For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 21, 2003
President Delivers Commencement Address at Coast Guard
Remarks by the President in Commencement Address to United States Coast Guard Academy
Cadet Nitchman Field
New London, Connecticut
Fact Sheet Audio
11:37 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thanks for the warm welcome.
Admiral Collins and Admiral Olsen, Secretary Ridge, Lieutenant Governor
Rell, Mr. President, I'm glad you're here, thank you for coming, sir;
Congressman Simmons, the fine professors of the U.S. Coast Guard
Academy, distinguished guests, proud family members and the graduates.
Thank you for your welcome, and thank you for the honor of speaking to
the newest officers of the United States Coast Guard.
You know, I was born in this state, just down the road. (Laughter
and applause.) I've still got relatives living here. (Laughter.) And it
looks like some of them were up late last night painting Pride Rock.
(Laughter and applause.)
This is a proud day for the Class of 2003, I know you've worked
hard to get here. You've persevered through the rigors of Swab Summer,
you've faced difficult trials -- in the classroom, aboard Eagle. And
now, with silver dollars in your pockets, you're ready to become
officers in our nation's oldest, continuous sea-going service. You have
shown each day that you "revere honor" and that you "honor duty." You
have made your families, your professors and your country proud. On
behalf of the American people, thank you for choosing a life of
service, and congratulations on a great achievement. (Applause.)
I bring with me a small graduation present. Pursuant to the
longstanding tradition, I hereby grant amnesty to all cadets on
restriction for minor conduct offenses. (Laughter and applause.) I
leave it up to Admiral Olsen to determine the definition of "minor."
(Laughter.)
Coast Guard Academy life is demanding, and it should be -- because
you are entrusted with solemn responsibilities, in peace and in war.
America counts on the Coast Guard to enforce maritime law, to secure
our waterways and ports, to rescue those in distress, and to intercept
illegal drugs. In this new century, we will count on you even more. The
men and women of this class are the first ever to graduate into the
Department of Homeland Security, which is charged with protecting the
American people against terrorist attacks. You are bringing a long
tradition of duty to this new and urgent task. Terrorists who seek to
harm our country now face your "Shield of Freedom." Every citizen can
be grateful that the Coast Guard stands watch for America.
The Coast Guard is also playing a vital role in America's strategy
to confront terror before it comes to our shores. In the Iraqi theater,
Coast Guard cutters and patrol boats and buoy tenders, and over a
thousand of your finest active duty and reserve members protected key
ports and oil platforms, detained Iraqi prisoners of war, and helped
speed the delivery of relief supplies to the Iraqi people. Many have
returned safely to port, and many remain on duty in the Persian Gulf.
All have helped to liberate a great people. And all have brought great
credit to the uniform of the United States Coast Guard. (Applause.)
In Iraq, America's military and our allies carried out every
mission, and exceeded every expectation. Heavy units of armor and
infantry moved with a speed and agility that kept the enemy in a state
of constant surprise and deadly confusion. Air strikes and cruise
missiles destroyed the power centers and meeting places of the regime,
while targets were carefully examined to protect the innocent from
harm. Our forces confronted an enemy that rejected every rule of
warfare and morality -- but our men and women in uniform showed their
decency and kept their honor. In a month of battle, American Armed
Services set an example of skill and daring that will stand for all
time. (Applause.)
America will not relent in the war against global terror.
(Applause.) We will hunt the terrorists in every dark corner of the
earth. And we're making good progress. Nearly one-half of al Qaeda's
senior operatives have been captured or killed. (Applause.) We will
deny the terrorists the sanctuary and bases they need to plan and
strike -- as we have done in the battle of Afghanistan. We will not
permit terror networks or terror states to threaten or blackmail the
world with weapons of mass destruction -- as we have shown in the
battle of Iraq. (Applause.) Our country has been attacked by treachery
in our own cities -- and that treachery continues in places like Riyadh
and Casablanca. We have seen the ruthless intentions of our enemies.
And they are seeing our intentions: we will press on until this danger
to our country and to the world is ended. (Applause.)
