[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 44 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[Pages 1446-1449]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Basic Training Graduation Ceremony at Fort Jackson, South 
Carolina

November 2, 2007

    The President.  Colonel, thank you very much. I'm pleased to be here 
with you to have a chance to say, ``Hooah!''
    Audience members. Hooah!
    The President.  I'm here to congratulate those of you who have 
completed your basic training. I thank--thanks to your families for 
supporting these fine Americans. I want to thank those who have worked 
hard to train you. You have stepped forward to volunteer to defend our 
country at a time of danger, and you need to know, you're making all 
Americans proud.
    Over the past 3 weeks, you've endured obstacle courses, grenade 
throwing, fireguard duty. You even made it through Victory Forge. Now 
you have another tough assignment: You got to make it through my speech. 
[Laughter]
    You are part of a storied military tradition. Over the last century, 
Fort Jackson has prepared countless young Americans to defend our 
country. Soldiers marched from these fields to battle fascists and 
dictators and terrorists. Those soldiers brought freedom to millions of 
people they never knew. And because of their efforts, America is 
stronger, America is safer, and America is free.
    Once again, our Nation calls on brave Americans to confront our 
enemies and bring peace and security to millions, and you're answering 
that call. I thank you for your courage. I thank you for making the 
noble decision to put on the uniform and to defend the United States of 
America in a time of war.
    Many of you will deploy to Iraq. You will help carry out a new 
strategy that, over the past few months, has taken the initiative from 
the enemy and driven them from key strongholds. Today I want to share 
with you and the American people some of the progress we are making in 
Iraq, what we can expect in the months ahead. The fight for Iraq is 
critical to the security of the American people. And with the skill and 
valor of the soldiers standing before me, standing beside me, and 
standing behind me, it is a fight that we will win.
    I thank Lieutenant Colonel Cotton for his introduction and thank him 
for his service. I'm proud to be with the Governor of the great State of 
South Carolina, Governor Mark Sanford.
    With us today are Members of the Congress--a United States Senator 
and two

[[Page 1447]]

Members of the House of Representatives--who strongly support those who 
wear the uniform and their families: Senator Lindsey Graham, Congressman 
Joe Wilson, and Congressman Bob Inglis.
    I thank General Schwitters for his hospitality and his leadership. I 
thank Command Sergeant Major Brian Carlson for his leadership. I thank 
all those who wear the uniform. It's incredible to be the Commander in 
Chief of a nation that has produced such bravery and such decency and 
such compassion. We have the great--the greatest military on the face of 
the Earth, and we intend to keep it that way.
    It is a great day of celebration, and I thank you for letting me 
come to celebrate with you. I know the moms and dads and family members 
are so proud of those who will be parading in front of us here in a 
minute. But it's also a time of war for our country. I wish I did not 
have to report that, but it's the truth; it's the way it is in this 
world in which we live. It's a moment when these soldiers prepare to 
assume responsibility for the security of our country and the safety of 
the free world.
    Today, we face an enemy that is willing to kill the innocent to 
achieve their political objectives; an enemy that showed us the horrors 
they intend for us on September the 11th, 2001, when the terrorists 
murdered nearly 3,000 innocent souls on our own country. You know, it's 
a day I'll never forget, and it's a day our country should never forget.
    Some lessons that we must understand: First, conditions overseas 
matters to the security of the United States. When people live in 
hopeless societies, it's the only way that these evil perpetrators of 
violence can recruit. What matters overseas matters to the homeland. One 
of the lessons of September the 11th is, we can't hope for the best. We 
must stay on the offense. We must keep the pressure on the enemy. We 
must use all power of the United States to protect the American people 
from further home--further harm, and that's what we're doing here today.
    And as we keep pressure on the enemy, we must always remember that 
the ultimate path to peace will come from the spread of freedom and 
liberty; that freedom is the great alternative to the ideology of the 
murderers and the radicals; that by working help--to work to help others 
become free, that our noble military is laying the foundation for peace 
for generations to come.
    And it is Iraq that is the central front in this struggle. In that 
country, a democratic ally is fighting for its survival. Our enemies 
have sought to build safe havens there from which to plot further 
attacks against our people. And those who will be parading in front of 
us soon will be called upon to stop them. By taking the fight to the 
enemy in Iraq, we will defeat the terrorists there so we do not have to 
face them in the United States.
    America's new strategy to win that fight, including a surging U.N. 
forces--U.S. forces, has been fully operational for 4 months. I want to 
assure the loved ones here of something, and I want to assure those who 
wear the uniform of something: I will make decisions about our troop 
presence in Iraq and Afghanistan based upon the considered judgment of 
those who wear the uniform, not based upon the Gallup Poll or political 
party considerations.
    So I accepted the recommendations of General David Petraeus, and I 
want to report to you on some of the results. Our new strategy 
emphasized securing the Iraqi population as the foundation for all other 
progress in that country. And here's what I can report. First, the 
challenges: Parts of Iraq continue to be violent and difficult. The 
terrorists are still capable of murdering the innocent--that will get on 
our TV screens. The enemy remains determined, but what they have learned 
about the United States of America is, we are more determined. We're 
more determined to protect ourselves and to help people realize the 
blessings of freedom. With our help, the Iraqi people are going on the 
offense against the enemy. They're confronting the terrorists, and 
they're taking their country back.
    As part of our strategy, we sent forces into neighborhoods where 
Iraqis lived to rat out the extremists, to gain the confidence of the 
people. Together with Iraqi forces, we have captured or killed an 
average of more than 1,500 enemy fighters per month since January of 
this year. Since the surge of operations began in June, the number of 
IED attacks

