    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [November 2, 2007]
    [Pages 1416-1420]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Basic Training Graduation Ceremony at Fort Jackson, South
    Carolina
    November 2, 2007

        The President.  Colonel, thank you
    very much. I'm pleased to be here with you to have a chance to say,
    ``Hooah!''
        Audience members. Hooah!
        The President.  I'm here to congratulate those of you who have
    completed your basic training. I thank--thanks to your families for
    supporting these fine Americans. I want to thank those who have worked
    hard to train you. You have stepped forward to volunteer to defend our
    country at a time of danger, and you need to know, you're making all
    Americans proud.
        Over the past 3 weeks, you've endured obstacle courses, grenade
    throwing, fireguard duty. You even made it through Victory Forge. Now
    you have another tough assignment: You got to make it through my speech.
    [Laughter]
        You are part of a storied military tradition. Over the last century,
    Fort Jackson has prepared countless young Americans to defend our
    country. Soldiers marched from these fields to battle fascists and
    dictators and terrorists. Those soldiers brought freedom to millions of
    people they never knew. And because of their efforts, America is
    stronger, America is safer, and America is free.
        Once again, our Nation calls on brave Americans to confront our
    enemies and bring peace and security to millions, and you're answering
    that call. I thank you for your courage. I thank you for making the
    noble decision to put on the uniform and to defend the United States of
    America in a time of war.
        Many of you will deploy to Iraq. You will help carry out a new
    strategy that, over the past few months, has taken the initiative from
    the enemy and driven them from key strongholds. Today I want to share
    with you and the American people some of the progress we are making in
    Iraq, what we can expect in the months ahead. The fight for Iraq is
    critical to the security of the American people. And with the skill and
    valor of the soldiers standing before me, standing beside me, and
    standing behind me, it is a fight that we will win.
        I thank Lieutenant Colonel Cotton for
    his introduction and thank him for his service. I'm proud to be with the
    Governor of the great State of South Carolina,
    Governor Mark Sanford.
        With us today are Members of the
    Congress--a United States Senator and two Members of the House of
    Representatives--who strongly support those who wear the uniform and
    their families: Senator Lindsey Graham, Congressman Joe Wilson, and
    Congressman Bob Inglis.
        I thank General Schwitters for his
    hospitality and his leadership. I thank Command Sergeant Major Brian
    Carlson for his leadership. I thank all
    those who wear the uniform. It's incredible to be the Commander in Chief
    of a nation that has produced such bravery and such decency and such
    compassion. We have the great--the greatest military on the face of the
    Earth, and we intend to keep it that way.
        It is a great day of celebration, and I thank you for letting me
    come to celebrate with you. I know the moms and dads and family members
    are so proud of those who will be parading in front of us here in a
    minute. But it's also a time of war for our country. I wish I did not
    have to report that, but it's the truth, the way it is in this world in
    which we live. It's a moment when these soldiers prepare to assume
    responsibility for the security of our country and the safety of the
    free world.
        Today, we face an enemy that is willing to kill the innocent to
    achieve their political objectives, an enemy that showed us the horrors
    they intend for us on September

