Continuing acts of terrorism in Iraq against coalition forces, aid workers and innocent Iraqi citizens will not "shake the will" of the United States, President Bush asserted November 3. (Read complete transcript)

Holdouts from the ousted Saddam Hussein regime and foreign terrorists "are desperately trying to throw Iraq into chaos" because they know that the advance of freedom in Iraq will be a major defeat for the cause of terror, Bush said in separate speeches in Birmingham, Alabama, where he spent much of the day.

"This collection of killers is trying to shake the will of America. We will not be intimidated," Bush said.

"We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them there so we will not have to face them in our own country. We're calling other nations to help Iraq to build a free country, which will make us all more secure. We're standing with the Iraqi people as they assume more of their own defense and move toward self-government.

"These are not easy tasks, but they're essential tasks for the security of the United States and for the peace of the world. We will finish what we have begun, and we will win this essential victory in the war on terror."

Bush's November 3 remarks were his first public comments since the death November 2 of 16 U.S. soldiers killed when the giant Chinook transport helicopter they were flying in was shot down near the town of Fallujah.

"We mourn every loss. We honor every name. We grieve with every family. And we will always be grateful that liberty has found such brave defenders," Bush said.

The future of freedom and peace around the world depend on the actions of America, he said. "This nation is freedom's home and freedom's defender. We welcome this charge of history and we are keeping it."