[[Page 1448]]

per week has declined by half. U.S. military deaths have fallen to their 
lowest level in 19 months. Iraqi forces have now assumed responsibility 
for security in 8 of Iraq's 18 Provinces. Across this country, brave 
Iraqis are increasingly taking more responsibility for their own 
security and safety.
    We're seeing some of the most dramatic changes in Anbar Province. 
One year ago, many of the experts said Anbar had been lost to the enemy. 
As a matter of fact, at that time, Al Qaida staged a parade in the city 
streets to flaunt its power and its control. Last week, there was 
another parade in Anbar. This time it was a parade of Iraqi citizens and 
Iraqi forces who had reclaimed their homes and driven the terrorists out 
of their cities. And these changes were made possible by the bravery and 
determination of our Iraqi partners and the incredible bravery of the 
men and women of the United States military.
    Our enemies see the changes underway, and they increasingly fear 
they're on the wrong side of events. Usama bin Laden--who has to hide in 
caves because the United States is on his tail--understands--has said 
publicly that Al Qaida's recent setbacks are mistakes--the result of 
mistakes that Al Qaida has made. In other words, he recognizes the 
inevitable, that the United States of America and those who long for 
peace in Iraq, the Iraqi citizens, will not tolerate thugs and killers 
in their midst.
    The Iraqis are becoming more capable, and our military commander 
tells me that these gains are making possible what I call ``return on 
success.'' That means we're slowly bringing some of our troops home, and 
now we're doing it from a position of strength.
    Our new strategy recognizes that once Iraqis feel safe in their 
homes and neighborhoods, they can begin to create jobs and 
opportunities. And that is starting to happen. There's some challenges: 
corruption remains a problem; unemployment remains high; and the 
improvements we are seeing in the Iraqi economy are not uniform across 
the country. But overall, the Iraqi economy is growing at a strong rate.
    We're seeing improvements in important economic indicators. 
Inflation has been cut in half. Electricity production in September 
reached its highest levels since the war began--and higher than it was 
under Saddam Hussein.

    Behind these numbers are stories of real people, some of whom our 
troops may meet, in some real cities where you may patrol. In Baqubah, 
the historic market has been reopened in a city that had been in a 
virtual lockdown a few months ago. In Fallujah, workers have turned an 
artillery factory into a civilian machine shop employing 600 people. In 
the Baghdad neighborhood of Ameriya--an Al Qaida stronghold until a few 
months ago--locals have returned and are reopening their shops.

