[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 34 (Monday, August 23, 2004)]
[Pages 1613-1617]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio

August 16, 2004

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. And thanks for 
inviting me for your 105th national convention. I'm proud to be here.
    One of the great honors of being Commander in Chief is meeting the 
courageous men and women who stand watch for freedom. Nothing gives me 
greater pleasure than to look them in the eye and say on behalf of our 
country, ``Thank you for your service.'' The same is true of each of you 
here today. When the enemies of freedom were on the march and our 
country and the world needed brave Americans to take up arms and stop 
their advance, you stepped forward to serve. And today I'm proud to 
stand before you as Commander in Chief, look you in the eye, and say, 
America thanks you for your service.
    I want to thank Ed Banas for his service in being an effective 
commander of the VFW. I appreciate the job he's done, and I want to 
thank his wife, Sandra, for standing by his side during this important 
time for the VFW. Ed, thank you, sir, for your service. I also thank my 
friend Bob Wallace, the executive director of the VFW.
    I want to thank Governor Bob Taft for joining us today, from the 
State of Ohio; my friend Tony Principi--I'll say something about him 
here in a minute; and Congressman Rob Portman, Congressman from Ohio, is 
with us as well. I'm honored that these elected officials--and in 
Principi's case, appointed official--is with us today.
    I want to thank John Furgess, the incoming VFW national commander in 
chief, and Alma. I want to thank Evelyn McCune, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary 
national president, and her husband, Don. I want to thank JoAnne Ott. I 
want to thank the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary members for letting me come 
and address you.
    In the audience today are two people I've gotten to know during a 
very traumatic period during their lives. Carolyn and Keith Maupin are 
with us today. They're from this part of the world. Their son, Matt, has 
been missing in action for 4 months in Iraq. I have vowed to them we 
will do everything we can to find their loved one, Matt. I appreciate 
their courage. I continue to send my prayers to these two fine Americans 
during these difficult times for them. May God bless you, Keith and 
Carolyn.
    The Veterans of Foreign Wars have always stood up for our Nation and 
those who wear the uniform. Since your founding in 1899, the members of 
the VFW have been serving the men and women who served America. I 
appreciate your dedication. The VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary are 
volunteering by transporting sick and disabled vets to and from their 
medical appointments. You're showing great compassion. You're supporting 
the men and women who serve today. Some 1,500 VFW posts have adopted 
military units deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other distant 
theaters. You've distributed more than 3.5 million prepaid calling cards 
to our deployed forces. You've sent thousands of care packages to our 
troops in the field. You've helped the families back home with groceries 
and home repairs and other necessities. America respects our military 
and their families. I thank you for showing that respect every day.
    All our Nation's veterans have made serving America the highest 
priority of their lives, and serving our veterans is one of the highest 
priorities of my administration. To make sure my administration fulfills 
the commitments I have made to America's veterans, I selected one of the 
finest men ever to serve as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a combat-
decorated Vietnam veteran, Secretary Tony Principi.
    Thanks in large part to Tony's leadership, my administration has a 
solid record of accomplishment for our veterans. When my 2005 budget is 
approved by Congress, we will have increased overall funding for our 
Nation's veterans by almost $20 billion or 40 percent since 2001. We 
have increased funding for our veterans more in 4 years than the 
previous administration did in 8 years. To provide health care to 
veterans, we've increased VA medical care funding by 41 percent over the 
past 4 years.

[[Page 1614]]

