[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 27 (Monday, July 11, 2005)]
[Pages 1123-1126]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at an Independence Day Celebration in Morgantown, West Virginia

July 4, 2005

    The President. Thank you all. Happy Fourth of July. Thanks for 
coming. I am honored to celebrate Independence Day in Morgantown, West 
Virginia. I appreciate you all being here. The history of this land 
dates back to the earliest days of our Republic. Turns out George 
Washington used to drop by this part of the State. And I appreciate a 
warm welcome for another George W.
    Coming to West Virginia is becoming a Fourth of July tradition for 
me. And every time I come here, I appreciate the beauty of West 
Virginia, and I appreciate being with decent, hardworking, patriotic 
Americans who call the Mountain State home.
    Today we gather to celebrate the 229th anniversary of America's 
independence. Across our great land, families will gather to fly the 
flag, to watch the fireworks, and count our blessings as Americans. We 
are grateful for the bounty and opportunity of our land. We are grateful 
for our liberty, and we are grateful for the men and women in uniform 
who keep our country safe. [Applause] Thank you all.
    I bring greetings from First Lady Laura Bush. She said, ``You go 
over to West Virginia and tell them how much we love them.''
    Audience member. We love her!
    The President. I love her too. [Laughter]
    I appreciate Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito. I appreciate her 
service. I appreciate her love for the great State of West Virginia. 
Thank you, Shelley Moore. I want to thank the mayor of Morgantown, West 
Virginia, Ron Justice, for serving the people. Mr. Mayor, thanks for 
coming out today. I want to thank all the local and State officials who 
are here. I want to thank David Hardesty, the president of West Virginia 
University. I appreciate you. I appreciate being on this fine campus, 
and I appreciate the good work that the folks do here to educate the 
people of West Virginia.

[[Page 1124]]

    The history we celebrate today is a testament to the power of 
freedom to lift up a whole nation. On Independence Day, we remember the 
ideals of liberty that led men from 13 colonies to gather in 
Philadelphia and pen a declaration of self-truths. And we remember the 
band of patriots who risked their lives to bring freedom to a new 
continent.
    On July 4, 1776, more than 5 years of the Revolutionary War still 
lay ahead. From the battle of New York to the winter at Valley Forge to 
the victory at Yorktown, our forefathers faced terrible losses and 
hardships. Yet, they kept their resolve. They kept their faith in a 
future of liberty, and with their hard-won victory, we guaranteed a home 
for the Declaration's proposition that all are created equal.
    Through the centuries, the Declaration of Independence has remained 
a revolutionary document. As President Kennedy said on the Fourth of 
July, 1962, ``The Declaration unleashed not merely a revolution against 
the British but a revolution in human affairs.''
    The revolutionary truths of the Declaration are still at the heart 
of America: We believe in the dignity and rights of every person. We 
believe in freedom and equal justice, the rule of law, and a Government 
of the people, by the people, and for the people. Through the centuries, 
this creed of freedom and equality has lifted the fortunes of all 
Americans. And we know that this great ideal of human freedom is 
entrusted to us in a special way and that the ideal of liberty is worth 
defending.
    Defending the ideals of our founding has required the service and 
sacrifice of every generation, and the men and women of our Armed Forces 
have always answered our Nation's call. With their courage, they have 
crossed oceans, defeated murderous ideologies, and liberated the 
oppressed. And today on this Fourth of July, our grateful Nation thanks 
our 25 million veterans for their service to our country.
    At this hour, our men and women in uniform are defending America 
against the threats of the 21st century. The war we are fighting came to 
our shores on September the 11th, 2001. After that day, I made a pledge 
to the American people: We will not wait to be attacked again. We will 
bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies.
    Our enemies in this new war are men who celebrate murder, incite 
suicide, and thirst for absolute power. They seek to spread their 
ideology of tyranny and oppression across the world. They seek to turn 
the Middle East into a haven for terror. They seek to drive America out 
of the region. These terrorists will not be stopped by negotiations or 
concessions or appeals to reason. In this war, there is only one option, 
and that is victory.
    We are pursuing a comprehensive strategy to win the war on terror. 
We're taking the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to 
face them here at home. We're denying our enemies sanctuary and making 
it clear that America will not tolerate regimes that harbor or support 
terrorists. And we're spreading freedom, because the terrorists know 
there is no room for them in a free and democratic Middle East. By 
advancing the cause of liberty in a troubled part of the world, we will 
remove a source of instability and violence, and we will lay the 
foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.
    Iraq is the latest battlefield in the war on terror. Our work there 
is difficult and dangerous because terrorists from across the region are 
converging on Iraq to fight the rise of democracy. The images of cruelty 
and suffering we see on television are real, and they are difficult for 
our compassionate Nation to watch. Yet, the terrorist violence has not 
brought them any closer to achieving their strategic objectives. The 
terrorists tried to intimidate the Iraqi Governing Council, and they 
failed. They tried to delay the transfer of sovereignty to Iraq, and 
they failed. They tried to stop the free Iraqi elections, and they 
failed. They continue to kill in the hope that they will break the 
resolve of the American people, but they will fail.
    The lesson of this experience is clear. The terrorists can kill the 
innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. This January, the 
world watched as the Iraqi people defied intimidation, dipped their 
fingers in ink, and cast their votes in the country's first free and 
democratic election in decades. And last week, on June the 28th, the 
free nation

