[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 48 (Monday, November 30, 1998)]
[Pages 2371-2374]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Community at Osan Air Force Base, South Korea

November 22, 1998

    I think the sergeant did a fine job under unusual circumstances. 
Let's give him another hand here. [Applause] He did tell Congressman 
Abercrombie not to make his introduction too short, but I think he was a 
little bit embarrassed by having the truth told.

[[Page 2372]]

    Sergeant, we thank you for your heroism and your service. We thank 
two of your fellow airmen who helped you in that rescue mission, Staff 
Sergeant Thomas Metheny and Brian Stump. And we thank all of you for 
your service. And we thank all of you for your service.
    I want to thank Congressman Abercrombie for his fine remarks. He's 
here with a delegation that includes Senator Max Baucus of Montana, 
Congresswoman Patsy Mink of Hawaii, Congressman Earl Pomeroy of North 
Dakota. Anybody here from North Dakota? There is one man up there with 
his hand up. Another one. The reason I introduce them is it's very warm 
here, for them, compared to North Dakota. [Laughter] And Delegate Robert 
Underwood from Guam.
    General Tilelli, General Hurd, General Dordal, General Dierker; 
members of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces; Ambassador and Mrs. 
Bosworth; our Secretary of Commerce, Bill Daley, and the National 
Security Adviser, Sandy Berger, and all the other members of our 
administration who are here; the family members and the men and women of 
the United States Armed Forces, I am honored to be here with you. I'm 
glad to see you out here in good spirits. I'm sorry you've had to wait 
awhile in the cold wind, and I'm glad we're starting early.
    Let me say that I know that supply is an area of great expertise and 
importance, but just looking around the crowd today, it seems to me that 
the parkas are a little unevenly distributed. [Laughter] So I'll try to 
give a fairly brief speech.
    What I have to say to you is simple. I am very proud of the work you 
do, U.S. Forces Korea, the 7th Air Force, the 51st Fighter Wing, all the 
607th Group, the 631st Air Mobility Support Squadron, the soldiers and 
airmen, the sailors and marines, the Korean military personnel who are 
here, all of you. And I came, more than anything else, to say on behalf 
of all the American people, we thank you for your service to the United 
States.
    As I also look at this vast sea of highly representative and diverse 
faces, I am reminded that it was 50 years ago this year, in 1948, when 
President Harry Truman courageously ordered the integration of America's 
Armed Forces. Now our Armed Forces are a model of unity and diversity 
for the entire world, people of different origins coming together, 
working together, for the common good.
    I am proud of that, and so should you be, because though Harry 
Truman made the decision 50 years ago, it is you 50 years later who have 
fulfilled his vision and made it work. Osan Air Base is a community with 
stores and restaurants, homes and classrooms. In fact, back at the White 
House, we looked on the Internet and found the page of the Osan American 
High School. Listen to this; this is what the students modestly 
described their website as. They said it is ``the most masterfully 
designed high school website of them all.'' I want to commend the 
designer for his or her extraordinary confidence. [Laughter]
    I'd also like to commend the Department of Defense school system, 
one of the unsung heroes of our military service. I thank the teachers 
and the administrators here and throughout the world for your commitment 
to our children's future.
    Osan Air Base is an important symbol of our commitment to liberty. 
It was just a few miles from here that United States soldiers first 
engaged enemy forces in the ground combat of the summer of 1950. And 
Americans gave their lives in the Korean war on the very grounds of this 
base. And Osan Air Base is a vital post in our ongoing determined effort 
to protect that liberty, shoulder to shoulder with our strong Korean 
allies.
    No one should doubt today our joint commitment to freedom. It is 
stronger than ever. And Korea, under the leadership of President Kim 
Dae-jung, embodies that, for he as well as any person alive knows that 
the struggle for freedom requires strength, courage, and a lifetime of 
dedication.
    President Kim faced prison and persecution, death threats and death 
sentences, because he stood up for his belief in democracy and because 
he would not give up his hope that true democracy could flourish here in 
Korea. Now our countries work together more closely than ever before for 
peace and human rights around the world. And none of that could happen 
without you, the American and Korean military forces.

[[Page 2373]]

