For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
July 27, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at a Rally for the Troops
Marine Corps Base Camp Joseph HR Pendleton
San Diego County, California
9:14 A.M. PDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good morning. (Applause.) Well, thank you
very much. Boy, this weather is fantastic out here in Pendleton, isn't
it? It's a very pleasant day for us, and I have the opportunity to
spend some time with all of you. We've been looking forward to
spending some time this morning -- at ease. Please, everybody, you can
sit down. And we're proud to be with all of you, with the men and
women of Camp Pendleton.
I want to thank General Williams, Colonel Hampton, and Colonel
Goodman, and everyone who prepared the way for our visit here this
morning. It's a privilege to stand before so many who have served our
country so well. And I'm honored to bring the personal regards of our
Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush. (Applause.)
I also want to thank Congressman Issa, along with your local
elected officials, who are here today.
Camp Pendleton is the busiest military base in America -- with more
than 60,000 military and civilian personnel reporting for work every
day. The base receives tremendous support from San Diego and Orange
County -- from government officials, from business people, and from
volunteers. And I want to thank the people of this community for their
generosity, their patriotism, and above all for what you do to
strengthen the Corps.
Above all else, the sailors and Marines of Camp Pendleton depend on
the support of their families. Camp Pendleton is home to one of the
closest, most active networks of military families anywhere in the
world. You're the ones who send the letters and the packages, who look
out for friends and neighbors in need, and give prayerful support to
the men and women who serve. Military life is a family commitment, and
this nation does not take you for granted. America is proud of our
military families. (Applause.)
It's been a little over three years now since President Bush chose
Camp Pendleton for one of his first military stops as
Commander-in-Chief. That day he talked about the new recruits and the
old Leathernecks, and the Marine tradition of being ready when the
nation calls. On that morning in the spring of 2001, President Bush
said these words, and I quote: "Because you are Marines, you are often
asked to perform the most difficult and dangerous missions. Because
you are Marines, you not only accept this challenge, you embrace it --
not for glory, not for self, but for God, country, Corps, and your
fellow Marines."
A few months after the President spoke here, the United States came
under attack. I was at the White House on the morning of September
11th, 2001, and throughout that day received reports on the situation
in New York, and across the Potomac at the Pentagon. There were
conversations with the President and our military commanders, decisions
to be made about civilian flights, military air cover over major
cities, and disaster response. In many ways, the attacks of that day
brought out the best in people under difficult and extremely uncertain
circumstances. America witnessed the calm determination of our
firefighters, police, and medical personnel, who saved thousands of
lives, and the heroes of United '93, who fought back at the cost of
their own lives to defeat the terrorists and their plan to kill even
more Americans in our Nation's Capital. At Camp Pendleton, and at our
military bases around the world, we saw our Armed Forces rise to
heightened readiness with great speed and efficiency.
That day changed everything for our country. In the space of a few
hours, we lost 3,000 of our fellow citizens; we saw the violence and
the grief that terrorism can inflict. We saw a foe whose hatred of us
is limitless. This is and enemy, as the 9/11 Commission reported last
week, whose purpose "is to rid the world of religious and political
pluralism." They want to impose their way of life on the rest of us,
and in pursuit of this goal, they are prepared to slaughter anyone who
stands in their way. This is not a foe we can reason with, or
negotiate with, or appease. This is -- to put it simply -- an enemy
that we must vanquish. And we will vanquish this enemy. (Applause.)
To win this war, America is applying a doctrine that is clear to
all: Every person, group, or regime that harbors or supports terror is
equally guilty of terrorist crimes, and will be held to account. In
Afghanistan, the Taliban found out what we meant. Within weeks of
9/11, American forces were on the ground in Afghanistan, teaming up
with Afghan freedom fighters to destroy the terror camps and take down
the Taliban regime. With swift, precise action, we and our allies
captured or killed hundreds of al Qaeda fighters, ended Taliban rule,
and liberated 25 million people in Afghanistan. Today, that country
has a peaceful government; democracy is rising; the terror camps are
closed; and the American people are safer for it.
Having -- (applause) -- having seen the devastation caused by 19
men armed with knives, box cutters, and boarding passes, we awakened to
a possibility even more lethal -- that terrorists could acquire the
capability to make weapons of mass destruction -- chemical, biological
agents, or even nuclear weapons -- or gain such weapons themselves from
an outlaw regime. If terrorists get their hands on that deadly
technology, there can be no doubt they will inflict catastrophic damage
on America and our allies. President Bush is determined to remove
threats before they arrive, instead of simply waiting for another
attack on our country. So America acted to end the regime of Saddam
Hussein. And as with so many great missions throughout our history,
our cause depended on the skill and the honor of the United States
Marines. (Applause.)
In preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the First Marine
Expeditionary Force moved its flag forward from Camp Pendleton to
Kuwait. And on the President's orders, the First Marine Division led
the way over the Kuwaiti border and nearly 500 miles into Iraq, through
Baghdad and all the way to Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. (Applause.)
You drove through the resistance in your path, liberated a captive
people, and helped force Saddam's regime from power less than a month
after the war began.
In that historic 500-mile drive across Iraq, the First Marine
Division was propelled by critical contributions from the First Force
Service Support Group, also based at Camp Pendleton. (Applause.)
Every unit in that group participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and
together you amassed a superb record. In all, the First Force Service
Support Group produced and delivered over 2 million gallons of water;
repaired over 4,000 essential pieces of combat equipment; constructed a
system to deliver almost 8 million gallons of fuel 62 miles into Iraq;
distributed more than 5.4 million meals to soldiers and Marines;
delivered almost 30,000 tons of ammunition; and treated more than 1,600
patients in Force Service Support Group Medical Facilities. And that
was just in the first deployment to Iraq. The Force Service Support
Group is back now, doing even more to help the First Marine Division
make Iraq more secure.