    Here's what progress means to one shopkeeper in the former Al Qaida 
stronghold of Arab Jabour. He's a local butcher. He says that as 
recently as June, he was selling only one or two sheep per week. Now, 
the terrorists cleaned out and residents returning home, he's selling 
one or two sheep per day. Slowly but surely, the people of Iraq are 
reclaiming a normal society. You see, when Iraqis don't have to fear the 
terrorists, they have a chance to build better lives for themselves. You 
must understand, an Iraqi mom wants her child to grow up in peace just 
like an American mom does.

    Our new strategy is based on the idea that improvements in security 
will help the Iraqis achieve national reconciliation. There's some 
challenges: Reconciliation at the national level hasn't been what we'd 
hoped it'd been by now. While the central Government has passed a budget 
and has reached out to its neighbors and begun to share oil revenues 
with the Provinces, the Iraqi Parliament still lags in passing key 
legislation. Political factions are still failing to make necessary 
compromises. And that's disappointing--and I, of course, made my 
disappointments clear to Iraqi leadership.

    At the same time, reconciliation is taking place at the local level. 
Many Iraqis are seeing growing cooperation between Shi'a and Sunnis. 
These folks are tired of Al Qaida, and they're tired of Iranian-backed 
extremists; they're weary of fighting; and they are determined to give 
their families a better life.

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    In Baghdad, Sunni and Shi'a leaders in one of the city's most 
divided neighborhoods recently signed an agreement to halt sectarian 
violence and end attack on coalition forces.
    In Anbar, Sunni sheikhs hosted Shi'a sheikhs from Karbala Province 
to discuss security and express their unity. And I can assure you--as 
can the soldiers who have been in Iraq--that 1 year ago such an event 
was unthinkable.
    In Diyala Province, tribal groups come together for the first time 
to foster reconciliation. I'm going to tell you a story of interest to 
me. Extremists had kidnaped a group of Sunni and Shi'a leaders from 
Diyala; one of them was shot dead. According to a tribal spokesman, the 
extremists offered to release the Shi'a sheikhs, but not the Sunnis. And 
the Shi'as refused, unless their Sunni brothers were released as well. 
The next day, most of the hostages were rescued, and their captors are 
now in custody.
    And the point I make is that given time and space, the normal Iraqi 
will take the necessary steps to put--fight for a free society. After 
all, 12 million people voted for freedom, 12 million people endorsed a 
democratic Constitution. And it's in our interest we help them succeed. 
It's in our interest we help freedom prevail. It's in our interest we 
deny safe haven to killers who at one time killed us in America. It's in 
our interest to show the world that we've got the courage and the 
determination necessary to spread the foundation for peace, and that is 
what we're here to honor today.
    We're making progress, and many have contributed to the successes. 
And foremost among them are the men and women of the United States Army. 
Once again, American soldiers have shown the world why our military is 
the finest fighting force on Earth. And now that legacy falls to the 
proud graduates today. Earlier generations of soldiers from Fort Jackson 
made their way to Europe and liberated a continent from tyranny. Today, 
a new generation is following in their noble tradition. And one day, 
people will speak of your achievements in Baqubah and Baghdad the way we 
now speak of Normandy and the Bulge.
    This post was named for a great American President. He served his 
country in two major conflicts, including the American Revolution at the 
age of 13. Andrew Jackson was renowned for his courage, and that courage 
lives on at the base that bears his name. Troops from Fort Jackson have 
served with honor and distinction in today's war on terror, and some 
have not lived to make the journey home. And today we honor their 
sacrifices. We pray for their families. We remember what they fought 
for, and we pledge to finish the job.
    And you are the ones who will carry on their work. Americans are 
counting on you, and their confidence is well placed. You've trained 
hard. You've prepared for battle. And when you take up your missions, 
you will give a new meaning to the slogan chanted by thousands of 
soldiers on this base in many wars and in many era: ``Victory starts 
here.''
    May God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of 
America.

Note: The President spoke at 1:25 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Lt. Col. Reginald W. Cotton, commander, 3d Battalion, 34th Infantry 
Regiment, Fort Jackson, SC, who introduced the President; Brig. Gen. 
James H. Schwitters, commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Brian L. 
Carlson, post command sergeant major, U.S. Army Training Center & Fort 
Jackson, SC; Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, commanding general, Multi-
National Force--Iraq; and Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida 
terrorist organization.