[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.