Above the battlefield in Iraq, Miramar's Third Marine Aircraft Wing
carried out missions lending critical assistance to the liberation
efforts on the ground. Helicopter squadrons helped escort convoys,
provided close air support to fighting forces, evacuated wounded
soldiers and Marines, and moved large quantities of supplies, and, when
necessary, transported troops preparing for combat.
From various locations in Iraq and Kuwait, the Headquarters Group
of the First Marine Expeditionary Force has made countless
contributions to the mission. For almost two years, personnel have
carried out reconnaissance, collected and analyzed intelligence,
managed communications, and coordinated operations with our allies,
especially the Royal Marines from Great Britain.
The record of the last several years -- the swift action, the
flexibility and skill of our units, the superb performance of duty in
the toughest of circumstances -- constitutes another great chapter in
the history of the Marine Corps, of the U.S. military, and of our
nation. (Applause.)
We see the spirit of the Corps in men like Lance Corporal Joseph
Perez, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds in a fight outside
Baghdad, yet still directed his platoon's fire to destroy the enemy and
seize their position. His actions earned him the Navy Cross. While
recovering from his wounds, Corporal Perez expressed but one wish: "To
get back to my unit and back to training."
We see the spirit of the Corps in men like Major Calvert Worth,
Jr., who led a command group that seized a palace in Baghdad, and whose
rapid actions destroyed an approaching counterattacking force. After
receiving the Bronze Star, Major Worth said this: "Marines, regardless
of the task, always accomplish the mission." (Applause.)
As one sergeant major recently observed, "This generation of
Marines is as good as any generation we've ever had in the Corps." He
is absolutely correct, and here at this historic military base, I want
to congratulate the Marines for yet another job well done. (Applause.)
Throughout the First Marine Expeditionary Force, we also find
brave, dedicated members of the Marine Reserves. These men and women
put their lives on hold, and leave their families behind, to accept
assignments in Iraq, here at Pendleton, and elsewhere in the world.
We're grateful to the Marine Reservists, and to all of their families.
(Applause.)
There is still important and difficult work ahead in Iraq. Freedom
still has enemies in that country. Yet thanks to the accomplishments
of every unit in the First Marine Expeditionary Force -- and other
members of our military -- Iraq has undergone a historic
transformation. Sixteen months ago, Iraq was under the control of a
dictator. Today, Saddam Hussein is in jail. (Applause.) Sixteen
months ago, 25 million Iraqi people lived in repression, fearful of
torture or death. Now they are free, and protected by an Iraqi bill of
rights, and preparing to elect their own leaders. Sixteen months ago,
Iraq was a gathering threat to the United States and the civilized
world. Now it is a rising democracy, an ally in the war on terror, and
the American people are safer for it. (Applause.)
Many of you here today will soon begin a rotation in Iraq. Marine
units are still vital to securing Iraqi democracy, supporting the
government as the country moves toward free elections, and helping the
liberated people of Iraq to live in peace and safety. You are being
deployed to a country whose new president declared, in his inaugural
address a few weeks ago, the "profound gratitude" of the Iraqi people
toward the American-led coalition that freed them from a dictator. And
your mission in Iraq is critical to the future security of the United
States. To fully and finally overcome the threat of terror, we are
encouraging hope and democracy in the Middle East as an alternative to
the hatred and the despair that lead to violence. As Americans, we
believe that everyone has the right to live in freedom. And we know
that when men and women are given the rights and opportunities of a
free society, they will turn their energy toward the pursuits of
peace.
I want every one of you to know that in the work ahead, President
Bush is going to back you up 100 percent. Our job is to provide you
with the best possible equipment to do your mission; to make sure you
receive the pay increases you deserve; and to support military families
at home. We will keep that commitment to you. (Applause.)
Because our nation has been strong and resolute in the cause of
freedom, the countries you have helped liberate will never go back to
the camp of tyranny and terror. And America will never go back to the
false comforts of the world before 9/11. Terrorist attacks are not
caused by the use of strength. They are invited by the perception of
weakness. (Applause.)
This nation has made a decision: We will engage the enemy -- facing
him with our military in Iraq and Afghanistan today, so we do not have
to face him with armies of firefighters, police, and medical personnel
on the streets of our own cities. (Applause.)
Every person in the United States Armed Forces can take great pride
in the work you do for America. And the people of this country are so
very fortunate to have men and women like you serving in freedom's
cause. Your fellow citizens know that your work is hard. The days are
hot, and the burdens are many. And you have said farewell to brave
friends who did not come home. These men and women, last seen doing
their duty, brought great credit to the uniform and to the flag -- and
our nation will honor their names forever. (Applause.)
In these last three years, many great challenges have come to our
country. Much has been asked of us, and, as with the other great
challenges in our nation's history, the greatest burdens have fallen on
the men and women of our military. And yet this time of testing is
also a time of promise. The United States is a good and a decent
country -- a nation that is making the world a better place by
defending the innocent, confronting the violent, and bringing freedom
to the oppressed. We understand the threats before us; and we have the
resources, the strength, and the moral courage to overcome them all.
Our President has made clear to all the terrorist enemies that they
will fail -- because the direction of history is toward justice and
human freedom. The terrorists will fail -- because the resolve of
America and our allies will not be shaken. And the terrorists will
fail -- because men and women like you stand in their way. (Applause.)
I thank each and every one of you for your great service to
America. It's an honor to be here. You are worthy of the title you
hold, the uniform you wear, and the code you live by. Your
Commander-in-Chief is proud of you. On his behalf, and on behalf of
the people of the United States, I thank you all. Semper Fi.
(Applause.)
END 9:33 A.M. PDT
|