Excerpts from the Press Briefing by Scott McClellan, October 9, 2003 (Full Transcript)
folks who have really faced front-line duty. Yesterday he was at the
hospital with people who have been seriously injured, obviously. And
then today, this unit that suffered a lot of losses and had their tour
of duty extended. Is it hard for him to kind of come face to face with
the people who have borne the brunt of the decisions that he made?
MR. McCLELLAN: We are forever grateful to our brave troops
and their families for the sacrifices that they are making on behalf of
the American people, and making America more secure. We can never fully
express our gratitude. The President is the one that has to hug the
moms and dads and thank them for the sacrifices that their sons are
making in a very important cause, the war on terrorism. Our nation is
forever grateful for the service and sacrifice of the men and women in
uniform.