    You have maintained the peace for 45 years. And let me say, again 
not so much to you because you know it, but through you and the media 
here to all of the American people back home, sometimes it's easy to 
forget that even in peacetime, military work is difficult and dangerous. 
Tensions have gone up and down on this peninsula over the years, but 
always there are risks.
    I talked about, just a moment ago, the distinguished gentleman who 
introduced me and his fellow airmen who risked their lives to aid 
others. Just a few weeks ago, 50 miles from here, four Americans and one 
Korean soldier lost their lives returning from important training 
missions. Let me say their names: Private Joseph Biondo, Private First 
Class Joey Brantley, Specialist James Buis, Sergeant Brian Walsh, and 
Corporal Kim Yong Ku. We honor their service. We mourn their loss in the 
cause of peace and security. May the American people never forget this 
work is difficult and dangerous, and we owe you a lot for doing it.
    America strongly supports President Kim's strategy of engagement 
with North Korea. In the 5 years since I last met with our troops along 
the DMZ, we have seen some hopeful signs. There have been peace talks, 
and over the summer, for the very first time, United States Command and 
the North Korean military began general officer talks aimed at 
preventing problems along the DMZ.
    But unfortunately, not all has gone well. Lately, signs of danger 
have intensified, with incursions from the North, provocative missile 
tests, and the question of a suspect underground installation. So we 
must remain vigilant. And thanks to you, we are.
    One of the greatest threats the world now faces is weapons of mass 
destruction. And though our attention lately has been focused on Iraq's 
efforts in that area, North Korea is also a major concern. Here at Osan, 
you are critical to this most dangerous battleground, deterring and, if 
necessary, defending against chemical and biological attacks.
    Let me reaffirm the view of the United States: North Korea must 
maintain its freeze on and move ahead to dismantle its nuclear weapons 
program, as it has agreed to do. It must comply with its obligations 
under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It must halt its efforts to 
develop and proliferate chemical and biological weapons and ballistic 
missiles.
    We will continue to press North Korea to take these steps for peace 
and security. But until it fully commits itself to a constructive role 
on this peninsula, we must remain ready. And thanks to you, we will. 
America will continue to do what it takes to promote the security of our 
citizens and our friends and allies, to be a force for peace as we have 
been in Haiti, in Northern Ireland, in Bosnia, in Kosovo, in the Middle 
East. Our ability to succeed in promoting peace is uniquely due to the 
fact that we can back up our diplomatic efforts, when necessary, with 
military strength. And that depends on you, the finest Armed Forces in 
the world.
    We ask so much of you, to travel far from home, to work long hours, 
to risk your lives. We ask so much of your families, lengthy 
separations, career and school transitions. We owe an awful lot in 
return, at least the training and support you need, the tools to do your 
job, from high-tech equipment to the most basic spare parts, and the 
quality of life you deserve.
    I spend a lot of time addressing these issues with Secretary of 
Defense Cohen, with General Shelton of the Joint Chiefs, with other 
leaders of our military. While our current state of readiness is sound, 
we have to ensure we're prepared for the future. To move us in the right 
direction, I asked the Congress to approve $1.1 billion in additional 
funds for readiness and recruitment in this year's budget. And I'm happy 
to say the Congress came through.
    We obtained almost $2 billion in emergency funds to cover 
unanticipated operations in Bosnia. We shifted another $1 billion in 
existing defense funds to readiness needs. I've asked Secretary Cohen to 
prepare budget and policy proposals aimed at addressing these needs for 
the long term, and I've approved pay raises that will significantly 
reduce the gap between military and civilian pay. [Applause] I ought to 
quit while I'm ahead. [Laughter]
    I want you to know that, working with Congress and the Joint Chiefs, 
we will continue to make our top priority your readiness: readiness for 
our first-to-fight forces like the

[[Page 2374]]

soldiers I met earlier today from the 2d Infantry Division; readiness 
for our sailors in ships at sea, so vital to our efforts, particularly 
now, to contain the weapons of mass destruction threat of Saddam 
Hussein; readiness for our strategic and tactical air forces, crucial in 
meeting our security challenges in the Gulf, in Bosnia, here in Korea, 
indeed, all around the world.
    Thursday is Thanksgiving. I know that your loved ones back home are 
thinking about you here, proud of your accomplishments, your service, 
your kindness, and your strength. I'm happy today to be bringing to you 
some prepaid phone cards generously provided by AT&T so you can call 
your families and friends across the ocean for free.
    I hope that all Americans--all Americans, not just those who receive 
a call on Thanksgiving Day--as they sit down to their turkey and give 
thanks for all our blessings, will consider the debt of gratitude we all 
owe to our men and women in uniform. You have made the world a better 
place, and you will continue to do so. You have made us very proud, and 
we will continue to be very proud.
    I thank you. I wish you well. God bless you, and God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 3:46 p.m. at the U-2 hangar. In his 
remarks, he referred to M. Sgt. Tony Avalos, a flight engineer with the 
31st Special Operations Squadron, who introduced the President and is 
credited with saving the lives of two aircraft crash victims in June; 
Gen. John H. Tilelli, Jr., USA, Commander in Chief, United Nations 
Command, United States Forces Korea, and Combined Forces Command Korea; 
Lt. Gen. Joseph E. Hurd, USAF, Commander, and Brig. Gen. Paul R. Dordal, 
USAF, Vice Commander, 7th Air Force; Brig. Gen. Robert Dierker, USAF, 
Commander, 51st Fighter Wing; and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Steven 
W. Bosworth. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
these remarks.