Leyte Gulf (CG 55) - Naval Cruise Book

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DESERT VICTCDHY THE PRESIDENT S SPEECH TO A Joint sEssioN or 1 CNGRESS Members of Congress five short weeks ago l came to this House to speak to you about the State of the Union. We met O6 MARCH 1991 ca and Europe from Asia and South America from Africa all united tlOI'l ITIUST DOW WOl'k In COI'Tll'T10l'l DUFDOSG ciples' for the sake of the Kuwaiti people we stood our ground Because the w dor al Sabah tonight Kuwait is freer ! r'N J f'N ' , 1 ' ' I ' - against aggression. Our common Coali- would not look the other way, ambassa- then in time of war Tonight we meet in a world blessed by the promise of peace. From the moment Operation Desert Storm commenced on January 16th, until the time the guns fell silent at midnight, one week ago, this nation has watched its sons and daughters with pride, and watch over them with prayer. As Commander in Chief, l can report to you our Armed Forces fought with honor and valor. And as President, I can report to the nation: Aggression is defeated: the war is over! This is a victory for every country in the Coalition: for the United Nations, a victory for unprecedented international coopera- tion and diplomacy, so well led by our Secretary of State, James Baker. lt is a victory for the rule of law and for what is right. Desert Storm's success belongs to the team that so ably leads our Armed Forces: our Secretary of Defense and our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Dick Che- ney and Colin Powell. this military victory also belongs to the one the British call The Man of the Match, The Tower of Calm at the Eye of Desert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf. 'Let us, recognizing this was a coalition effort, let us not forget Saudi General Ka- lid Britain's General de la Billiere or Gen eral Johpur of France and all the others whose leadership played such a vital role And most importantly most importantly of all all those who served in the field l thank the members of this Congress Support here for our troops in battle was overwhelming And above all l thank those whose unfailing love and support sustained our courageous men and wom en I thank the American people Tonight I come to this House to speak about the world the world after war The recent challenge could not have been clearer Saddam Hussein was the villain Kuwait the victim To the and of this small country came nations from North Amer: to forge a future that should never again be held hostage to the darker side of hu- man nature. Tonight in iraq, Saddam walks amidst ruin. His war machine is crushed. His abili- ty to threaten mass destruction is itself destroyed. His people have been lied to, denied the truth. And when his defeated legions come home, all lraqis will see and feel the havoc he has wrought. And this I promise you: for all that Saddam has done to his own people, to the Kuwaties and to the entire world, Saddam and those around him are accountable. All of us grieve for the victims of warg for the people of Kuwait, and the suffering that scars the soul of that proud nation. We grieve for all our fallen soldiers and their families: for all the innocents caught up in this conflict. And yes, we grieve for the people of Iraq: a people who have never been our enemy. My hope is that one day we will once again welcome them as friends into the community of nations the consequences of the conflict in the Gulf reach far beyond the confines of the Middle East. Twice before in this cen- tury an entire world was convulsed by war. Twice this century, out of the horrors of war, hope emerged for enduring peace. Twice before these hopes proved to be a distant dream beyond the grasp of Man. Until now the world we've known has been a world divided: a world of barbed wire and concrete -the Cold War. Now we can see a new world coming into view: a world in which there is a very real pros- pect of a New World Order. In the words of Winston Churchill A world order in which the principles of justice and fair play protect the weak against the strong. A world in which the United Na- tions freed from Cold War stalemate is poised to fulfill the historic vision of its founders. A world in which freedom and respect for human rights find a home among all nations. The Gulf War put this new world to its first test And my fellow Americans we passed that test. For the sake of our prin- r T ' . , - . . . . - 5 . . - , . - ' ' ll - 1 u I ' ' I I . ' 1 1 v !! 1 , I I I - I , , . I I , - . - . . , . . . . ' s u ' 1 . . . - . - ' 1' . . 1 - . 1'2 ' 'ii 753' 2723? if -1-' -. J ' 'Annu-.ffiufib -f..,....a:.2 '5751 f Y6-'iIH 'R-'1'1f1 ': ' :- f . . . When I spoke in this House about tl state of our Union, I asked all of you, ifl selflessly confront evil for the sake good in a land so far away, then surely we can make this land all that it should be. ln the time since then, the brave men and women of Desert Storm accomplished more than even they may realize. They set out to confront an enemy abroad, and in the process, they transformed a nation at home. Think of the way they went about their mission: with confidence and quiet pride. Think about their sense of duty, about all they taught us about our values, about ourselves. We hear so often about our young people in turmoil, how our chil- . dren fall short, how our schools fail, how l American products and American work- ers are second-class. Well, don't you be- lieve it. The America we saw in Desert Storm was first-classed talent. They did it using America's state-of-the- T art technology. We saw this in the Patriot missile, and the patriots who made it work. And we saw soldiers who know about honor, and bravery, and duty, and l country, and the world-shaking power ol these simple words. There is something noble and majestic about the pride, about the patriotism that we feel tonight. Soto , everyone here, and to everyone watching l at home, think about the men and women l of Desert Storm. Let us honor them with our gratitude. Let us comfort the families of the fallen, and remember each pre- k cious life lost. l We went halfway around the world to do . what is moral and just and right. We fought hard, and with others, we won the I war. We lifted the yoke of aggression and tyranny from a small country that malty Americans had never even heard of. Arid we asked nothing in return. We're coming home now, proud, confident, heads l'tIQh- l There is much that we must do, at home and abroad, and we will do it. ' l We are-Americans! May God bless thi? great nation, the United States of Amefl' l ca! Thank you all very much. President George Bush Commander in Chief

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THE GUNS FALL SILENT We thank you with all our hearts tonight, Lord, for what appears to be peace. We pray the peace will hold. We pray for the prisoners, that you keep them safe every minute until their release. We thank you for the light casualties, which we believe are your answer to prayer. And we thank you also that this is peace with justice and righteousness, where a people have been restored to their country. We pray now for the progress of peace. We pray that the details would work out well. If there is anyone who has in mind still some act of war or revenge or terror- ism, we pray you would stay his hand. lf there is some instrument of war which might still destroy by itself, we pray it would be neutralized in your Providence. Now, Lord, help us to stand the long watches of the peace which are hard to stand and which do not always show such fruit as we have seen today. Help us to stand them well, so that they need not be interrupted by evil plans breaking forth again. Chaplain Jumper 28 February prayer Clockwise from left: DCC Carr gives up. LCDR Dilflita gives a smile for peace. FCCS Johnson controls .50 cal gunnery practice. LT Llde and GSE1 Stilwell confer on the bridge. CTO3 Archer.