[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[April 2, 2007]
[Pages 376-378]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on Presenting the Commander in Chief's Trophy to the United
States Naval Academy Midshipmen
April 2, 2007
The President. Please be seated. Welcome to the Rose Garden. It
seems to me that this is becoming a spring tradition. [Laughter] For the
fourth year in a row, the football team from the Naval Academy is here
to receive the Commander in Chief's Trophy--the Rose Garden should be
called the Yard.
This year's team was among the Navy's best ever. That says a lot.
This is a team that had the most rushing yards in the Nation. That says
a lot. You had the highest graduation rate of any football team in the
country. That says even more. You went 9 and 3. You made it to the bowl
game. And you beat Army.
I thank you all for coming. I appreciate members of the
administration who have joined us: Deputy Secretary of the VA Gordon
Mansfield; Secretary Don Winter of the Navy; General Pete Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff--and, I might
add, the first marine to serve in that capacity; Admiral
G, Ed Giambastiani--that's hard
for a Texan to say, but it's not hard to tell you how much I admire
Admiral G and Pete Pace; Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of Naval Operations, thank you for coming, Chief;
General Jim Conway, Commandant of the Marine
Corps; and Ellen Moyer, the mayor of
Annapolis. We are glad you all are here, and, Mayor, thanks for coming.
Vice Admiral Rod Rempt--Rod, I notice
that you gathered up my speech. [Laughter] Just remember, page three
follows page two. [Laughter] But it's good to have you again.
Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt. Sir, it's a
pleasure to be here.
The President. Coach Paul Johnson--you talk
about a winner, this guy knows how to build winners. And, Coach, we're
glad you're back. I'm proud to welcome you and your staff. I appreciate
very much the members of the football team that have joined us, and I
thank all of the Naval Academy supporters who are here.
The Navy's fourth consecutive winning season may not sound like much
to people who don't follow football, but it's a remarkable feat
considering that the team was 0 and 10, 6 years ago. They showed up 10
times, they played hard all 10 times, but they won 0 times. And here
they are, standing in the Rose Garden with the Commander in Chief. It
says a lot about resilience and a lot about determination and a lot
about correcting past mistakes.
Coach Johnson has put together a really
good coaching staff, and I appreciate very much, Coach, you motivating
these players toward championship--toward the championships that you've
earned. The season started with three wins in a row, including a blowout
over Stanford. You beat Air Force in Colorado Springs. You beat Army by
12 points, the fifth win in a row for the Naval Academy. They tell me
that's a pretty big deal.
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You earned a spot in the Meineke Car Care Bowl--Meineke Car Care
Bowl. Nevertheless, you played a big-time school: Boston College. Boston
College is a football power, and it was a really great game. I watched
it. I was impressed by the 322 yards you earned. I know you're
disappointed with the one-point loss, but you can't be disappointed with
the effort.
I appreciate the fact that your class is the first in school history
to win four straight Commander in Chief trophies, the first to go 8 and
0 against Army and Air Force, and the first to play in four straight
bowl games. That's a lot of firsts. Your class won 35 games in 4 years.
The only Navy class to win more games graduated in 1909. I don't know
whether William Howard Taft welcomed the team in 1909, but I can tell
you, the 43d President is proud to welcome such champions here to the
Rose Garden.
One of the reasons your team was so successful this year, of course,
is because you had a captain from Texas.
[Laughter] Five different Navy players rushed for more than 100 yards in
a game this season. That's more than any other team in the Nation.
That's called a well-balanced attack.
I appreciate the fact that one of your quarterbacks stepped in for an injured
starter and went on to score four
touchdowns in a single game. I would like to say his name; I'll probably
bungle it. I'll just say, the guy is from Hawaii. [Laughter]
I appreciate the fact that Keenan Little became the first player in Navy history to score
defensive touchdowns against Air Force and Army in the same season. I'm
proud to be up here with a fellow Texan from
Lewisville, Texas--the mascot of one of the high school teams in
Lewisville, believe it or not, is the Fighting Farmers. [Laughter] This
guy was your fullback, Adam Ballard. He gained 134 yards against Air
Force. When he was named MVP, he wisely--wisely--gave the credit to his
offensive line. Smart move, Adam. [Laughter]
You know, it's interesting--how would you like to be the punter on
the Navy team who went full--two full games without showing up on the
field? [Laughter] Veteto--Greg is his first
name--was, like, the punter on the team, and for two games in a row, he
was never used. And yet I think he didn't mind.
The team had a special leader in Eddie Martin. I don't know if the country knows this, but he was
diagnosed with cancer last year. He didn't play any games this year, but
he always led the team out of the locker room for every home game. And
so, Eddie, I appreciate the inspiration you've provided for your team
and for the Academy. I know you're fighting a brave battle, and a lot of
people will pray for your full recovery.
When you signed up for the Naval Academy, you signed up for more
than playing football. I'm glad Coach Johnson--
I'm sure Coach Johnson was glad that you said, ``I want to be a football
player at the Naval Academy.'' But you signed up to become officers in
the finest military the world has ever known. And my job is to keep it
that way, and I will. But you can't have the finest military the world
has ever known without men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform,
just like you've done.
You volunteered after September the 11th, 2001. That's a remarkable
decision you have made. I vowed after September 11th, 2001, that I would
use the full power of our Government to protect the American people from
harm, and I meant what I said. And therefore, anybody who signed up
afterwards knew what they were getting into. It's a remarkable country
when people make such a noble decision to serve their country in a time
of war. And I'm proud to be the Commander in Chief of such decent,
honorable, sacrificing men and women.
The lessons you have learned on the football field and at the Naval
Academy will serve you well on the battlefield. You learned the
importance of teamwork and leadership and strong personal character. And
you're going to put those qualities to
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the highest possible use, and that is to protect the American people and
to lay the foundation of peace for generations to come.
The Navy and Marine Corps are on the frontline of fighting and
winning the war against the extremists, radicals who would do this
country harm. Every day we're on the offense against an enemy. My
attitude is, I would rather defeat them over there so we do not have to
face them here. And the Marine Corps and the Navy are helping to lead
that charge. The sailors and marines on the high sea are sending a clear
message to the world that we stand for strength, and we stand for peace.
Former Navy football players have distinguished themselves in the
line of duty. Marine First Lieutenant Brian Stann comes to mind, the class of '03. He won the Silver Star.
We also have some of the former Navy football players lose their lives:
Ron Winchester of '01, J.P. Blecksmith of the class of '03. Another gave
his life in flight over the Pacific, Navy Lieutenant Commander Scott
Zellem, the class of '91. The United States of America will not forget
their sacrifices. We will complete our missions so that their sacrifices
will not have gone in vain.
It is such an honor to welcome such fine men to the Rose Garden. I'm
proud to be standing with you. I thank you for your service to our
country. I appreciate the fact that you're good football players, but,
more importantly, I appreciate the fact that you're good Americans.
God bless.
Note: The President spoke at 2:35 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Vice Adm. Rodney P. Rempt, USN,
superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy; and Kaipo-Noa Keheaku-Enhada,
quarterback, Keenan O. Little, strong safety, and Eddie Martin, running
back, U.S. Naval Academy football team.