[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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