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CNN Live Today
President Bush Delivers Remarks at Arlington National Cemetery
Aired November 11, 2004 - 11:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's been a busy morning so far, filled with live events and lots of stories. I'm Rick Sanchez with Daryn Kagan.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we are standing by, still waiting for President Bush to speak from Arlington National Cemetery. There you see Anthony Principi, the head of Veteran affairs for the Bush administration on this Veteran's Day. And it looks like he is introducing the president.
So let's listen in from Arlington National Cemetery.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.
Thank you all very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you for that warm welcome.
Laura and I are honored to be here today.
Mr. Secretary, thank you for your kind introduction. And thank you for your strong leadership in making sure our veterans have got the very best care possible.
Secretary Principi has done a fantastic job for the American veteran.
(APPLAUSE)
I thank the members of my Cabinet who join us today. I appreciate the chiefs of staff and other members of the United States military that have joined us.
I want to thank all the veterans who are here today.
I want to thank the representatives of veterans' organizations and I want to thank my fellow Americans.
Veterans Day is set aside to remember every man and woman who has taken up arms to defend our country. We honor every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman who gave some of the best years of their lives to the service of the United States and stood ready to give life itself on our behalf.
Twenty-five million military veterans walk among us and on this day our nation thanks them all.
(APPLAUSE)
These are the hidden heroes of a peaceful nation, our colleagues and friends, neighbors and family members who answered the call and returned to live in the land they defended.
BUSH: Our veterans are drawn from several generations and many backgrounds.
There are Americans who remembers the swift conflict of the Persian Gulf War and a long Cold War vigil, the heat of Vietnam and the bitter cold of Korea.
There are veterans in their 80s who served under MacArthur and Eisenhower and saved the liberty of the world.
And still with us in the year 2004 are a few dozen Americans who fought the Kaiser's army and celebrated the end of the Great War on this day in 1918.
(APPLAUSE)
The last dough boys are all more than 100 years old. Our nation will always be proud of their service.
Some of our veterans are young men and women with recent memories of battle in mountains and in deserts.
In Afghanistan, these brave Americans helped sweep away a vicious tyranny allied with terror and prepared the way for a free people to elect its own leaders.
In Iraq, our men and women fought a ruthless enemy of America, setting the people free from a tyrant who now sits in a prison cell.
(APPLAUSE)
All who have served in this cause are liberators in the best tradition of America.
BUSH: Their actions have made our nation safer in a world full of new dangers.
Their actions have also upheld the ideals of America's founding, which defines us still. Our nation values freedom, not just for ourselves, but for all.
And because Americans are willing to serve and sacrifice for this cause, our nation remains the greatest force for good among all the nations on the Earth.
(APPLAUSE)
Some of tomorrow's veterans are in combat in Iraq at this hour. They have a clear mission: to defeat the terrorists and aid the rise of a free government that can defend itself.
They're performing that mission with skill and with honor. They are making us proud. They are winning.
(APPLAUSE)
Our men and women in the military have superb training and the best equipment and able commanders. And they have another great advantage: They have the example of American veterans who came before.
From the very day George Washington took command, the uniform of the United States has always stood for courage and decency and shining hope in a world of darkness. And all who have worn that uniform have won the thanks of the American people.
Today we're thinking of our fellow Americans last seen on duty, whose fate is still undetermined. We will not rest until we have made the fullest possible accounting for every life.
(APPLAUSE)
Today we also recall the men and women who did not live to be called veterans, many of whom rest in these hills. Our veterans remember the faces and voices of fallen comrades. The families of the lost carry a burden of grief that time will lighten but never lift.
Our whole nation honors every patriot who placed duty and country before their own lives.
BUSH: They gave us every day that we live in freedom.
The security of America depends on our active leadership in the world to oppose emerging threats and to spread freedom that leads to the peace we all want.
And our leadership ultimately depends on the commitment and character of the armed forces. America's needed these qualities in every generation, and every generation has stepped forward to provide them.
What veterans have given our country is beyond our power to fully repay, yet today we recognize our debt to their honor. And on this national holiday, our hearts are filled with respect and gratitude for the veterans of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
May God bless our veterans and their families, and may God continue to bless our great nation.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
KAGAN: We've been listening in to President Bush as he speaks at Arlington National Cemetery. The speech coming just moments after he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. This, of course, Veteran's Day.
