Text 1559, 295 rader
Skriven 2005-10-13 23:33:20 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (051013) for Thu, 2005 Oct 13
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President Addresses U.S. Troops in Iraq in Video Teleconference
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 13, 2005

President Addresses U.S. Troops in Iraq in Video Teleconference

President's Remarks
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˙˙˙˙˙Fact Sheet: The President Participates in a Video Teleconference with
U.S. Troops
˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: National Defense
˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

9:54 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Captain Kennedy?

CAPTAIN KENNEDY: Yes, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's good to see you. Thanks. Thanks for taking time
out of your busy schedule to allow me to visit with you a little bit. I've
got some questions for you here in a minute, but I do want to share some
thoughts with you.

First, I want to thank the members of the 42nd Infantry Division and Task
Force Liberty for serving our country with such distinction and honor. I
want you to know that the mission you are on is vital to achieving peace
and to protecting America. One of my most solemn duties, a duty that you
have joined me on, is to protect the American people.

And we're facing an enemy that is ruthless and cold-blooded, an enemy that
actually has a philosophy, and the philosophy is so opposite of ours, it is
the exact opposite of what America stands for. We stand for religious
freedom, and freedom to speak, and women's rights, and capacity for people
to realize their dreams. They stand for a vision that is -- doesn't believe
in freedom, that if you don't agree with their narrow point of view, that
you're subject to reprisal.

And so I want to thank you for being a part of this global war. And Iraq is
a part of the war, because the enemy understands that a free Iraq will be a
blow to their vision and their strategy of spreading dominance throughout
the broader Middle East. And so I want to thank you. When you email your
families, you tell them how proud the Commander-in-Chief is of their
patience and their support, as well.

One of the tactics of the enemy is to shake our will. Part of their
strategy is to use the killing of innocent people to get the American
government to pull you out of there before the mission is complete. I'm
going to assure you of this, that so long as I'm the President, we're never
going to back down, we're never going to give in, we'll never accept
anything less than total victory. It's important for you to know that; it's
important for the enemy to know that, as well.

We got a strategy, and it's a clear strategy. On the one hand, we will hunt
down these killers and terrorists and bring them to justice, and train the
Iraqi forces to join us in that effort.

The second part of the strategy is a political strategy, based upon the
knowledge that you defeat a backward, dark philosophy with one that's
hopeful. And that hopeful philosophy is one based upon universal freedom.
I'm very impressed that the Iraqi government has continued to work to have
a constitution that attracts Sunnis and Shias and Kurds. They've worked
hard to get a constitution, and now the people of Iraq are going to get to
vote once again, on a constitution, in this case.

And I want to thank you for providing the security necessary for people to
exercise their free will. You're part of an historic mission that is laying
the foundation for peace. I am convinced that when we look back at this
time in history, those who follow us -- whether it be in the armed services
or in the political process -- will say, thank goodness the United States
of America didn't lose our nerve or will; that we've put in motion
something that can't be stopped, and that is the march of freedom.

So I want to thank you for giving me a chance to visit with you. You just
got to know the American people are proud of you. You've got tremendous
support here at home. And there's nobody more proud of you than I am.

Let me ask you some questions, Captain, if you don't mind. One of the, you
know, questions I have is about the pre-election operations, about what
you've been doing, and what are the -- what's your strategy, and how do you
think it's going for -- to make sure the people have a chance to vote.

By the way, you're in Tikrit, as I understand it, as well. It's kind of an
interesting place to be. It's Saddam's old stomping grounds.

CAPTAIN KENNEDY: Good morning, Mr. President, from Tikrit. I'm Captain
Brent Kennedy. To my right is Sergeant Major Akeel from the 5th Iraqi Army
Division. We're working together here with the Iraqis in Task Force Liberty
for the upcoming referendum. We're surging an operation, called Operation
Saratoga, that includes the securing of over 1,250 polling sites. We're
working right alongside with the Iraqis as they lead the way in securing
these sites.

