Sept. 23 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2005

The President. We will make sure that not interfere with the important work that my entourage does not get in the way of will be going forward. people doing their job, which will be search Thank you. and rescue immediately. And rest assured, I understand that we must not and will NOTE: The President spoke at 12:32 p.m.

Remarks on Presenting the Congressional to Tibor Rubin September 23, 2005

Laura and I welcome you to the White States Army. And Rabbi, thank you very House. This is a special occasion for our much for your blessings. Nation. We’re here to pay tribute to a sol- I want to thank Ambassador Andras dier with an extraordinary devotion to his Simonyi, the Ambassador of Hungary to the brothers in arms and an unshakeable love , for joining us. Proud you’re for his adopted homeland of America. here. Yes. [Laughter] Corporal Tibor ‘‘Ted’’ Rubin—many acts So honored to have the four Medal of of courage during the saved Honor recipients with us: Barney Barnum, the lives of hundreds of his fellow soldiers. with the United States Marines; Al Rascon, In the heat of battle, he inspired his com- the Army; Bob Foley, the Army; and Jack rades with his fearlessness. And amid the Jacobs of the Army. Proud you’re here. inhumanity of a Chinese prisoner-of-war Thanks for being here. camp, he gave them hope. Some of those The Medal of Honor is the highest award soldiers are here today, and they have for bravery that a President can bestow. never forgotten what they owe this man. It is given for acts of valor that no superior And by awarding the Medal of Honor to could rightly order a soldier to perform. Corporal Rubin today, the United States And that is what we mean by ‘‘above and acknowledges a debt that time has not di- beyond the call of duty.’’ By repeatedly minished. risking his own life to save others, Corporal It’s our honor to welcome Ted’s wife, Rubin exemplified the highest ideals of Yvonne; daughter, Rosie, a second grade military service and fulfilled a pledge to teacher, I might add—[laughter]—Frank give something back to the country that and Lai, welcome. Glad you all are here. had given him his freedom. Vice President, thank you for coming. Born in Hungary in 1929, Ted and his Mr. Secretary, we’re proud you’re here. I family were rounded up by the Nazis and appreciate Senator John Warner, the chair- taken to concentration camps when he was man of the Armed Services Committee. just 13 years old. He was taken to Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida, Mauthausen Camp in Austria, where an SS welcome. Thank you for being here. officer told the prisoner, ‘‘You, , none Former Congressman Ben Gilman and of you will ever make it out of here alive.’’ Georgia are with us. And many did not. Before the war was Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey; over, both of Ted’s parents and one of his Pete Geren, acting Secretary of the Air sisters were lost in the Holocaust. Ted Force; ‘‘Admiral G,’’ Vice Chairman of the Rubin survived the camp for 14 months, Joint Chiefs is with us; General Pete long enough to be liberated by U.S. Army Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the United troops on May the 5th, 1945.

1478

VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:10 May 27, 2009 Jkt 206693 PO 00000 Frm 00310 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\HR\OC\206693A.011 206693A cprice-sewell on PROD1PC72 with HEARING Administration of George W. Bush, 2005 / Sept. 23

These American GIs gave Ted his first ican soldiers, and his heroism helped many real taste of freedom. Their compassion for of them escape. the people in the camp made a deep im- Those who served with Ted speak of him pression on this teenage survivor. It was as a soldier whose many acts of compassion his first experience with soldiers who were helped his fellow GIs survive the nightmare fighting to protect human life. That day of imprisonment. As a teenager, Ted had Ted made a promise to himself: If he ever taught himself how to survive the horrors made it to America, he would show his of a Nazi death camp. He was resourceful, appreciation to this great land by enlisting courageous, and unusually strong. And in in the . He did move Korea, he drew on these qualities to help to America after the war, and the young keep many of his POWs alive. Whenever immigrant made good on his pledge. Even he could, at the risk of certain execution, though he was not yet a citizen, he volun- Corporal Rubin would sneak out and steal teered to serve his new nation in uniform, food rations from the guards, and then he and 7 months after taking the oath of a shared them with his fellow soldiers. U.S. soldier, he was sent to Korea. Throughout this ordeal, he nursed those The conditions were brutal. The fighting who were sick back to health and said the was intense, and the bitter cold was unre- Kaddish prayers for those he buried. lenting. And it was in these grueling cir- And when his captors offered to release cumstances that Corporal Rubin impressed him to Communist Hungary, with the guar- his fellow soldiers in the 1st Cav Division antee of a good job and nice clothes and as one of the best ever to wear our Nation’s plenty of food, Corporal Rubin refused. He uniform. said, ‘‘I was in the U.S. Army, and I Those who served with Ted speak of him wouldn’t leave my American brothers be- as a soldier of great skill and courage. One cause they need me here.’’ Ted’s decision night near the Pusan Perimeter, Corporal was in character. Rubin had been assigned to hold a hill As a Jew and non-citizen serving in uni- that was essential to the 3d Battalion safe form, he had experienced prejudice in the withdrawal. For 24 hours this lone rifleman Army. And he knew that the America he would defend the hill against an over- fought for did not always live up to its whelming number of North Korean forces. highest ideals. Yet he had enough trust in By his actions, Corporal Rubin inflicted America’s promise to see his commitment heavy casualties on the enemy, saved the through. He saw it as his personal duty lives of countless soldiers, and gave the unit to live up to our Nation’s promise, and time to withdraw. by doing so, he set an example of what Those who served with Ted speak of him it means to be an American. as a soldier who gladly risked his own life Many heroes are remembered in monu- for others. When Corporal Rubin’s battalion ments of stone. The monuments to Cor- found itself ambushed by thousands of Chi- poral Rubin are a legacy of life. We see nese troops, the Americans’ firepower soon his legacy in the many American families dwindled to a single machine gun. The whose husbands, fathers, and sons returned weapon was in an exposed position, and home safely because of his efforts. We see three soldiers had already died manning it. his legacy in the free and democratic South That was when Corporal Rubin stepped Korea that grew on the soil of his sacrifice. forward. He fought until his ammunition And we see his legacy in a new generation was gone. He was badly wounded, cap- of American men and women in uniform tured, and sent to a POW camp. He risked who were inspired to their own acts of his life that day to protect his fellow Amer- courage and compassion.

