For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
December 8, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at a Breakfast with U.S. Troops
Bagram Airfield
Kabul, Afghanistan
December 7, 2004
6:40 A.M. (Local)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. Please be seated.
And, General Barno, I want thank you for the introduction this morning,
and Brigadier General Jacoby, thank you all for your hospitality. It's
an honor to be here, and we appreciate the warm welcome. We bring
greetings from home -? and good wishes from your Commander-in-Chief,
President George W. Bush.
I am pleased, as well, to introduce Lynne. The General already
mentioned her. And our delegation is here, as well, in order to
witness the inauguration of President Karzai. The fall election in
Afghanistan was a great and a historic moment for the people of the
country. Come to think of it, we just had a big election back in
America, and that turned out pretty well, too. (Laughter and
applause.) That's not a partisan comment. (Laughter.)
Lynne and I have been looking forward to our visit to Afghanistan.
It's a chance to remind the people of Afghanistan that America stands
with them in the work of setting up the world's newest democracy. This
journey is also a chance to show our gratitude to each and every one of
you ?- and to all the Americans and the coalition forces out in the
field at this very hour. You're doing a tremendous job, and America
is proud of you.
Witnessing the swearing-in of an elected Afghan President, some
might find it easy to overlook the true magnitude of the event ?- and
all that our coalition did to make it possible. We're standing in the
country that just held the first free elections in its 5,000-year
history. Just eight months ago, the United Nations hoped that six and
a half million Afghans would register to vote. The number turned out
to be more than 10 million; and on election day, they showed up at some
22,000 polling stations across the country. Near one location a
coalition officer told of seeing a line of people two miles long, all
walking down a road on their way to the polls. He spoke of old people
walking and being ferried in goat carts, amputees on crutches, droves
of people moving towards the polling booths, and then, late in the
evening, aged adults running to beat the deadline to get in line in
order to vote.
In scenes like that across Afghanistan, we see the real meaning
behind these elections. For the first time, the people of this country
are looking confident about a future of freedom and peace. Across the
broader Middle East, people look to Afghanistan and see something new
and hopeful in the world's most troubled region. And a watching world
has seen, once again, that the United States military is one of the
greatest forces for good on this Earth.
It is my privilege to congratulate all of those of you today who
will be reenlisting. You've accepted a big job, and a deployment some
7,000 miles from home is never easy on you or on your families. You're
giving some of the best years of your lives to the service, to the
country ?- at the very time we need you the most. Your work is part of
a worldwide campaign against terror. The task is immense, it is
urgent, and it is vital to our country's freedom and security. Your
children, and my grandchildren, will live in freedom tomorrow because
of what you are doing today.
We have needed you to wage a new kind of war in a new and dangerous
era. I was at the White House on the morning of September 11th, 2001
and that day changed everything for our country. In the space of a few
hours, we saw the violence and the grief that terrorism can inflict.
We saw an enemy whose hatred of us is limitless. What this enemy wants
is to impose their way of life on the rest of us, and to do so they are
prepared to slaughter anyone who stands in their way. This is not an
enemy we can reason with or negotiate with or appease. This is -? to
put it simply -? an enemy that we must destroy.
To win this war, America is applying a doctrine that is understood
by all: Every person, group, or regime that harbors or supports terror
is equally guilty of terrorist crimes, and will be held to account.
Here in Afghanistan, the Taliban found out what we meant. Within weeks
of 9/11, American forces were on the ground here, teaming up with
Afghan freedom fighters to destroy the camps where terrorists trained
to kill Americans and to take down the Taliban regime. Even though
it's been just over three years since the battle, some have forgotten
the difficulties involved in the Afghan campaign. As one newspaper
columnist noted, Afghanistan was the graveyard of empires. Rugged,
mountainous, impenetrable, recalcitrant and peopled by an enemy
hardened and fanatical, it was considered unconquerable.
