View the President's Remarks
Link to the "Lessons of Liberty" website
1:52 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Sit
down. (Applause.) Behave
yourself. (Laughter.) Thank you for the warm
welcome. (Laughter.) I'm honored to be here to announce a
national effort to bring together veterans and students all across
America during the week of Veterans Day, to give our young examples of
duty and courage at a time when both are sorely needed.
I want to thank Senator Dole for being here. I
appreciate his eloquence and his service to the
country. (Applause.) I want to thank the two
members of my Cabinet who traveled with me today, Secretary Principi
and Secretary Paige, both of whom represent the best of public
service. (Applause.) I want to thank Congresswoman Connie
Morella for being here, as well. (Applause.)
I also want to thank the students, and the veterans, and my fellow
Americans. (Applause.) I can assure you it makes
some of us old guys feel warm in our hearts when we see the enthusiasm
you have for your school and the love you have for your
country. I am proud to be standing with the
Patriots. (Applause.)
We're a nation of patriots. The attacks of September
11th, and the attacks that have followed, were designed to break our
spirit. But instead, they've created a new spirit in
America. We have a renewed spirit of
patriotism. We see it in the countless flags that are flying
everywhere in America. We hear it in familiar phrases that
move us more deeply than ever before. We all know that this
is one nation, under God. And we pray that God will bless
America, the land that we all love, regardless of our race, regardless
of our religion, regardless of where we live.
We have a renewed appreciation of the character of
America. We are a generous people, a thoughtful people who
hurt, and share the sadness when people lose their life or when people
are hurt. We've helped each other in every way we know, in
donations, in acts of kindness, in public memorials, in private
prayer. We have shown in difficult times that we're not just
a world power, that we're a good and kind and courageous people.
As we pursue the enemy in Afghanistan, we feed the
innocents. As we try to bring justice to those who have
harmed us, we find those who need help. The events of these
seven weeks have shown something else. They have shown a new
generation, your generation, that America and the cause of freedom have
determined enemies; that there are people in this world who hate what
America stands for. They hate our success, they hate our
liberty. We have learned all too suddenly that there are
evil people who have no regard for human life, and will do whatever it
takes to try to bring this mighty nation to its knees.
On the Korean War Memorial in Washington are these words, "Freedom
is not free." Our commitment to freedom has always made us a
target of tyranny and intolerance. Anyone who sets out to
destroy freedom must eventually attack America, because we're freedom's
home. And we must always be freedom's home and freedom's
defender. We must never flinch in the face of adversity, and
we won't. (Applause.)
You've been learning this by studying your history -- at least some
of you by studying your history. (Laughter.) Now
you're learning the price of freedom by following the
news. You're learning that to be an American citizen in a
time of war is to have duties. You're learning how a strong
country responds to a crisis, by being alert and calm, resolute and
patient.
And you're the first students who ever learned the -- who have had
to learn the reality that we're having to fight a war on our own
land. You're the first generation of students who has ever
witnessed a war fought in America. This is a two-front war
we fight. On one front is the home front. Our
government is doing everything we possibly can to disrupt and deny and
destroy anyone who would harm America again. And the truth
of the matter is, the best way to fight for the homeland is to find the
terrorists, wherever they hide, wherever they run, and to bring them to
justice. (Applause.)
I also want to make it clear that the doctrine I laid out to the
United States Congress is a doctrine this nation will
enforce. It says clearly that if you harbor a terrorist, if
you feed a terrorist, if you provide sanctuary to a terrorist, if you
fund a terrorist, you are just as guilty as the terrorist that
inflicted the harm on the American people. (Applause.)
Our nation gave those who harbor the al Qaeda organization ample
opportunity to respond to reasonable demands. Our demands
were just, and they were fair. We said very
simply: Turn over al Qaeda. Send the terrorists
out of your land. Release the innocent Americans and other
foreigners you hold hostage in Afghanistan, and destroy al Qaeda
terrorist camps and training activity camps. And we gave
them ample opportunity to respond. And they chose the wrong
course. And then -- they will now pay a price for choosing
the wrong course.
This is a nation that is resolved to win. And win we
must, not only for your generation, but for generations to
come. (Applause.)
This country has always been able to count on men and women of
great courage. From the day America was founded, 48 million
have worn the uniform of the United States. More than 25
million veterans are living today, some of whom are with us at Wootton
High. And you may know some of them in your
families. I know one such veteran. He fought in
World War II, like Senator Dole -- my dad. (Applause.)
We must remember that many who served in our military never lived
to be called veterans. We must remember many had their lives
changed forever by experiences or the injuries of
combat. All veterans are examples of service and citizenship
for every American to remember and to follow.
In 12 days, on Veterans Day, we will honor them. We will
remember the Bob Doles of the world. We will remember a
generation that liberated Europe and Asia, and put an end to
concentration camps. We will remember generations that
fought in the cold mountains of Korea, and manned the outposts of the
Cold War. We will remember those who served in the jungles
of Vietnam, and on the sands of the Persian Gulf. In each of
these conflicts, Americans answered danger with incredible
courage. We were equal to every challenge. And
now, a great mission has been given a new generation -- our generation
-- and we vow not to let America down. (Applause.)
Today I have a special mission for our veterans, and a special
request of our schools. I ask all public, private and home
schools to join our Lessons for Liberty Initiative, by inviting a
veteran to speak to your students during the week of Veterans
Day. I'm particularly pleased to announce that Wootton High
has already put out the call, and Ron Ten Eyck has
answered. Ron's a veteran of World War II. You
need to listen to what he has to say.
Lessons of Liberty is supported by veterans groups all across
America: American Legion, VFW, Military Order of the World Wars, as
well as education groups all across our country. Anyone
interested in participating in this important event should go to this
web page: www.va.gov, and then click on "Veterans Day".
In addition to launching Lessons of Liberty, I will sign a
proclamation in a minute, asking all Americans to observe the week of
November 11th as National Veterans Awareness
Week. (Applause.) In these difficult days here in America, I
ask all of us, children and adults, to remember the valor and sacrifice
of our veterans. American veterans have extraordinary
stories. We should listen to them. American
veterans preserved our world and freedom, and we should honor
them. American veterans show us the meaning of sacrifice and
citizenship, and we should learn from them.
Americans should always honor our veterans. At this
moment, we especially need the example of their
character. And we need a new generation to set examples of
its own, examples in service and sacrifice and
courage. These veterans have shaped our history, and with
their values, your generation will help guide our future.
God bless, and may God bless America.
END 2:08
P.M. EST
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