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Skriven 2005-02-22 23:32:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0502222) for Tue, 2005 Feb 22
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Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush to the Troops
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
February 22, 2005

Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush to the Troops
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein, Germany



11:25 A.M. (Local)

MRS. BUSH: I'm the one that should be applauding you. Thank you all very,
very much. Thank you for the very warm welcome to Ramstein Air Base. And
thanks to Brigadier General Bailey and to Colonel Kane for your commitment
to our country. President Bush and I also thank our German hosts for
welcoming us to this beautiful country. (Applause.)

The friendship of so many Germans has helped to make Ramstein a home away
from home for so many Americans. As the largest American community outside
the United States, K-Town is a testament to the partnership between our
countries. (Applause.) Germany is a close friend and ally of the United
States and our nation and our people are bound by common values and common
interests. Our military alliance protects freedom throughout the world.
This successful alliance would not be possible without the incredible men
and women of Team Ramstein. (Applause.)

I am thrilled to be at the home of the 435th Air Base Wing, the 86th
Airlift Wing -- (applause) -- and the 38th Combat Support Wing. (Applause.)
I told my father-in-law that I was coming here today and he suggested that
I make a grand entrance by parachute. (Laughter.) I told him I thought I'd
wait for my 80th birthday. (Laughter.)

President Bush and I have had the privilege of visiting our troops all over
the world, from Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, to Aviano Air Force Base in
Italy, to Camp Bonifas in Korea. There's no place I'd rather be than
spending time with the men and women of the United States military and
their families. (Applause.)

And thanks especially to the military families here for your devotion to
your loved ones. I know there are some military spouses sitting behind me.
Thank you all, also, for your devotion to our country. I appreciate the
many veterans and military leaders who are here with us today. Thanks to
each one of you for your service to America and for your leadership for our
Armed Forces. Every unit at this base is performing with distinction.
Amazingly, you direct air operations in a theater spanning three
continents, covering more than 20 million square miles in 93 countries. And
your valiant work upholds the great tradition of some of the bravest and
most skilled Americans who served here.

For more than 50 years the men and women of Ramstein have worked to secure
peace and freedom throughout the world. Established to stop the spread of
communism, this base quickly evolved as a fighter central for the United
States Air Force in Europe. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, your mission
has been transformed. You support peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts in
the Balkans and in Northern and Southern Africa. And, of course, Team
Ramstein is on the front lines of the new war of the 21st century, to
confront terror and to defeat it. (Applause.)

During Operation Enduring Freedom, you supported an air bridge from Europe
to Asia that delivered more than 3,000 tons of humanitarian relief to
millions in Northern Afghanistan, preventing mass starvation there. And in
Iraq, you're opening critical airfields and providing vital en-route
support to deploying forces. Whether training police officers in Baghdad,
providing logistic support in Afghanistan, or comforting the wounded here
at Landstuhl, Team Ramstein lives by one code: One Team, One Fight.
(Applause.)

And although you're serving far from home, millions of Americans are
thinking of you and praying for you every single day. I'm happy to express
the gratitude of our entire nation and to convey the personal regards of
your Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush. (Applause.) On behalf of
my husband and all Americans, we want you, and all the men and women who
are serving around the world, to know we support you, we believe in you and
we're proud of you. All who serve in the United States military can take
pride in the great work you've accepted.

Your fellow citizens know that your mission is not easy. Many of you have
faced long deployments, sometimes far longer than you expected. Many of you
enlisted in a time of peace and now find yourselves serving in a time of
war. You miss your families and you worry about them, and your families
miss and worry about you. Some of you have lost comrades, men and women
you'll never forget. And America will never forget them, either. I'm
grateful, and I know all Americans are grateful to live in a country that's
produced such brave men and women.

