    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [May 27, 2006]
    [Pages 1040-1042]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    May 27, 2006

        Good morning. This Memorial Day weekend, Americans pay tribute to
    those who have given their lives in service to our Nation. America is
    free because generations of young Americans have been willing to
    sacrifice to defend the country they love, so their fellow citizens
    could live in liberty.
        This weekend, I am visiting some of the brave men and women who will
    soon take their own place in the defense of our freedom, the 2006
    graduating class at West Point. This was the first class to arrive at
    West Point after the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. Each of them
    came to West Point in a time of war, knowing all the risks and dangers
    that come with wearing our Nation's uniform. And the reality of that war
    has surrounded them since their first moments at the Academy. Thirty-
    four times since they arrived at West Point they have observed a moment
    of silence to

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    honor a former cadet fallen in the war on terror.
        One of those former cadets was First Lieutenant Rob Seidel, a 2004
    West Point graduate who gave his life in Iraq earlier this month. Rob
    grew up in Maryland, and as a child, he and his family made frequent
    visits to the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg, and from his earliest
    days, he dreamed of serving in the U.S. Army. He deployed to Iraq with
    the 10th Mountain Division and was killed by a bomb in Baghdad. His
    father says this about Rob: ``He loved
    his family and believed in God, and he loved his country, and he was
    willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of his country.''
        We live in freedom because of young Americans like Lieutenant Rob
    Seidel. And in recent days in Iraq, we've seen what their sacrifices
    have made possible. A week ago, the new Prime Minister of Iraq announced the formation of a national unity
    government. British Prime Minister Tony Blair
    recently visited Baghdad to meet with Prime Minister Maliki and Iraq's
    new leaders, and this week, he came to the United States to give me his
    impressions. Prime Minister Blair told me that Iraq's new leaders are
    determined to rid their country of terrorism, unite Iraqis as one
    people, and deliver peace and prosperity for all their citizens.
        The formation of a democratic government in Iraq marks a victory for
    the cause of freedom in the Middle East. It is a victory for millions of
    Iraqis, who defied the terrorists and cast their ballots in three
    elections last year. It is a victory for the Iraqi security forces, who
    fought and bled for this moment and now have a democracy worthy of their
    sacrifice. And it is a victory for the American, British, and other
    coalition forces who removed a murderous dictator who threatened the world. Because of their courage and
    sacrifices, Iraq has a free government that will be a strong and capable
    ally in the global war on terror.
        The new Government in Iraq is also a defeat for the terrorists, who
    fought the arrival of a free and democratic Iraq with all the hateful
    power they could muster. Now a day that they feared has arrived. The
    terrorists can kill the innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of
    freedom. We can expect the terrorists to continue bombing and killing,
    but something fundamental has changed: The terrorists are now fighting a
    free and constitutional government. They are at war with the people of
    Iraq. The Iraqi people and their new leaders are determined to defeat
    this enemy, and so is the United States of America.
        This Memorial Day weekend, we remember First Lieutenant Seidel and
    the brave Americans of every generation who have given their lives for
    freedom, liberated the oppressed, and left the world a safer and better
    place. And the best way to honor America's fallen heroes is to carry on
    their fight, defend our freedom, and complete the mission for which they
    gave their lives.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on May 26 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on May 27. In his
    address, the President referred to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and
    former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The transcript was made
    available by the Office of the Press Secretary on May 26 but was
    embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this address.

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