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: Hoo-ah! (Applause.) 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. (Hoo-ah!) Welcome home -- and thank you for a job well-done.
(Hoo-ah!) Others are preparing to head out this fall -- (Hoo-ah!) --
some for a second tour of duty. (Hoo-ah!) 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. (Applause.)
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. (Hoo-ah!)
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.
(Hoo-ah!) I appreciate our fine Governor from the state of Texas,
Governor Rick Perry, for joining us today. (Applause.) I want to thank
Congressman John Carter and Congressman Chet Edwards for joining us
today. (Applause.) 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 JD Thurman, and his wife, Dee; --
(applause) -- Command Sergeant Major Tom McMurtrie. And all the
soldiers, airmen, military families, veterans, friends of Fort Hood, and
the Three Corps.
This weekend we marked the two-year anniversary of the liberation of
Baghdad. (Hoo-ah!) 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. (Hoo-ah!)
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. (Hoo-ah!)
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 eight months later, soldiers of
the Ivy Division -- (Hoo-ah!) -- brought the real Saddam Hussein to
justice. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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 bomb-making 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." (Hoo-ah!)
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. (Hoo-ah!) 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
two 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. (Hoo-ah!) 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. (Hoo-ah!)
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-Hassani. 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 resolve to
defend them. The Iraqi security forces are fighting bravely for the
future of their country, and in the last six 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 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 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. (Applause.)
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 Iraq 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 two 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. (Hoo-ah!) 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 n
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. (Hoo-ah!) 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 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. (Applause.)
Thank you all. (Applause.)