[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 15 (Monday, April 18, 2005)]
[Pages 589-593]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at Fort Hood, Texas

April 12, 2005

    The President. Thank you all for the warm welcome. It wasn't all 
that long ago that I brought my family over to go to church Easter 
Sunday here at Fort Hood. I've been looking forward to coming back and 
giving you a proper Army greeting: Hooah!
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. It's an honor to be with the courageous men and women 
of the ``Phantom Corps.''
    The soldiers and families of Fort Hood have contributed mightily to 
our efforts in the war on terror. Many of you have recently returned 
from Iraq.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. Welcome home, and thank you for a job well done.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. Others are preparing to head out this fall----
    Audience members. Hooah!

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    The President. ----some for a second tour of duty.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. Whether you're coming or going, you are making an 
enormous difference for the security of our Nation and for the peace of 
the world. I want to thank you for defending your fellow citizens. I 
want to thank you for extending liberty to millions. And I want to thank 
you for making America proud.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. I especially want to thank the military families who 
are here today. I want to thank you for your sacrifices in the war on 
terror. It isn't easy being the one left behind when a loved one goes to 
war. You have a wonderful community here at Fort Hood. I thank you for 
the support you have given to each other. By loving and supporting a 
soldier, you are also serving our Nation. Americans are grateful for 
your sacrifice and your service, and so is your Commander in Chief.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. I want to thank Lieutenant General Tom Metz and his 
wife, Pam. I want to thank Command Sergeant Major Joe Gainey and his 
lovely wife. I want to thank all the officers and soldiers of this 
fantastic base.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. I appreciate our fine Governor from the State of 
Texas, Governor Rick Perry, for joining us today.
    I want to thank Congressman John Carter and Congressman Chet Edwards 
for joining us today. I'm looking forward to giving them a ride back to 
Washington on Air Force One. [Laughter] I suspect they're looking 
forward to the ride back. [Laughter]
    I want to thank Major General Pete Chiarelli for being with us 
today, and his wife, Beth; Major General J.D. Thurman and his wife, Dee; 
Command Sergeant Major Tom McMurtrie; and all the soldiers, airmen, 
military families, veterans, friends of Fort Hood, and the III Corps.
    This weekend we marked the 2-year anniversary of the liberation of 
Baghdad.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. Coalition forces crossed more than 350 miles of 
desert to get there, pushing through dust storms and death squads. They 
reached the Iraqi capital in 21 days, and that achievement will be 
studied for generations as the fastest armored advance in military 
history.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. The coalition assault was rapid, and it wasn't easy. 
The enemy hid in schools and hospitals. They used civilians as human 
shields. Yet our troops persevered. We protected civilian lives while 
destroying the Republican Guard's Medina Division, pushing through the 
Karbala Gap, capturing Saddam International Airport, and, on April 9th, 
we liberated the Iraqi capital.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. For millions of Iraqis and Americans, it is a day 
they will never forget. The toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in 
Baghdad will be recorded alongside the fall of the Berlin Wall as one of 
the great moments in the history of liberty. And 8 months later, 
soldiers of the Ivy Division----
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. ----brought the real Saddam Hussein to justice. When 
Ironhorse soldiers left for Iraq, Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator 
sitting in a palace, and by the time you came home, he was sitting in a 
prison cell.
    When it came time to drive the terrorists and insurgents from 
Fallujah, soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division spearheaded the assault. 
The ``First Team'' was ``First in Fallujah,'' and when the dust settled, 
what you found there reminds us why we are at war: Blood-stained torture 
chambers used by terrorists to execute hostages; you found videos of 
beheadings and brutal terrorist attacks; you found over 600 improvised 
explosive devices, including an ice cream truck that had been loaded 
with bombmaking materials for a terrorist attack.
    The men and women of the Phantom Corps know why we are in Iraq. As 
one First Team soldier, Lieutenant Mike Erwin, put it, ``If we can start 
to change the most powerful country in the Middle East, the others will 
follow, and Americans 20 years down the road won't have to deal with a 
day like September the 11th, 2001.''
    Audience members. Hooah!