1479

VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:10 May 27, 2009 Jkt 206693 PO 00000 Frm 00311 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\HR\OC\206693A.011 206693A cprice-sewell on PROD1PC72 with HEARING Sept. 23 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2005

Today we remember the mother, father, in the world.’’ And today a grateful America and sister that Corporal Rubin lost to an bestows this award on a true son of liberty. unspeakable evil. We admire the deter- I now ask the military aide to read the mination of a young man who sought to citation. repay his American liberators by following in their footsteps, and we recall the selfless NOTE: The President spoke at 2:45 p.m. in acts that gave his comrades strength and the East Room at the White House. In his hope in their darkest hours. remarks, he referred to Secretary of Defense In the years since Abraham Lincoln Donald H. Rumsfeld; former Representative Benjamin A. Gilman of New York and his signed into law the bill establishing the wife, Georgia; Adm. Edmund P. Medal of Honor, we have had many elo- Giambastiani, Jr., USN, Vice Chairman, Joint quent tributes to what this medal rep- Chiefs of Staff; and Col. Rabbi Kenneth J. resents. I like Ted’s description. He calls Leinwand, USA, installation chaplain, Fort it ‘‘the highest honor of the best country Meade.

Remarks During a Briefing on Hurricane Rita in Colorado Springs, Colorado September 24, 2005

Admiral, thank you very much for a se- Texas and parts of western Louisiana. It ries of briefings that really do comfort me is important for them to listen carefully to in knowing that our Federal Government the local authorities about whether or not is well-organized and well-prepared to deal it is safe to return back to their home. with Rita. I’ve come here to watch It’s going to take a while for the authorities NORTHCOM in action, to see first hand on the ground to fully understand the im- the capacity of our military to plan, orga- pact of the flooding. And therefore, people nize, and move equipment to help the peo- who are safe now ought to remain in safe ple in the affected areas, in this case, of conditions. Louisiana and Texas. At any rate, Admiral, thank you very We’ve had full briefings on the storm, much for your hospitality. I appreciate your it’s activities. The first order of business leadership. I want to thank all the folks now is to surge search-and-rescue teams, who work here in NORTHCOM for doing to pull people out of harm’s way. Just had their duty, which is to organize and rally an assessment by General Honore, of Lake the assets of the of the Federal Govern- Charles, Louisiana. It got hit hard. We’ve ment, to help our fellow citizens who are got teams on the ground, beginning to ana- in need. lyze the situation and prepare the necessary Thank you very much. response to stabilize the situation and, more importantly, save lives there as well. It’s very important for the citizens who NOTE: The President spoke at 7:50 a.m. at have headed into east Texas to understand Peterson Air Force Base. In his remarks, he that even though the storm has passed the referred to Adm. Timothy J. Keating, USN, coastline, the situation is still dangerous be- commander, U.S. Northern Command; and cause of potential flooding. A lot of people Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore, USA, com- have left the coastline and headed into east manding general, First United States Army.

1480

VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:10 May 27, 2009 Jkt 206693 PO 00000 Frm 00312 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\HR\OC\206693A.011 206693A cprice-sewell on PROD1PC72 with HEARING