[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 33 (Monday, August 18, 2003)]
[Pages 1056-1059]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, California

August 14, 2003

    Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming out to say 
hello. It's getting a little quiet on the ranch--[laughter]--so I 
decided to pay a visit to the ``devil dogs.''
    I'm honored to be in the presence of the men and women who wear our 
Nation's uniform. I'm proud of you, and I want to thank you for your 
service to our great country. Each of you serves in a crucial time in 
our Nation's history. And this Nation is grateful for the sacrifice and 
service you make.
    Many of you have recently returned from Iraq, and it seems like 
you're happy to be home. More than 70,000 men and women

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from bases in southern California were deployed in Iraq. You served with 
honor; you served with skill; and you were successful.
    Before you went in, Iraqis were an oppressed people, and the 
dictator threatened his neighbors, the Middle East, and the world. 
Today, the Iraqis are liberated people; the former regime is gone; and 
our Nation and the world is more secure.
    This Nation is at war with people who hate what we stand for. We 
love freedom, and we're not going to change. Our country depends on you 
to protect our freedom, and every day, you depend on your families. This 
has been a challenging time for military families. I know that. During 
the last year, our families and our military have met hardships and met 
them together. You've supported and looked out for one another. You've 
been strong and faithful to the people you love. Military families make 
tremendous sacrifices for America, and our Nation is grateful for your 
service to our country.
    I appreciate General Conway. This isn't the first time I met him. He 
looks you right in the eye. He's the kind of commander I'd like to serve 
under--it's just that, he just serves under me. [Laughter] I appreciate 
General Amos, General Gallinetti. I appreciate all those who are in 
command of forces here. I want to thank you for what you do.
    We've got members of the California congressional delegation here. 
These are stalwarts when it comes to understanding the need to provide 
you the resources necessary to do your job. There's no finer Congressman 
when it comes to military affairs than Congressman Duncan Hunter. With 
him, the Congressman from southern California as well; I call him ``The 
Ace,'' because he was an ace in Vietnam, a great fighter pilot, Randy 
``Duke'' Cunningham. Two other members of the delegation are here who 
are friends of mine, people who serve with distinction, Congressman Ed 
Royce and Congressman Darrell Issa. I'm honored you all are here. Thank 
you for coming.
    The Marine Corps Air Station and the military bases of southern 
California have long, long been crucial to the defense of this country. 
We intend to keep it that way. Generations of marines and sailors and 
pilots have trained and served here. And for the veterans who are with 
us today, I thank you for your service to our country.
    Now you have been called. This group of marines and sailors have 
been called to serve in the first war of the 21st century. The war began 
almost 2 years ago, on September the 11th, 2001, when this Nation was 
brutally attacked and thousands of our fellow citizens died. We were 
awakened to new dangers on that day.
    On that morning, the threats that had gathered far across the world 
appeared suddenly in our own cities. The world changed on that day. The 
enemies of the United States showed the harm they can do and the evil 
they intend. Since that September morning, our enemies have also seen 
something: They have seen the will and the might of the United States 
military, and they are meeting the fate they chose for themselves.
    Our Nation is waging a broad and unrelenting campaign against the 
global terror network, and we're winning. Wherever Al Qaida terrorists 
try to hide, from the caves and mountains of Central Asia to the islands 
of the Philippines to the cities in Pakistan, we are finding them, and 
we are bringing them to justice.
    In the last 2 days, we captured a major terrorist named Hambali. 
He's a known killer who was a close associate of September the 11th 
mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Hambali was one of the world's most 
lethal terrorists, who is suspected of planning major terrorist 
operations, including that which occurred in Bali, Indonesia, and other 
recent attacks. He is no longer a problem to those of us who love 
freedom, and neither are nearly two-thirds of known senior Al Qaida 
leaders, operational managers, and key facilitators who have been 
captured or have been killed.
    Now, we're making progress. Slowly but surely, we're doing our duty 
to our fellow citizens. Now, Al Qaida is still active, and they're still 
recruiting, and they're still a threat because we won't cower. Its 
leaders and foot soldiers continue to plot against the American people. 
But every terrorist can be certain of this: Wherever they are, we will 
hunt them down one by one until they are no longer a threat to the 
people who live in the United States of America.