But then the United States military arrived. With swift, precise
action, we and our allies captured or killed hundreds of al Qaeda and
liberated the 25 million people of Afghanistan. (Applause.)
The record of the last several years -? the swift action, the
flexibility and skill of our units, the performance of duty in the
toughest of circumstances ?- constitutes another great chapter in the
history of our military, and of our nation. Because our nation has
been strong and resolute in the cause of freedom, Afghanistan will
never go back to the camp of tyranny and terror. And America will
never go back to the false comforts of the world before 9/11.
Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength. They are
invited by the perception of weakness. And this nation has made a
decision: We will engage the enemies ?- facing them with our military
far from home, so we do not have to face them on the streets of our own
cities.
America's willingness to lead the fight against terror has come at
a cost. We have lost some of the finest people in our military, whose
names we will honor forever. Recently, we experienced the great loss
of Lieutenant Colonel Mike McMahon and the cavalrymen of the 34th
Calvary. By their sacrifice, and by your continuing mission, we will
one day overcome the threat of global terror. To fully and finally
defeat that threat, we are encouraging hope and democracy in the
broader Middle East, as an alternative to the hatred and the despair
that leads to violence. As Americans, we believe that everyone has a
right to live in freedom. As Americans, we know that when men and
women are given the rights and opportunity of a free society, they will
turn their energies toward the pursuit of peace. And our actions here
in Afghanistan have brought that day closer. A dictatorship that had
harbored the most vicious terror network in history is now history.
Today this country is a rising democracy, and an ally in the war on
terror, and the American people are safer for it.
I'd also like to recognize our coalition partners who continue to
serve in Afghanistan. Engineers from Korea recently improved the
Bagram flight lines and observation posts. Troops from Australia are
busy clearing the minefields that remain. Infantrymen from Romania
help guard the streets here at Kandahar. And Provincial Reconstruction
Team members from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany are
collaborating with Task Force Coyote pioneers from Poland and Slovakia
to rebuild schools, reconstruct bridges, and provide other essential
help to people in rural areas.
Our coalition still has important work to do. Freedom still has
enemies here in Afghanistan -? and you are here to make those enemies
miserable. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the units in Task Force 76 for everything you
do. The 25th Infantry secured the polling sites in the Oruzgan
province after receiving insurgent fire. They also made sure that the
Afghan Police Force is trained and equipped.
The 455th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, with their A-10
Thunderbolts, continues to provide their unique overhead roar to deter
the enemy. And if that's not enough, they provide close air support
and cover fire to ground troops.
The active, Reserve, and National Guard teams are working closer
than ever during escort convoys, troop defense, and Afghan presidential
escort.
The Delta-5 external security patrols conduct 24/7 protection of
Bagram personnel and the Army, Navy, and Marine fixed-wing aircraft.
The 416th and 109th Engineering Group and Task Force Coyote have
completed more than 725 projects, ranging from Forward Operating Base
construction; laying down 70,000 cubic meters of concrete on the Bagram
and Kandahar runways; to clearing 900,000 square miles of minefields
with an assurance rate of 99.6 percent.
I also want to recognize the kind and decent way you have treated
the people of Afghanistan. You've shown a willingness to go "outside
the wire" -- reaching out to Afghan men, women, and children and
helping them improve the quality of their lives. The daily good works
of our military aren't always talked about in the news media. But you
are once again showing the true, honorable character of the United
States military.
I want every one of you to know that in the work ahead, President
Bush is going to back you 100 percent. Our job is to provide you with
everything you need to do your mission, and to support military
families at home. And we'll keep that commitment to all of you.
Again, I want to thank all of you for your service, and for the
honor of being here. Especially during the holidays, you need to know
how much you're appreciated. You are constantly in the thoughts and
prayers of your fellow citizens. We admire your sense of duty. We
deeply respect your determination to take the fight to the enemy and to
look out for your comrades. Your Commander-in-Chief is proud of you,
and you have the gratitude of the United States of America.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 6:53 P.M. (Local)
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