[[Page 1125]]

of Iraq marked the first anniversary of the day when sovereignty was 
restored to its rightful owners, the Iraqi people.
    By helping Iraqis build a free and democratic nation, we will give 
strength to an ally in the war on terror, and we'll make America more 
secure. To continue building a free and democratic Iraq, Americans and 
Iraqis are fighting side-by-side to stop the terrorists and insurgents. 
And our military is helping to train Iraqi forces so they can defend 
their own liberty. Our strategy can be summed up this way: As Iraqis 
stand up, we will stand down, and then our troops can come home to a 
proud and grateful nation.
    West Virginians are serving with skill and honor in the war on 
terror. Some deployed from Camp Dawson right down the road. Soldiers 
from the 201st Field Artillery Unit of the West Virginia National Guard 
carried out vital missions in Iraq. Those soldiers are contributing to 
the proud history of their unit. The 201st has been defending our 
freedom since the Revolutionary War.
    One of the battery commanders from the 201st is Captain Jeff Setser. 
Captain Setser is a police officer in Charleston. He served a year in 
Iraq, and he was in Baghdad during the Iraqi elections. He and his 
fellow West Virginia guardsmen escorted convoys and protected supplies 
and patrolled cities. Here is what he said: ``We treated people with 
respect, and they respected us. You could see that they were starting to 
walk on their own instead of leaning on us. The progress is just 
amazing.''
    Guardsmen and reservists are helping Iraq build in other ways. First 
Lieutenant James McCormick, who is with us today, he's from Scott Depot, 
West Virginia. He served a 13-month tour in Iraq as part of the 518th 
Combat Gun Truck Company. His unit provided security for military 
convoys transporting troops and supplies. For his bravery, Lieutenant 
McCormick earned the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.
    He wrote me a letter last week. Here's what he said: ``If needed, 
all of us would return and continue the mission. It's a just and much 
needed fight. Please know that many of us still live by the code of 
honor that so many soldiers before us had, from Bunker Hill to 
Baghdad.''
    First Lieutenant McCormick is right. The men and women of America's 
Armed Forces are bringing great honor to the uniform they wear and to 
the Nation they serve. And in this time of testing, our troops, whether 
they be stationed here or abroad, can know that the American people 
stand behind them all the way.
    I thank all the military families who are with us today. Times of 
war are times of great sacrifice, and the burden falls especially hard 
on the families. You're playing a vital role at a crucial time in our 
Nation's history. All Americans are inspired by the strength and the 
sacrifice of our military families.
    Some of America's finest men and women have given their lives in the 
war on terror, and we remember them on Independence Day. We pray for the 
families who have lost a loved one in freedom's cause. And we know that 
the best way to honor their sacrifice is to complete the mission, so we 
will stay until the fight is won.
    On this Fourth of July and in the days ahead, I ask every American 
to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom. There's 
so many ways to do so. You can fly the flag or send a letter to the 
troops in the field or help a military family down the street. The 
Department of Defense has set up a web site, americasupportsyou.mil. You 
can go there to learn about efforts in your own community. And by the 
way, it's not too late to find something to do today. At this time, when 
we celebrate our freedom, our troops have got to understand that the 
American people support them all the way.
    And on Independence Day, we remember that we also have essential 
responsibilities here at home, the unfinished work of American freedom. 
In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning 
and the promise of liberty. The greatest strength of America is the 
heart and soul of the American people. Every time a volunteer reaches 
out to a neighbor in need, our Nation grows stronger and more hopeful.
    Today when I landed at the airport, I met Chuck White. He's a 
volunteer with the local United Way. For those of you who are serving as 
a member of the army of compassion in America, thank you for loving your 
neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourselves.

[[Page 1126]]

By taking time out of your lives to help somebody else, you're helping 
to ensure that every American can share the blessings of liberty.
    As we celebrate the Fourth of July, we rededicate ourselves to the 
ideals that inspired our Founders. During that hot summer in 
Philadelphia more than 200 years ago, from our desperate fight for 
independence to the darkest days of a civil war to the hard-fought 
battles of the 20th century, there were many chances to lose our heart, 
our nerve, or our way. But Americans have always held firm, because we 
have always believed in certain truths: We know that the freedom we 
defend is meant for all men and women and for all times. And we know 
that when the work is hard, the proper response is not retreat. It is 
courage.
    We got a great future for our country. From the mountains of West 
Virginia to the Great Plains to our Pacific shores, the truths of the 
Declaration still guide America and remain the best hope of mankind. I 
believe that this century will be ``liberty century.'' In 1770--and I 
know that by carrying the spirit of 1776 into this new age, we will 
leave a stronger and better country for all who call this great land 
home.
    It is a great honor to be the President of such a great nation. And 
it's my honor to be here to wish you all a happy Fourth of July. May God 
bless you, and may God continue to bless our country.

Note: The President spoke at 9:57 a.m. at West Virginia University.