[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 27 (Monday, July 10, 2006)]
[Pages 1261-1266]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at an Independence Day Celebration at Fort Bragg, North Carolina

July 4, 2006

    Thank you all. Thanks for the warm welcome. It's a pleasure to be 
back here at Fort Bragg--home of our Airborne and Special Forces.
    I flew down on Air Force One, and our pilot, Colonel Tillman, he 
said, ``I can open the hatch and drop you out by parachute.'' [Laughter] 
I said he had the wrong President Bush. [Laughter] Old '41, I call him--
who happens to be my dad--has jumped five times with the Golden Knights 
of Fort Bragg. Mother appreciates you helping him down safely. 
[Laughter] He's the only skydiving President, and that's a distinction I 
think he's going to keep. [Laughter]
    Ever since I left the White House this morning, I've been looking 
forward to coming here and saying, ``Hooah!''
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President. It's a pleasure to get out of Washington, to spend 
some time in the real ``center of the universe.'' It's good to be with 
the men and women of the 8th [18th] * Airborne Corps and the quiet 
professionals of the Army Special Operations Command.
    * White House correction.
    I can't think of a better way to spend the Fourth of July than with 
the All Americans of the 82d Airborne. You're Airborne all the way, and 
I'm proud to be here with you. We also welcome the men and women of Pope 
Air Force base, who put the ``air'' in Airborne. I'm privileged to be in 
the presence of so many courageous military families who have borne the 
hardships of war with dignity and devotion. By supporting a loved one in 
uniform, you are serving our country, and America is grateful for your 
service and your sacrifice.
    Today we mark the 230th anniversary of American independence. And on 
this day, when we give thanks for our freedom, we also give thanks for 
the men and women who make our freedom possible. Each of you have 
stepped forward to serve, knowing the risks and dangers that accompany 
freedom's defense.
    I've come to thank you for your valor and to thank you for your 
patriotism. I've come to share with you and with the American people how 
your dedication and your sacrifice are helping us win the war on terror. 
You are serving our country at a time when our country needs you. And 
because of your courage, every day is Independence Day in America.
    Laura sends her best and her love. I'm a lucky man that she said yes 
when I asked her to marry me. I appreciate Lieutenant General John Vines 
for his introduction. I want to thank all the commanding officers, all 
the sergeant majors, all who wear our uniform for welcoming me here 
today. It's a pleasure to be with you.
    I'm honored to be here with Senator Richard Burr, United States 
Senator from the State of North Carolina. He strongly supports

