[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 37 (Monday, September 15, 2003)]
[Pages 1197-1201]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to Military Personnel and Families at Fort Stewart, Georgia

September 12, 2003


    The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. 
It's a fine day here in Georgia. Of course, the Governor told me every 
day is a fine day in Georgia.

    Audience members. Hooah!

    The President. It's a great day to visit the soldiers and the 
families of the 3d Infantry Division and to visit Fort Stewart. When I 
came here in February of 2001, it was my first--one of my first official 
trips, my first visit to an Army post as Commander in Chief, and my 
first chance as President to say: Hooah!

    Audience members. Hooah!

    The President. Since we last met, soldiers of the 3d Infantry 
Division have fought in Afghanistan and have hunted terrorists in 
Pakistan; you've launched the coalition offensive into Iraq, defeated 
the enemy in Najaf; you took the Saddam Hussein International Airport 
and seized his palaces; and you led the fighting into Baghdad the day 
the statue of the dictator was pulled down.

    Audience members. Hooah!

    The President. Following that day of liberation, 3d ID soldiers have 
helped the Iraqi people to recover from years of oppression, to begin 
the work of building a free Iraq. Two months ago, the Sergeant Major of 
the Army, Jack Tilley, spoke to the 3d ID troops in Fallujah. He said 
this--he said, ``Be proud of who you are. Stand up straight. You made 
history.'' As Commander in Chief, I second those words. You made 
history. You've made our Nation proud. And you have earned the 
Presidential Unit Citation.
    After a long deployment, the 3d ID is now home. America is grateful 
for your devoted

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service in hard conditions. America is grateful to the men and women 
right here on this base who supported your mission.
    And we're especially grateful to our military families. I know it 
has been a tough 9 months for Fort Stewart families. But you've been 
loyal and patient, and you've looked out for one another. I want to 
thank you for the support you've given to your loved ones. Thank for the 
love of your country. Our Nation is grateful.
    I want to thank General Blount for inviting me here today. I told 
him, I said he's a pretty eloquent speaker for a good warrior. 
[Laughter] I appreciate General Ellis, good to see him again today, the 
commander of U.S. Forces Command.
    I'm honored to be traveling with two fine United States Senators, 
Senator Zell Miller and Senator Saxby Chambliss of the great State of 
Georgia, strong supporters of the United States military. As well, we 
traveled down with Jack Kingston and Max Burns, two fine Members of the 
House of Representatives. As well, they are strong supporters of the 
United States military.
    Of course, I already mentioned the Governor once. He said, ``Every 
day is a beautiful day in Georgia.'' I'm proud to be with him. He's a 
good friend, solid American.
    I also am pleased to be here with Brigadier General Joe Riojas, 
assistant division commander; Bob Caslen--Colonel Caslen, assistant 
division commander; Colonel Larry Burch; Colonel John Kidd; Sergeant 
Major Kellman; and Captain Vern Tubbs. I want to thank you all very much 
for bringing me here today. It's an honor to be here.
    Two-and-a-half years ago--or 2 years ago, this Nation came under 
enemy attack. Two years ago yesterday we were attacked. On a single 
morning, we suffered the highest casualties on our own soil since the 
Civil War. America saw the face of a new adversary, an enemy that plots 
in secret, an enemy that rejects the rules of war, an enemy that 
rejoices in the murder of the innocent. We made a pledge that day, and 
we have kept it: We are bringing the guilty to justice; we are taking 
the fight to the enemy.
    In this new kind of war, America has followed a new strategy. We are 
not waiting for further attacks on our citizens. We are striking our 
enemies before they can strike us again. As all of you know, wars are 
fought on the offensive. The war on terror will be won on the offensive, 
and America and our friends are staying on the offensive. We're rolling 
back the terrorist threat not on the fringes of its influence but at the 
heart of its power.
    In Afghanistan, America and our broad coalition acted against a 
regime that harbored Al Qaida and ruled by terror. We've sent a message 
that is now understood throughout the world: If you harbor a terrorist, 
if you support a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, you're just as 
guilty as the terrorists. And the Taliban found out what we meant. 
Thanks to our men and women in uniform, Afghanistan is no longer a haven 
for terror, and as a result, the people of America are safer from 
attack.
    We are hunting the Al Qaida terrorists wherever they still hide, 
from Pakistan to the Philippines to the Horn of Africa. And we're making 
good progress. Nearly two-thirds of Al Qaida's known leaders have been 
captured or killed. The rest of them are dangerous, but the rest of them 
can be certain we're on their trail. Our resolve is firm. The resolve of 
this Nation is clear: No matter how long it takes, we will bring justice 
to those who plot against America.
    And we have pursued the war on terror in Iraq. Our coalition 
enforced the demands of the U.N. Security Council in one of the swiftest 
and most humane military campaigns in history. Because of our military, 
catastrophic weapons will no longer be in the hands of a reckless 
dictator. Because of our military, Middle Eastern countries no longer 
fear subversion and attack by Saddam Hussein. Because of our military, 
the torture chambers in Iraq are closed, and people who speak their 
minds need not fear execution. Because of our military, the people of 
Iraq are free.
    Now we're working with the Iraqi people to build a decent and 
democratic society, a country that is an example of peace, not an 
exporter of violence. This undertaking is difficult, and it is costly. 
Yet it is worthy of our country, and it is critical to our security. 
You've seen how Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists are desperately--
desperately

