Bush Meets Soldiers at Fort Campbell
By DAVID STOUT and ROBERT PEAR
Published: November 25, 2008
WASHINGTON — President Bush paid a sentimental visit to Fort Campbell, Ky., on Tuesday, telling soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division and other Army units that they are doing noble work in Iraq and Afghanistan that will be matter decades from now.
“The work you have done and are going to do is historical work,” the president said. “You see, the consequences of success in Iraq will resonate far beyond that country’s borders and will resonate when your children and grandchildren begin to study the history of peace.”
Fort Campbell is, quite literally, a crossroads for the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since Nov. 1, more than 10,000 troops have returned to the base from overseas, most having served in Iraq. And in recent weeks, about 3,000 troops from Fort Campbell have been deployed to Afghanistan, and another 450 to Iraq. By Jan. 1, a further 1,200 troops from the fort will be sent to Iraq.
Throughout his presidency, Mr. Bush has seemed to enjoy visiting with members of the armed services, and they have rewarded his good wishes with rousing applause and cheers, as they did on Tuesday.
The president recalled that, a day before Thanksgiving 2001, he visited Fort Campbell while the nation was still reeling from the shock of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. “That November day, I said, ‘Once again, you have a rendezvous with destiny,’ ” said Mr. Bush, who in speaking to members of the military seldom fails to invoke the sacrifices made by their parents and grandparents in earlier wars.
“You have performed with courage and distinction on the front lines of the war on terror,” Mr. Bush told the recent returnees at the fort on Tuesday. Because of them, he said, Afghanistan and Iraq are fledgling democracies.
Alluding to continuing criticism of the war in Iraq, the president said, “Removing Saddam Hussein was the right decision then, and it is the right decision today.”
With his days in the White House winding down, Mr. Bush said that, above all, he will miss spending time with America’s fighting men and women, “and I will always be thankful for the honor of having served as the commander in chief.”
Bush Meets Soldiers at Fort Campbell
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All I can say is we will see how history judges these 2 different wars, it wasn't all done right, and some of it I am ashamed of as a veteran of the "older generation" Gitmo, torture, renditions, things that the military was not responsible for but the White House involved them in anyway. It is a stain that history can NOT absolve. Afghanistan was right, and for the right reason, then Iraq was wrong and I feel has worsened the Afghan situation and that is harming the military. That is my regret.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Bush Meets Soldiers at Fort Campbell
