Town hall meeting with Iraqi-American community

US Department of Defense Speeches, Feb 23, 2003

Look to the Iraqi-Americans here today and throughout this country and see how quickly they have adapted to a democratic system.

And, finally, I would say to these doubters, look to the Iraqi people's long yearning for representative government and their long suffering under one of the most oppressive dictatorships the world has known. Perhaps more than any people, they have been inoculated against tyranny.

As you know, the values of freedom and democracy are not just Western values or European values. They are Muslim and Asian values as well. Indeed, they are universal values. They are the bridge that spans civilization.

That's my answer to the critics. But, in the end, you can answer the question much better than I can-is Iraq capable of democracy? Today, I hope you'll tell us your answers to that question.

How You Can Help

As Iraqi-Americans or as recent immigrants, you have a great stake in the outcome in Iraq. Many of you here today know the cruelties of the current Baathist regime firsthand. It is important that other Americans, and indeed the entire world, also understand the atrocities of this regime. As I have said many times, Saddam Hussein's regime is one that not only supports the use of terror against its neighbors, but against its own people as well. Your personal experiences underscore why liberation is needed, and why it is a just and noble cause.

We know you want to be part of this cause. And there is an urgent need for your talents. For those of you who would like to work with the U.S. government and with our coalition partners in the reconstruction of Iraq and in assisting Iraqis in the building of free institutions, there are a number of ways that you can help. Let me briefly outline how and the people with me can describe them further.

You can help the U.S. military as civilians. We're establishing a program through which Iraqi-Americans could be hired as temporary civilian employees or, in some cases, individual contractors of the U.S. government. We're also making arrangements for Iraqi-Americans and others to be employed by contractors to serve in areas such as translating and in other specialized functions.

You can join the U.S. military. We're launching a separate initiative to encourage Iraqi-Americans to join the U.S. military as part of the Individual Ready Reserve-that's something that Dr. Chu and General DeLong can tell you more about after our discussion. In this program, you can serve as an integrated part of the U.S. military. This program would take advantage of your professional skills in a wide variety of areas, while also capitalizing on your understanding of local languages and culture.

You can join the Free Iraqi Force. Working closely with Iraqi opposition groups, we've launched a program to train free Iraqis to support military operations inside Iraq. If war becomes necessary, the Free Iraqi Force will be integrated with U.S. forces to serve as guides, translators, and experts on civil affairs. After a conflict, the skills and local knowledge of these forces will help to rebuild Iraq. Training has begun at a military base in Hungary. U.S. military members working with recruits praise their courage and dedication. This force is open to Iraqis around the world, not just those in the United States.