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    Many of you served in Operation Enduring Freedom, and we thank you 
for your service. You can be proud of help--to liberate the good people 
of Afghanistan from the thugs who turned that country into a training 
camp for Al Qaida terrorists. You enforced the doctrine which said, ``If 
you harbor a terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, if you feed a 
terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists,'' and the Taliban 
found out what we meant.
    Afghanistan today is a friend of the United States of America. It is 
not a haven for America's terrorist enemies. As NATO assumes a leading 
role in keeping Afghanistan secure, we're helping with the 
reconstruction and the founding of a democratic government. We're making 
steady progress in Afghanistan. New roads are being built. Medical 
clinics are opening. There are new schools in Afghanistan where many 
young girls are now going to school for the first time, thanks to the 
United States of America.
    We've also helped to build an Afghan national army. We want the 
Afghan people to defend themselves at some point in time. This army 
launched its first major operation, called Warrior Sweep, which are 
hunting down the terrorists along with the help of the United States of 
America. Now, thanks to the United States and our fine allies, 
Afghanistan is no longer a haven for terror. The Taliban is history, and 
the Afghan people are free.
    The war on terror also continues in Iraq. Make no mistake about it, 
Iraq is part of the war on terror. Our coalition forces are still 
engaged in an essential mission. We met the major combat objectives in 
Operation Iraqi Freedom by removing a regime that persecuted Iraqis, 
that supported terrorists, and that was armed to threaten the peace of 
the world. All the world is now seeing just how badly the Iraqi people 
suffered under this brutal dictator. The Iraqi people themselves are 
seeing a new day, thanks to the brave men and women who came to liberate 
them.
    Thanks to our military, Iraqi citizens do not have to fear a secret 
police, arbitrary arrests, or loved ones lost forever in mass graves. 
Thanks to our military, the torture chambers of a dictator are closed; 
the prison cells for children are empty. Thanks to our military, Saddam 
Hussein will never threaten anybody with a weapon of mass destruction.
    Many members of the former regime challenged our military and had 
their day of reckoning, and the other ones still in there have a lot to 
worry about. Parts of Iraq are still dangerous because freedom has 
enemies inside of Iraq. Men loyal to the fallen regime, some joined by 
foreign terrorists, are trying to prevent order and stability.
    We're on the offensive against these killers. We're going after 
them. We'll raid their hiding places, and we'll find them. The brave 
Americans who carry out these missions can know they will have every 
tool and every resource they need to defend themselves and to do the job 
they were sent to do.
    The terrorists will meet their end, and in the meantime, the Iraqi 
people are making steady progress in building a stable society and 
beginning to form a democratic government. Iraq's new Governing Council 
represents the Nation's diverse groups. In the months ahead, Iraqis will 
begin drafting a new constitution, and this will prepare the way for 
elections. America and our coalition are training Iraqi civil defense 
and police forces so they can patrol their own cities and their own 
villages. We're training a new army, an army that defends the people 
instead of terrorizes them.
    Life is returning to normal for a lot of citizens in Iraq. Hospitals 
and universities have opened. In many places, water and other utility 
services are reaching pre-war levels. For the first time, a free press 
is operating in Iraq. Across Iraq, nearly all schoolchildren have 
completed their exams. And now those children are receiving a real 
education without the hateful propaganda of Saddam Hussein.
    By the hard efforts of our military, we are keeping our word to the 
world and to the Iraqi people. The illegal weapons hidden by the former 
regime will be found. The free and representative government Iraqis are 
building is there to stay.
    A free and peaceful Iraq is an important part of winning the war on 
terror. A free Iraq will no longer be a training ground for terrorists, 
will no longer supply them with money or weapons. A free Iraq will help 
to rid the Middle East of resentment and violence and

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radicalism. A free Iraq will show all nations of the region that human 
freedom brings progress and prosperity. By working for peace and 
stability in the Middle East, we're making America and future 
generations of Americans more secure.
    Our actions in Iraq are part of a duty we have accepted across the 
world. We're keeping our resolve, and we will stay focused on the war on 
terror. The United States will not stand by and wait for another attack. 
We will not trust the restraint or good intentions of evil people. We 
will oppose terrorists and all who support them. We will not permit any 
terrorist group or outlaw regime to threaten us with weapons of mass 
destruction. And when necessary, we will act decisively to protect the 
lives of our fellow citizens.
    As our Nation confronts great challenges, we rely, as always, on the 
goodness and courage of the men and women of our military. Like all our 
men and women who continue to serve in Iraq, you've done hard duty far 
from home and family, and I know you'll never forget the people who 
fought at your side. As a major from Miramar said of his fellow marines 
who served in Iraq, ``They are my brothers and sisters.'' Each of you 
recalls especially the ones who gave their lives for freedom of others. 
The United States will always honor their memory. And today we ask the 
Almighty's blessings on those who grieve here on Earth for their loved 
ones.
    I know you're proud to wear the same uniform they wore. Each of you 
has chosen--you have made the choice to fill a great calling, to live by 
a code of honor, in service to your Nation, for the safety and security 
of your fellow citizens. You and I have taken an oath to defend America. 
We're meeting that duty together, and I am proud to be the Commander in 
Chief of such a fabulous group of men and women who wear our uniform.
    May God bless you. May God bless you and your families. May God 
continue to bless the United States of America. Semper fi.

Note: The President spoke at 12:23 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Lt. Gen. James T. Conway, USMC, commanding general, I Marine 
Expeditionary Force; Maj. Gen. James F. Amos, USMC, commanding general, 
3d Marine Aircraft Wing; Maj. Gen. (Select) Jon A. Gallinetti, USMC, 
commander, Marine Corps Air Bases Western Area, and commanding general, 
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar; Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (known as 
Hambali), Al Qaida's chief operational planner in Southeast Asia; Khalid 
Sheik Mohammed, senior Al Qaida leader responsible for planning the 
September 11 attack, who was captured in Pakistan on March 1; and former 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.