THE PRESIDENT: That's good. And so, like -- I mean, and so the vote is in
less than 48 hours -- or about 48 hours, I guess. And so how do you -- how
would -- are you confident? I mean, how do you feel the operations are
going?

CAPTAIN KENNEDY: Mr. President, I'm going to field that question to Captain
Smith.

THE PRESIDENT: I didn't want to give you -- I didn't want to throw you a
hardball there, Captain.

CAPTAIN SMITH: Morning, Mr. President. I'm Captain Dave Smith from Grand
Rapids , Michigan. I'm representing the 3rd Brigade Combat Team here in --
headquartered in Baqubah.

THE PRESIDENT: Right.

CAPTAIN SMITH: I work directly with the Iraqi army. I am responsible for
coordinating all their security responses in our area of operations.

Sir, our Iraqi partners have been conducting battalion and Brigade-size
operations since April. They have been planning and coordinating with other
Iraqi security forces, such as the Iraqi police and local government
agencies, preparing for this referendum. Sir, we as coalition forces, we
have taken a supporting role only as they prepare to execute this
referendum.

THE PRESIDENT: How are they doing? Give us an assessment. One of the
things, Captain, that people in America want to know is, one, do the Iraqis
want to fight, and are they capable of fighting. And maybe somebody can
give us an appraisal.

CAPTAIN KENNEDY: Mr. President, I'm going to field that question to Captain
Pratt.

CAPTAIN PRATT: Good morning, Mr. President. My name is Captain Steven Pratt
from Pocatello, Idaho, serving with the 116th Brigade Combat Team as the
Iraqi army coordinator. The Iraqi army and police services, along with
coalition support, have conducted many and multiple exercises and
rehearsals. Recently we've conducted a command post exercise in which we
brought together these Iraqi security forces with emergency service units,
and the joint coordination center, in which we all sat around a model and
discussed what each one would do at their specific location and what they
would do at the referendum.

It was impressive to me to see the cooperation and the communication that
took place among the Iraqi forces. Along with the coalition's backing them,
we'll have a very successful and effective referendum vote.

THE PRESIDENT: Captain, thank you very much. Let me ask you something. As
you move around, I presume you have a chance to interface with the
civilians there in that part of the world. And a lot of Americans are
wondering whether or not people appreciate your presence or whether or not
the people are anxious to be part of the democratic process. Can you give
us a sense for the reception of the people there in Tikrit toward coalition
forces, as well as the Iraqi units that they encounter?

CAPTAIN KENNEDY: Mr. President, I'm going to field this question to Captain
Williams.

CAPTAIN WILLIAMS: Mr. President, I'm Captain David Williams. I'm from Los
Angeles, California. I'm currently with the 1st Brigade Combat Team,
attached to the Military Transition Team. Sir, in North-Central Iraq, voter
registration is up 17 percent. That's 400,000 new voters in North-Central
Iraq, and 100,000 new voters in the al-Salahuddin province. Sir, I was with
my Iraqi counterpart in Tikrit, the city Tikrit last week, and he was going
around, talking to the locals. And from what he told me that the locals
told him, the Iraqi people are ready and eager to vote in this referendum.

THE PRESIDENT: That's good. It's pretty interesting. That's a pretty
interesting concept for the people of Tikirt, when you really think about
the fact that that was Saddam Hussein's hometown. They didn't get to vote
too often when he was the leader there. Let me ask you about the progress.
Most of you have been there for nearly a year, as I understand it.

And is it possible to give us a sense, kind of a calibration of what life
was like when you first got there, and what it's like today?

CAPTAIN KENNEDY: Mr. President, Master Sergeant Lombardo will answer this
question.

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: Good morning, Mr. President. I'm Master Sergeant Corine
Lombardo, with the Headquarters 42nd Infantry Division and Task Force
Liberty, from Scotia, New York. First, I'd like to say that this is a
pleasure to speak with you again. We had the honor of your visit in New
York City on November 11th, in 2001, when you recognized our Rainbow
Soldiers for their recovery and rescue efforts at Ground Zero.