    We are bringing care to more veterans more quickly. Since 2001, 
we've enrolled 2.5 million more veterans in health care services. We've 
increased outpatient visits from 44 million to 54 million. We've 
increased the number of prescriptions filled from 98 million to 116 
million. We're getting the job done. We've reduced the large backlog of 
disability claims by about a third. We will reduce it even further. 
We've cut the average time it takes to process disability claims by 70 
days.
    We have focused resources on the veterans who need it most, those 
with service-related disabilities and low incomes and special needs. 
We've established a new scheduling system to make certain that veterans 
seeking care for a service-connected condition are first in line. For 
more than a century, Federal law prohibited disabled veterans from 
receiving both their military retired pay and their VA disability 
compensation. Combat-injured and severely disabled veterans deserve 
better. I was proud to be the first President in over 100 years to sign 
concurrent receipt legislation. We're getting the job done in 
Washington, DC.
    My administration has launched a $35 million program to provide 
housing and health care and other support services to homeless veterans. 
No veteran who served in the blazing heat or bitter cold of foreign 
lands should have to live without shelter, exposed to the elements, in 
the very country whose freedom they fought for.
    We are modernizing VA health centers and building new ones, 
especially in the South and West, where increasing numbers of our 
veterans live. Since 2001, we have opened 194 new community-based 
clinics nationwide. And through the CARES initiative, we are providing 
$1 billion--and have requested another half-billion for next year--to 
modernize VA facilities and to provide better care for veterans in areas 
where the need is growing, including here in Ohio. Our VA hospitals are, 
on average, 50 years old. That's why we are modernizing our facilities 
to make sure our veterans have 21st century health care. For example, 
here in Ohio, we're building one of the largest new VA clinics in 
America in Columbus, Ohio. We're spending more than $100 million to 
consolidate two VA hospitals in Cleveland into a single 21st century 
facility. When it comes to providing first-class care for our Nation's 
veterans, we are getting the job done.
    Our Nation's debt extends not just to the veterans who served but to 
the families who supported them in war and depend on them today. Last 
December, I signed the Veterans Benefits Act, authorizing $1 billion in 
new and expanded benefits for disabled veterans and surviving spouses 
and their children.
    America's veterans have defended America in hours of need. And to 
honor the veterans from the Second World War for their service to our 
country, the World War II Memorial now stands on the Washington Mall. 
And I thank you for your efforts and your hard work to get this memorial 
built. And we honor all of those here today who fought to defend freedom 
in the Second World War.
    Like the Second World War, the war we face today began with a 
ruthless surprise attack on America. The world changed on that September 
morning, and since that day, we have changed the world. Before September 
the 11th, Afghanistan served as the home base of Al Qaida, which trained 
and deployed thousands of killers to set up terrorist cells around the 
world, including our own country. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a 
rising democracy; Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror; 
Afghanistan is now a place where many young girls get to go to school 
for the first time. America and the world are safer.
    Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire 
weapons of mass destruction. Today, because America and our allies sent 
a clear and strong message, the leader of Libya has abandoned his 
pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. America and the world are safer.
    Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of 
America. He was defying the world. He was firing weapons at American 
pilots who were enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and he 
had used weapons of mass destruction. He had harbored terrorists. He 
invaded his neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers. He 
murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens. He was a source of 
instability in the world's most volatile region. He was a threat.

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    One of the lessons of September the 11th, a lesson this Nation must 
never forget, is that we must deal with threats before they fully 
materialize. I remembered what Saddam Hussein was like; I looked at the 
intelligence. I called upon Congress to remember his history and look at 
the intelligence. I thought it was important to bring Congress--get 
their opinion on the subject of Saddam Hussein. So members of both 
political parties, including my opponent, looked at the same 
intelligence and came to the same conclusion that I came to: Saddam 
Hussein was a threat. I went to the United Nations. The U.N. Security 
Council looked at the intelligence and came to the same conclusion: 
Saddam Hussein was a threat. As a matter of fact, they passed a 
resolution, 15 to nothing, which said to Saddam, ``Disclose, disarm, or 
face serious consequences.'' As he had for the past 12 years, he refused 
to comply. He ignored the demands of the free world. He systematically 
deceived the weapons inspectors.
    So I had a choice to make: Either forget the lessons of September 
the 11th and trust a madman, or take action to defend America. Given 
that choice, I will defend our country every time.
    Even though we did not find the stockpiles that we thought we would 
find, Saddam Hussein had the capability to make weapons of mass 
destruction, and he could have passed that capability on to our enemy, 
to the terrorists. It is not a risk, after September the 11th, that we 
could afford to take. Knowing what I know today, I would have taken the 
same action. America and the world are safer because Saddam Hussein sits 
in a prison cell.
    We have more hard work to do. I'll continue to work with friends and 
allies around the world to aggressively pursue the terrorists in Iraq 
and Afghanistan and elsewhere. See, you can't talk sense to these 
people. You cannot negotiate with them. You cannot hope for the best. We 
must aggressively pursue them and defeat them in foreign lands, so we do 
not have to face them here at home.
    America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral 
clarity. We have put together a strong coalition to help us pursue the 
terrorists and spread the peace. There are over 40 nations involved in 
Afghanistan, some 30 nations involved in Iraq. I appreciate the 
sacrifices of the mothers and fathers from those countries, to have 
their sons and daughters stand with our troops to spread freedom and 
peace. I'll continue to build on those alliances and work with our 
friends for the cause of security and peace. But I will never turn over 
America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
    We'll keep our commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq. We'll help them 
become peaceful and democratic societies. These two nations are now 
governed by strong leaders; they're on the path to elections. We set a 
clear goal that Iraq and Afghanistan will be peaceful and democratic 
countries that are allies in the war on terror. We'll meet that goal by 
helping secure their countries, allowing a peaceful political process to 
develop, and by training Afghan and Iraqi forces so they can make the 
hard decisions, so they can defend their country against those who are 
preventing the spread of freedom. Our military will complete this 
mission as quickly as possible so our troops do not stay a day longer 
than necessary.
    It's important we send the right signals when we speak here in 
America. The other day, my opponent said if he's elected, the number of 
troops in Iraq will be significantly reduced within 6 months. I think it 
sends the wrong signal. It sends the wrong signal to the enemy; they 
could easily wait 6 months and 1 day. It sends the wrong message to our 
troops, that completing the mission may not be necessary. It sends the 
wrong message to the Iraqi people who wonder whether or not America 
means what it says. Our friends and allies must know that when America 
speaks, we mean what we say. We will stay until the job is completed.
    In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We 
will work to change the conditions that give rise to terror: poverty and 
hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq and a free and 
peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful and examples in a neighborhood 
that is desperate for freedom. You see, by serving the ideal of liberty, 
we are bringing hope to others, and that makes America more secure. By 
serving the ideal of liberty, we're spreading the peace. Free countries 
do not export terror. Free

