    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 7, 2006]
    [Pages 1794-1796]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Christening Ceremony for the USS George H.W. Bush in
    Newport News, Virginia
    October 7, 2006

        Mr. Secretary, thank you very much. Laura and
    I are honored to be here to honor our dad.
    We appreciate you coming. Mother, it's good to
    see you. Members of the Bush family, all of you, distinguished Members
    of Congress, Governor, ex-Governors, the men and women of the United
    States Navy, military veterans, the workers who helped build this great
    ship: I join you--I know you join me in saying to our father, President
    Bush, your ship has come in. [Laughter]
        In a few minutes, my sister Dorothy
    will christen the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the Navy,
    the George H.W. Bush. For the pilots of the World War II generation who
    are with us today, this carrier may seem a little more inviting than the
    ones you landed on. As you can see, our Navy has made a few upgrades.
    The George H.W. Bush is the latest in the Nimitz line of aircraft
    carriers. She is unrelenting; she is unshakable; she is unyielding; she
    is unstoppable. As a matter of fact, probably should have been named the
    ``Barbara Bush.'' [Laughter]
        In accord with a long and honored tradition, we gather to christen
    this fine ship. We recall the service and sacrifice of earlier
    generations. And we pay tribute to a new generation of sailors and
    marines who have stepped forward to serve in freedom's cause.
        The George H.W. Bush is named for a man
    who exemplifies the great character of our country. On the day Pearl
    Harbor was attacked, George H.W. Bush was a teenager, he was a high
    school senior. Six months later, he was sworn into the Navy. A year
    later, he received his wings at a ceremony in Corpus Christi, Texas.
    Here is what he said: He said, ``I had an ensign's stripe and an
    admiral's confidence.'' [Laughter] ``I was a Navy pilot.''
        Our dad would become known as one of
    the Navy's youngest pilots, but that wasn't his only distinction. While
    training along the Chesapeake Bay, the pilots in our dad's flight class
    learned about a beach across the way where young ladies liked to
    sunbathe. It became popular for the pilots to fly low over the beach. So
    one day he came in low to take a look. It just so happened to be the
    same day that a traveling circus had set up its tents. Dad's flyover
    upset an elephant, causing him to break loose and make a run throughout
    the town. He was called in for a reprimand from his commander. He puts
    it this way: ``I was grounded for causing an elephant stampede''--
    probably the only Navy pilot in American history who can make that
    claim.
        After training, he was assigned to a
    light carrier. He took part in the Great Turkey Shoot of the Marianas.
    He knew the horror of kamikaze attacks. He would complete 58 combat
    missions. These were tough days, but he had something that kept him
    going. And if you look closely at the photographs of the planes he flew,
    you will find what kept him going in the name he had painted under his
    cockpit: Barbara.

    [[Page 1795]]

        One of Dad's most important missions
    was a strike on a radio tower on an island called Chichi Jima. The
    Japanese were using that tower to intercept U.S. military radio
    transmissions and alert the enemy about impending American air strikes.
    On September 2, 1944, his squadron was given a simple assignment: to
    take it out. The pilots knew they would face heavy enemy fire because
    the Japanese had fortified the island. But Dad and his fellow pilots did
    their duty without complaint or hesitation. During that raid, his plane
    was hit by antiaircraft artillery, and it caught on fire. Yet he kept
    his plane on course. He released his four bombs and scored four direct
    hits on that tower; he headed out to sea; he ejected.
        Japanese boats were sent out to capture him. And after more than 2
    harrowing hours at sea alone in a rubber life raft, he was rescued by the crew of the USS Finback. For his
    action, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. Yet it is
    characteristic that from those moments aboard his life raft to this
    ceremony today, Dad's thoughts have always been of the two fine members
    of his crew who did not make it home: Radioman Second Class John Delaney
    and Lieutenant (J.G.) Ted White. On that day over Chichi Jima, a young
    American became a war hero and learned an old lesson: With the defense
    of freedom comes loss and sacrifice.
        The George H.W. Bush honors a generation that valued service above
    self. Like so many who served in World War II, duty came naturally to
    our father. In the 4 years of that war, 16 million Americans would put
    on the uniform, and the human costs were appalling. From the beaches of
    Normandy to the jungles of Southeast Asia, more than 400,000 Americans
    would give their lives.
        From the beginning of that war, there were those who argued that
    freedom had seen its day and that the future belonged to the hard men in
    Tokyo and Berlin. Yet the war machines of Imperial Japan and Nazi
    Germany would be brought down by American GIs who only months before had
    been students and farmers and bank clerks and factory hands. The
    generation of World War II taught the world's tyrants a telling lesson:
    There is no power like the power of freedom and no soldier as strong as
    a soldier who fights for a free future for his children.
        The George H.W. Bush will serve--as a new generation of Americans
    every bit as brave and selfless as those who have come before them. The
    21st century--in the 21st century, freedom is again under attack, and
    young Americans are volunteering to answer the call. In the years since
    September the 11th, 2001, more than 1.6 million Americans have
    volunteered to wear the uniform of the United States. Today, they serve
    in distant lands and on far seas--from the islands of Southeast Asia to
    the Horn of Africa to the mountains of Afghanistan and in Iraq. And once
    again, with perseverance and courage and confidence in the power of
    freedom, a new generation of Americans will leave a more hopeful and
    peaceful world for generations to come.
        The men and women of the United States military represent the best
    of America, and they deserve the best America can give them. And the
    George H.W. Bush is the best America can give them.
        During his time in the South Pacific, Ensign Bush served on a light carrier called the USS San Jacinto.
    That ship was named for the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto. And in that
    battle, the free Texas forces led by Sam Houston defeated a Mexican army
    that was much larger in size, and Sam Houston succeeded in capturing the
    Mexican general responsible for the slaughter of the Alamo just a few
    weeks before. Yet on the eve of the battle, the outcome was far from
    certain, and the Mexicans seemed to hold the advantage. So Sam Houston
    called his Texans together, and he reminded them what they were fighting
    for. He told them: ``Be men, be free men, that

    [[Page 1796]]

    your children may bless their father's name.''
        On this proud day, the children of George H.W. Bush bless their father's name, the United States Navy honors
    his name, and the ship that bears his name sails into this young century
    as a symbol of American strength and freedom. May God watch over all
    those who sail this ship, all those who fly from her deck, and all those
    at home who pray for their safe return.
        It is my honor to bring to you the 41st President, a great dad, George H.W. Bush.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:55 a.m. at the Northrop Grumman Newport
    News Shipyard. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine of
    Virginia.