June 6 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2004

Remarks, in Paris, on the Death of President Ronald Reagan June 6, 2004

This is a sad hour in the life of America. tyranny. Now, in laying our leader to rest, A great American life has come to an end. we say thank you. I have just spoken to Nancy Reagan. On He always told us that for America, the behalf of our whole Nation, Laura and I best was yet to come. We comfort ourselves offered her and the Reagan family our in the knowledge that this is true for him prayers and our condolences. too. His work is done, and now a shining Ronald Reagan won America’s respect city awaits him. with his greatness and won its love with May God bless Ronald Reagan. his goodness. He had the confidence that comes with conviction, the strength that NOTE: The President spoke at 12:41 a.m. at comes with character, the grace that comes the U.S. Ambassador’s residence. The Office with humility, and the humor that comes of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish with wisdom. He leaves behind a nation language transcript of these remarks. The re- he restored and a world he helped save. lated proclamation and Executive order of During the years of President Reagan, June 6 are listed in Appendix D at the end America laid to rest an era of division and of this volume. The related proclamation of self-doubt. And because of his leadership, July 2 is in the Federal Register at 69 FR the world laid to rest an era of fear and 41179.

Remarks on the 60th Anniversary of D-Day in Colleville-sur-Mer, France June 6, 2004

Mr. President and Mrs. Chirac; Secretary and providence have brought them back Powell and Secretary Principi; General to see once more the beaches and the Myers; Members of the United States Con- cliffs, the crosses and the Stars of David. gress; my fellow Americans; and ladies and Generations to come will know what hap- gentlemen: It is a high honor to represent pened here, but these men heard the guns. the American people here at Normandy on Visitors will always pay respects at this cem- the 6th of June, 2004. etery, but these veterans come looking for Twenty summers ago, another American a name and remembering faces and voices President came here to Normandy to pay from a lifetime ago. Today we honor all tribute to the men of D-day. He was a the veterans of Normandy and all their courageous man himself and a gallant lead- comrades who never left. er in the cause of freedom. And today we On this day in 1944, President Franklin honor the memory of Ronald Reagan. Roosevelt addressed the American people, Mr. President, thank you for your gra- not with a speech but with a prayer. He cious welcome to the reunion of Allies. His- prayed that God would bless America’s sons tory reminds us that France was America’s and ‘‘Lead them straight and true.’’ He first friend in the world. continued, ‘‘They will need Thy blessings. With us today are Americans who first They will be sore tired, by night and by saw this place at a distance, in the half- day, without rest—until victory is won. The light of a Tuesday morning long ago. Time darkness will be rent by noise and flame.

1006

1 2005 11:38 Dec 19 2006 Jkt 201942 PO 00000 Frm 01006 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\HR\OC\201942A 024 201942A Administration of George W. Bush, 2004 / June 6

Men’s souls will be shaken with the soldier carries the memory of three para- violences of war.’’ troopers dead and hanging from telephone As Americans prayed along, more than poles ‘‘like a horrible crucifixion scene.’’ All 12,000 Allied aircraft and about 5,000 naval who fought saw images of pain and death, vessels were carrying out General Eisen- raw and relentless. hower’s order of the day. In this massive The men of D-day also witnessed scenes undertaking, there was a plan for every- they would proudly and faithfully recount, thing, except for failure. Eisenhower said, scenes of daring and self-giving that went ‘‘This operation is planned as a victory, and beyond anything the Army or the country that’s the way it is going to be.’’ could ask. They remember men like Tech- They had waited for one break in the nician Fifth Grade John Pinder, Jr., whose weather, and then it came. Men were sent job was to deliver vital radio equipment in by parachute and by glider. And on this to the beach. He was gravely wounded be- side of the Channel, through binoculars and fore he hit shore, and he kept going. He gunsights, German soldiers could see com- delivered the radio and, instead of taking ing their way the greatest armada anyone cover, went back into the surf three more had ever seen. In the lead were hundreds times to salvage equipment. Under constant of landing craft carrying brave and fright- enemy fire, this young man from Pennsyl- ened men. vania was shot twice again and died on Only the ones who made that crossing the beach below us. can know what it was like. They tell of The ranks of the Allied Expeditionary the pitching deck, the whistles of shells Force were filled with men who did a spe- from the battleships behind them, the cific assigned task, from clearing mines to white jets of water from enemy fire around unloading boats to scaling cliffs, whatever them, and then the sound of bullets hitting the danger, whatever the cost. And the sum the steel ramp that was about to fall. One of this duty was an unstoppable force. By GI later said, ‘‘As our boat touched sand the end of June 6th, 1944, more than and the ramp went down, I became a vis- 150,000 Allied soldiers had breached For- itor to hell.’’ tress Europe. Hitler’s Atlantic Wall was composed of When the news of D-day went out to mines and tank obstacles, trenches and jut- the world, the world understood the im- ting cliffs, gun emplacements and pillboxes, mensity of the moment. The New York barbed wire, machinegun nests, and artil- Daily News pulled its lead stories to print lery trained accurately on the beach. In the Lord’s Prayer on its front page. In Ot- the first wave of the landing here at tawa, the Canadian Parliament rose to sing Omaha, one unit suffered 91 percent cas- ‘‘God Save the King’’ and the ‘‘Marseil- ualties. As General Omar Bradley later laise.’’ Broadcasting from London, King wrote, ‘‘Six hours after the landings, we George told his people, ‘‘This time the held only 10 yards of beach.’’ A British challenge is not to fight to survive but to commando unit had half its men killed or fight to win.’’ Broadcasting from Paris, Nazi wounded while taking the town of St. authorities told citizens that anyone cooper- Aubin. A D-day veteran remembers, ‘‘The ating with the Allies would be shot, and only thing that made me feel good was across France, the Resistance defied those to look around and try to find somebody warnings. who looked more scared than I felt. That Near the village of Colleville, a young man was hard to find.’’ woman on a bicycle raced to her parents’ At all the beaches and landing grounds farmhouse. She was worried for their safe- of D-day, men saw some images they would ty. Seeing the shattered windows and par- spend a lifetime preferring to forget. One tially caved-in roof, Anne Marie Broeckx