SANCHEZ: Indeed it was. Once called Armistice Day, then changed. We'll going to take a quick break here, and we're going to be coming right back with a lot more on this special day and our special coverage continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: As we mentioned, it is Veteran's Day. Some 80 National Guard troops are preparing to ship out from Fort Dix in New Jersey. They're going to Kuwait.
Our Jason Carroll is with the families at McGuire Air Force Base as they say their goodbyes. Jason, hello.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Daryn.
You know, you heard the president's speech just a short while ago. I'm sure his words would have resonated with many of the men and women here, especially the soldiers who are here. Just a short while ago, the members of the 1st of the 150th Aviation Battalion headed off to the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The day that you signed up to put on this uniform, you became a veteran.
CARROLL (voice-over): The 150th is an Army National Guard unit about 200 members of the unit left for the Middle East today, another 200 will be leaving tomorrow. The battalion's first stop will be Kuwait. They'll be there for about three weeks. Then they'll head off to northern Iraq for a one-year tour of duty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's always a mixture of anxiety about traveling to new places, but the moral is extreme extremely high for these soldiers. So, I mean, I've been with them at Fort Dix since June 2nd. And their morale is high, and they're very enthusiastic about going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know really what our job is going to be over there at this time. You know, everything is kind of new to us. So, we're going to find out when we get there.
CARROLL (on camera): Benjamin, Jason, how about you guys? You see what's happening on the news. How does that -- or does that have any effect on you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my opinion, no. We just have a mission to do, so that's what we're there for. And that's what we're going to do when we get there, just our mission.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CARROLL: Very diverse group of people out here -- the youngest 19, the oldest is 57. The soldiers telling us, Daryn, that they're going to be sending e-mails and writing letters to their families. And when I asked one of the soldiers what else can people here do for them, he simply said just keep us in your prayers -- Daryn?
KAGAN: And we will do that. Jason, thank you.
SANCHEZ: We're going to come back in just a little bit. We've got a treat...
KAGAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... a very special Veteran's Day guest.
KAGAN: And he is a former Army ranger. He fought in Somalia. He's also a motivational speaker.
SANCHEZ: That's enough. We're not going to tell you anything more...
KAGAN: That's it. We can't say anything else.
SANCHEZ: This guy is so different that it's going to be a surprise.
KAGAN: OK. We'll unwrap it after the break. OK, you got it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
SANCHEZ: All right, here's that treat that we've been talking about.
KAGAN: I'm waiting.
SANCHEZ: On this Veteran's Day, the music of Keni Thomas has a special meaning. The former Army Ranger uses his songs to pay tribute to the men and women in uniform. Thomas and his band, Cornbread, have a new CD coming out. It's called "Flags of Our Fathers: A Soldiers Thomas."
And Keni Thomas is good enough to join us now from Washington, where he performs tonight at a very special Veteran's Day dinner.
Hey, Keni, how are you?
KENI THOMAS, FMR. BLACK HAWK RANGER: How y'all doing?
SANCHEZ: Or should I say "Cornbread."
THOMAS: You can call me Cornbread.
SANCHEZ: Where did that start? THOMAS: That was a nickname I got in the military. You know, the chow halls feed you this terrible precooked stuff and nobody liked it, and I liked it. So pretty soon, I started getting pelted with the stuff -- here you go, Cornbread. So that's how I got the name.
SANCHEZ: We got it. Hey, I want to let you do a little performance for us in a little bit. But first of all, let me ask you, because you've been there. You were in Mogadishu, you were Somalia -- you know what it's like to feel what these guys are going through right now over in Falluja. Give us a sense of what it's like to be in a place like this, where you feel like people are out to get you, and I imagine it gets a little lonely, doesn't it?
THOMAS: Not only does it -- certainly it gets a little lonely, but the thing you have to worry about is, what you're up against. When you're in an urban environment, everybody's an enemy -- every doorway, every window, every alley. I'm certainly not telling you anything you haven't already heard. But it's a dangerous, dangerous -- the worst place to be for infantry and foot soldiers. But you know, they've got great people on the left and right, and I know if they couldn't on the men and women next to them, they'll be fine.
