A Day in the Life of President Bush (photos): 7.4.06

yahoo.com, whitehouse.gov ^ | Tuesday July 4, 2006 | GretchenM

[GretchenM]

As we celebrate the 230th birthday of the United States of America, our president joined the ideological, and perhaps biological, descendants of those who fought to give us our freedom by creating this new nation. The president went to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, to speak to and eat with the troops and their families (who gave him a birthday cake).

He will return to the White House for a July 4th celebration with family and friends. That will also serve as a birthday party for the President.

[GretchenM]

QUOTE: “Since that first 4th of July, some 43 million Americans have defended our freedom in times of war. These brave men and women crossed oceans and continents to defeat murderous ideologies and to secure the peace for generations that followed. We live in liberty because of the courage they displayed -- from Bunker Hill to Baghdad, from Concord to Kabul -- on this Independence Day we honor their achievements and we thank them for their service in freedom's cause."

"It's a pleasure to be back here at Fort Bragg -- 'Home of our Airborne and Special Forces.' I flew down on Air Force One, and our pilot, Colonel Tillman, he said, 'I can open the hatch and drop you out by parachute.' I said he had the wrong President Bush. (Laughter.) Old '41, I call him -- happens to be my dad -- has jumped five times with the Golden Knights of Fort Bragg. (Applause.) Mother appreciates you helping him down safely. (Laughter.) He's the only skydiving President, and that's a distinction I think he's going to keep. (Laughter.)

"Our strategy to protect America is based on a clear premise: The security of our nation depends on the advance of liberty in other nations."

"I'm privileged to be in the presence of so many courageous military families who have borne the hardships of war with dignity and devotion."

Early birthday cake at Ft. Bragg

With Special Ops troops at Ft. Bragg

[GretchenM]

July 4 dose going up.

Pls wait to post or repost photos till the All Clear.

[GretchenM]

"Today we mark the 230th anniversary of American independence. And on this day, when we give thanks for our freedom, we also give thanks for the men and women who make our freedom possible. Each of you have stepped forward to serve, knowing the risks and dangers that accompany freedom's defense."

Bush: "It's a pleasure to get out of Washington, to spend some time in the real "center of the universe."

[MamaB]

Hey.

[Kath]

First??

[GretchenM]

Hi MamaB, Toaster Winner!

[GretchenM]

[GretchenM]

Bush: "... because of your courage, every day is Independence Day in America."

Bush: "without the courage of the soldiers of our Continental Army, the words of the Declaration would have been forgotten by history, dismissed as the radical musings of a failed revolution."

"We celebrate Independence Day each year because that ragtag group of citizen soldiers challenged the world's most powerful military, secured our liberty and planted a standard of freedom to which the entire world has aspired."

Post-speech

[Kath]

Missed it by one.

[pax_et_bonum]

I love that man!

[GretchenM]

th Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, Commanding Gen. XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg

[Texagirl4W]

God bless President Bush, our military, and our nation.

[GretchenM]

[Kath]

Me too!

[Bahbah]

THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE. FOR ALL THAT YOU WILL DO. We couldn't have gotten through this without you. The same can be said for the Bush family, Sec. Def. Rumsfeld, VP Cheney, SOS Dr. Rice, and the most excellent White House Press Secretary, Mr. Snow. Happy Independence Day. (We are the ones that they never poll, but we're out here.)

[GretchenM]

President Bush shakes hands with Special Forces Staff Sgt. Charles Maxwell. Bush visited with Army Special Operations Command. "Army Special Forces define their mission in a motto: 'To Liberate the Oppressed.'"

[Theresawithanh]

Yay! Happy Independence Day, everybody!

Great start to the dose, I love President Bush's sense of humor.

God bless our troops and their families, God bless President Bush and his family, and God bless America!

[GretchenM]

"They were the first coalition forces to arrive on the scene after the bombing of Zarqawi's [no longer] safe house. They administered compassionate medical care to a man who showed no compassion to his victims. And when this brutal terrorist took his final breath, one of the last things he saw was the face of an American soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina."

"In the weeks since Zarqawi's death, coalition and Iraqi forces have launched more than 190 raids on targets across the country. We've captured more than 700 enemy operatives and killed some 60 more. In these raids, we've uncovered caches of weapons and suicide vests and Iraqi army uniforms to be used as disguises in brutal terrorist attacks. We've seized new intelligence information that is helping us keep the pressure on the terrorists and the insurgents."

[W04Man]

Bump!

[GretchenM]

President Bush arranges the Texas state flag so that it is visible for his photograph with military personnel

At Ft. Bragg (an early birthday cake)

[GretchenM]

GWB's July 4 message to Senator John Kerry (addressed to the troops): "we're not going to set an artificial timetable for withdrawal. Setting an artificial timetable would be a terrible mistake. At a moment when the terrorists have suffered a series of significant blows, setting an artificial timetable would breathe new life into their cause. Setting an artificial timetable would undermine the new Iraqi government and send a signal to Iraq's enemies that if they wait just a little bit longer, America will just give up. Setting an artificial timetable would undermine the morale of our troops by sending the message that the mission for which you've risked your lives is not worth completing. We're not going to set an artificial timetable to withdraw from Iraq. I will make decisions about troop levels in Iraq based on the advice that matters most -- the measured judgment of our military commanders."

[GretchenM]

Bush: "We get all kinds of evidence when we raid these safe houses, about their concerns. They bemoan the fact that we're keeping the pressure on them. They see the successes we're having in training. They know we're damaging their cause. This moment when the terrorists are suffering from the weight of successive blows is not the time to call retreat. We will stay, we will fight, and we will prevail."

Bush: "... against such enemy there is only one effective response: We will never back down, we will never give in and we will never accept anything less than complete victory."