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    the 11th, 2001, when the terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 innocent souls
    on our own country. You know, it's a day I'll never forget, and it's a
    day our country should never forget.
        Some lessons that we must understand: First, conditions overseas
    matters to the security of the United States. When people live in
    hopeless societies, it's the only way that these evil perpetrators of
    violence can recruit. What matters overseas matters to the homeland. One
    of the lessons of September the 11th is, we can't hope for the best. We
    must stay on the offense. We must keep the pressure on the enemy. We
    must use all power of the United States to protect the American people
    from further home--further harm, and that's what we're doing here today.
        And as we keep pressure on the enemy, we must always remember that
    the ultimate path to peace will come from the spread of freedom and
    liberty; that freedom is the great alternative to the ideology of the
    murderers and the radicals; that by working help--to work to help others
    become free, that our noble military is laying the foundation for peace
    for generations to come.
        And it is Iraq that is the central front in this struggle. In that
    country, a democratic ally is fighting for its survival. Our enemies
    have sought to build safe havens there from which to plot further
    attacks against our people. And those who will be parading in front of
    us soon will be called upon to stop them. By taking the fight to the
    enemy in Iraq, we will defeat the terrorists there so we do not have to
    face them in the United States.
        America's new strategy to win that fight, including a surging U.N.
    forces--U.S. forces, has been fully operational for 4 months. I want to
    assure the loved ones here of something, and I want to assure those who
    wear the uniform of something: I will make decisions about our troop
    presence in Iraq and Afghanistan based upon the considered judgment of
    those who wear the uniform, not based upon the Gallup Poll or political
    party considerations.
        So I accepted the recommendations of General David
    Petraeus, and I want to report to you on
    some of the results. Our new strategy emphasized securing the Iraqi
    population as the foundation for all other progress in that country. And
    here's what I can report. First, the challenges: Parts of Iraq continue
    to be violent and difficult. The terrorists are still capable of
    murdering the innocent; that will get on our TV screens. The enemy
    remains determined, but what they have learned about the United States
    of America is, we are more determined. We're more determined to protect
    ourselves and to help people realize the blessings of freedom. With our
    help, the Iraqi people are going on the offense against the enemy.
    They're confronting the terrorists, and they're taking their country
    back.
        As part of our strategy, we've sent forces into neighborhoods where
    Iraqis lived to rat out the extremists, to gain the confidence of the
    people. Together with Iraqi forces, we have captured or killed an
    average of more than 1,500 enemy fighters per month since January of
    this year. Since the surge of operations began in June, the number of
    IED attacks per week has declined by half. U.S. military deaths have
    fallen to their lowest level in 19 months. Iraqi forces have now assumed
    responsibility for security in 8 of Iraq's 18 Provinces. Across this
    country, brave Iraqis are increasingly taking more responsibility for
    their own security and safety.
        We're seeing some of the most dramatic changes in Anbar Province.
    One year ago, many of the experts said Anbar had been lost to the enemy.
    As a matter of fact, at that time, Al Qaida staged a parade in the city
    streets to flaunt its power and its control. Last week, there was
    another parade in Anbar. This time it was a parade of Iraqi citizens and
    Iraqi forces who had reclaimed their homes and driven the terrorists out
    of their cities. And these changes

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    were made possible by the bravery and determination of our Iraqi
    partners and the incredible bravery of the men and women of the United
    States military.
        Our enemies see the changes underway, and they increasingly fear
    they're on the wrong side of events. Usama bin Laden--who has to hide in caves because the United
    States is on his tail--understands--has said publicly that Al Qaida's
    recent setbacks are mistakes--the result of mistakes that Al Qaida has
    made. In other words, he recognizes the inevitable, that the United
    States of America and those who long for peace in Iraq--the Iraqi
    citizens--will not tolerate thugs and killers in their midst.
        The Iraqis are becoming more capable, and our military
    commander tells me that these gains are
    making possible what I call return on success. That means we're slowly
    bringing some of our troops home, and now we're doing it from a position
    of strength.
        Our new strategy recognizes that once Iraqis feel safe in their
    homes and neighborhoods, they can begin to create jobs and
    opportunities. And that is starting to happen. There's some challenges:
    Corruption remains a problem; unemployment remains high; and the
    improvements we are seeing in the Iraqi economy are not uniform across
    the country. But overall, the Iraqi economy is growing at a strong rate.
        We're seeing improvements in important economic indicators.
    Inflation has been cut in half. Electricity production in September
    reached its highest levels since the war began--and higher than it was
    under Saddam Hussein.
        Behind these numbers are stories of real people, some of whom our
    troops may meet, in some real cities where you may patrol. In Baqubah,
    the historic market has been reopened in a city that had been in a
    virtual lockdown a few months ago. In Fallujah, workers have turned an
    artillery factory into a civilian machine shop employing 600 people. In
    the Baghdad neighborhood of Ameriya--an Al Qaida stronghold until a few
    months ago--locals have returned and are reopening their shops.
        Here's what progress means to one shopkeeper in the former Al Qaida
    stronghold of Arab Jabour. He's a local butcher. He says that as
    recently as June, he was selling only one or two sheep per week. Now,
    the terrorists cleaned out and residents returning home, he's selling
    one or two sheep per day. Slowly but surely, the people of Iraq are
    reclaiming a normal society. You see, when Iraqis don't have to fear the
    terrorists, they have a chance to build better lives for themselves. You
    must understand, an Iraqi mom wants her child to grow up in peace just
    like an American mom does.
        Our new strategy is based on the idea that improvements in security
    will help the Iraqis achieve national reconciliation. There's some
    challenges. Reconciliation at the national level hasn't been what we'd
    hoped it'd been by now. While the central Government has passed a budget
    and has reached out to its neighbors and begun to share oil revenues
    with the Provinces, the Iraqi parliament still lags in passing key
    legislation. Political factions are still failing to make necessary
    compromises. And that's disappointing--and I, of course, made my
    disappointments clear to Iraqi leadership.
        At the same time, reconciliation is taking place at the local level.
    Many Iraqis are seeing growing cooperation between Shi'a and Sunnis.
    These folks are tired of Al Qaida, and they're tired of Iranian-backed
    extremists. They're weary of fighting, and they are determined to give
    their families a better life.
        In Baghdad, Sunni and Shi'a leaders in one of the city's most
    divided neighborhoods recently signed an agreement to halt sectarian
    violence and end attack on coalition forces.
        In Anbar, Sunni sheikhs hosted Shi'a sheikhs from Karbala Province
    to discuss security and express their unity. And I can assure you--as
    can the soldiers who have been in Iraq--that 1 year ago such an event
    was unthinkable.

