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Remarks Prior to a Meeting With the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commanders

January 29, 2008

Mr. Secretary, thank you very much. Mr. Chairman, we're glad you're here. The Vice President and I welcome you all. One of the highlights of my year is to meet with combatant commanders and the Joint Chiefs. We'll have a visit here in the Cabinet Room, talking about the war on terror and the ideological struggle that we're engaged in. We'll talk about our common desire to protect America and how best to do so. And then we're going to have dinner with your spouses, and Laura and I are really looking forward to having you upstairs.

I love our military, and the reason I do is because the character of those who wear our uniform, whether they be the general or the private, is remarkable. We're a nation that has produced people who are willing to volunteer in the face of danger, thank goodness. And as a result, we are a nation in the lead in helping defend this world against extremists who murder the innocent to achieve an ideological objective.

And our military is compassionate as well. I'm looking forward to the stories from our commanders who will share with us the great compassion of our soldiers, whether it's to provide relief from a disaster or to help some child recognize the beauty of going to school.

And so I want to thank you for coming and thank you for serving, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

NOTE: The President spoke at 5:11 p.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White House.

George W. Bush, Remarks Prior to a Meeting With the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Combatant Commanders Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/276535

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