President rallies crowd in July 4 address

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Carl Norman
  • Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs
People here have been crucial to victories in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to President George W. Bush during a July 4 address. And their work “has given America the finest Air Force in history,” he said.

Kicking off Independence Day activities, Bush addressed nearly 20,000 people who weathered high temperatures in a field adjacent to the Air Force Museum.

“People from every branch of the service, and thousands of Guard and Reserve members called to active duty, have carried out their missions with all the skill and knowledge expected of them,” he said. “This nation is grateful to the men and women who wear our nation’s uniform.”

And that especially extends to those Americans forever lost to war, he said.

“We honor each one for their courage and sacrifice,” Bush said. “We think of the families who miss them so much. We are thankful that this nation produces such fine men and women who are willing to defend the cause.”

During the 20-minute speech, the president encouraged everyone to honor the nation’s past and be confident in its future.

“The ideals of July 4, 1776, still speak to all humanity, and the revolution declared that day goes on,” Bush said. “On July 4, 2003, we still place our trust in divine providence, still pledge our lives to freedom, and we’ll always believe that freedom is the hope and the future of every land.”

During the holiday weekend, Wright-Patterson officials had scheduled several events celebrating 100 years of powered flight, and two of the Wright brothers’ descendents were taking part in those. The president said he met them on the flightline here, and they were quick to remind him that Dayton was where the Wright brothers first drew up the plans for their flying machine.

“I wonder what Wilbur and Orville would have thought if they could have seen that flying machine I came in on today,” Bush said.

Bush also met Rebecca Lundy, an active-duty airman’s wife who volunteers for the family support center here.

“We’re a strong and powerful nation because we’ve got a great military, but we’re also strong because we’re also a nation of fine hearts,” the president said. “(Lundy) understands that service to her country means helping someone in need, and she takes time out of her day to comfort those who need comfort.”

Bush encouraged everyone to volunteer and “join the armies of compassion where they’re changing America one heart, one soul and one conscience at a time,” he said.

The president then offered a brief look at the nation’s history.

“Every year on this day, we take special pride in our founding generations -- the men and women who waged a desperate fight to overcome tyranny and live in freedom,” he said. Bush added that most Americans today could not think of the Revolutionary War’s outcome being anything other than what it was.

“But those victories were far from certain,” the president said. “Those brave men and women were only certain of the cause they served -- the belief that freedom is a gift from God and the right of all mankind. Today, all who live in tyranny and all who yearn for freedom place their hope in the United States of America.”

He said that hope has, in great measure, come from Americans who have fought and died in eras past, who have laid the foundation for the freedom Americans enjoy today.

Speaking about veterans’ place in history, the president said, “They’ve left many monuments along their way -- an undivided union, a liberated Europe and the fall of an evil empire. Millions across the world are free today because of the unselfish courage of America’s veterans.”

Looking more to the present and future, Bush focused on terrorists and those who support them, saying the nation is still at war, and many Americans are still serving and sacrificing in harm’s way.

“Without America’s active involvement in the world, the ambitions of tyrants would go unopposed, and millions would live at the mercy of terrorists. With America’s involvement, tyrants learn to fear, and terrorists are on the run,” the president said to thunderous applause. “In America, our enemies made their intentions clear to us, but since that September day, we’ve made our intentions clear to them.

“The United States will not stand by and wait for another attack or trust the restraint and good intentions of evil men. We will act whenever it’s necessary to protect the lives and liberties of the American people,” he said.

Americans should be grateful for the unity past challenges have brought to the country and the renewed patriotism adversity ushered in, he said. People can also be proud of the valor seen in those who defend the United States.

“To be an American, whether by birth or by choice, is a high privilege,” he said. “We can all be proud of our heritage and confident in our future.” (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)