Well, thank you all very much for
that warm welcome. General Meyer, thank you. General Bunting and General Casey,
Secretary Marsh, Congressman Goodlatte, Albert Beveridge, members of the Corps
of Cadets, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I want to thank you for your warm welcome and thank you for inviting me to one
of America's great institutions. I brought along a little graduation present.
I'm sure you'll like it; some of you will need it. As Commander in
Chief, I hereby grant amnesty. General Bunting, I'm sure you can
tell who needed it. And I know you'll be generous in the interpretation of this
doctrine. Addressing cadets and staff, President George W. Bush
explained America's plans in the war against terrorism during the ceremony for
the George C. Marshall ROTC Award Seminar on National Security at Cameron Hall
at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., Wednesday, April 17. "We
know that true peace will only be achieved when we give the Afghan people the
means to achieve their own aspirations," said President Bush. White House photo
by Tina Hager.
I want to congratulate the winners of the George C. Marshall ROTC Award. The
more than 260 young men and women who represent -- the winners represent the
best of our country and the best future for the United States Army. You stand
out among the nearly 30,000 young Americans who are today enrolled in the Army
ROTC; the officers who will serve in the military of the future, and one day
will lead it.
A majority of the Army's current officers started out in the ROTC. For nearly 90
years, this great program has developed leaders and shaped character. Those
looking for idealism on the college campuses of America will find it in the men
and women of the ROTC. ROTC's traditions and values are a contribution and a
credit to every college and every university where they're found.
Secretary of State Colin Powell was in the ROTC at City College of New York, an
experience that helped set the course of his life. In his own words, he said
this, "The order, the self-discipline, the pride that had been instilled in me
by our ROTC prepared me well for my Army career or, for that matter, any career
I might have chosen."
Colin Powell's career has taken him from service in Vietnam to the top rank in
the military, and now on a peace mission to the Middle East. America is
fortunate and I am proud to have ROTC graduate Colin Powell serving our country.
Only one other Army general has gone on to serve as Secretary of State, and that
was George Marshall, himself -- VMI's highest-ranking cadet in the class of
1901.
As Army Chief of Staff, General Marshall became the architect of America's
victory in the second world war. He fought tenaciously against our enemies, and
then worked just as hard to secure the peace. President Truman considered George
C. Marshall the greatest man he knew. Above all, said Winston Churchill,
Marshall "always fought victoriously against defeatism, discouragement and
disillusionment." The key to morale and to victory, Marshall said, is
"steadfastness and courage and hope."
And, today, we are called to defend freedom against ruthless enemies. And, once
again, we need steadfastness, courage and hope. The war against terror will be
long. And as George Marshall so clearly understood, it will not be enough to
make the world safer. We must also work to make the world better.
In the days just after September the 11th, I told the American people that this
would be a different war, fought on many fronts. Today, around the world, we
make progress on the many fronts. In some cases, we use military force. In
others, we're fighting through diplomacy, financial pressure, or special
operations. In every case, we will defeat the threats against our country and
the civilized world.
Our progress -- our progress is measured day by day, terrorist by terrorist. We
recently apprehended one of al Qaeda's top leaders, a man named Abu Zabaydah. He
was spending a lot of time as one of the top operating officials of al Qaeda,
plotting and planning murder. He's not plotting and he's not planning anymore.
He's under lock and key, and we're going to give him some company. We're hunting
down the killers one by one.
We're learning a lot about al Qaeda operations and their plans. As our enemies
have fled their hideouts in Afghanistan, they left some things behind. We found
laptop computers, drawings and maps. And through them, we're gaining a clearer
picture of the terrorist targets and their methods.
Our international coalition against these killers is strong and united and
acting. European nations have frozen almost $50 million in suspected terrorist
assets, and that's important. Many European states are taking aggressive and
effective law enforcement action to join us in rounding up these terrorists and
their cells. We're making good progress.
Yet, it's important for Americans to know this war will not be quick and this
war will not be easy. The first phase of our military operation was in
Afghanistan, where our armed forces continue to perform with bravery and with
skill. You've got to understand that as we routed out the Taliban, they weren't
sent in to conquer; they were sent in to liberate. And they succeeded. And our
military makes us proud.
