For
Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 11, 2003
Ronald Reagan Building and
International
Trade Center
Washington, D.C.
1:16 P.M.
EST
THE
PRESIDENT: Ed, thank
you very much. It's an honor to be here. I appreciate your invitation.
I want to thank you for your decades of leadership in the conservative
movement. Presidents come and go, except here at the Heritage
Foundation.
(Laughter.) I appreciate being with your good bride, Linda; the
trustees
of the Heritage; the longtime Heritage supporters; and the Ronald
Reagan
Fellow at Heritage, a man who is a fine leader and a fine Attorney
General,
Ed Meese. (Applause.)
It's
appropriate that
we gather in the building named for Ronald Reagan. The Heritage
Foundation
emerged as an important voice in Washington during the Reagan years.
The
American people gave Ronald Reagan his mandate for leadership. Yet, it
was the Heritage Foundation, with a book by that title, from which he
drew
ideas and inspiration. Ever since, in the councils of Washington,
Heritage
has been an advocate for free enterprise, traditional values and the
advance
of liberty around the world. My administration has benefitted from your
good work, and so has our country. Thank you for what you do.
(Applause.)
We meet on
Veterans Day,
and I know there are many veterans in this room. On behalf of the
nation,
I thank you for your service to our country. (Applause.) The title of
veteran
is a term of great respect in America. All who served, whether for a
few
years or for many, have put the nation's needs above their own.
All
stood ready, if the order came to risk everything for their country's
cause.
Our wars have taken from us some of our finest citizens, and every hour
of the lifetimes they hoped to live. And the courage of our military
has
given us every hour we live in freedom. (Applause.)
In every
generation, members
of the Armed Forces have been loyal to one another, and faithful to the
ideals of America. After the second world war, returning veterans often
said they had just been doing their jobs, or didn't talk about their
service
at all. Yet they knew the stakes of the fight they had been in, and the
magnitude of what they had achieved. Long after putting away his
uniform,
one American expressed his pride in having served in World War II. He
said,
"I feel like I played my part in turning this from a century of
darkness
into a century of light." This is true of all who served and sacrificed
in the struggles of the 20th century. They maintained the greatest
fighting
force in the world. They kept our country free, and we're grateful to
them
all. (Applause.)
We come to
this Veterans
Day in a time of war. And today's military is acting in the finest
traditions
of the veterans who came before them. They've given all that we've
asked
of them. They are showing bravery in the face of ruthless enemies, and
compassion to people in great need. Our men and women in uniform are
warriors
and they are liberators, strong and kind and decent. By their courage,
they keep us safe; by their honor, they make us proud. (Applause.)
When we lose
such Americans
in battle we lose our best. And the time -- this time of brave
achievement
is also a time of sacrifice. Not far from this place, at Army and Navy
medical centers, young service members are recovering from injuries of
war. Not far from here, at Arlington National Cemetery, as in home
towns
across America, we have laid to rest young men and women who died in
distant
lands. For their families this is a terrible sorrow, and we pray for
their
comfort. For the nation, there is a feeling of loss, and we remember
and
we honor every name. (Applause.)
Our people
in uniform
know the cost and risk of war. They also know what is at stake in this
war. Army Command Sergeant Major Loakimo Falaniko recently lost his
son,
Private Jonathan Falaniko, in an attack near Baghdad. Father and son
both
served in Iraq, in the same unit, the 1st Armored Division's Engineer
Brigade.
At his son's memorial service, Command Sergeant Major Falaniko said
this:
"What our country brings to Iraq is a chance for freedom and democracy.
We're making a difference every day. My son died for a good cause. He
answered
the nation's call."
Our mission
in Iraq and
Afghanistan is clear to our service members -- and clear to our
enemies.
Our men and women are fighting to secure the freedom of more than 50
million
people who recently lived under two of the cruelest dictatorships on
Earth.
Our men and women are fighting to help democracy and peace and justice
rise in a troubled and violent region. Our men and women are fighting
terrorist
enemies thousands of miles away in the heart and center of their power,
so that we do not face those enemies in the heart of America.
(Applause.)
