to Tikrit, but one of these days perhaps the situation will be
such that I'll be able to get back to Iraq to not only thank our troops
but to thank those brave Iraqis who are standing strong in the face of
these foreign fighters and these radicals that are trying to stop the
march of freedom.
Again, I want to thank you all for being so courageous and for
stepping up when the United States of America needed you. I repeat what
I said earlier: Please give your loved ones my deepest respect. And
you've got to know, the American people are standing strong with you.
We're proud of you. May God bless you all in your work, and when you get
back to the States, you know, if I'm hanging around, come by and say
hello. [Laughter]
Thank you all.
Note: The teleconference began at 9:54 a.m. The President spoke from
Room 350 of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building to troops
in Tikrit, Iraq. In his remarks, he referred to former President Saddam
Hussein of Iraq. Participating in the
[[Page 1551]]
teleconference were Capt. Brent Kennedy, USA, Capt. David J. Smith, USA,
Capt. Stephen N. Pratt, USA, Capt. David Williams, USA, M. Sgt. Corine
Lombardo, USA, 1st Lt. Gregg A. Murphy, USA, S. Sgt. David Smith-Barry,
USA, Sfc. Jerry R. Munoz, USA, Sgt. Dustin Giesbrecht, USA, and Sgt.
Ronald E. Long, Jr., USA, 42d Infantry Division; and Sgt. Maj. Akeel
Shaker Nassir, 4th Iraqi Army Division.