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the men and women who wear the uniform. And I'm proud to serve with him 
in Washington, DC.
    I want to thank all the local officials who are here. Thank you for 
supporting the good folks who live here and work here and train here. It 
means a lot to the families to know that the local communities extend 
the hand of friendship and support.
    Two hundred and thirty years ago, 56 brave men signed their names to 
a document that set the course of our Nation. It changed the history of 
the world. Our Declaration of Independence was a bold statement of 
revolutionary principles. It laid down a creed of freedom and equality 
that has lifted the lives of hundreds of millions here in America and 
around the world. Yet without the courage of the soldiers of our 
Continental Army, the words of the Declaration would have been forgotten 
by history, dismissed as the radical musings of a failed revolution.
     We celebrate Independence Day each year because that ragtag group 
of citizen soldiers challenged the world's most powerful military, 
secured our liberty, and planted a standard of freedom to which the 
entire world has aspired.
    Since that first Fourth of July, some 43 million Americans have 
defended our freedom in times of war. These brave men and women crossed 
oceans and continents to defeat murderous ideologies and to secure the 
peace for generations that followed. We live in liberty because of the 
courage they displayed. From Bunker Hill to Baghdad, from Concord to 
Kabul--on this Independence Day, we honor their achievements and we 
thank them for their service in freedom's cause.
    At this hour the men and women of Fort Bragg are carrying on this 
great legacy, facing danger in distant lands, and carrying out their 
missions with all the skill and honor we expect of them. In a time when 
the terrorists have attacked our homeland and hope to strike again, 
Americans take comfort in knowing that the soldiers of Fort Bragg are on 
duty and standing watch for our freedom.
    Fort Bragg is the home to some of our country's best and bravest, 
the men and women of the United States Army Special Operations Command. 
Army Special Forces define their mission in a motto: ``To Liberate the 
Oppressed.'' And in the war on terror, you've done just that, 
overthrowing cruel regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and bringing freedom 
to more than 50 million people.
    Green Berets were the first U.S. forces on the ground in both 
Operation Enduring Freedom and our Operation Iraqi Freedom. And along 
with others, you remain on the offense against the terrorists today. A 
few weeks ago, I had a chance to visit Baghdad and visit with some of 
Fort Bragg's finest soldiers, the special operation forces who helped 
bring justice to the terrorist Zarqawi.
    They were the first coalition forces to arrive on the scene after 
the bombing of Zarqawi's safe house. They administered compassionate 
medical care to a man who showed no compassion to his victims. And when 
this brutal terrorist took his final breath, one of the last things he 
saw was the face of an American soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
    We're on the offense. In the weeks since Zarqawi's death, coalition 
and Iraqi forces have launched more than 190 raids on targets across the 
country. We've captured more than 700 enemy operatives and killed some 
60 more. In these raids, we've uncovered caches of weapons and suicide 
vests and Iraqi army uniforms to be used as disguises in brutal 
terrorist attacks. We've seized new intelligence information that is 
helping us keep the pressure on the terrorists and the insurgents. At 
this moment of vulnerability for the enemy, we will continue to strike 
their network, we will disrupt their operations, and we will bring their 
leaders to justice.
    Last week, Iraqi security forces announced the capture of an Al 
Qaida terrorist from Tunisia named Abu Qadama. He's one of the men 
responsible for the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samara. The Golden 
Mosque is one of Shi'a Islam's holiest sites, and the terrorists blew it 
up in the hope that this vicious act would provoke sectarian reprisals 
and drag the nation into civil war and derail the formation of a unity 
government. Hundreds of Iraqis were killed in the violence that ensued.
    But in the end, Iraqis stepped back from the abyss. They want to 
live in a free and

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peaceful society. Their mothers are no different from the mothers here 
in America who want their children to grow up and be able to realize 
dreams. They came together to form a new Government. Iraqi and coalition 
forces, by working together, have brought justice to a key player in the 
Samara attack. We're going to continue to strike blows against the 
terrorists. We'll continue working to support Iraq's new Government.
    When I spoke here a year ago, Iraqis still had a Transitional 
Government that was operating under an administrative law issued before 
the restoration of sovereignty. Today, Iraqis have a permanent 
Government chosen in free elections under a democratic Constitution that 
they wrote and they approved. And the Iraqi people have a courageous 
leader in Prime Minister Maliki, who has formed a cabinet and laid out a 
clear agenda for the people of Iraq.
    I met the Prime Minister. I met with his team. I was impressed by 
them. I was impressed by his strength. I was impressed by his character. 
I was impressed by his determination to succeed. He's laid out an 
ambitious plan to improve its economy and deliver essential services and 
to defeat the enemies of a free Iraq. And I told him this: That as he 
stands up for freedom, the United States of America will stand with him.
    There's more work to be done in Iraq. The Iraqi people face deadly 
enemies who are determined to stop Iraq's new unity Government from 
succeeding. They can't stand the thought of liberty. Our strategy is 
clear. Our goals are easy to understand: We will help Iraq's new 
leaders; we will help the people of Iraq build a country that can govern 
itself and sustain itself and defend itself as a free nation. Our troops 
will help the Iraqi people succeed because it's in our national 
interests. A free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will make America 
and the world more secure.
    I'm going to make you this promise: I'm not going to allow the 
sacrifice of 2,527 troops who have died in Iraq to be in vain by pulling 
out before the job is done.
    General Casey is working with the Iraqi Government on a path 
forward. But we're not going to set an artificial timetable for 
withdrawal. Setting an artificial timetable would be a terrible mistake. 
At a moment when the terrorists have suffered a series of significant 
blows, setting an artificial timetable would breathe new life into their 
cause. Setting an artificial timetable would undermine the new Iraqi 
Government and send a signal to Iraq's enemies that if they wait just a 
little bit longer, America will just give up. Setting an artificial 
timetable would undermine the morale of our troops by sending the 
message that the mission for which you've risked your lives is not worth 
completing. We're not going to set an artificial timetable to withdraw 
from Iraq. I will make decisions about troop levels in Iraq based on the 
advice that matters most, the measured judgment of our military 
commanders.
    I'll make you another pledge: We're going to make sure you have the 
resources you need to defeat our enemies in Iraq and secure the peace 
for generations to come. I believe in you, and I believe in all the men 
and women who are serving in the cause of freedom with such courage and 
such determination. You're winning this war, and our enemies understand 
that too.
    We get all kinds of evidence when we raid these safe houses, about 
their concerns. They bemoan the fact that we're keeping the pressure on 
them. They see the successes we're having in training. They know we're 
damaging their cause. This moment when the terrorists are suffering from 
the weight of successive blows is not the time to call retreat. We will 
stay; we will fight; and we will prevail.
    Prevailing in Iraq is going to require more tough fighting; it's 
going to require more sacrifice. And when the job in Iraq is done, it 
will be a major victory in the battle against the terrorists. By 
achieving victory in Iraq, we will deny the terrorists a safe haven from 
which to plot and plan new attacks on America and other free nations. By 
achieving victory in Iraq, we will send a signal to our enemies that 
America's resolve is firm and that our country will not run in the face 
of thugs and assassins.
    By achieving victory in Iraq, we will help Iraqis build a free 
nation in the heart of a troubled region and inspire those who desire 
liberty--those democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran. By 
achieving victory in

