The President:
I wanted to come down to Fort Bliss mainly to say thank you
and to say welcome home.
A million men and women in
uniform have now served in Iraq.
And this has been one
of our longest wars.
But the fact of the matter is
that there has not been a single
mission that has been assigned
to all of you in which you have
not performed with gallantry,
with courage, with excellence.
And that is something that the
entire country understands.
You know, there are times
where, in our country,
we've got political
disagreements.
And appropriately we have big
debates about war and peace.
But the one thing we don't argue
about is the fact that we've got
the finest fighting force
in the history of the world.
(applause)
And the reason we have it is
because of the men and women in
uniform, in every
branch of service,
who make so many sacrifices,
and their families make those
sacrifices alongside them.
Without you we couldn't enjoy
the freedoms and the security
that are so precious.
And all of you represent that
long line of heroes that have
served us so well generation
after generation.
You are welcome home with open
arms from every corner of this country.
People could not be prouder
of you, and we are grateful.
Thank you very much, everybody.
(applause)
