[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 6 (Monday, February 11, 2002)]
[Pages 176-178]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Armed Forces at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton 
Beach, Florida

February 4, 2002

    Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you very much. I appreciate 
your warm welcome. It is an honor to be here with the men and women who 
wear our uniform. It's an honor to be at Eglin. And it's appropriate 
that I was delivered to your door on an Air Force jet.
    I not only want to thank all of you who wear our uniform, I want to 
thank your families, as well. I understand that military life makes a 
lot of demands on those who serve, and I also understand the family's 
sacrifice. And for that, your Nation is grateful. Every family member 
here today can be certain that our Nation's cause is right, and our 
Nation's cause is just. You can be sure of something else: In this war 
against terror, the forces of freedom will prevail.
    I always enjoy coming to States which have a great Governor. Enough 
said. [Laughter] It's clear that both of us were listening to our 
mother. [Laughter] My advice to all you youngsters out there is: Listen 
to your mother. [Laughter] Right, Buddy?
    I'm also honored to be here with Ched Bob. As you know, I like 
nicknames. I never heard a general called Ched Bob before. [Laughter] 
But General, thank you for your leadership. I also want to thank General 
Lyles and General Stogsdill, as well, for their leadership for our 
country. I'm proud of the men and women who wear the uniform. And I'm 
proud we've got some of the finest--finest--Americans who are leading 
our brave troops, including General Hester.
    I also want to thank Congressman Miller. Congressman Miller flew 
down with me today on Air Force One. He's a young Congressman; he just 
got up there. But I can assure you one thing: When it comes to 
supporting the men and women in the military, you've got a strong 
supporter in Jeff Miller.
    Not only am I pleased to be with so many from Eglin, I'm also 
pleased to be from--men and women and families from the headquarters of 
the Special--the Air Force Special Operations Command in Hurlburt--
[applause]--the quiet professionals. You don't sound so quiet today, 
however. You perform with daring and dedication. You've made an 
impression on the enemy. You've given the terrorists around the world 
their first glimpse at their fate.
    The 16th Special Operations Wing has a motto: ``Any Time, Any 
Place.'' You spend every day training, testing, and preparing for any 
mission that may come. It makes me feel good to be the Commander in 
Chief of people who train hard for any mission that may come. You 
perform your missions with success and with honor, and you've made 
America proud.
    I understand that one young man has returned from the war zone in 
time for the birth of twins. My congratulations to Staff Sergeant 
Christopher Avery and Erica. Staff Sergeant, you can take it from the 
Commander in Chief and a father of twins: You're going to be a busy man. 
[Laughter]
    Our military has a new mission for the 21st century. It came 
suddenly, but you were ready. The 919th Special Operations Wing is part 
of a tremendous fighting force that assembled across the world in a 
matter of weeks. You destroyed Afghans' terrorist training camps and 
freed a country from brutal oppression. Our military not only proved 
themselves on the battlefield, but our military were liberators, freeing 
women and children, giving them a chance to breathe the fresh air of 
freedom. For that, I'm so grateful and proud.
    When America was attacked, our men and women in uniform felt it in a 
personal way. A reporter asked an Air Force pilot if he had any direct 
connection to the victims of September the 11th. The pilot replied, ``I 
think we all do. They were Americans.'' That's how we all felt. When you 
strike one American, you strike all Americans, and you can expect to 
hear from us.
    The terrorists are beginning to realize they picked the wrong enemy. 
As I like to put it, they must have been watching too much daytime TV. 
[Laughter] They thought we were soft. They thought we would roll over. 
My oh my, they haven't got us figured out. But they're beginning to 
understand us. You see, we're a patient and deliberate people. We are 
absolutely resolved to find terrorists

[[Page 177]]