The battles in Afghanistan are not over. American and allied troops are taking
risks today in what we call Operation Mountain Lion -- hunting down the al Qaeda
and Taliban forces, and keeping them on the run. Coalition naval forces, in the
largest combined flotilla since World War II, are patrolling escape routes and
intercepting ships to search for terrorists and their supplies.
As the spring thaw comes, we expect cells of trained killers to try to regroup,
to murder, create mayhem and try to undermine Afghanistan's efforts to build a
lasting peace. We know this from not only intelligence, but from the history of
military conflict in Afghanistan. It's been one of initial success, followed by
long years of floundering and ultimate failure. We're not going to repeat that
mistake.
In the United States of America, the terrorists have chosen a foe unlike they
have any -- they have never faced before. They've never faced a country like
ours before: we're tough, we're determined, we're relentless. We will stay until
the mission is done.
We know that true peace will only be achieved when we give the Afghan people the
means to achieve their own aspirations. Peace -- peace will be achieved by
helping Afghanistan develop its own stable government. Peace will be achieved by
helping Afghanistan train and develop its own national army. And peace will be
achieved through an education system for boys and girls which works.
We're working hard in Afghanistan. We're clearing minefields. We're rebuilding
roads. We're improving medical care. And we will work to help Afghanistan to
develop an economy that can feed its people without feeding the world's demand
for drugs.
And we help the Afghan people recover from the Taliban rule. And as we do so, we
find mounting horror, evidence of horror. In the Hazarajat region, the Red Cross
has found signs of massacres committed by the Taliban last year, victims who lie
in mass graves. This is the legacy of the first regime to fall in the war
against terror. These mass graves are a reminder of the kind of enemy we have
fought and have defeated. And they are the kind of evil we continue to fight.
By helping to build an Afghanistan that is free from this evil and is a better
place in which to live, we are working in the best traditions of George
Marshall. Marshall knew that our military victory against enemies in World War
II had to be followed by a moral victory that resulted in better lives for
individual human beings.
After 1945, the United States of America was the only nation in the world strong
enough to help rebuild a Europe and a Japan that had been decimated by World War
II. Today, our former enemies are our friends. And Europe and Japan are strong
partners in the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
This transformation is a powerful testimony to the success of Marshall's vision,
and a beacon to light the path that we, too, must follow.
In the second phase of the war on terror, our military and law enforcement
intelligence officers are helping countries around the world in their efforts to
crack down on terror within their borders. Global terrorism will be defeated
only by global response. We must prevent al Qaeda from moving its operations to
other countries. We must deny terrorists the funds they need to operate. We must
deny them safe havens to plan new horrors and indoctrinate new recruits.
We're working with Yemen's government to prevent terrorists from reassembling
there. We sent troops to help train local forces in the Philippines, to help
them defeat terrorists trying to establish a militant regime. And in the
Republic of Georgia, we provide temporary help to its military, as it routes out
a terrorist cell near the Russian border. Wherever global terror threatens the
civilized world, we and our friends and our allies will respond and will respond
decisively.
Every nation that joins our cause is welcome. Every nation that needs our help
will have it. And no nation can be neutral. Around the world, the nations must
choose. They are with us, or they're with the terrorists.
And in the Middle East, where acts of terror have triggered mounting violence,
all parties have a choice to make. Every leader, every state must choose between
two separate paths: the path of peace or the path of terror. In the stricken
faces of mothers, Palestinian mothers and Israeli mothers, the entire world is
witnessing the agonizing cost of this conflict. Now, every nation and every
leader in the region must work to end terror.
All parties have responsibilities. These responsibilities are not easy, but
they're clear. And Secretary of State Powell is helping make them clear. I want
to thank Secretary Powell for his hard work at a difficult task. He returns home
having made progress towards peace.
We're confronting hatred that is centuries old, disputes that have lingered for
decades. But I want you to know, I will continue to lead toward a vision of
peace.