Yet, the national interest of America involves more than
eliminating aggressive threats to our safety. We also stand for the
values that defeat violence, and the hope that overcomes hatred. We
find our greatest security in the advance of human freedom. Free
societies look to the possibilities of the future, instead of feeding
old resentments and bitterness. Free countries build wealth and
prosperity for their people in an atmosphere of stability and order,
instead of seeking weapons of mass murder and attacking their
neighbors. Because America loves peace, America will always work and
sacrifice for the expansion of freedom. (Applause.)
The advance of freedom is more than an interest we pursue. It is a
calling we follow. Our country was created in the name and cause of
freedom. And if the self-evident truths of our founding are true for
us, they are true for all. As a people dedicated to civil rights, we
are driven to defend the human rights of others. We are the nation that
liberated continents and concentration camps. We are the nation of the
Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift and the Peace Corps. We are the
nation that ended the oppression of Afghan women, and we are the nation
that closed the torture chambers of Iraq. (Applause.)
America's national ambition is the spread of free markets, free
trade, and free societies. These goals are not achieved at the expense
of other nations, they are achieved for the benefit of all nations.
America seeks to expand, not the borders of our country, but the realm
of liberty.
Our vision is opposed by terrorists and tyrants who attack a world
they can never inspire. This vision is also threatened by the faceless
enemies of human dignity: plague and starvation and hopeless poverty.
And America is at war with these enemies, as well.
The advance of freedom and hope is challenged by the spread of
AIDS. Today, on the continent of Africa, nearly 30 million people are
afflicted with HIV/AIDS, including 3 million children under the age of
15. The African continent has lost 7 million agricultural workers. In
some countries, almost a third of the teachers are HIV positive. A
15-year old boy living in Botswana has an 80 percent chance of dying of
AIDS. It is a desperate struggle for any person, or any nation, to
build a better future in the shadow of death.
Yet, this shadow can be lifted. AIDS can be prevented, and AIDS can
be treated. Lives can be saved, and others extended by many years. In
my State of the Union Address in January, I put forward an Emergency
Plan for AIDS Relief, directing $15 billion over the next five years to
fight AIDS abroad. And we will especially focus our efforts on 14
African and Caribbean countries where HIV/AIDS is heavily
concentrated.
I'm pleased that both Houses of Congress have now passed a bill
authorizing these funds; I look forward to signing the bill next week.
(Applause.) The Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is the largest, single
up front commitment in history for an international public health
initiative involving a specific disease.
With this dramatic expansion of America's efforts, we will prevent
7 million new HIV infections; treat at least 2 million people with
life-extending drugs; and provide humane care for 10 million
HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans.
When I travel to Europe next week, I will challenge our allies to
make a similar commitment which will save even more lives. I will
remind them that the clock is ticking -- that every single day 8,000
more people will die from AIDS in Africa. There will be 14,000 more
infections. I will urge our European partners, and Japan, and Canada,
to join a great mission of rescue, and to match their good intentions
with real resources. (Applause.)
The advance of freedom and hope in the world is also challenged by
an ancient enemy: famine. Our world produces more than enough food to
feed its 6 billion people. Yet tens of millions are at risk of
starvation, and millions more lack water fit for drinking. This crisis
also is concentrated in Africa. We have the ability to confront this
suffering. And we accept the duty, a old as the Scriptures, to comfort
the afflicted and to feed the hungry.
America is already the largest provider in the world of food relief
-- giving more than $1.4 billion in global emergency food aid, and
one-half of all contributions to the World Food Program. And we are
determined to do more. I've committed to a nearly $1 billion initiative
to provide clean drinking water to 50 million people in the developing
world. I've also asked Congress to provide $200 million for a new
Famine Fund, which will give us the flexibility to act quickly when the
first signs of famine appear. I call on other nations to follow our
lead by establishing their own emergency funds. By saving time in
responding to crisis, we will save lives.
