Contact: White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 202-456-2580
4:48 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. You know, I was in the neighborhood -- (applause) -- and thought I'd stop by to say hello here at Team Charleston. (Applause.) I am proud to be here with the men and women of the 437th and the 315th Air Wings. (Applause.) Yes -- I'm proud to be with members of the United States Air Force and the United States Navy. (Applause.) Proud to be with the rest of you, too. (Laughter.)
Laura sends her love. (Applause.) And she sends all her respect to those who support our military. I'm proud to be here with the Governor of the great state of
The first thought I want to say is I am proud to be the Commander-in-Chief of such a fine group of young men and women. (Applause.) We have an amazing nation when people say, I want to volunteer to defend this country. I am constantly amazed, enthralled, and buoyed by the fact that I'm the Commander-in-Chief of honorable, decent, courageous men and women. And I thank you for coming to say hello. (Applause.)
I'm also proud to be here with our military families. (Applause.) I understand the sacrifices that you make on a daily basis for this country. So, as the President of the
I'm impressed by the record of the folks here at Charleston Air Force Base. I'm impressed by your accomplishments and what you've done on behalf of this grateful nation. Since September the 11th, 2001, the folks who fly the airplanes, maintain the airplanes and load the airplanes -- (applause) -- and fill up the tires -- (laughter) -- have launched more than 14,000 C-17 missions from here. (Applause.) You have airlifted more cargo to Operation Iraqi Freedom than any other unit in the
The men and women here in
We are engaged in a global war on terror. After September the 11th, 2001, I vowed to the American people that I would use everything at our disposal to do the number-one job of government, and that is to protect you from further attack. And I have been aided in protecting the American people by the fine
We face an enemy that knows no bounds and no conscience. They're ideologues. But their ideology is the exact opposite of ours. They kill innocent people to achieve their evil objectives. But make no mistake about it, they have objectives. They have clearly stated that they want to drive the United States from the world so they can establish a caliphate, a governing organization from Indonesia to Spain, that would allow them to spread their ideology of hate, allow them to dominate a society in which people could not worship freely, or speak freely, in which people who did not adhere to their point of view would be punished. They seek safe haven from which to launch further attacks to achieve their objective. And their attacks would aim right here at the
I want you to think about a world in which rival forms of radicals competed for power in the
I'm proud to be with people who see the threats and know that the best way to protect the American people is to defeat the enemy overseas so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
One of the lessons of September the 11th is that when this country sees a threat, we must deal with that threat before it fully materializes. If we see a threat, we must take care of that threat. Otherwise, that threat could come to haunt us, to destroy innocent life. I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. The world saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right decision, and the world is better for it. (Applause.)
And now you're involved in this global war on terror, in the central front, which is
And it's tough fighting, because the enemy understands the stakes of a free
And we've got some great things going for us. We've got a military that is constantly adjusting to the enemy on the ground. We've got commanders who are wise and brave, and are bringing justice to our enemies there in
I believe in the universality of freedom. I believe in everybody's soul is the desire to be free. It is in this country's interests that we defeat the enemy in
And I thank you for being a part of this noble and just and important cause. You're fighting in a war that will set the course of a new century. The outcome will determine the destiny of millions across the world. The outcome of this fight will determine whether or not our children can grow up in the peace we want them to grow up in. Defeating the terrorists and the extremists is the challenge of our time and the calling of this generation. And like generations before us, we will do the hard work now, to make sure our children can grow up in freedom and peace. (Applause.)
The time of war is a time of sacrifice. I know the sacrifices you all make. But some have paid the ultimate price; really good men and women have lost their lives in this struggle. We will pray for their families. And I make them this pledge: We will honor their sacrifice by completing the mission, by defeating the terrorists, and by laying the foundation of peace for generations to come.
I can't thank you enough for coming to say hello. May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless the
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