View the President's Remarks
3:30 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you
all. Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, thanks
for those kind remarks, and congratulations once again. I
know your family is proud. I want to congratulate Mary Jo,
Rich, and your daughters Nicole and Erin.
I also want to congratulate Pete Pace, who
succeeds General Myers as the Vice Chairman. Pete, I want to
congratulate Lynn, as well; Tiffany, Lt. Pete Pace, and of course, I've
got to congratulate your Mom, Doris. Moms are pretty important, as I
learned firsthand. And so did you. (Applause.)
The country is coming to know Don like I
know him -- he's a no-nonsense kind of guy. He speaks his
mind. He's results-oriented. He's the right man
at the right time to defeat the evil ones. I appreciate your
service. I appreciate the service of Paul Wolfowitz, your
Deputy, and all the folks you've assembled at the Defense
Department. I also want to welcome the members of Congress
who are here -- I know Congressman Ike Skelton is here, and others are,
as well.
General Myers and I have spent a lot of
quality time together recently. He has my complete
confidence. Richard B. Myers is the 15th Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, taking his place in a line that began with
another general who was born in Missouri, Omar Bradley. And
like Omar Bradley, General Myers is known for his calm manner, sound
judgment, and his clear strategic thinking. Now, at any time
those qualities would be important; but today, they're indispensable.
When General Myers and General Pace stood
at my side in Crawford, Texas this summer, I spoke of our duty to
protect and defend America's values and interests in the
world. Since that time, those values and interests have come
under direct attack.
America has awakened to a great
danger. We have entered a different kind of
war. And the enemy is finding out we are
ready. We are fighting this war, and we will win this war,
on many fronts -- by diplomacy, law enforcement, financial sanctions,
and intelligence. And our military is playing an essential
role. Eight days ago, I sent the Armed Forces into
action. They have performed with skill and
precision. They know their work, and they know the American
people are behind them.
I made a commitment to every serviceman
and woman: For the mission that lies ahead, you will have
everything you need -- every resource, every weapon, every means to
assure full victory for the United States, our allies, our friends, and
the cause of freedom. (Applause.)
In the war against terror, there will be
times of swift and visible action. There will be times of
steady and quiet progress. We will be patient, and we will
be persistent. The terrorists are beginning to understand
there is no place to run, there is no place to hide, there is no place
to rest.
During last week's memorial service at the
Pentagon, Secretary Rumsfeld observed that the terrorists reserve
special contempt for the United States military. And it's
easy to see why. In the values and traditions of our
military, you represent everything they hate. You defend
human freedom. You value life. Here and around
the world, you keep the peace that they seek to destroy. You
live by a code of honor and a tradition of loyalty and decency.
The new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
represents the best in this tradition. Since the day he was
commissioned as second lieutenant in 1965, Dick Myers has brought great
credit to his uniform and to his country. He and his
outstanding Vice Chairman have assumed crucial positions at a crucial
hour, and our country is thankful for your service.
May God bless you all, and may God bless
the United States. (Applause.)
END 3:36
P.M. EDT
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