    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 25 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
    [Pages 1106-1111]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at Fort Lewis, Washington

    June 18, 2004

        The President. Thank you all very much. It's great to be here in the
    State of Washington. I think the Senator would say it's great to be out
    of Washington--the other Washington. [Laughter] We're honored to be in
    your presence. We're honored to be with the soldiers who proudly wear
    our uniforms. And we're honored to be here with the families that
    support them.
        I want to thank Senator John McCain for joining us. It is a
    privilege to be introduced to our men and women in uniform by a man who
    brought such credit to the uniform. When he speaks of service and
    sacrifice, he speaks from experience. The United States military has no
    better friend in the United States Senate than John McCain.
        The men and women of Fort Lewis, Washington, have contributed
    mightily--mightily--to our efforts to defeat the terrorists, and I'm
    here to thank you for your efforts. I'm here to thank you on behalf of a
    grateful nation for what you have done, what you are doing, and what you
    will do to make sure America is more secure and the world is more
    peaceful.
        Many of you have recently returned from Iraq. Thank you for your
    service. Some have returned from Afghanistan. Some are preparing to head
    out for a second tour. You're defending your fellow citizens. You're
    extending the reach of freedom. You're making America incredibly proud.
        I appreciate General Jimmy Collins' hospitality. He found a pretty
    good sack for me last night. [Laughter] I also want to thank Linda for
    her hospitality as well.
        Today Senator McCain and I are joined by another fine Member of the
    United States Senate, Senator John Ensign from the State of Nevada.
    Appreciate you coming.
        Audience member. Yeah!
        The President. Have you actually heard of Ensign, or are you from
    Nevada?
        Audience member. I'm from Las Vegas.
        The President. Vegas--okay, good. [Laughter] Congressman Adam Smith
    is with us today. I appreciate you being here, Congressman. Thank you
    for coming.
        The Lieutenant Governor of the State of Washington, Brad Owen, and
    his wife, Linda, is with us. Thank you for coming, Governor. I
    appreciate you being here. I know we've got State and local officials
    here. If there's any mayors here, make sure you fill the potholes.
    [Laughter]
        Yesterday I met Nadine Gulit. Nadine and her daughter, Sheryl,
    started what's called Operation Support Our Troops. I see a lot of heads
    nodding. You see, these women are soldiers in the army of compassion.
    These are volunteers who have decided to take time out of their lives to
    help others. Oftentimes we talk about the great strength of America