SANCHEZ: Yes, and I guess that's got to be the most important thing. How did you make the transition from special forces, Army Ranger no less, in battles, to country singer?
THOMAS: I was lucky. I was real lucky. Music has always been part of my life. I actually had the band when we were in the Army, but you know, you don't get to play too much with the band when you're in the Army. And so when I finally got out and got up to Nashville, things have been -- you know, you give it 100 percent and things start happening. Here we are, on CNN.
SANCHEZ: Isn't that nice? But this isn't your first gig. You've been all over place. You've been on some of the other networks that aren't quite as good as ours.
THOMAS: I've been on other networks, but you know, none like this one.
SANCHEZ: This is your big break, huh? Listen, you're kidding people, and I know this, because I read up about you, and you were in "We Were Soldiers," the movie, right?
THOMAS: I was. I actually worked as a military adviser on that. We could talk for hours about Mel Gibson. He's a nut, I'm just going to say that. Good man, but he's a nut.
SANCHEZ: OK, we'll leave it at that, before you or I get in trouble. Let's do this, can you take us to a break? Can you take us out, as they say, with a little good music?
THOMAS: I can do it.
SANCHEZ: Is this the one you're going to sing tonight? Daryn wants to know. Say hi to Daryn. KAGAN: Yes, I wanted to say before you do this, this is our chance to say goodbye.
SANCHEZ: We're going to say goodbye, and then Wolf is going to come up on the other side.
KAGAN: Right, absolutely.
THOMAS: Why don't you tell me how much I get to sing, and then I'm going to figure out what part of my song...
KAGAN: You keep singing, and we'll just keep playing.
SANCHEZ: Start with the best stuff, will you?
KAGAN: But for our viewers, let's just say, thank you for joining us today, and Wolf Blitzer coming up at the top of the hour.
SANCHEZ: Here's Keni Thomas.
KAGAN: Thank you, Keni.
THOMAS: It's a song called "Not Me."
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 11, 2004 - 11:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's been a busy morning so far, filled with live events and lots of stories. I'm Rick Sanchez with Daryn Kagan.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we are standing by, still waiting for President Bush to speak from Arlington National Cemetery. There you see Anthony Principi, the head of Veteran affairs for the Bush administration on this Veteran's Day. And it looks like he is introducing the president.
So let's listen in from Arlington National Cemetery.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.
Thank you all very much.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you for that warm welcome.
Laura and I are honored to be here today.
Mr. Secretary, thank you for your kind introduction. And thank you for your strong leadership in making sure our veterans have got the very best care possible.
Secretary Principi has done a fantastic job for the American veteran.
(APPLAUSE)
I thank the members of my Cabinet who join us today. I appreciate the chiefs of staff and other members of the United States military that have joined us.
I want to thank all the veterans who are here today.
I want to thank the representatives of veterans' organizations and I want to thank my fellow Americans.
Veterans Day is set aside to remember every man and woman who has taken up arms to defend our country. We honor every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman who gave some of the best years of their lives to the service of the United States and stood ready to give life itself on our behalf.
Twenty-five million military veterans walk among us and on this day our nation thanks them all.
(APPLAUSE)
These are the hidden heroes of a peaceful nation, our colleagues and friends, neighbors and family members who answered the call and returned to live in the land they defended.
BUSH: Our veterans are drawn from several generations and many backgrounds.
There are Americans who remembers the swift conflict of the Persian Gulf War and a long Cold War vigil, the heat of Vietnam and the bitter cold of Korea.
There are veterans in their 80s who served under MacArthur and Eisenhower and saved the liberty of the world.
And still with us in the year 2004 are a few dozen Americans who fought the Kaiser's army and celebrated the end of the Great War on this day in 1918.
(APPLAUSE)
The last dough boys are all more than 100 years old. Our nation will always be proud of their service.
Some of our veterans are young men and women with recent memories of battle in mountains and in deserts.
In Afghanistan, these brave Americans helped sweep away a vicious tyranny allied with terror and prepared the way for a free people to elect its own leaders.