[Theresawithanh]

And also for the wonderful pictures of our soldiers. They make my heart swell with pride!

[Kath]

How many times does he have to tell the complainers before they get it through their heads we are not going to surrender.

[GretchenM]

From GretchenM: My secret ambition in life, had I had good eyesight, would have been to become a non-military helicopter pilot. I love these photos.

Bush: "On September the 11th, 2001, we saw that problems originating in a failed and oppressive state 7,000 miles away could bring murder and destruction to our country. And we learned an important lesson: Decades of excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make it safe. So long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place where terrorists foment resentment and threaten American security."

Looking over a helicopter at Ft. Bragg

Bush is shown a fully-equipped combat raiding craft

[sweetiepiezer]

596,892,948,000 times

[GretchenM]

Bush: "I ask all Americans to take a moment and consider what you might do to support the men and women who wear our nation's uniform. If you're interested in helping, go to a Department of Defense website called America Supports You. That's where you can find a place to volunteer, an opportunity to help. I ask every citizen to consider making a contribution to the men and women who defend us, because every one of us owes our freedom to these courageous Americans."

There is an ongoing effort here at Free Republic in the same vein. CARE PACKAGES for our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, 2006.

Bush: "... the Spirit of '76 lives on in the courage that you show each day. You've given our citizens a priceless gift, the opportunity to live in freedom and to pursue their dreams, and enjoy lives of purpose and dignity. You've kept America what our founders meant her to be: a light to the nations, spreading the good news of human freedom to the darkest corners of earth."

[Jewels1091]

I have never seen a guy sweat like he does!!!

[GretchenM]

Returning from Ft. Bragg

[Kath]

I don't think even that would do it.

[GretchenM]

A Graceland photo from the WH web site that I'd not seen before

[Kath]

He's sexy when he sweats!

[GretchenM]

"We see that character in special operations soldiers, like Captain Chip Eldridge. In December 2004, Captain Eldridge was deployed at a coalition base near Shkin, Afghanistan, where he got a report that the terrorists were preparing to attack the base with a rocket. When his unit went out to look for him, his Humvee was hit by an anti-tank mine and his unit came under a barrage of gunfire. He pulled out of his vehicle and he looked down and he saw that part of his left leg had been blown off. Despite the intense pain, he refused pain killers offered by a field medic so he could stay alert to deal with the enemy. Soon, a team of A-10 Warthogs arrived and took care of the terrorists, and Chip and his men were evacuated.

"Eventually, Chip was transported to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where doctors told him that he would be in recovery for at least a year. He told his doctors he had a change of command in six months and that he'd be out of recovery by then. To speed his recovery, he tripled his daily physical therapy regime. He told his physical therapists, "I'm going to need to run, swim, jump out of planes, possibly ride horses; I'm not going to accept anything different." His therapist recalls how angry he was when someone told him he'd never run a sub-7 minute mile again. Chip proved him wrong.

"Today, his commanding officer says, "I'd say he's fitter than 90 percent of the people in the unit he commands. In a room with four people, I bet he could beat three of us in a mile run." Chip is here at Fort Bragg, he's jumping out of planes, he's training with his men, and next April, he's heading back to Afghanistan, where he'll once again command a unit in the zone of combat. America is blessed to have brave soldiers like Chip Eldridge. With men like this leading our forces in the battle, the enemy doesn't have a chance.

[italianquaker]

And when the Murthas and Kerrys ask, YES I AM QUESTIONING YOUR PATRIOTISM!!

[Jewels1091]

he is sexy all the time, but even i would hesitate to hug a sweaty shirt!

[speekinout]

I flew down on Air Force One, and our pilot, Colonel Tillman, he said, 'I can open the hatch and drop you out by parachute.' I said he had the wrong President Bush. (Laughter.) Old '41, I call him -- happens to be my dad -- has jumped five times with the Golden Knights of Fort Bragg. (Applause.) Mother appreciates you helping him down safely. (Laughter.) He's the only skydiving President, and that's a distinction I think he's going to keep. (Laughter.)

I always love W's sense of humor. But this one really tickles my funny bone. :-)

[GretchenM]

[GretchenM]

[GretchenM]

I think he looks like a little kid in the first photo of him holding his birthday cake. =)

[altura]

Happy 4th to you and thanks for the pics.

[GretchenM]

(We are the ones that they never poll, but we're out here.)

YES, and would that the ancient media took some time to look through the window and see the REAL America out here.

[Theresawithanh]

LOL! I think the caption to that photo should be "Is this for me? Reeeeeeeeeally?"

[maica]

Every American schoolchild should be given the opportunity to hear and see today's speech. They would see what Commander-in-Chief means.

Thanks for adding all the text to the photos.

[maine-iac7]

With Special Ops troops at Ft. Bragg

Just dang! My grandson (spec ops) just left Ft Bragg 2 days ago - for short visit with family in TX...off to Italy end of week. He JUST missed Bush. (He used to get in trouble in school, with his teachers, because he defended Bush at every turn.)

[GretchenM]

There's something very unusual and touching about this photo -- hands extended across humanity --

[mrs tiggywinkle]

Thank you for taking time to post such a special 'dose' Gretchen.

I'm so very proud of our troops and our dear President. How much they love him. How they trust his judgement and direction. Their devotion and sacrifice is evident and held dearly by us who love our freedom. God bless them.

Happy Independence Day to all.

[GretchenM]

That's the idea I got, too.

He's just so ... normal!

[Paul_B]

I'm with you on that. Today's speech was an important resummation of our purposes abroad.

[Kath]

Not me!!! I would not hesitate to hug him when he's sweaty!!!!

[GretchenM]

Thanks for adding all the text to the photos.

It was a great speech.

Thanks for letting me know you liked the arrangement.