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trying to undermine Iraq's progress and to throw that country into 
chaos. You know, they understand that a free Iraq will be free of them, 
free of assassins and torturers and secret police. As democracy and 
freedom rise in Iraq, their ambitions will fall just like the statues of 
Saddam Hussein.
    The terrorists have a strategic goal. They want America to leave 
Iraq before our work is done. You see, they believe their attacks on our 
people and on innocent people will shake the will of the United States 
and the civilized world. They believe America will run from a challenge. 
They don't know us very well.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. They're mistaken. Iraq is now the central front in 
the war on terror. This Nation will complete our work, and we will win 
this essential victory.
    The people of our military have faced many hardships in Iraq, and 
you faced them with courage. You know the names of some who fought for 
our country and didn't come home, who died in the line of duty. You 
remember them as comrades and friends. This Nation will remember them 
for their unselfish courage, for their sacrifice in a time of danger to 
America. We honor their memory. We pray for God's comfort on their 
family and loved ones.
    All who serve understand what this fight is about. Our military is 
confronting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and in other places, so 
that our people will not have to confront terrorist violence in our own 
cities.
    Our strategy in Iraq has three objectives. First, we are destroying 
the terrorists by swift and decisive action. We continue to launch raids 
against these enemies. We're rounding them up. We're seizing their 
weapons. And as for the leaders of the former regime, we're working our 
way through the famous deck of cards. The Iraqi people are helping with 
critical leads, and with each new capture the word gets out.
    In a letter home this summer, an American soldier described the 
following scene in Baghdad after two of those cards were dealt with. He 
wrote: ``The whole city was erupting in gunfire. There were tracer 
rounds flying through the air all over. Everyone was hyped to the max. 
Then we got the call over the radio. It was celebration fire because we 
caught Saddam's sons.'' Altogether, 42 of the 55 most wanted former 
Iraqi leaders have been captured or killed. It's a matter of time for 
the rest of them.
    Our second objective is to bring in other nations to help Iraq build 
a free country; that'll make the world more secure. Already two 
multinational divisions--perhaps you saw brothers and sisters in combat 
when you were in Iraq--divisions led by the Brits and the Poles, they're 
sharing responsibilities with us. And we thank all the nations who have 
contributed.
    It's time for others to join us. Tomorrow Secretary Powell will be 
in Geneva, consulting with friends and allies and the officials of the 
United Nations. He'll carry a message: No free nation can be neutral in 
the fight between civilization and chaos. Terrorists in Iraq have 
attacked representatives of the civilized world, and opposing them and 
defeating them must be the cause of the civilized world.
    Our third goal is to encourage the orderly transfer of sovereignty 
and authority to the Iraqi people. We're helping to train Iraqi civil 
defense forces and police and border guards. In these and other roles, 
some 60,000 Iraqis are now helping to secure their country. Iraq's new 
Governing Council represents the nation's diverse groups. Ninety percent 
of the communities have local councils. In Baghdad, a new city council 
is at work, chosen by all the neighborhoods in the cities. In the months 
ahead, the Iraqis will be drafting a new constitution, and this will 
prepare the way for elections. With our help, and with the great 
strength of its own people, Iraq is getting rid of the days of 
dictatorship and terror and is moving toward a future of stability and 
freedom. And life is returning to normal for a lot of the citizens in 
Iraq.
    The day the regime fell, only 30 percent of the hospitals in Iraq 
were functioning. Now almost every hospital in Iraq is open. America and 
our coalition have provided more than 22 million doses of vaccine to 
over 4 million children and a million pregnant women. We're refurbishing 
more than 1,000 schools in Iraq.
    One school in Baghdad is called the Hiba School. It was founded by a 
woman named