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countries are peaceful countries. And by serving the ideal of liberty, 
we're serving the deepest ideals of America. We believe that freedom is 
not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to 
each man and woman in this world.
    These are crucial times. We have an historic opportunity to win the 
war on terror by spreading freedom and peace. Our commitments are being 
kept by the men and women of our military. I've had the privilege of 
traveling to bases around our country and around the world. I've seen 
their great decency and their unselfish courage. I assure you, ladies 
and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in really good hands.
    Those who wear our uniform deserve the full support of our 
Government. For almost 4 years, my administration has strengthened our 
military. We have enacted the largest increases in defense spending 
since Ronald Reagan served as the Commander in Chief. We've increased 
military pay by 21 percent. We have provided better housing and better 
training and better maintenance.
    And last September, while our troops were in combat in Afghanistan 
and Iraq, I wanted to make sure they had the very best, so I proposed 
supplemental funding to support them in their mission. The legislation 
provided funding for body armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health 
benefits, ammunition, fuel, and spare parts. The VFW strongly supported 
my request. I thank you for standing up for our troops. Your work on 
Capitol Hill paid off. After all, the funding received strong bipartisan 
support--so strong that in the United States Senate, only 12 Members 
voted against the funding, 2 of whom were my opponent and his 
runningmate.
    When pressed, he explained his vote, ``I actually did vote for the 
$87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] He went on to say 
he was proud of the vote and the whole thing is a complicated matter. 
There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    We have more work to do to defend freedom and protect our country. 
We will ensure that our forces are well-prepared and well-positioned to 
meet the threats of the future. Our Armed Forces have changed a lot. 
They're more agile and more lethal. They're better able to strike 
anywhere in the world over great distances on short notice. Yet for 
decades, Americans' Armed Forces abroad have essentially remained where 
the wars of the last century ended, in Europe and in Asia. America's 
current force posture was designed, for example, to protect us and our 
allies from Soviet aggression. The threat no longer exists.
    More than 3 years ago, we launched a comprehensive review of 
America's global force posture, the numbers, types, locations, and 
capabilities of U.S. forces around the world. We've consulted closely 
with our allies and with Congress. We've examined the challenges posed 
by today's threats and emerging threats. And so, today I announce a new 
plan for deploying America's Armed Forces.
    Over the coming decade, we'll deploy a more agile and more flexible 
force, which means that more of our troops will be stationed and 
deployed from here at home. We will move some of our troops and 
capability to new locations, so they can surge quickly to deal with 
unexpected threats. We'll take advantage of 21st century military 
technologies to rapidly deploy increased combat power.
    The new plan will help us fight and win these wars of the 21st 
century. It will strengthen our alliances around the world, while we 
build new partnerships to better preserve the peace. It will reduce the 
stress on our troops and our military families. Although we'll still 
have a significant presence overseas, under the plan I'm announcing 
today, over the next 10 years, we will bring home about 60,000 to 70,000 
uniformed personnel and about 100,000 members and civilian employees--
family members and civilian employees.
    See, our servicemembers will have more time on the homefront and 
more predictability and fewer moves over a career. Our military spouses 
will have fewer job changes, greater stability, more time for their kids 
and to spend time with their families at home. The taxpayers will save 
money as we configure our military to meet the threats of the

[[Page 1617]]

21st century. There will be savings as we consolidate and close bases 
and facilities overseas no longer needed to face the threats of our time 
and defend the peace.
    The world has changed a great deal, and our posture must change with 
it, for the sake of our military families, for the sake of our 
taxpayers, and so we can be more effective at projecting our strength 
and spreading freedom and peace.
    Today, our troops have the most advanced technologies at their 
disposal. Weapons are more lethal, more precise than were available for 
you. Our troops are more mobile. They can communicate better. Yet their 
success in the wars we fight is being made possible by the same things 
that made your success possible, personal courage, love of country, 
dedication to duty.
    As our troops fight today in Baghdad, in Najaf, in the Hindu Kush 
mountains, and elsewhere, I know America's veterans feel a special pride 
in them. They're carrying on your legacy of sacrifice and service. 
They're determined to see the mission through. This country stands with 
them.
    I want to thank you for the example you have set for our men and 
women in uniform. I want to thank you for your idealism, for your 
dedication to God and our country. May God bless you all, and may God 
continue to bless the United States of America. Thank you all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 11:04 a.m. at the Dr. Albert B. Sabin 
Cincinnati Cinergy Center. In his remarks, he referred to Edward S. 
Banas, Sr., commander in chief, Bob Wallace, Washington Office executive 
director, and John Furgess, senior vice commander in chief, Veterans of 
Foreign Wars; and Evelyn McCune, national president, and JoAnne Ott, 
national senior vice president, Ladies Auxiliary VFW. He also referred 
to the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) 
initiative of the Department of Veterans Affairs.