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    being our military. We'll keep it strong. But the greatest strength of
    America is the hearts and souls of our fellow citizens, those of you who
    are willing to mentor a child, those of you who are willing to feed the
    hungry or find shelter for the homeless, those of you who are willing to
    love your neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourselves. The
    reason I bring up--I want to thank Nadine for her compassion and for the
    example she has set.
        I'm especially grateful to the families who are here today. I see
    the pictures and the ribbons. Military service is a family commitment.
    And it's a big commitment, especially when you have a loved one serving
    in faraway lands or preparing to deploy. By loving and supporting a
    person in uniform, you're serving your country, and our Nation is really
    grateful to you.
        It's great to be here with ``America's Corps.'' I'm told the 1st
    Corps is the most decorated corps in the United States Army. You have a
    proud history, and you continue to make history. You're bringing great
    credit to the United States of America. Each of you is a volunteer. You
    sacrifice in the service of a higher calling, the cause of your Nation,
    and we are grateful for that sacrifice. People all over our country will
    join me in saying, ``Thank you for what you're doing for our country.''
        Our Government owes you more than gratitude. I've made a
    commitment--Senator McCain and Senator Ensign have made the same
    commitment--to the men and women of our military and their families: You
    will have all the resources and all the capabilities you need to fight
    and win the war on terror.
        On September the 11th, 2001, we learned that threats gathering on
    the other side of the world can arrive suddenly and bring tragedy to our
    great Nation. On that day, the enemy declared war on the United States
    of America, and war is what they got. I vowed to use every power, every
    tool, every asset at our disposal to bring justice to our enemies and to
    protect the American people. And that is exactly what we're doing today.
        This is a different kind of war, as you all have learned. Against
    this kind of threat, our military must be able to move swiftly to strike
    the enemy with precision and lethal power. And so, as we fight the war
    to protect America, we are transforming our forces and investing in the
    future. And much of that transformation takes place here at Fort Lewis.
    You're on the leading edge of change. You're on the leading edge of
    making sure this country will protect our citizens.
        We're working to develop more unmanned vehicles in space and on
    land, in air, and at sea. We're building better precision-guided
    munitions so we can strike freedom's enemies with greater effectiveness
    at greater distance and spare the innocent. We're developing better
    surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities so we can continuously
    locate and track moving targets from the air and from space, 24 hours a
    day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
        We're seeing every day that advanced weapons can make a critical
    difference in the war on terror, but the major difference in winning the
    war on terror is the people. The major difference is those who wear the
    uniform, a highly skilled, highly motivated, fantastic group of men and
    women.
        The soldiers of Fort Lewis are serving on the frontlines of the war
    on terror, and you're on the cutting edge of military transformation,
    and I thank you for that. This is the home of the Army's first two
    Stryker Brigades. These combat teams are built around 21st century
    armored vehicles that can maneuver in urban terrain and get soldiers to
    the fight with unmatched speed and stealth and power. In Samarra, Iraqis
    have taken to calling the Stryker Brigades the ``Ghost Riders'' because
    they arrive in near total silence and strike the enemy without warning.
    The terrorists in Iraq have plenty to fear from the ``Ghost Riders'' of
    Fort Lewis, Washington.
        Fort Lewis is also home to many of our Nation's Special Operations
    forces, who are redefining war on our terms. In Afghanistan, Special Ops
    with high-tech weapons joined with tribal warriors on horseback to help
    remove the Taliban regime in just 49 days. In Iraq, Special Operations
    teams fanned out across the country, pinpointing targets and preparing
    landing strips and securing oilfields and hunting for Scuds, all before
    the dictator even knew what hit him. Today, our

    [[Page 1108]]

    Special Operation forces are hunting the enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan
    and elsewhere, carrying swift justice to those who would harm Americans.
        These great capabilities are deployed in a great cause. America and
    free nations face a new totalitarian threat, a real threat to our
    security. It's not just from a single superpower but from networks of
    terrorists, allied with outlaw regimes. This enemy seeks to control
    nations in the Middle East. They seek to destroy moderate governments.
    They seek to impose a dark, dim vision of the world, a vision which
    subjugates women to second-class citizenry, a vision which will not
    allow others to express their opinion, a vision which will stamp out all
    forms of religion except their narrowly constructed view of religion.
        These killers will kill innocent people in order to shake our will
    and confidence. They want us to forget our duty. They want us to cower
    in the face of their cowardice. They have vowed to destroy America. They
    want to gain weapons of mass destruction. But like aggressors of another
    time, the terrorists have chose the wrong enemy in the United States of
    America.
        You can't reason with these people. There's no need to negotiate
    with them. Therapy is not going to work. [Laughter] To win this war, we
    will stay on the offensive and bring them to justice. Thanks to your
    hard work, we're making progress. We are slowly but surely dismantling
    the Al Qaida network. There is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from
    American justice.
        We will be strong and we will be relentless in our duty to protect
    our fellow citizens. To win this war, we will deal with states that
    harbor the terrorists. Right after September the 11th, I laid out a new
    doctrine which said, ``If you harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty
    as the terrorists.'' I also am mindful of this: When the President of
    the United States speaks, he must mean what he says.
        I mean what I said, and the Taliban found that out, thanks to the
    United States military and our friends. Today, because our coalition
    acted, there are no terror training camps in Afghanistan. And if there
    are, if they're thinking about them, we will find them and destroy them.
    The Taliban regime no longer is in power. The country is free. Thanks to
    our coalition, hospitals and clinics are being built and rehabilitated.
    Thanks to the actions your loved ones and you have taken in Afghanistan,
    many young girls now go to school for the first time in their life. And
    this September, Afghans will hold free elections.
        To win this war, we are confronting regimes with ties to terror that
    arm to threaten the peace. We will remove threats before they arrive,
    instead of waiting for the next attack, the next catastrophe. That is
    one of the lessons of September the 11th we must never forget.
        Saddam Hussein's regime posed a threat to the American people and
    people around the world. Iraq was a country in which millions of people
    lived in fear and many thousands disappeared into mass graves. This was
    a regime that tortured children in front of their parents. This was a
    regime that had invaded its neighbors. This is a regime that had used
    chemical weapons before. It had used weapons not only against countries
    in its neighborhood but against its own citizens. This is a regime which
    gave cash rewards to families of suicide bombers. This is a regime that
    sheltered terrorist groups. This is a regime that hated America.
        And so we saw a threat, and it was a real threat. And that's why I
    went to the United Nations. The administration looked at the
    intelligence, saw a threat, and remembered the facts and saw a threat.
    The Congress, members of both political parties, looked at the
    intelligence. They saw a threat. The members of the United Nations
    Security Council looked at the intelligence and saw a threat and voted
    unanimously to send the message to Mr. Saddam Hussein, ``Disarm, or face
    serious consequences.'' As usual, he ignored the demands of the free
    world. So I had a choice to make, either to trust the word of a madman
    or defend America. Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
        Thanks to our troops and thanks to the troops of our friends, one of
    the most evil and brutal regimes in history no longer exists. Iraq is
    better off today; America is more secure today because Saddam Hussein
    sits in a prison cell.
        To win this war, we will not only keep the pressure on the enemy; we
    will spread freedom and democracy throughout the Middle

