Return
to the "POINTER VIEW"July 26, 2002
Return
to the "POINTER VIEW"
July
26, 2002
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Army News Service) -- President George W. Bush visited Fort Drum July 19 to thank 10th Mountain Division soldiers who returned from Afghanistan and tell them their job is not yet done in the war on terrorism.
The president hugged the first soldier he saw on the outside platform, took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and told the audience how honored he was to be there.
Speaking to a crowd of about 5,000 people on Division Hill, Bush said troops from Fort Drum will be needed for missions in the future, and he thanked the leadership, the soldiers and family members.
"(You) have the nation’s gratitude for all you’ve done, and the nation’s confidence in all you will do," he said. "I want to thank the family members who are here today. Our country depends upon those who wear the uniform, and our country depends upon their family members too. I want to thank you for the sacrifices that you make on behalf of a nation."
The president’s speech was interrupted numerous times with cheering and applause, and shouts of "hooah!" One set of cheering and applause was not for the president, but for an audience member who shouted, "Let’s get Saddam!" The president’s only reply was to lean on the lectern and grin.
But extending thanks and praise were not the only messages the president was prepared to deliver. One message concerned military spending.
Congress has so far stood behind him, the president said, and he appreciates that fact. But he said corners should not be cut when it comes to national security. "We owe our military every weapon you need, every dollar it takes to fight and win this war," he said.
Earlier this year the president proposed the largest increase in military spending since Ronald Reagan was president.
"I did so because our troops must be well trained, well equipped, and well paid in order to fight and win this war," Bush said. "We’re investing in our military so we can deploy swift and agile forces any place, and any time they’re needed."
Before President Bush’s public remarks on Division Hill, Fort Drum officials provided him with a brief tour of post.
After landing at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield at about 11:20 a.m., the president was taken to Sexton Field, behind Hays Hall, to observe a military equipment demonstration.
The soldiers who participated in the demonstration then "rushed" the president, and fell in on him, forming a semi-circle formation where he later shook their hands.
Following the equipment demonstration, the president was escorted to the Army Community Service building, where he learned about the post’s video teleconferencing abilities.
Twenty-four couples, made up of soldiers who had been deployed to Afghanistan or Kosovo and their spouses, were selected to meet the president. Some of the soldiers selected were still deployed and participated in the event via VTC.
One of the couples selected was Maj. Darryl Tumbleson and his wife Maj. Rena Tumbleson had been deployed to Afghanistan with the 210th Forward Support Battalion.
"Meeting the president was the most memorable experience of my career so far," he said. "This goes to show his commitment to the military to take time out of his busy schedule to come pay us a visit. He certainly has, not just the military, but the nation’s best interest at heart with this war on terrorism."
The president later reminded the crowd on Division Hill that within the war on terrorism would be times of quiet and of crisis, times for patience and for sacrifice.
"Against such enemies we cannot sit quietly and hope for the best," he said. "To ignore this mounting danger is to invite it."
"Seldom have the ideals of freedom been under greater threat; seldom have the ideals of freedom had greater appeal," Bush said.
The soldiers in the audience seemed to hear his message. Staff Sgt. Angelo Lapinna, a National Guard soldier from the 972nd Military Police Company in Boston, said the message he heard was "stand by."
"He didn’t come out and say it, but the underlying connotation was ‘stand by,’" he said.
"He is very sincere and stands behind us...no...in front of us, all the way. He leads us," said 1st Sgt. Frank Wallace, D Company, 2nd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment.
The president ended his speech with a message to the soldiers of Fort Drum and the military in general.
"This is a decisive moment in the history of freedom," he said. "As your commander in chief, I leave you this message: be proud, be strong, and be ready."