[[Page 1200]]

Sarahiah, for children with Down syndrome. The old regime gave the Hiba 
School no help. You see, Down syndrome children were viewed as hopeless 
and useless. By now a unit of American soldiers has--but now a unit of 
American soldiers has taken the Hiba School under its wing. They've been 
collecting donations from home to pay for supplies and clothing for the 
children and salaries for the teachers. The effort has been led by 
Lieutenant Colonel Bowyer of the 1st Armored Division. He's got a 
special interest. You see, his own son, Samuel, has Down syndrome.
    Sarahiah calls Colonel Bowyer ``our first friend and our best 
friend.'' And in the Hiba School, the Iraqi children have put up a 
picture of Sam Bowyer on the wall to thank him--to thank his dad, to 
thank our country.
    See, the Iraqi people are coming to know the kind of men and women 
we've sent to liberate their country. In your courage and in your 
compassion, the people of our Armed Forces represent the best of 
American character.
    When I addressed the Nation a few nights ago from the White House, I 
read a letter I'd received from an Army captain serving in Baghdad. Some 
of you know him. You gave him a pretty good seat here today--Captain 
Vern Tubbs. He wrote about his pride in serving a just cause and about 
the deep desire for Iraqis for liberty. ``I see it,'' he said, ``in the 
eyes of a hungry people every day here. They're starved for freedom and 
opportunity.'' Captain Tubbs and all of you have helped put Iraq on the 
path to freedom and opportunity. And every man, woman, and child in Iraq 
can be certain of this: The old regime is gone, and the regime is never 
coming back.
    As America carries out its strategy for security and reconstruction, 
we need the resources to do the job in Iraq. Soon I will send Congress a 
request for additional money we need to keep our commitments. In this 
time of challenge of America, as we ask so much of our military, we in 
Government have a solemn responsibility to give you every tool you need 
to achieve victory.
    This base and all of you serving here are critical to the defense of 
the United States. You've shown that, once again, by enduring a long 
deployment and performing brilliantly every day under difficult and 
dangerous circumstances, that you're worthy of the task, and you're 
worthy of our trust. Our whole Nation has been reminded that we can 
never take our military for granted. I will keep our military strong.
    This was the message of another President, John F. Kennedy, when he 
visited Fort Stewart in 1962 and spoke to the troops on Donovan Field. 
President Kennedy said this: ``Regardless of how persistent our 
diplomacy may be in activities stretching all around the globe, in the 
final analysis it rests upon the power of the United States, and that 
power rests upon the will and courage of our citizens and upon you in 
this field.'' Soldiers and families of Fort Stewart, those words are 
still true today. Peace and America's security depends on you.
    In meeting the dangers of a new era, the world looks to America for 
leadership. And America counts on the men and women who have stepped 
forward as volunteers in the cause of freedom.
    I want to thank you all for your good service. Thank you for the 
credit and honor you bring to our country every day. May God bless you. 
May God bless your families, and may God continue to bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 10:02 a.m. at Trent Field. In his remarks, 
he referred to Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia; Gen. Larry R. Ellis, USA, 
commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command; Gen. Buford C. Blount III, 
USA, commanding general, Brig. Gen. Jose D. Riojas, USA, assistant 
division commander, Col. Robert L. Caslen, USA, assistant division 
commander, Col. Glenn L. Burch, USA, chief of staff, Col. John M. Kidd, 
USA, garrison commander, and Sgt. Maj. Julian A. Kellman, USA, division 
command sergeant major, 3d Infantry Division, Fort Stewart and Hunter 
Army Airfield; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; former President 
Hussein's sons, Uday and Qusay, who were killed July 22 by U.S. military 
forces in Mosul, Iraq; and Lt. Col. Richard Bowyer, USA, 1st Armored 
Division.

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