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Skriven 2006-05-27 23:35:22 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060527) for Sat, 2006 May 27
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President's Radio Address
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 27, 2006

President's Radio Address


ÿÿÿÿÿ Audio ÿÿÿÿÿ

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This Memorial Day weekend, Americans pay
tribute to those who have given their lives in service to our Nation.
America is free because generations of young Americans have been willing to
sacrifice to defend the country they love, so their fellow citizens could
live in liberty.

This weekend, I am visiting some of the brave men and women who will soon
take their own place in the defense of our freedom -- the 2006 graduating
class at West Point. This was the first class to arrive at West Point after
the attacks of September the 11th, 2001. Each of them came to West Point in
a time of war, knowing all the risks and dangers that come with wearing our
Nation's uniform. And the reality of that war has surrounded them since
their first moments at the Academy. Thirty-four times since they arrived at
West Point, they have observed a moment of silence to honor a former cadet
fallen in the war on terror.

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One of those former cadets was First Lieutenant Rob Seidel, a 2004 West
Point graduate who gave his life in Iraq earlier this month. Rob grew up in
Maryland, and as a child he and his family made frequent visits to the
Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg, and from his earliest days he dreamed
of serving in the U.S. Army. He deployed to Iraq with the 10th Mountain
division and was killed by a bomb in Baghdad. His father says this about
Rob: "He loved his family, and believed in God, and he loved his country,
and he was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of his country."

We live in freedom because of young Americans like Lieutenant Rob Seidel.
And in recent days in Iraq, we've seen what their sacrifices have made
possible. A week ago, the new Prime Minister of Iraq announced the
formation of a national unity government. British Prime Minister Tony Blair
recently visited Baghdad to meet with Prime Minister Maliki and Iraq's new
leaders, and this week he came to the United States to give me his
impressions. Prime Minister Blair told me that Iraq's new leaders are
determined to rid their country of terrorism, unite Iraqis as one people,
and deliver peace and prosperity for all their citizens.

The formation of a democratic government in Iraq marks a victory for the
cause of freedom in the Middle East. It is a victory for millions of Iraqis
who defied the terrorists and cast their ballots in three elections last
year. It is a victory for the Iraqi Security Forces, who fought and bled
for this moment, and now have a democracy worthy of their sacrifice. And it
is a victory for the American, British, and other coalition forces who
removed a murderous dictator who threatened the world. Because of their
courage and sacrifices, Iraq has a free government that will be a strong
and capable ally in the global war on terror.

The new government in Iraq is also a defeat for the terrorists, who fought
the arrival of a free and democratic Iraq with all the hateful power they
could muster. Now, a day that they feared has arrived. The terrorists can
kill the innocent, but they cannot stop the advance of freedom. We can
expect the terrorists to continue bombing and killing, but something
fundamental has changed: The terrorists are now fighting a free and
constitutional government. They are at war with the people of Iraq. The
Iraqi people and their new leaders are determined to defeat this enemy, and
so is the United States of America.

This Memorial Day weekend, we remember First Lieutenant Seidel and the
brave Americans of every generation who have given their lives for freedom,
liberated the oppressed, and left the world a safer and better place. And
the best way to honor America's fallen heroes is to carry on their fight,
defend our freedom, and complete the mission for which they gave their
lives.

Thank you for listening.

END

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