[[Page 591]]

    The President. The terrorists have made Iraq a central front in the 
war on terror. Because of your service, because of your sacrifice, we 
are defeating them there where they live, so we do not have to face them 
where we live.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. Because of you, the people of Iraq no longer live in 
fear of being executed and left in mass graves. Because of you, freedom 
is taking root in Iraq. Our success in Iraq will make America safer for 
us and for future generations.
    In my liberation message to the Iraqi people, I made them a solemn 
promise: ``The Government of Iraq and the future of your country will 
soon belong to you.'' I went on to say, ``We will help you build a 
peaceful and representative government that protects the rights of all 
citizens. And then our military forces will leave.''
    From the beginning, our goal in Iraq has been to promote Iraqi 
independence by helping the Iraqi people establish a free country that 
can sustain itself, rule itself, and defend itself. And in the last 2 
years, Iraqis have made enormous progress toward that goal. Iraqis have 
laid the foundations of a free society, with hundreds of independent 
newspapers and dozens of political parties and associations and schools 
that teach Iraqi children how to read and write, instead of the 
propaganda of Saddam Hussein. Iraqis have laid the foundation of a free 
economy, with a new currency and independent central bank, new laws to 
encourage foreign investment, and thousands of small businesses 
established since liberation.
    The troops from Fort Hood have done their part. In Baghdad, soldiers 
of the 1st Cavalry Division launched Operation Adam Smith, and the new 
generation of Iraqi entrepreneurs you helped nurture will create jobs 
and opportunities for millions of their fellow citizens. Iraqis have 
laid the foundation for a society built on the rule of law. Today, 
courts are functioning across Iraq, and hundreds of independent Iraqi 
judges have been trained in Bahrain and Jordan and Czech Republic and 
Britain and Italy.
    An Iraqi special tribunal has been established that will try senior 
leadership, including Saddam Hussein.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. He will get the trial that he did not afford his 
fellow citizens when he was in power. Slowly but surely, the land that 
gave civilization the first written code of law is now restoring the 
rule of law and setting the example for people across the Middle East.
    Iraqis have laid a solid foundation for democratic self-government. 
The world watched in awe as the Iraqi people defied the car bombers and 
assassins to cast their votes in the country's first free and democratic 
election in decades. It took courage, the kind of courage displayed by a 
29-year-old Iraqi policeman named Abdul Amir. On election day, Amir 
noticed a suspicious man walking toward the line of voters at a Baghdad 
polling station. With complete disregard for his own safety, he threw 
his arms around the man and dragged him into a nearby intersection, 
where the man detonated the belt of explosives that was wrapped around 
his body. Amir took the brunt of the blast, giving his own life to save 
scores of innocent civilians. He is a hero of a free Iraq, and the world 
honors his valor and his sacrifice.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. Because of brave Iraqis like Abdul Amir, today, the 
free nation of Iraq has elected a Transitional Assembly, a President, 
and two Deputy Presidents, leaders who answer to the people instead of 
the other way around.
    I've spoken with the new leaders of Iraq, President Talabani as well 
as Speaker--Assembly Speaker al-Hasani. I congratulated them on their 
achievement. I told them I look forward to working with the new 
Government that will soon be established. I assured them that the United 
States will continue to stand with the Iraqi people as they take control 
of their destiny and assume the blessings of self-government.
    There's a lot of hard work ahead. The Iraqi people face brutal and 
determined enemies. But Iraqis are also determined, and they have the 
will to defeat the insurgency. The soldiers and police of a free Iraq 
learned on election day they can face down the insurgents, and they 
learned they can prevail. The Iraqi people now have confidence that the 
soldiers and police of a free Iraq have the courage and