    [[Page 1109]]

    East. We will spread freedom and democracy as an alternative to
    bitterness and terror. We believe that when men and women are given the
    opportunities and choices of a free society, they will turn their energy
    to the pursuits of peace. That's what we believe. We fully understand
    freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty
    God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
        And our enemies understand the power of free societies. They
    understand that the spread of freedom will be a major defeat for their
    dark vision. And so freedom--those who long for freedom in Iraq and
    those who help the Iraqis to see freedom and those who long for freedom
    in Afghanistan and those who are helping the Afghans achieve freedom
    faced deadly and determined enemies. We're fighting those enemies with
    skill and courage.
        You know, our American soldiers not only are showing great courage
    and bravery, but they're showing great respect for the cultures of those
    countries. That's because we have sent decent people into harm's way,
    good, honorable men and women who represent the best of America.
        These are difficult tasks, I know, and they're hard tasks. And
    people wonder whether we'll succeed. I know that. But I'm here to tell
    you, these are essential tasks for our security and for peace of the
    world. You see, by fighting the terrorists in distance land--distant
    lands, you are making sure your fellow citizens do not face them here at
    home. By helping the rise of democracy in Iraq and throughout the world,
    you are giving people an alternative to bitterness and hatred, and that
    is essential to the peace of the world.
        This week, President Karzai came to the White House and the U.S.
    Capitol and thanked the American people and thanked our soldiers and
    their families for helping to free his country and for being a friend.
    The President of Iraq came to America last week and expressed his
    gratitude as well. These are thankful people, because they know what
    you've done. They've seen firsthand the power of liberation. See, they
    have seen our mission. We don't come to conquer. We come to liberate,
    and we will stand with them until their freedom is secure.
        We're moving forward with a five-point plan for Iraqi self-
    government. We're handing over authority to a sovereign Iraqi
    government. We're encouraging more international support for the Iraqi
    transition. We're helping the Iraqis take responsibility for their own
    security. We're continuing to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure, and we are
    moving toward free elections. A turning point will come in less than 2
    weeks. On June the 30th, full sovereignty will be transferred to the
    interim government. The Coalition Provisional Authority will cease to
    exist. An American Embassy will open in the capital of a free Iraq.
        Iraq's new leaders are rising to their responsibilities. That's what
    you're seeing. They're assuming responsibility. Our coalition and the
    United Nations are working to prepare the way for national elections.
    The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to endorse the
    Iraqi interim government and their plans for political transition. The
    Iraqi people are making steady progress toward a free society in a
    partnership with the United States of America and many other nations.
    And we will not let thugs and killers stand in the way of democracy in
    Iraq.
        It is essential that Iraq gain the means of self-defense. So we're
    now leading an international effort to train new Iraqi security forces.
    You see, there are now 200,000 Iraqis on duty or in training in various
    branches of the Iraqi security operations. And we need work. We need
    more--there's more work to do. They need to work better. I know that,
    and one way to do so is to build Iraqi chains of command, because Iraqi
    citizens, naturally, want to take orders from Iraqi officers. So we're
    helping to prepare a new generation of Iraqi military commanders who
    will take the lead in defending their country.
        And we're beginning to see results of people stepping up to defend
    themselves. Iraqi police and Civil Defense Corps have captured several
    wanted terrorists, including Umar Baziyani. He was a key lieutenant of
    this killer named Zarqawi who's ordering the suiciders inside of Iraq.
    By the way, he was the fellow who was in Baghdad at times prior to our
    arrival. He was operating out of Iraq. He was an Al Qaida associate.
    See, he was