We will continue to remind folks they have responsibilities in the short run to
defuse the current crisis. The Palestinian Authority must act, must act on its
words of condemnation against terror. Israel must continue its withdrawals. And
all Arab states must step up to their responsibilities.
The Egyptians and Jordanians and Saudis have helped in the wider war on
terrorism. And they must help confront terrorism in the Middle East. All parties
have a responsibility to stop funding or inciting terror. And all parties must
say clearly that a murderer is not a martyr; he or she is just a murderer.
And all parties must realize that the only vision for a long-term solution is
for two states -- Israel, Palestine -- to live side by side in security and in
peace. That will require hard choices and leadership by Israelis, Palestinians,
and their Arab neighbors. The time is now for all to make the choice for peace.
And, finally, the civilized world faces a grave threat from weapons of mass
destruction. A small number of outlaw regimes today possess and are developing
chemical and biological and nuclear weapons. They're building missiles to
deliver them, and at the same time cultivating ties to terrorist groups. In
their threat to peace, in their mad ambitions, in their destructive potential
and in the repression of their own people, these regimes constitute an axis of
evil and the world must confront them.
America, along with other nations, will oppose the proliferation of dangerous
weapons and technologies. We will proceed with missile defenses to protect the
American people, our troops and our friends and allies. And America will take
the necessary action to oppose emerging threats.
We'll be deliberate and we will work with our friends and allies. And, as we do
so, we will uphold our duty to defend freedom. We will fight against terrorist
organizations in different ways, with different tactics, in different places.
And we will fight the threat from weapons of mass destruction in different ways,
with different tactics, in different places.
Yet, our objective is always the same: we will defeat global terror, and we will
not allow the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's
most dangerous weapons.
America has a much greater purpose than just eliminating threats and containing
resentment, because we believe in the dignity and value of every individual.
America seeks hope and opportunity for all people in all cultures. And that is
why we're helping to rebuild Afghanistan. And that is why we've launched a new
compact for development for the Millennium Challenge Account. And that is why we
work for free trade, to lift people out of poverty throughout the world.
A better world can seem very distant when children are sent to kill other
children, and old hatreds are stoked and carefully passed from one generation to
another, and a violent few love death more than life. Yet hatred, fanaticism are
not the way of the future, because the hopes of humanity are always stronger
than its hatreds.
And these hopes are universal in every country and in every country -- in every
culture. Men and women everywhere want to live in dignity to create and build
and own, to raise their children in peace and security.
The way to a peaceful future can be found in the non-negotiable demands of human
dignity. Dignity requires the rule of law, limits on the power of the state,
respect for women, private property, equal justice, religious tolerance. No
nation owns these principles. No nation is exempt from them.
Sixty years ago, few would have predicted the triumph of these values in Germany
and Japan. Fifteen years ago, few would have predicted the advance of these
values in Russia. Yet, Americans are not surprised. We know that the demands of
human dignity are written in every heart.
The demands have a power and momentum of their own, defying all pessimism. And
they are destined to change lives and nations on every continent. America has
acted on these hopes throughout our history. General George Marshall is admired
for the war he fought, yet best remembered for the peace he secured.
The Marshall Plan, rebuilding Europe and lifting up former enemies, showed that
America is not content with military victory alone. Americans always see a
greater hope and a better day. And America sees a just and hopeful world beyond
the war on terror.
Many of you will help achieve this better world. At a young age, you've taken up
a great calling. You'll serve your country and our values. You'll protect your
fellow citizens. And, by your effort and example, you will advance the cause of
freedom around the world. And so I'm here to thank you for your commitment and
congratulate you on the high honor you have received.
May God bless you all, and may God bless America.
Original Text, Audio, Image Source:
georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov
Audio Note: AR-XE = American Rhetoric Extreme Enhancement
Video Note: Color adjusted and AI
upscaled from 576p to 1080p
Page Updated: 9/23/25
U.S. Copyright Status:
Text and Image = Public domain. Audio and Video = Property of
AmericanRhetoric.com.