where they hide and to root them out one by one.
    Some people may grow weary, but not me, and not you. History has 
called us into action, and we will not stop until the threat of global 
terrorism has been destroyed.
    This message has been made clear to the enemy. It has been made 
clear to the world. It has been made clear to those who think they can 
harm America. And that message is being delivered by the finest military 
ever assembled, the United States military.
    In a short period of time, we're making great progress. It hasn't 
been all that long ago that I called the military into action. I know it 
seems a long time for many of the family members. But when history looks 
back, we haven't been at this for very long, but we're making huge 
progress. We've built a fabulous coalition of many nations in every 
region of the world. They know that in this conflict there is a choice 
to make: Either you're with us, or you're with the terrorists; either 
you're with freedom and justice, or you're on the side of tyranny and 
oppression. And the good news is, civilized people everywhere are taking 
the side of freedom and justice.
    Our first objective in the first theater against the war against 
terror has been achieved; the Taliban are out of business. They're gone, 
and the people of Afghanistan don't miss them one bit. A few months ago, 
some warned that military action would cause an uprising in the streets. 
Well, when we defeated that brutal regime, people did take to the 
streets, but they came out to celebrate. They came out to express their 
joy. They came out to cheer the fact that their oppressors had left and 
freedom had returned.
    And we're working on our next objective. And that's to run down the 
Al Qaida and the rest of the terrorists and maybe give them a free trip 
to Guantanamo Bay. This will take time. It's going to take a while. The 
American people understand that, and for that, I'm grateful. And you 
need to know, I'm a patient man. I don't have a set calendar. All I know 
is, we've got them on the run. And we're after people who, on the one 
hand, send kids to suicide missions, and on the other hand, try to bury 
deep inside some cave. But there's no cave deep enough. There's no place 
they can hide long enough for the long arm of American justice to find 
them and get them.
    Afghanistan is only the first step, the beginning of a long campaign 
to rid the world of terrorists. We're just starting. In the caves they 
ran from, we found evidence of more plans to attack us. And while we're 
on alert at home and doing everything we can to protect innocent life in 
America, the surest way to defend America, the surest way to make sure 
our children grow up in a peaceful and free society, is to be relentless 
in our pursuit of those who would harm America, those who hate freedom, 
and bring them to justice.
    We believe that they've trained thousands of killers, and they view 
the entire world as a battlefield. And that's why we're not going to 
quit, and that's why we're going to rally the nations of freedom, and 
that's why we're going to protect the American people.
    Another objective is to prevent regimes that sponsor terror from 
threatening America or our friends and allies with chemical, biological, 
or nuclear weapons. We must be deliberate as a nation. But time isn't on 
our side. Terrorist states and terrorist allies are an axis of evil, 
seeking weapons of mass destruction. But I've put them on notice. The 
United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous 
regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons. It is 
now up to them to change their behavior. It is now up to them to join 
peaceful nations, but they're on notice--they're on notice.
    And this cause, this historic moment, this great opportunity to 
fight for freedom and to promote the peace for the long term requires a 
strong military. And we must keep it strong with new investments in 
equipment, and we must keep it strong by attracting and retaining the 
best and the brightest in our country.
    We're learning a lot about modern warfare in the first theater, 
Afghanistan. We're learning about weapons and how to use them better. 
It's proof that in this first phase that expensive precision weapons not 
only defeat the enemy but spare innocent lives. And the budget I submit 
makes it clear we need more of them.

[[Page 178]]

    We need to be agile and quick to move. We need to be able to send 
our troops on the battlefields in places that many of us never thought 
there would be a battlefield. We need to be agile and mobile. And 
therefore, we need to replace aging aircraft and get ready to be able to 
defend freedom with the best equipment possible. Our men and women 
deserve the best weapons, the best equipment, and the best training. And 
therefore, I've asked Congress for a one-year increase of more than $48 
billion for national defense, the largest increase in a generation.
    We need one other thing. As I said, we need to recruit and retain 
the best. This budget I submitted has another military pay raise for 
those who wear the uniform.
    We're unified in Washington on winning this war. One way to express 
our unity is for Congress to set the military budget, the defense of the 
United States, as their number one priority and fully fund my request. 
The budget I submit recognizes the vital role the military will play and 
recognizes we have only one alternative, and that is victory.
    One of the great honors I have is the opportunity to work with 
people in our military, from the troops to the former pilot who serves 
as the Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld, my administration's matinee 
idol for the seniors. [Laughter] I've also appointed an Air Force 
general as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. And he brings to the job 
great discipline and duty and service above self. I'm proud of General 
Myers.
    The Air Force has a great ethic, a family ethic. You stick together; 
you take care of your own; and you bring out the best in each other. And 
you know the stakes of this cause. Our enemies want every person on 
Earth to live in tyranny or live in fear. We seek a world that lives in 
peace and freedom. And you know what? There's no doubt in my mind, we're 
going to prevail.
    In the months and years to come, our Nation will be asking much of 
the Air Force and every branch of our military. You have my confidence, 
because you've earned it. You earn it every day in the difficulties you 
accept and the dangers you face. You're each here to serve your country, 
and your country is grateful. You're here because you believe in 
America, and America believes in you.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 10:40 a.m. in the King Hangar. In his 
remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; Brig. Gen. Robert W. 
``Ched Bob'' Chedister, USAF, commander, Air Armament Center; Gen. 
Lester L. Lyles, USAF, commander, Air Force Materiel Command; Brig. Gen. 
Thomas ``Mark'' Stogsdill, USAF, commander, 919th Special Operations 
Wing; and Lt. Gen. Paul V. Hester, USAF, commander, Air Force Special 
Operations Command.