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        In Diyala Province, tribal groups come together for the first time
    to foster reconciliation. I'm going to tell you a story of interest to
    me. Extremists had kidnaped a group of Sunni and Shi'a leaders from
    Diyala; one of them was shot dead. According to a tribal spokesman, the
    extremists offered to release the Shi'a sheikhs, but not the Sunnis. And
    the Shi'as refused, unless their Sunni brothers were released as well.
    The next day, most of the hostages were rescued, and their captors are
    now in custody.
        And the point I make is that given time and space, the normal Iraqi
    will take the necessary steps to put--fight for a free society. After
    all, 12 million people voted for freedom, 12 million people endorsed a
    democratic Constitution. And it's in our interest we help them succeed.
    It's in our interest we help freedom prevail. It's in our interest we
    deny safe haven to killers who at one time killed us in America. It's in
    our interest to show the world that we've got the courage and the
    determination necessary to spread the foundation for peace, and that is
    what we're here to honor today.
        We're making progress, and many have contributed to the successes.
    And foremost among them are the men and women of the United States Army.
    Once again, American soldiers have shown the world why our military is
    the finest fighting force on Earth. And now that legacy falls to the
    proud graduates today. Earlier generations of soldiers from Fort Jackson
    made their way to Europe and liberated a continent from tyranny. Today,
    a new generation is following in their noble tradition. And one day,
    people will speak of your achievements in Baqubah and Baghdad the way we
    now speak of Normandy and the Bulge.
        This post was named for a great American President. He served his
    country in two major conflicts, including the American Revolution at the
    age of 13. Andrew Jackson was renowned for his courage, and that courage
    lives on at the base that bears his name. Troops from Fort Jackson have
    served with honor and distinction in today's war on terror, and some
    have not lived to make the journey home. And today we honor their
    sacrifices. We pray for their families. We remember what they fought
    for, and we pledge to finish the job.
        And you are the ones who will carry on their work. Americans are
    counting on you, and their confidence is well placed. You've trained
    hard. You've prepared for battle. And when you take up your missions,
    you will give a new meaning to the slogan chanted by thousands of
    soldiers on this base in many wars and in many era: ``Victory starts
    here.''
        May God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of
    America.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:25 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Lt. Col. Reginald W. Cotton, USA, commander, 3d Battalion, 34th Infantry
    Regiment, Fort Jackson, SC, who introduced the President; Brig. Gen.
    James H. Schwitters, USA, commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj.
    Brian L. Carlson, USA, post command sergeant major, U.S. Army Training
    Center & Fort Jackson, SC; Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, commanding
    general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; and Usama bin Laden, leader of the
    Al Qaida terrorist organization.

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