[[Page 592]]

resolve to defend them. The Iraqi security forces are fighting bravely 
for the future of their country, and in the last 6 months alone, more 
than 800 have given their lives in the struggle.
    The soldiers of Fort Hood have seen their courage in action. 
Sergeant First Class Troy Hawkins recently put it, ``The Iraqis will 
stand and fight. I've seen guys with grenade fragments in them, 
bleeding, pulling people off the street and getting kids out of the way. 
Then they'll fight the enemy. They're determined to make this work.'' 
And the United States is determined to help the Iraqis succeed.
    As Iraq's new Government assumes increasing responsibility for the 
stability of their country, security operations are entering a new 
phase. Iraq's security forces are becoming more self-reliant and taking 
on greater responsibilities. And that means that America and its 
coalition partners are increasingly playing more of a supporting role. 
Today, more than 150,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained and 
equipped, and for the first time, the Iraqi army, police, and other 
security forces now outnumber U.S. forces in Iraq.
    Like free people everywhere, Iraqis want to be defended and led by 
their own countrymen. We will help them achieve this objective so Iraqis 
can secure their own Nation. And then our troops will come home with the 
honor they have earned.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. The Iraqi people know the sacrifices you are making. 
They're grateful to you. They are grateful to your families. One Iraqi 
army colonel put it this way: ``These U.S. soldiers leave their wives 
and kids to come here and give us freedom. We have to thank them for 
doing that for us.'' You are making possible the peace of Iraq, and you 
are making possible the security of free nations. Yours is noble work. 
It's important work, and I thank you for assuming your duty.
    As the Iraqi democracy succeeds, that success is sending a message 
from Beirut to Tehran that freedom can be the future of every nation. 
The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be 
a crushing defeat to the forces of tyranny and terror and a watershed 
event in the global democratic revolution.
    In the last 2 years, you have accomplished much, yet your work isn't 
over. Freedom still faces dangerous adversaries. Terrorists still want 
to attack our people, but they're losing. These terrorists are losing 
the struggle because they're under constant pressure from our Armed 
Forces, and they will remain under constant pressure from our Armed 
Forces.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. And they are losing the struggle because they are on 
the wrong side of history. Across the broader Middle East, the tide of 
freedom is surging. The people of Afghanistan have embraced free 
government after suffering under one of the most backward tyrannies on 
Earth. The people of the Palestinian Territories cast their ballots 
against violence and corruption of the past. The people of Lebanon are 
rising up to demand their freedom and independence. Saudi Arabia has 
held its first municipal elections in decades. Egypt is taking its first 
steps on the path to democratic reform. A critical mass of events is 
taking that region in a hopeful new direction. And as freedom spreads in 
the Middle East and beyond, the American people will be safer and the 
free world more secure.
    You have fought the battles in the war on terror, and you have 
served the cause of freedom. And you can be proud of all that you have 
achieved.
    This time of brave achievement is also a time of sacrifice. Many of 
our soldiers have returned from war with grave wounds that they will 
carry with them the rest of their lives. And America will fulfill its 
duty by providing them the best medical care possible. Still others have 
given their lives in this struggle--your friends, your comrades. We 
honor their memory. We lift them up in prayer. Their sacrifice will 
always be remembered by a grateful nation.
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. We can live as free people because men and women like 
you have stepped forward and have volunteered to serve.
    I came here today to thank you in person for your courageous choice 
of service. You're

[[Page 593]]

making America proud. You're making America free. And you're making the 
world more peaceful. I want to thank you for all you've done for our 
great Nation. May God bless you and your families. And may God continue 
to bless this great land of liberty, the United States of America.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:14 a.m. at Cooper Field. In his remarks, 
he referred to Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, USA, commanding general, III 
Corps and Fort Hood, and his wife, Pam; CSM William J. ``Joe'' Gainey, 
USA, command sergeant major, III Corps and Fort Hood, and his wife, 
Cindy; Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, USA, commanding general, First Cavalry 
Division; Maj. Gen. James D. Thurman, USA, commanding general, 4th 
Infantry Division, and his wife, Dee; CSM Thomas O. McMurtrie, USA, 
command sergeant major, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Hood; Gov. Rick Perry 
of Texas; President Jalal Talabani of the Iraqi Transitional Government; 
and Hajim al-Hasani, Speaker, Iraqi Transitional National Assembly. The 
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of these remarks.