As you go about your duties here every day, you're standing watch for
freedom and you're protecting the rights and the liberties we all hold
dear. And you're bringing opportunity and security to nations that have
known decades of cruel oppression. The success you've helped achieve in
Iraq and Afghanistan is remarkable. Thanks to America's soldiers, sailors,
airmen, Marines, and members of the National Guard and Reserves, 50 million
men, women and children in these two countries are now enjoying the first
taste of freedom. (Applause.)

People across the world were inspired as we watched the Afghan and Iraqi
people defy threats of violence, and even death, to vote in the first free
elections in their lives. We cannot overlook the historic magnitude of
these events, or all that our military men and women did to make them
possible. You helped 10 million Afghans gather at polling stations across
their country to elect their new President. And just three weeks ago, you
supported more than 8 million Iraqis as they elected new leaders for their
country.

Coalition soldiers saw voters arriving on crutches and in donkey carts.
Those voters had to pass by warnings scribbled on walls that read, "You
vote, you die." Despite the threats, people voted in incredible numbers.
(Applause.) Children waved Iraqi flags and voters displayed their
ink-stained fingers like badges of honor. In scenes like this, we see the
liberating power of freedom, and we understand the vital importance of our
cause. Today, the people of Iraq and Afghanistan are hopeful again about
their futures. Across the broader Middle East, people can look to the new
freedom of these two countries and find inspiration. And the world has seen
once again that the United States military is one of the greatest forces
for good on this earth. (Applause.)

The most amazing thing about our men and women in uniform is that even as
they fight to defeat terror, they still have an enormous capacity to extend
the hand of friendship and compassion to people who desperately want a
better life. For our military, heroism with a human touch is part of the
mission. That human touch, that concrete hope is delivered in many forms.
For some, hope is a clean water well dug by U.S. Army engineers. For
others, it's a school opened and refurbished for the first time to young
girls, girls who've never before gone to a class.

And this winter, parents are buttoning their children into warm winter
coats, bought in a store near a U.S. military base and delivered thousands
of miles away to families in need. The faces of our men and women in
uniform are the faces of American compassion abroad. Each of you has a
greater impact than you can ever imagine on people that you will only know
for a brief time. And all of you are delivering the greatest gift they'll
ever receive by sacrificing your own comfort, your own safety and your own
lives so that others might know freedom. (Applause.)

All of those who serve in our military deserve our utmost respect and so do
those who serve without a paycheck and well behind the front lines -- our
military families. (Applause.) I know a little bit about having your life
turned upside down because the person you love wants to serve the country
he loves. (Laughter.) I've met with military wives at Fort Hood in Texas,
and with military children at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, and I am in awe of
your courage and your resiliency. You make countless sacrifices to help
your loved ones fulfill their duty. Some of you have been separated from
your loved ones by long deployments. You're dealing with the burdens of
raising families on your own, and you're also worrying about your husband
or wife, or your mom, or your dad, far from home. We'll never forget your
commitment or the dedication you have to your loved ones. (Applause.)

By standing for the cause of freedom you're making our world more peaceful.
By fighting terrorists abroad, you're making the American people safer at
home. And by acting in the best traditions of duty and honor, you're making
our country and your Commander-in-Chief incredibly proud. (Applause.)

I was recently privileged to witness a very special moment. During the
President's State of the Union speech he recognized a mother and father
from Texas who had lost their son in Iraq. On behalf of all Americans, he
thanked our military families with grateful heart for their service and
their sacrifice. And as the applause grew and filled the chamber of the
House of Representatives, a woman from Iraq turned and hugged the mother
from Texas. The Iraqi woman's father had been killed by Saddam Hussein, and
as the American soldier's mother returned her hug, her son's dog tags
caught in the other woman's sweater, binding the two in a shared moment of
loss and sorrow, yes, but also of inspiration.

In that moment, we witnessed the power of what you're doing to change the
world to make it more free and more hopeful for all of our children. On
behalf of President Bush and every American, thank you for ensuring that a
new generation of children will grow up in peace.

May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.
(Applause.)

END 11:40 A.M. (Local)

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