    [[Page 1110]]

    there before we came. He's there after we came. And we'll find him, and
    he will be brought to justice, for the sake of peace and security.
        The commander of Task Force Olympia--you might have heard of him--
    Brigadier General Carter Ham said recently about a response by Iraqi
    forces in Mosul that the Iraqi forces stood strong. I suspect General
    Ham is someone who likes to tell the truth. In Najaf, Iraqi police are
    back on the streets. The citizens are glad to see them there. See, they
    want what we want. They want their families to grow up in a peaceful
    society. In Al Kharma, soldiers of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps were
    awarded medals for valor after battling insurgents and rescuing a
    wounded marine. ``I feel very, very bad the marine was shot because
    they're like my brothers,'' said one of the decorated Iraqi soldiers,
    ``but I'm ready to go out again. I'm always ready,'' he said.
        You see, these brave Iraqis are setting an example for their fellow
    citizens. They're staying in the fight. They're taking the battle to the
    terrorists and the foreign fighters and the Saddam holdouts. They're
    securing a future of liberty and opportunity for their children and
    their grandchildren. And when the history of modern Iraq is written, the
    people of Iraq will know their freedom was finally secured by the
    courage and the sacrifice of Iraqi patriots.
        The future of a free Iraq is now coming into view. As the interim
    government assumes sovereignty and Iraqi security forces defend their
    country, our coalition will play a supporting role. And this is an
    essential part of our strategy for success. Terrorists who attack a
    self-governing Iraq are showing who they really are. They're not
    fighting foreign forces. They're fighting the Iraqi people. They're the
    enemies of democracy and hope. They are the enemies of a peaceful future
    for Iraq.
        As President al-Yawr of Iraq said last week, ``These people who are
    doing these things are the armies of the darkness.'' That's what the
    President said, of Iraq. These are the enemies of the Iraqi nation. They
    are trying to take Iraq back to the dark ages that we used to live in,
    until last year. The President and I share the same resolve. Iraq will
    never return to the dark ages of tyranny. Iraq will be a free nation.
        At the same time that we're helping the Iraqis bring the terrorists
    to justice, we're helping the Iraqi people to rebuild the basic
    infrastructure of their country. This is tough work. It's hard work.
    It's hard work to go from a society terrorized by a tyrant to a free
    society, but we have done this kind of work before.
        I want you to listen to how the New York Times described conditions
    in Germany in November 1946. This was 18 months after the fall of
    Berlin. ``Germany is a land in an acute stage of economic, political,
    and moral crisis. The basic elements of recovery and peace are lacking.
    European capitals are frightened by the prospect of a German collapse.
    In every military headquarters, one meets alarmed officials doing their
    best to deal with the consequences of the occupation policy they admit
    has failed.''
        Fortunately, the pessimists did not have their day. Fortunately, our
    predecessors had great faith in the power of free societies to change
    society. Fortunately, our predecessors stood firm in the face of
    cynicism and doubt. Because, you see, we helped the German people rise
    above hunger and hopelessness. We helped them resist the designs of the
    Soviet Union. We overcame many obstacles because we knew that the hope
    for a secure America was a peaceful and democratic Europe.
        We face the same challenges today. It's just in a different part of
    the world. There are those who doubt. There are those who are
    pessimistic. Fourteen months have passed since the fall of Baghdad--14
    months. And today, in spite of the insurgency, in spite of the attempts
    of the terrorists, Iraq's economy is moving forward and democracy is
    taking hold. Most Iraqi cities and many towns now have local councils
    chosen by their communities, which are handling problems such as trash
    collection and traffic, sanitation, and education. More than 170
    newspapers have begun publishing. Dozens of political parties have
    formed. At one Iraqi university, a team is translating the great works
    of democracy into Arabic.
        Life is getting better for the Iraqi people, who have suffered for
    decades. Our coalition