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Iraq, we will honor the sacrifice of the brave men and women who have 
risked their lives and given their lives for a just and noble cause.
    Victory in Iraq will not, in itself, end the war on terror. We're 
engaged in a global struggle against the followers of a murderous 
ideology that despises freedom and crushes all dissent and has 
territorial ambitions and pursues totalitarian aims. This enemy attacked 
us in our homeland on September the 11th, 2001. They're pursuing weapons 
of mass destruction that would allow them to deliver even more 
catastrophic destruction to our country and our friends and allies 
across the world. They're dangerous. And against such enemy there is 
only one effective response: We will never back down; we will never give 
in; and we will never accept anything less than complete victory.
    We will keep the pressure on them. We will stay on the offense. 
We'll fight the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq and every battlefront 
in this struggle. Yet in the long run, we will defeat the terrorists and 
their hateful ideology by spreading the hope of freedom across the 
world. Our strategy to protect America is based on a clear premise: The 
security of our Nation depends on the advance of liberty in other 
nations.
    On September the 11th, 2001, we saw that problems originating in a 
failed and oppressive state 7,000 miles away could bring murder and 
destruction to our country. And we learned an important lesson: Decades 
of excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did 
nothing to make it safe. So long as the Middle East remains a place 
where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place where terrorists 
foment resentment and threaten American security.
    And so we pursue a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East. 
We ought to be confident in the pursuit of that strategy because liberty 
is universal. And by standing with those who desire liberty, we will 
help extend freedom to millions who have not known it and lay the 
foundations of peace for generations to come.
    These are historic times, and I thank you for putting on the uniform 
and for volunteering to serve this country during these important times. 
I have confidence in our country, and I have faith in our cause. Because 
I see--I know the character of the men and women who wear our Nation's 
uniform. And I know the character of the men and women here at Fort 
Bragg. We see that character in 24 service members from Fort Bragg and 
Pope Air Force Base who have received the Silver Star for gallantry in 
combat. We see that character in men and women who have received serious 
wounds in battle but fought on, exposing themselves to enemy fire to 
save their comrades and complete their missions.
    We see that character in special operations soldiers like Captain 
Chip Eldridge. In December 2004, Captain Eldridge was deployed at a 
coalition base near Shkin, Afghanistan, where he got a report that the 
terrorists were preparing to attack the base with a rocket. When his 
unit went out to look for them, his Humvee was hit by an antitank mine, 
and his unit came under a barrage of gunfire. He was pulled out of his 
vehicle, and he looked down, and he saw that part of his left leg had 
been blown off. Despite the intense pain, he refused pain killers 
offered by a field medic so he could stay alert to deal with the enemy. 
Soon, a team of A-10 Warthogs arrived and took care of the terrorists, 
and Chip and his men were evacuated.
    Eventually, Chip was transported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 
where doctors told him that he would be in recovery for at least a year. 
He told his doctors he had a change of command in 6 months and that he'd 
be out of recovery by then. To speed his recovery, he tripled his daily 
physical therapy regime. He told his physical therapists, ``I'm going to 
need to run, swim, jump out of planes, possibly ride horses; I'm not 
going to accept anything different.'' His therapist recalls how angry he 
was when someone told him he'd never run a sub-7 minute mile again. Chip 
proved him wrong.
    Today, his commanding officer says, ``I'd say he's fitter than 90 
percent of the people in the unit he commands. In a room with four 
people, I bet he could beat three of us in a mile run.'' Chip is here at 
Fort Bragg; he's jumping out of planes; he's training with his men; and 
next April, he's heading back to Afghanistan, where he'll once again 
command a unit in the zone of combat. America is blessed to have brave 
soldiers like Chip