We can also greatly reduce the long-term problem of hunger i Africa
by applying the latest developments of science. I have proposed an
Initiative to End Hunger in Africa. By widening the use of new
high-yield bio-crops and unleashing the power of markets, we can
dramatically increase agricultural productivity and feed more people
across the continent.
Yet, our partners in Europe are impeding this effort. They have
blocked all new bio-crops because of unfounded, unscientific fears.
This has caused many African nations to avoid investing in
biotechnologies, for fear their products will be shut out of European
markets. European governments should join -- not hinder -- the great
cause of ending hunger in Africa. (Applause.)
We must also give farmers in Africa, Latin America and Asia and
elsewhere a fair chance to compete in world markets. When wealthy
nations subsidize their agricultural exports, it prevents poor
countries from developing their own agricultural sectors. So I propose
that all developed nations, including our partners in Europe,
immediately eliminate subsidies on agricultural exports to developing
countries so that they can produce more food to export and more food to
feed their own people. (Applause.)
The advance of freedom is also undermined by persistent poverty and
despair. Half the human population lives on less than $2 a day.
Billions of men and women can scarcely imagine the benefits of modern
life because they have never experienced them.
For decades, many governments around the world have made sincere
and generous efforts to support global development. Far too often,
these funds have only enriched corrupt rulers and made little or no
difference in the lives of the poor. It's time for governments of
developed nations to stop asking the simplistic question: How much
money are we transferring from nations that are rich? The only question
that matters is: How much good are we doing to help people that are
poor? (Applause.) The only standard worth setting and meeting is the
standard of results.
The lesson of our time is clear: when nations embrace free markets,
the rule of law and open trade, they prosper, and millions of lives are
lifted out of poverty and despair. So I have proposed the creation of a
new Millennium Challenge Account -- an entirely new approach to
development aid. This money will go to developing nations whose
governments are committed to three broad standards: they must rule
justly; they must invest in the health and education of their people;
and they must have policies that encourage economic freedom.
(Applause.)
To fund this account, I have proposed a 50 percent increase in
America's core development assistance over the next three years. Under
this proposal, our annual development assistance eventually will be $5
billion greater than it is today. I urge the Congress to give its full
support to the Millennium Challenge Account. And when I'm in Europe, I
will call on America's partners to join us in moving beyond the broken
development policies of the past, and encourage the freedom and reform
that lead to prosperity. (Applause.)
These goals -- advancing against disease, hunger and poverty --
will bring greater security to our country. They are also the moral
purpose of American influence. They set an agenda for our government,
and they give idealistic citizens a great cause to serve. President
Woodrow Wilson said, "America has a spiritual energy in her which no
other nation can contribute to the liberation of mankind." In this new
century, we must apply that energy to the good of people everywhere.
For more than four decades, the volunteers of the Peace Corps have
carried the good will of America into many parts of the world. Interest
in this program is greater than ever before. I'm determined to double
the size of the Peace Corps over five years. (Applause.) Today, I would
like to announce a new USA Freedom Corps initiative called Volunteers
for Prosperity, which will give America's highly skilled professionals
new opportunities to serve abroad. The program will enlist American
doctors and nurses and teachers and engineers and economists and
computer specialists, and others to work on specific development
initiatives, including those that I have discussed today. These
volunteers will serve in the countries of their choice, for however
long their project takes. Like generations before us, this generation
of citizens will show the world the energy and idealism of the United
States of America. (Applause.)
I see that idealism in the faces of our soldiers and sailors and
airmen and Marines. I see that idealism in the faces of this academy
class. The men and women of the Coast Guard are "always ready" to
defend the security of this nation. You are "always ready" to rescue
those in trouble. These two commitments define your mission -- and they
define America's role in history. We understand that strength is
necessary to confound the designs of evil men. And we know that the
compassion and generosity of this land can aid the suffering, and
inspire the world. We will use the great power of America to serve the
great ideals of America. And by these efforts we will build a lasting,
democratic peace -- for ourselves, and for all humanity. (Applause.)
Congratulations. May God bless the Class of 2003. May God continue
to bless the United States of America. Semper Paratus. (Applause.)
END 12:03 P.M. EDT
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