    [[Page 1111]]

    has rehabilitated thousands of schools. We're training thousands of
    secondary school teachers in modern teaching methods. Electric power is
    being restored, despite continued attacks, and is no longer distributed
    based on loyalty to Saddam Hussein. Iraqi oil revenues have now reached
    more than $11 billion since liberation. And as Prime Minister Alawi
    pointed out last week, those revenues are not being used to build gaudy
    palaces for Saddam Hussein; they're being used to serve the Iraqi
    people.
        With each step forward on the path to self-government and self-
    reliance, the terrorists will grow more desperate and more violent. They
    see Iraqis taking their country back. They see freedom taking root, and
    these killers know they have no future in a free Iraq. They want us to
    abandon our mission. That's what they want. They want us to break our
    word. And so they're attacking us, and they're attacking free Iraqis.
    They don't understand our country. They don't understand our resolve.
    When America says we'll do something, we are going to do it and finish
    the job.
        We're not intimidated, and neither is the new Iraqi Prime Minister.
    He went to the scene of yesterday's bombing in Baghdad. He stood amongst
    the rubble. He said, ``This was a cowardly attack.'' He said, ``We're
    going to face these escalations. The Iraqi people are going to prevail,
    and the government of Iraq is determined to go ahead in confronting the
    enemies, whether they are here in Iraq or anywhere else in the world.''
    That's what the Prime Minister of Iraq said. He and I share the same
    determination.
        You see, these terrorists will fail. They will fail because the
    Iraqi people will not accept a return to tyranny. They will fail because
    the resolve of America and our allies will not be shaken. And they will
    fail because of the courageous men and women like you who are standing
    in their way.
        All who serve in the United States military can take great pride in
    the work you've accomplished. Your fellow citizens know your work is not
    easy. The days are hot. The mission is hard work. Many of you face long
    deployments, sometimes longer than you expected. You've missed your
    families, and believe me, they miss you. You've said farewell to brave
    friends who did not return. We pray for their families. We pray that the
    good Lord will comfort them in their grief. Our Nation will never forget
    their sacrifice and their service.
        All of you are sacrificing for the cause of this country, and
    America has needed that sacrifice. By standing for the cause of freedom,
    you're making our world more peaceful. By fighting terrorists abroad,
    you're making the American people more secure at home. And by acting in
    the best traditions of duty and honor, you're making our country and
    your Commander in Chief very proud.
        May God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:10 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Gen. James M. Collins, USA, deputy commanding general, 1st Corps and
    Fort Lewis; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan; President Ghazi al-
    Ujayl al-Yawr and Prime Minister Ayad al-Alawi of the Iraqi interim
    government; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi and his
    lieutenant Umar Baziyani, who was captured in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 30;
    and Brig. Gen. Carter F. Ham, USA, commander, Task Force Olympia.