Our men and women are fighting for the security of America and for the
advance of freedom, and that is a cause worth fighting for.
(Applause.)
The work we
are in is
not easy; yet it is essential. The failure of democracy in Afghanistan
and Iraq will condemn every advocate of freedom in those two countries
to prison or death, and would extinguish the democratic hopes of
millions
in the Middle East. The failure of democracy in those two countries
would
provide new basis for the terrorist network and embolden terrorists and
their allies around the world. The failure of democracy in those
two countries would convince terrorists that America backs down under
attack,
and more attacks on America would surely follow.
The
terrorists cite the
examples of Beirut and Somalia as evidence that America can be made to
run. Five years ago one of the terrorists said that an attack could
make
America retreat in less than 24 hours. The terrorists are mistaken.
(Applause.)
The United States will complete our work in Iraq and in
Afghanistan.
Democracy in those two countries will succeed. And that success will be
a great milestone in the history of liberty.
A democratic
revolution
that has reached across the globe will finally take root in the Middle
East. The stagnation and isolation and anger of that region will give
way
to progress and opportunity. (Applause.) America and the world will be
safer from catastrophic violence because terror is not the tool of the
free. (Applause.)
The United
States has
made an unbreakable commitment to the success of freedom in Afghanistan
and Iraq. We have a strategy to see that commitment through. In
Afghanistan,
we're helping to build a free and stable democracy, as we continue to
track
down and destroy Taliban and al Qaeda forces. Following years of cruel
oppression, the Afghan people are living with hope and they're making
steady
progress.
In Iraq, the
terrorists
have chosen to make a stand and to test our resolve. Their violence is
concentrated in a relatively small area of that country. Yet, the
terrorists
are dangerous. For the sake of Iraq's future, for the sake of America's
security, these killers must be defeated. (Applause.)
After the
swift advance
of our coalition to Baghdad and the removal of Saddam Hussein from
power,
some remnants of the regime fled from the battlefield. Over time, Baath
Party and Fedayeen fighters and other Saddam loyalists have organized
to
attack our forces, to terrorize international aid workers and to murder
innocent Iraqis. These bitter holdouts would rather see Iraqis dead
than
see them free.
Foreign
jihadists have
arrived across Iraq's borders in small groups with the goal of
installing
a Taliban-like regime. Also present in the country are some terrorists
from Ansar Islam and from al Qaeda, who are always eager to join in the
killing and who seek revenge after their defeat in Afghanistan. Saddam
loyalists and foreign terrorists may have different long-term goals,
but
they share a near-term strategy -- to terrorize Iraqis and to
intimidate
America and our allies.
Recent
reporting suggests
that despite their differences, these killers are working together to
spread
chaos and terror and fear. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, 93 percent
of terror attacks have occurred in Baghdad and five of Iraq's 18
provinces.
The violence is focused in 200 square miles known as the Baathist
Triangle,
the home area to Saddam Hussein and most of his associates. Here, the
enemy
is waging the battle, and it is here that the enemy will be defeated.
(Applause.)
In the last
few months,
the adversary has changed its composition and method, and our coalition
is adapting accordingly. We're employing the latest battlefield
technology
to locate mortar positions and roadside bombs. Our forces are moving
against
specific targets based on intelligence gathered from Iraqis.
We're
conducting hundreds of daily patrols. Last month alone we made 1,500
raids
against terrorists. The recent operations have resulted in the capture
or death of more than a thousand killers, the seizure of 4,500 mortar
rounds;
1,600 rocket-propelled grenades have been seized, thousands of other
weapons
and military equipment. Our coalition is on the offensive in Iraq, and
we will stay on the offensive. (Applause.)
The
long-term security
of Iraq will be assured by the Iraqis, themselves: 118,000 Iraqis are
now
serving as police officers and border guards, civil defense personnel
and
in the facilities protection service. Iraq's security forces join in
operations
with our troops and they patrol towns and cities independently. Some
700
troops are now serving in the new Iraqi army. Thousands more are being
trained, and we expect to see 35,000 Iraqi troops in the field by the
end
of next year. Increasingly, the Iraqi people are assuming the
responsibilities
and the risks of protecting their own country. And their willingness to
accept these duties is one of the surest signs that the Iraqis want
freedom,
and that the Iraqis are headed toward self-government. (Applause.)
