    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 44 (Monday, November 5, 2001)]
    [Pages 1592-1593]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at a Reception Honoring the United Service Organizations

    November 2, 2001

        Good afternoon. Laura and I want to welcome you all to the White
    House. Welcome. Thanks for coming.
        I also want to thank all who work with the USO. It is important.
    It's important for our country, and it's important for the world. And I
    want to thank you for coming so we can honor such a fine, fine
    organization.
        I also want to thank Wayne Newton for being here. I appreciate so
    very much your leading the USO Celebrity Circle. I don't know whether or
    not you spent much time with Bob Hope before you took the assignment,
    but this job has got a 60-year term limit to it. [Laughter]
        I want to thank Dick Myers and the other members of the Joint Chiefs
    who are here. I am proud of the job you all are doing. I want to thank
    the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon England, for coming, as well. I
    appreciate so very much Members of the United States Congress who are
    here. Senator Reed, thank you so very much. I don't know if Congressman
    Edwards is here--my congressman. He's the congressman for Crawford,
    Texas. Good to see you, sir. Answer my mail, will you? [Laughter]
        I appreciate Norm Mineta, who is here. Part of our battle against
    terrorism is to have a strong homefront and to make sure our airlines
    are secure. And we've got a really good man running the Department of
    Transportation to make sure that happens. Norm, I'm proud of the work
    you're doing. I'm proud of your leadership.
        I'm glad Joyce Rumsfeld is here. Thanks for coming, Joyce. Don is on
    his way overseas. And he, like the rest of the Pentagon, is doing a
    fabulous job, I mean a really good job, of defending our country. I look
    forward to getting him back. I'm looking forward to hearing how the trip
    went.
        John Gottschalk, thank you very much for taking on this assignment.
    And General Tilelli, thank you, as well. I appreciate so very much your
    being here. I want to thank Neil McCoy. I want to thank Rob Schneider
    and Jessica Simpson, as well. These are some of the great talent who are
    going to entertain our troops and bring smiles to the faces of people
    who are a long way away from home. It's a noble cause, and I appreciate
    you all doing this.
        Next week, when the tour begins, people are going to travel all
    around the globe. And there they will find young men and women of the
    highest caliber--of the highest caliber--some of whom will be facing
    extreme danger in the months to come, all of whom are proud to serve. In
    our war against terrorism, we can be thankful--all of us in America, and
    for that matter, all the people who have joined our vast coalition can
    be thankful that we are defended by men and women of such incredible
    character and such great courage.
        Our USO performers are all a part of a very special American
    institution. For more than six decades, the USO has brought a touch of
    home to Americans in distant places. Millions of veterans still cherish
    memories of USO shows, hospitality centers, and the good folks who have
    traveled thousands of miles to show their support. The USO brought more
    than entertainment to the troops.

    [[Page 1593]]

        Here is what Harry Truman had to say. He said, ``The USO lets our
    service men and women know the people of the United States are behind
    them.'' Well, that's still true at the beginning of this century, and
    for a very different kind of war, a war that is being fought on many
    fronts: a war that's being fought here in the homeland; a war that's
    being fought because of the relentless efforts of our law enforcement; a
    war that's being fought by a diplomatic front the likes of which the
    world has never seen before; a war that's being fought by cutting off
    funds to the evil ones; and a war that's being fought on the field of
    battle.
        We face an enemy--an enemy the likes of which we've never seen
    before, an enemy without a government, an enemy that's tried to hijack a
    great religion, an enemy that is so evil that those of us in America
    can't possibly comprehend why they do what they do. But it will be an
    enemy that will be defeated.
        This enemy will be defeated because this Nation is strong and this
    Nation is united. This enemy will be defeated because this Nation won't
    stand for evil. This enemy will be defeated because we understand we
    fight for our very freedoms. This enemy will be defeated because we
    understand that what we do today will determine whether our children and
    our grandchildren can grow up in a free society in a free world.
        This enemy will be defeated because across the world, our soldiers,
    marines and sailors, airmen, and coastguardsmen are the defenders of
    freedom. And once again, they will know that the American people stand
    squarely behind them.
        This is a war that has required our military to adjust. It is a
    different kind of war. And we have got a strategy that meets this
    different kind of war. After all, these days we've got a B-2 bomber
    pilot who boards his aircraft in Missouri, delivers his ordnance, and
    comes back to Missouri. And the men and women of today's armed services
    also are different from the past. Most are likely to be married. Most
    are likely to have young children.
        And the good news is, the USO has kept pace with these changes. It,
    too, has changed to reflect the nature of modern war and a modern
    military. And it, too, is directing its mission not just for those in
    the military but for their family members, as well.
        The USO leadership is as diverse and talented as ever. And I want to
    thank you all very much, and so do the American people. Some of the
    members of the Celebrity Circle Executive Committee, including Tom Hanks
    and Quincy Jones, could not be here. But tell them I thanked them, and
    tell them we appreciate their hard work.
        And for our troops abroad, USO's touch of home will mean even more--
    even more--as we head toward Thanksgiving and eventually the holiday
    seasons of the winter. And you can tell them they are greatly needed
    where they are and they are greatly missed back home. And you can tell
    them the American people and the President are proud of their service.
        May God bless the USO, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:25 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to entertainers Wayne Newton, Bob
    Hope, Neil McCoy, Rob Schneider, Jessica Simpson, Tom Hanks, and Quincy
    Jones; Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld;
    John Gottschalk, chairman, USO World Board of Governors; and Gen. John
    H. Tilelli, Jr., USA (Ret.), president, USO.