In Iraq, our men and women fought a ruthless enemy of America, setting the people free from a tyrant who now sits in a prison cell.
(APPLAUSE)
All who have served in this cause are liberators in the best tradition of America.
BUSH: Their actions have made our nation safer in a world full of new dangers.
Their actions have also upheld the ideals of America's founding, which defines us still. Our nation values freedom, not just for ourselves, but for all.
And because Americans are willing to serve and sacrifice for this cause, our nation remains the greatest force for good among all the nations on the Earth.
(APPLAUSE)
Some of tomorrow's veterans are in combat in Iraq at this hour. They have a clear mission: to defeat the terrorists and aid the rise of a free government that can defend itself.
They're performing that mission with skill and with honor. They are making us proud. They are winning.
(APPLAUSE)
Our men and women in the military have superb training and the best equipment and able commanders. And they have another great advantage: They have the example of American veterans who came before.
From the very day George Washington took command, the uniform of the United States has always stood for courage and decency and shining hope in a world of darkness. And all who have worn that uniform have won the thanks of the American people.
Today we're thinking of our fellow Americans last seen on duty, whose fate is still undetermined. We will not rest until we have made the fullest possible accounting for every life.
(APPLAUSE)
Today we also recall the men and women who did not live to be called veterans, many of whom rest in these hills. Our veterans remember the faces and voices of fallen comrades. The families of the lost carry a burden of grief that time will lighten but never lift.
Our whole nation honors every patriot who placed duty and country before their own lives.
BUSH: They gave us every day that we live in freedom.
The security of America depends on our active leadership in the world to oppose emerging threats and to spread freedom that leads to the peace we all want.
And our leadership ultimately depends on the commitment and character of the armed forces. America's needed these qualities in every generation, and every generation has stepped forward to provide them.
What veterans have given our country is beyond our power to fully repay, yet today we recognize our debt to their honor. And on this national holiday, our hearts are filled with respect and gratitude for the veterans of the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
May God bless our veterans and their families, and may God continue to bless our great nation.
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
KAGAN: We've been listening in to President Bush as he speaks at Arlington National Cemetery. The speech coming just moments after he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. This, of course, Veteran's Day.
SANCHEZ: Indeed it was. Once called Armistice Day, then changed. We'll going to take a quick break here, and we're going to be coming right back with a lot more on this special day and our special coverage continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: As we mentioned, it is Veteran's Day. Some 80 National Guard troops are preparing to ship out from Fort Dix in New Jersey. They're going to Kuwait.
Our Jason Carroll is with the families at McGuire Air Force Base as they say their goodbyes. Jason, hello.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Daryn.
You know, you heard the president's speech just a short while ago. I'm sure his words would have resonated with many of the men and women here, especially the soldiers who are here. Just a short while ago, the members of the 1st of the 150th Aviation Battalion headed off to the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The day that you signed up to put on this uniform, you became a veteran.
CARROLL (voice-over): The 150th is an Army National Guard unit about 200 members of the unit left for the Middle East today, another 200 will be leaving tomorrow. The battalion's first stop will be Kuwait. They'll be there for about three weeks. Then they'll head off to northern Iraq for a one-year tour of duty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's always a mixture of anxiety about traveling to new places, but the moral is extreme extremely high for these soldiers. So, I mean, I've been with them at Fort Dix since June 2nd. And their morale is high, and they're very enthusiastic about going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know really what our job is going to be over there at this time. You know, everything is kind of new to us. So, we're going to find out when we get there.
CARROLL (on camera): Benjamin, Jason, how about you guys? You see what's happening on the news. How does that -- or does that have any effect on you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In my opinion, no. We just have a mission to do, so that's what we're there for. And that's what we're going to do when we get there, just our mission.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CARROLL: Very diverse group of people out here -- the youngest 19, the oldest is 57. The soldiers telling us, Daryn, that they're going to be sending e-mails and writing letters to their families. And when I asked one of the soldiers what else can people here do for them, he simply said just keep us in your prayers -- Daryn?
KAGAN: And we will do that. Jason, thank you.
SANCHEZ: We're going to come back in just a little bit. We've got a treat...
