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Nation's Enemies Still Exist; Best Defense Is to Find Them
Friday, September 6, 2002
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

The president said he's requested the largest defense- spending bill since Ronald Reagan was president for two reasons:



"One, any time we put our troops into harm's way, they deserve the best pay, the best equipment and the best training. And secondly, I did so because I want to send a message to friend and foe alike that we're in this for the long haul. When it comes to the freedoms we love, when it comes to something we hold dear, this country is determined and patient and plenty resolved to achieve victory."



WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Even though nearly a year has passed since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, people must not forget that the nation's enemies still exist, President Bush said Sept. 5 in Louisville, Ky.

Speaking at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, the president first focused on the economy and then turned to the war on terrorism. He said people must remember that the terrorists are "cold-blooded killers" who are "willing to take innocent life in the name of a hijacked religion."

"The best way to protect our homeland is to hunt the killers down one by one and bring them to justice," Bush said. "The best way to secure America and to protect our freedom is to find the killers."

Federal, state and local officials are doing everything they can to keep the nation secure, he said. Officials at all levels are getting better information and acting on it quickly. "There's a lot of good folks working hard to protect us," he continued. "Any time we're getting a hint the enemy might be thinking about doing something to us, we're moving on it."

America is now the "battlefield" in a new and different era, Bush said. Today's enemies have no tanks, airplanes or ships, as did those of previous wars. "These are commanders who hide in dark caves and then send youngsters to their suicidal death." Global terrorists are allusive, determined and sophisticated, he said. "They kind of slither into cities and hope not to get caught."
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

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