THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Laura and I
want to welcome you all to the White
House. Welcome. Thanks for coming.
I also want to thank all who work with the USO; it is
important. It's important for our country and it's important
for the world, and I want to thank you for coming so we can honor such
a fine, fine organization.
I also want to thank Wayne Newton for being here. I
appreciate so very much your leading the USO Celebrity
Circle. I don't know whether or not you spent much time with
Bob Hope before you took the assignment, but this job has got a 60-year
term limit to it. (Laughter and applause.)
I want to thank Dick Myers and the other members of the Joint
Chiefs who are here. I am proud of the job you all are
doing. I want to thank the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon
England, for coming, as well. I appreciate so very much
members of the United States Congress here. Senator Reed, thank you so
very much. I don't know if Congressman Edwards is here -- my
congressman. He's the congressman for Crawford,
Texas. Good to see you,
sir. (Applause.) Answer my mail, will
you? (Laughter.)
I appreciate Norm Mineta, who is here. Part of our
battle against terrorism is to have a strong home front, and to make
sure our airlines are secure. And we've got a really good
man running the Department of Transportation to make sure that
happens. Norm, I'm proud of the work you're doing, I'm proud
of your leadership. (Applause.)
I'm glad Joyce Rumsfeld is here. Thanks for coming,
Joyce. Don is on his way overseas. And he, like
the rest of the Pentagon, is doing a fabulous job, I mean a really good
job, of defending our country. I look forward to getting him
back. I'm looking forward to hearing how the trip went.
John Gottschalk, thank you very much for taking on this
assignment. And General Tilelli, thank you, as well. I
appreciate so very much your being here. I want to thank
Neil McCoy, I want to thank Rob Schneider and Jessica Simpson, as
well. These are some of the great talent who are going to
entertain our troops, and bring smiles to the faces of people who are a
long way away from home. It's a noble cause, and I
appreciate you all doing this.
Next week, when the tour begins, people are going to travel all
around the globe. And there they will find young men and
women of the highest caliber, of the highest caliber, some of whom will
be facing extreme danger in the months to come, all of whom are proud
to serve.
In our war against terrorism, we can be thankful -- all of us in
America, and for that matter, all the people who have joined our vast
coalition can be thankful that we are defended by men and women of such
incredible character, and such great courage.
Our USO performers are all a part of a very special American
institution. For more than six decades, the USO has brought
a touch of home to Americans in distant places. Millions of
veterans still cherish memories of USO shows, hospitality centers, and
the good folks who have traveled thousands of miles to show their
support. The USO brought more than entertainment to the
troops.
Here is what Harry Truman had to say. He said, "The USO
lets our servicemen and women know the people of the United State are
behind them." Well, that's still true at the beginning of this
century. And for a very different kind of war: a
war that is being fought on many fronts; a war that's being fought here
in the homeland; a war that's being fought because of the relentless
efforts of our law enforcement; a war that's being fought by a
diplomatic front the likes of which the world has never seen before; a
war that's being fought by cutting off funds to the evil ones; and a
war that's being fought on the field of battle.
We face an enemy -- an enemy the likes of which we've never seen
before, an enemy without a government, an enemy that's tried to hijack
a great religion, an enemy that is so evil that those of us in American
can't possibly comprehend why they do what they do. But it
will be an enemy that will be defeated. (Applause.)
This enemy will be defeated because this nation is strong, and this
nation is united. This enemy will be defeated because this
nation won't stand for evil. This enemy will be defeated
because we understand we fight for our very freedoms. This
enemy will be defeated because we understand that what we do today will
determine whether our children and our grandchildren can grow up in a
free society in a free world.
This enemy will be defeated because across the world, our soldiers
-- Marines and sailors, airmen and Coast Guardsmen -- are the defenders
of freedom. And once again, they will know that the American
people stand squarely behind them. (Applause.)
This is a war that has required our military to
adjust. It is a different kind of war. And we
have got a strategy that meets this different kind of
war. After all, these days we've got a B-2 bomber pilot who
boards his aircraft in Missouri, delivers his ordnance, and comes back
to Missouri. And the men and women of today's armed services
also are different from the past. Most are likely to be
married. Most are likely to have young children.
And the good news is, the USO has kept pace with these
changes. It, too, has changed to reflect the nature of
modern war and a modern military. And it, too, is directing its
mission not just for those in the military, but for their family
members, as well. The USO leadership is as diverse and
talented as ever. And I want to thank you all very much, and
so do the American people.
Some of the members of the Celebrity Circle Executive Committee,
including Tom Hanks and Quincy Jones, could not be here. But
tell them I thanked them, and tell them we appreciate their hard work.
And for our troops abroad, USO's touch of home will mean even more
-- even more -- as we head toward Thanksgiving, and eventually the
holiday seasons of the winter. And you can tell them they
are greatly needed where they are, and they are greatly missed back
home. And you can tell them the American people and the
President are proud of their service.
May God bless the USO, and may God bless
America. (Applause.)