KAGAN: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... a very special Veteran's Day guest.
KAGAN: And he is a former Army ranger. He fought in Somalia. He's also a motivational speaker.
SANCHEZ: That's enough. We're not going to tell you anything more...
KAGAN: That's it. We can't say anything else.
SANCHEZ: This guy is so different that it's going to be a surprise.
KAGAN: OK. We'll unwrap it after the break. OK, you got it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)
SANCHEZ: All right, here's that treat that we've been talking about.
KAGAN: I'm waiting.
SANCHEZ: On this Veteran's Day, the music of Keni Thomas has a special meaning. The former Army Ranger uses his songs to pay tribute to the men and women in uniform. Thomas and his band, Cornbread, have a new CD coming out. It's called "Flags of Our Fathers: A Soldiers Thomas."
And Keni Thomas is good enough to join us now from Washington, where he performs tonight at a very special Veteran's Day dinner.
Hey, Keni, how are you?
KENI THOMAS, FMR. BLACK HAWK RANGER: How y'all doing?
SANCHEZ: Or should I say "Cornbread."
THOMAS: You can call me Cornbread.
SANCHEZ: Where did that start? THOMAS: That was a nickname I got in the military. You know, the chow halls feed you this terrible precooked stuff and nobody liked it, and I liked it. So pretty soon, I started getting pelted with the stuff -- here you go, Cornbread. So that's how I got the name.
SANCHEZ: We got it. Hey, I want to let you do a little performance for us in a little bit. But first of all, let me ask you, because you've been there. You were in Mogadishu, you were Somalia -- you know what it's like to feel what these guys are going through right now over in Falluja. Give us a sense of what it's like to be in a place like this, where you feel like people are out to get you, and I imagine it gets a little lonely, doesn't it?
THOMAS: Not only does it -- certainly it gets a little lonely, but the thing you have to worry about is, what you're up against. When you're in an urban environment, everybody's an enemy -- every doorway, every window, every alley. I'm certainly not telling you anything you haven't already heard. But it's a dangerous, dangerous -- the worst place to be for infantry and foot soldiers. But you know, they've got great people on the left and right, and I know if they couldn't on the men and women next to them, they'll be fine.
SANCHEZ: Yes, and I guess that's got to be the most important thing. How did you make the transition from special forces, Army Ranger no less, in battles, to country singer?
THOMAS: I was lucky. I was real lucky. Music has always been part of my life. I actually had the band when we were in the Army, but you know, you don't get to play too much with the band when you're in the Army. And so when I finally got out and got up to Nashville, things have been -- you know, you give it 100 percent and things start happening. Here we are, on CNN.
SANCHEZ: Isn't that nice? But this isn't your first gig. You've been all over place. You've been on some of the other networks that aren't quite as good as ours.
THOMAS: I've been on other networks, but you know, none like this one.
SANCHEZ: This is your big break, huh? Listen, you're kidding people, and I know this, because I read up about you, and you were in "We Were Soldiers," the movie, right?
THOMAS: I was. I actually worked as a military adviser on that. We could talk for hours about Mel Gibson. He's a nut, I'm just going to say that. Good man, but he's a nut.
SANCHEZ: OK, we'll leave it at that, before you or I get in trouble. Let's do this, can you take us to a break? Can you take us out, as they say, with a little good music?
THOMAS: I can do it.
SANCHEZ: Is this the one you're going to sing tonight? Daryn wants to know. Say hi to Daryn. KAGAN: Yes, I wanted to say before you do this, this is our chance to say goodbye.
SANCHEZ: We're going to say goodbye, and then Wolf is going to come up on the other side.
KAGAN: Right, absolutely.
THOMAS: Why don't you tell me how much I get to sing, and then I'm going to figure out what part of my song...
KAGAN: You keep singing, and we'll just keep playing.
SANCHEZ: Start with the best stuff, will you?
KAGAN: But for our viewers, let's just say, thank you for joining us today, and Wolf Blitzer coming up at the top of the hour.
SANCHEZ: Here's Keni Thomas.
KAGAN: Thank you, Keni.
THOMAS: It's a song called "Not Me."
(SINGING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
