[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.