The President's radio address on Memorial Day weekend

Thank you to all the Veterans who gave their lives for the cause of freedom --
you will not be forgotten. We are eternally in your debt -- one that we can
never truly repay. We should lift up in prayer those families who have lost
loved ones in battle and to those who wait anxiously now while their loved
ones stand courageously between us and those who would do us harm. To
our military currently serving around the world -- may God continue to protect
you in your service. Thank you for all that you do. -- KD

From the President:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________
Embargoed Until Delivery
At 10:06 A.M. EDT
Saturday, May 27, 2006

RADIO ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE NATION

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.

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.