THE PRESIDENT: Were you there?

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: We began our fight against terrorism in the wake of
9/11, and we're proud to continue it here in North-Central New York --
North-Central Iraq.

THE PRESIDENT: Let me ask you something. Were you there when I came to New
York?

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: Yes, I was, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: I thought you looked familiar.

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: Well, thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: I probably look familiar to you, too.

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: Yes, you do, Mr. President. I can tell you over the past
10 months we've seen a tremendous increase in the capabilities and the
confidences of our Iraqi security force partners. We've been working
side-by-side, training and equipping 18 Iraqi army battalions. Since we
began our partnership, they have improved greatly, and they continue to
develop and grow into sustainable forces. Over the next month, we
anticipate seeing at least one-third of those Iraqi forces conducting
independent operations.

THE PRESIDENT: That's important. The American people have got to know --
and I appreciate you bringing that up, Sergeant Major, about how -- what
the progress is like. In other words, we've got a measurement system --

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: Well, together --

THE PRESIDENT: I'm sorry, go ahead.

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: I'm sorry, just, together with our coalition forces,
we've captured over 50 terrorists, as well as detained thousands of others
that have ties to the insurgency. And I believe it is these accomplishments
and the numerous accomplishments from our task force that will provide a
safe and secure environment for the referendum vote.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate that. There's no question that we need to
stay on the offense, and we need to stay on the offense with well-trained
Iraqi forces, side-by-side the finest military ever -- ever to exist, and
that's the United States military.

SERGEANT LOMBARDO: That it is, Mr. President. Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Sergeant Akeel, thanks for joining us. I appreciate --
appreciate your service. You've got something to say, Akeel?

SERGEANT AKEEL: Good morning, Mr. President. Thank you for everything.
Thank very much for everything.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, you're welcome.

SERGEANT AKEEL: I like you. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I appreciate that.

LIEUTENANT MURPHY: Good morning, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead.

LIEUTENANT MURPHY: I'm First Lieutenant Gregg Murphy from the 278th
Regimental Combat Team, from the Volunteer State of Tennessee. I want to
tell you, sir, that we appreciate you coming with us today for this
interview, and hearing us express our confidence in the Iraqi security
forces' role in the upcoming referendum. Sir, we are prepared to do
whatever it takes to make this thing a success. But the important thing
here is that the Iraqi army and the Iraqi security forces, they're ready,
and they're committed. They're going to make this thing happen.

Back in January, when we were preparing for that election, we had to lead
the way. We set up the coordination, we made the plan. We're really happy
to see, during the preparation for this one, sir, they're doing everything.
They're making the plans, they're calling each other, they've got it laid
out. So on Saturday, sir, we're going to be beside them, we're going to be
there to support them through anything. But we can't wait to share in their
success with them on Sunday.

Sir, from all of us here at Task Force Liberty here in Tikrit, we want to
express our gratitude to you for spending a little time with us this
morning, and thank you, sir, for hearing our assessment of the current
situation here in Tikrit, Iraq.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Lieutenant, thanks. It's been my honor. And, you know,
I wish I could be there to see you face-to-face, to thank you personally.
It's probably a little early for me to go to Tikrit, but one of these days
perhaps the situation will be such that I'll be able to get back to Iraq to
not only thank our troops, but to thank those brave Iraqis who are standing
strong in the face of these foreign fighters and these radicals that are
trying to stop the march of freedom.

Again, I want to thank you all for being so courageous and for stepping up
when the United States of America needed you. I repeat what I said earlier:
Please give your loved ones my deepest respect. And you've got to know, the
American people are standing strong with you. We're proud of you. May God
bless you all in your work and when you get back to the states, you know,
if I'm hanging around, come by and say hello.

Thank you all.

END 10:09 A.M. EDT

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