Remarks at Camp Pendleton, California

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Dec 13, 2004

December 7, 2004

Thank you all. Thank you for the warm welcome. It was getting a little quiet back at the White House--[laughter]--so I decided to drop in on the Devil Dogs. Thank you for coming out to say hello. I've been looking forward to this for quite a while. It's a pleasure to be with so many squared-away, gung-ho United States Marines.

I'm here to thank you for serving our country in a time when we need you. In a season where Americans stop to count their blessings, I want you to know one of America's greatest blessings is the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform. And many of you are blessed by having a husband or wife or a son and daughter who stand with you during this time of sacrifice. Our Nation is blessed because of our military families. Your fellow citizens are proud of you, and so is your Commander in Chief.

I appreciate Secretary of the Navy Gordon England for joining us today. I want to thank Major General Tim Donovan for his leadership. I want to thank Brigadier General James Williams for being here as well. I want to thank all the State and local officials. I want to thank the military families. But most of all, I want to thank the United States Marine Corps.

Last month, marines across the world broke out their dress blues to celebrate the 229th birthday of the Corps. But the men and women of Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Expeditionary Force marked the occasion a little differently, by fighting the enemies in Iraq. As one Pendleton marine near the frontlines put it, "This is what we, as marines, do. It is where the American people expect us to be." The marines of Camp Pendleton are serving our Nation with valor and integrity.

This is the home of the 1st Marine Division, one of America's oldest and most decorated units. In Korea, the marines of the 1st Division were surrounded at the Chosin Reservoir by 10 divisions of Chinese troops. When Colonel Chesty Puller heard the news, he said, "They've got us right where we want them. We can shoot in every direction now." He wasn't bluffing.

The 1st Marine Division made it out, destroying seven enemy divisions and upholding the great tradition of the Corps. That courage, determination, and devotion to duty have made the United States Marines one of the most feared and respected fighting forces in the world. And in these dangerous times, when terrorists seek to harm our families and murder free citizens, Americans are thankful that the Marines are on the frontline, taking the fight to the enemy.

Since I took office almost 4 years ago, I have visited our troops around the world, and one of my first stops as the Commander in Chief was right here in Camp Pendleton. It was in the summer of 2001. I told you that day, because you're marines, you would be asked to perform our Nation's most difficult and dangerous missions. Since that day, you have performed every mission with honor and with courage and with commitment.

In the war on terror, you have fought enemies' freedom--freedom's enemies from the caves and mountains of Afghanistan to the deserts and cities of Iraq. Marines of Camp Pendleton's 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit were the first conventional forces to fight in Operation Enduring Freedom. They deployed hundreds of miles into a landlocked country to help seize the Kandahar Airport, hunted down the Taliban and Al Qaida fighters, and helped to liberate more than 28 million people from one of the world's most brutal regimes.

If any of you were in that 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I want you to hear what's happening today. Today the Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense are in Kabul for the inauguration of Afghanistan's first democratically elected President. Afghanistan has been transformed from a haven for terrorists to a steadfast ally in the war on terror, and the American people are safer because of your courage.

When America led a coalition to enforce the demands of the free world and to end the regime of Saddam Hussein, the marines of Camp Pendleton made us proud once again. When the appointed hour came, the 1st Marine Division rolled across the border, pressing more than 500 miles over the Iraqi desert in less than one month. Backed by the 1st Force Service Support Group and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, you helped liberate the Iraqi capital, pulled down the statues of the dictator, and pushed north to secure the homeland of Tikrit. You drove Saddam Hussein from his palace into a spider hole. And now he sits in an Iraqi prison awaiting justice. Because of your bravery, because of your skill, America and the world are a safer place.

In recent days, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force has once again shown America's purpose and resolve, this time in Fallujah. Block by block, building by building, marines and soldiers and Iraqi security forces took that city back from the terrorists and the insurgents, and when the smoke is cleared, we saw once again the true nature of the enemy. We found bloodstained torture chambers where hostages had been executed. We found videos of beheadings and brutal terrorist attacks. We found travel documents of foreign terrorists and equipment of forging Iraqi passports to make the foreign fighters appear to be Iraqi insurgents. We found more than 600 improvised explosive devices, including an ice cream truck that had been loaded with bombs for a terrorist attack.