Bush recalls courage of past, present
Lays wreath at Tomb of the Unknowns on Memorial Day
ARLINGTON, Va. -- President Bush observed Memorial Day with praise for the "fierce courage" of US service members in Afghanistan and Iraq and said "two terror regimes" are gone and America is safer because of their bravery.
Bush, joined by General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Laura Bush also attended.
After laying the wreath near the tomb, which holds the unidentified remains of US soldiers who fought and died in several wars, Bush led the nation in remembering those who were killed in service to the country.
In his remarks, he occasionally referred to ongoing conflicts involving the United States and the thousands of troops serving abroad.
"We have seen the character of the men and women who wear our country's uniform in places like Kabul and Kandahar, in Mosul and Baghdad. We have seen their decency and their brave spirit," Bush told a rain-sprinkled crowd of several hundred.
"Because of their fierce courage, America is safer," he said.
"Two terror regimes are gone forever, and more than 50 million souls now live in freedom."
Bush received an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd at a critical phase in the war in Iraq. Unrest there continues as the United States plans to pass political control to an interim Iraqi government on June 30.
A year ago on Memorial Day, there was little evidence the war could become a political problem for Bush. The US government had confidently predicted that weapons of mass destruction would be found and American generals said troops were in the process of stabilizing Iraq. No such weapons have been found.
Bush had declared four weeks before Memorial Day 2003 that major combat operations had ended, and his approval ratings were well over 60 percent in most polls; now they are in the 40s, the lowest of his presidency.
A year ago at this time, more than 160 American soldiers had been killed in Iraq. The total has risen to more than 800, and last week the Pentagon reported that the number wounded in action is approaching 4,700.