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Eldridge. With men like this leading our forces in the battle, the enemy 
doesn't have a chance.
    Like Chip, some of our service men and women have returned from war 
with terrible injuries, wounds they will carry with them for the rest of 
their lives. Others left our shores to defend freedom and did not live 
to make the journey home. They left loved ones behind who mourn a loss 
that time can never fully heal. We hold the families of the fallen in 
our hearts, and we lift them up in our prayers, and America will always 
honor their sacrifice.
    In the past 5 years, the men and women of Fort Bragg have met 
hardships together, and you have looked out for each other. Last year, 
more than 6,400 members of the Fort Bragg community served as 
volunteers, put in more than 725,000 hours of service to your friends 
and neighbors at this base. You've coached little league teams; you've 
comforted children who miss moms and dads deployed on missions far from 
home; and you helped returning soldiers make the adjustments from life 
in a combat zone to life at home.
    As you stand with one another here at Fort Bragg, you need to know, 
America stands with you. We support you. Last week, at the White House, 
I met with leaders of military service organizations from across this 
country. These groups are sending letters to our troops and offering 
scholarships for the children of our fallen and severely wounded 
soldiers. And they're providing millions of dollars in assistance to 
families of service men and women in need.
    I met some remarkable people at that meeting. I met a lady named 
Emily Dieruf--Dieruf--who lost her husband, Nich, in Iraq. Emily Dieruf 
has dedicated her life to helping our service men and women and their 
families in difficult times. She travels the country raising funds for a 
group called USA Cares. And together, they provided more than $1.4 
million in assistance to our military families.
    I met a wonderful lady named Mary Harper. Mary has got five children 
and a son-in-law in the United States Army, all of them in the Army, and 
all of them have served in Iraq. Mary was concerned about our troops not 
receiving mail from home, and so she started something called Operation 
Shoe Box. Today, she has 500 volunteers working with her, shipping 
between 500 and 700 care packages a week to our troops in Afghanistan 
and Iraq and other fronts in the war on terror. People like Mary and 
Emily represent the heart and soul of our Nation, and they make this 
country proud.
    Across our country, Americans are coming together to help our 
deployed forces and their families. And we can do more. So on this 
Fourth of July, I ask all Americans to take a moment and consider what 
you might do to support the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform. 
If you're interested in helping, go to a Department of Defense web site 
called americasupportsyou.mil. That's where you can find a place to 
volunteer, an opportunity to help. I ask every citizen to consider 
making a contribution to the men and women who defend us, because every 
one of us owes our freedom to these courageous Americans.
    The men and women who serve here at Fort Bragg are making a 
difference for America, and you're part of a great history. From the 
Battle of Trenton to the Battle of Tall `Afar, brave soldiers have 
stepped forward to risk their lives for liberty. Two hundred and thirty 
years after America declared her independence, the spirit of '76 lives 
on in the courage that you show each day.
    You've given our citizens a priceless gift, the opportunity to live 
in freedom and to pursue their dreams and enjoy lives of purpose and 
dignity. You've kept America what our Founders meant her to be: A light 
to the nations, spreading the good news of human freedom to the darkest 
corners of Earth.
    I want to thank you for all you do for our country and for the 
world. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless the United 
States of America.

Note: The President spoke at 9:58 a.m. at Iron Mike Plaza. In his 
remarks, he referred to Col. Mark Tillman, USAF, commander, Presidential 
Airlift Group; Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, USA, commanding general, XVIII 
Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg; Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of Iraq; 
and Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., USA, commanding general, Multi-National 
Force--Iraq.

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