Under our
strategy, increasing
authority is being transferred to the Iraqi people. The Iraqi Governing
Council has appointed ministers who are responsible for the day-to-day
operations of the Iraqi government. The Council has also begun the
process
that will lead to a new constitution. No friend or enemy should doubt
Iraq
liberty will find a lasting home.
Iraqis are a
proud people
and they want their national independence. And they can see the
difference
between those who are attacking their country and those who are helping
to build it. Our coalition is training new police; the terrorists are
trying
to kill them. We're protecting pipelines and power plants for the good
of the Iraqi people; the terrorists are trying to blow them up. We're
turning
authority over to Iraqi leaders; the terrorists are trying to
assassinate
them. We're offering aid and self-rule and hope for the future; the
terrorists
offer nothing but oppression and death. The vast majority of Iraqis
know
exactly what is going on in their country today. Having seen the worst
of tyranny, the Iraqi people will reject the return of tyranny.
(Applause.)
After
decades of dictator's
sustained assault on Iraq's society and dignity and spirit, a
Jeffersonian
democracy will not spring up in a matter of months. We know that our
Baathist
and terrorist enemies are ruthless and cunning. We also know that the
lives
of Iraqis have improved greatly in seven short months. Yet, we know the
remaining tasks are difficult.
We also know
a few things
about our own country. America gained its own independence and helped
free
much of the world by taking on difficult tasks. We're a confident
people,
and we have a reason to be confident. Our Armed Forces are skilled and
powerful and humane. They're the best in the world. (Applause.) I
will keep them that way. (Applause.)
We've got
good friends
and allies serving with us in Iraq. There are 32 countries standing
beside
our troops. Our commanders have the capabilities they have requested,
and
they're meeting a changing enemy with flexible tactics. The Congress
has
provided the resources we need to support our military and to improve
the
daily lives of newly-liberated people. Other nations and organizations
have stepped up to provide more than $18 billion to the emerging
democracies
of Afghanistan and Iraq. The peoples of those two countries are
sacrificing
for their own liberty. And the United States once again is fighting in
the cause of our nation, the great cause of liberty. And we know that
the
cause of liberty will prevail. (Applause.)
Much is
asked of us, and
we have answered this kind of challenge before. In the summer of 1948,
the Soviet Union imposed a sudden and total blockade on the city of
Berlin
in order to force the allies out. More than 2 million people
would
soon be without food or fuel or medicine. The entire world watched and
wondered if free peoples would back down -- wondered whether free
people
would abandon their commitments. It was at the outset of the Cold War,
and the will and the resolve of America were being measured.
In an urgent
meeting,
all the alternatives were discussed, including retreat. When the moment
of decision came, President Harry Truman said this: "We stay in Berlin,
period. We stay in Berlin, come what may." By the determination of
President
Truman, America and our allies launched the Berlin Airlift, and
overcame
more than 10 months of siege. That resolve and the daring of our
military
saved a city, and held back the communist threat in Europe.
Nearly four
decades later,
Ronald Reagan came to West Berlin with the same kind of resolve, and
vision
beyond the Cold War. When he called on the Soviets to tear down that
wall,
he was asserting a confident new doctrine. He believed that communism
can
not only be contained, but transcended; that no human barrier could
hold
back the spread of human liberty. The triumph of that vision eventually
turned enemies into friends, healed a divided continent, and brought
security
and peace to Europe and America.
Two years
into the war
on terror, the will and resolve of America are being tested, in
Afghanistan
and in Iraq. Again, the world is watching. Again we will be
steadfast;
we will finish the mission we have begun, period. (Applause.)
We are not
only containing
the terrorist threat, we are turning it back. We believe that freedom
is
the right of every person. We believe that freedom is the hope of every
culture. We believe that freedom is the future of every nation in the
Middle
East. And we know as Americans that the advance of freedom is the
surest
path to peace.
May God
bless you all.
(Applause.)
END 1:42
P.M. EST
