[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 44 (Monday, November 6, 2006)]
[Pages 1914-1916]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina

October 28, 2006

    Thank you all very much. You know, I was in the neighborhood and 
thought I'd stop by to say hello here at Team Charleston. I am proud to 
be here with the men and women of the 437th and the 315th Air Wings. 
Yes--I'm proud to be with members of the United States Air Force and the 
United States Navy--proud to be with the rest of you, too. [Laughter]
    Laura sends her love, and she sends all her respect to those who 
support our military. I'm proud to be here with the Governor of the 
great State of South Carolina, Governor Mark Sanford, and his wife, 
Jenny, and their children. I thank Congressman Henry Brown for taking 
time out of a Saturday afternoon to come and say hello to his buddy, the 
President of the United States. I thank Colonel Glen Joerger for his 
hospitality. I thank Colonel Tim Wrighton. I thank you all for giving me 
a chance to come and share some thoughts with you.
    The first thought I want to say is, I am proud to be the Commander 
in Chief of such a fine group of young men and women. We have an amazing 
nation when people say, ``I want to volunteer to defend this country.'' 
I am constantly amazed, enthralled, and buoyed by the fact that I'm the 
Commander in Chief of honorable, decent, courageous men and women. And I 
thank you for coming to say hello.
    I'm also proud to be here with our military families. I understand 
the sacrifices that you make on a daily basis for this country. So, as 
the President of the United States, I want to tell you plain and simple, 
the American people respect you; they appreciate you; and I'll do 
everything in my power to make sure the families and those who wear the 
uniform have all the support necessary to win this war on terror.
    I'm impressed by the record of the folks here at Charleston Air 
Force Base. I'm impressed by your accomplishments and what you've done 
on behalf of this grateful Nation. Since September the 11th, 2001, the 
folks who fly the airplanes, maintain the airplanes, and load the 
airplanes--and fill up the tires--[laughter]--have launched more than 
14,000 C-17 missions from here. You have airlifted more cargo to 
Operation Iraqi Freedom than any other unit in the United States. You 
are the only unit in the world tasked with providing strategic airlift 
to our Special Operation forces.
    The men and women here in Charleston have also done more than just 
provided supply to the war zones. You have provided humanitarian aid 
that has saved countless lives. The folks here have airdropped 2.4 
million rations of humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan at the 
start of Operation Enduring Freedom. You delivered 53,000 pounds of 
relief supplies to the tsunami victims in Indonesia. And after Hurricane 
Katrina, you delivered 2.5 million pounds of relief supplies and 
evacuated 2,400 citizens from New Orleans. You have shown the great 
compassion of the American people, and I thank you for your service.
    We are engaged in a global war on terror. After September the 11th, 
2001, I vowed to the American people that I would use everything at our 
disposal to do the number-one job of government, and that is to protect 
you from further attack. And I have been aided in protecting the 
American people by the fine United States military.
    We face an enemy that knows no bounds and no conscience. They're 
ideologues, but their ideology is the exact opposite of ours. They kill 
innocent people to achieve their evil objectives. But make no mistake 
about it, they have objectives. They have clearly stated that they want 
to drive the United States from the world so they can establish

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a caliphate, a governing organization, from Indonesia to Spain that 
would allow them to spread their ideology of hate, allow them to 
dominate a society in which people could not worship freely or speak 
freely, in which people who did not adhere to their point of view would 
be punished. They seek safe haven from which to launch further attacks 
to achieve their objective. And their attacks would aim right here at 
the United States of America.
    I want you to think about a world in which rival forms of radicals 
competed for power in the Middle East to deny the hopes and aspirations 
of millions of people who simply want to live in peace. They would 
topple moderate governments. They would use oil as an economic weapon to 
bring the West to her knees. And to mix all that in with a country with 
a nuclear weapon, and 20 or 30 years from now, if that were to happen, 
people would look back and say, ``What happened to them in 2006? How 
come they couldn't see the challenge? How come they couldn't see the 
threats to a generation of Americans?''
    I'm proud to be with people who see the threats and know that the 
best way to protect the American people is to defeat the enemy overseas 
so we do not have to face them here at home.
    One of the lessons of September the 11th is that when this country 
sees a threat, we must deal with that threat before it fully 
materializes. If we see a threat, we must take care of that threat. 
Otherwise, that threat could come to haunt us, to destroy innocent life. 
I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. The world saw a threat in Saddam 
Hussein. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right decision, and the 
world is better for it.
    And now you're involved in this global war on terror, in the central 
front, which is Iraq. I know some in America don't believe Iraq is the 
central front in the war on terror, and that's fine. They can have that 
opinion. But Usama bin Laden knows it's a central front in the war on 
terror. He has called Iraq the third world war. He has said of Iraq that 
he will lead to victory or glory or humiliation. We have made our 
decision. Iraq will lead to victory and glory for the United States, for 
the Iraqis, and for the moderates around the world.
    And it's tough fighting, because the enemy understands the stakes of 
a free Iraq. It's hard fighting, and we've got a lot of brave citizens 
of ours in the midst of the fight. But we have a plan for victory. We 
are in Iraq to help that young democracy fight off the radicals and the 
extremists. We're in the fight in Iraq to make sure there is not a safe 
haven from which to launch further attacks on the United States. Our 
plan for victory says that we want an Iraq that can defend itself and 
govern itself and sustain itself.
    And we've got some great things going for us. We've got a military 
that is constantly adjusting to the enemy on the ground. We've got 
commanders who are wise and brave and are bringing justice to our 
enemies there in Iraq. And we've also got at our side brave Iraqis who 
have suffered unbelievable loss but yet still cling to the hope, as 
reflected in the voices and votes of 12 million people who defied the 
car bombers and the terrorists. They want to live in freedom.
    I believe in the universality of freedom. I believe in everybody's 
soul is the desire to be free. It is in this country's interests that we 
defeat the enemy in Iraq and help this young democracy survive. You see, 
this is a different kind of war. And make no mistake about it, if the 
United States of America were to leave before the job is done, the enemy 
will follow us here. And that is why we will support our military, and 
that is why we will fight in Iraq, and that is why we will win in Iraq.
    And I thank you for being a part of this noble and just and 
important cause. You're fighting in a war that will set the course of a 
new century. The outcome will determine the destiny of millions across 
the world. The outcome of this fight will determine whether or not our 
children can grow up in the peace we want them to grow up in. Defeating 
the terrorists and the extremists is the challenge of our time and the 
calling of this generation. And like generations before us, we will do 
the hard work now, to make sure our children can grow up in freedom and 
peace.
    The time of war is a time of sacrifice. I know the sacrifices you 
all make. But some have paid the ultimate price; really good men

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and women have lost their lives in this struggle. We will pray for their 
families. And I make them this pledge: We will honor their sacrifice by 
completing the mission, by defeating the terrorists, and by laying the 
foundation of peace for generations to come.
    I can't thank you enough for coming to say hello. May God bless you 
all, and may God continue to bless the United States.

Note: The President spoke at 4:48 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Col. Glen G. Joerger, commander, USAF, 437th Airlift Wing; Col. Timothy 
J. Wrighton, USAF, commander, 315th Airlift Wing; former President 
Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida 
terrorist organization.