1007

ug 31 2005 11:38 Dec 19 2006 Jkt 201942 PO 00000 Frm 01007 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\HR\OC\201942A 024 201942A June 6 / Administration of George W. Bush, 2004

called for her parents. As they came out began. It began here, with the first foot- of the damaged house, her father shouted, prints on the beaches of Normandy. ‘‘My daughter, this is a great day for Twenty years after D-day, former Presi- France.’’ dent Eisenhower returned to this place and As it turned out, it was a great day for walked through these rows. He spoke of Anne Marie as well. The liberating force his joy of being a grandfather, and then of D-day included the young American sol- he said, ‘‘When I look at all these graves, dier she would marry, an Army private who I think of the parents back in the States was fighting a half a mile away on Omaha whose only son is buried here. Because of Beach. It was another fine moment in their sacrifice, they don’t have the pleasure Franco-American relations. [Laughter] of grandchildren. Because of their sacrifice, In Amsterdam, a 14-year-old girl heard my grandchildren are growing up in free- the news of D-day over the radio in her dom.’’ attic hiding place. She wrote in her diary, The Supreme Commander knew where ‘‘It still seems too wonderful, too much like the victory was won and where the greatest a fairytale. The thought of friends in deliv- debt was owed. Always our thoughts and ery fills us with confidence.’’ Anne Frank hearts were turned to the sons of America even ventured to hope, ‘‘I may yet be able who came here and now rest here. We to go back to school in September or Octo- think of them as you, our veterans, last ber.’’ saw them. We think of men not far from That was not to be. The Nazis still had boys who found the courage to charge to- about 50 divisions and more than 800,000 soldiers in France alone. D-day-plus-1 and ward death and who often, when death D-day-plus-2 and many months of fierce came, were heard to call, ‘‘Mom,’’ and fighting lay ahead, from Arnhem to ‘‘Mother, help me.’’ We think of men in Hurtgen Forest to the Bulge. the promise years of life, loved and Across Europe, Americans shared the mourned and missed to this day. battle with Britains, Canadians, Poles, Free Before the landing in Omaha, Sergeant French, and brave citizens from other lands Earl Parker of Bedford, Virginia, proudly taken back one by one from Nazi rule. passed around a picture of Danny, the new- In the trials and total sacrifice of the war, born daughter he had never held. He told we became inseparable Allies. The nations the fellows, ‘‘If I could see this daughter that liberated a conquered Europe would of mine, I wouldn’t mind dying.’’ Sergeant stand together for the freedom of all of Parker is remembered here at the Garden Europe. The nations that battled across the of the Missing. And he is remembered back Continent would become trusted partners home by a woman in her sixties who proud- in the cause of peace. And our great Alli- ly shows a picture of her handsome, smiling ance of freedom is strong, and it is still young dad. needed today. All who are buried and named in this The generation we honor on this anniver- place are held in the loving memory of sary, all the men and women who labored America. We pray in the peace of this cem- and bled to save this continent, took a more etery that they have reached the far shore practical view of the military mission. of God’s mercy. Americans wanted to fight and win and go And we still look with pride on the men home. And our GIs had a saying: ‘‘The of D-day, on those who served and went only way home is through Berlin.’’ That on. It is a strange turn of history that called road to V-E Day was hard and long and on young men from the prairie towns and traveled by weary and valiant men, and his- city streets of America to cross an ocean tory will always record where that road and throw back the marching, mechanized

1008

1 2005 11:38 Dec 19 2006 Jkt 201942 PO 00000 Frm 01008 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\HR\OC\201942A 024 201942A Administration of George W. Bush, 2004 / June 8

evils of fascism. And those young men did er love has no man than this, that a man it. You did it. lay down his life for his friends. That difficult summit was reached, then America honors all the liberators who passed in 60 years of living. Now has come fought here in the noblest of causes, and a time of reflection, with thoughts of an- America would do it again for our friends. other horizon and the hope of reunion with May God bless you. the boys you knew. I want each of you to understand, you will be honored ever and always by the country you served and NOTE: The President spoke at 10:27 a.m. at by the nations you freed. the World War II Normandy American Cem- When the invasion was finally over and etery and Memorial. In his remarks, he re- the guns were silent, this coast, we are ferred to President Jacques Chirac of France told, was lined for miles with the belong- and his wife, Bernadette; and Gen. Richard ings of the thousands who fell. There were B. Myers, USAF, Chairman of the Joint lifebelts and canteens and socks and K-ra- Chiefs of Staff. The transcript released by tions and helmets and diaries and snap- the Office of the Press Secretary also in- shots. And there were Bibles, many Bibles, cluded the remarks of President Jacques mixed with the wreckage of war. Our boys Chirac. The D-Day National Remembrance had carried in their pockets the book that Day proclamation of June 5 is listed in Ap- brought into the world this message: Great- pendix D at the end of this volume.

Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan and an Exchange With Reporters at Sea Island, Georgia June 8, 2004

President Bush. It’s my honor to wel- like to pay respect to his numerous achieve- come my friend and a strong leader, the ments, especially in strengthening our Prime Minister of Japan, to Sea Island, Japan-U.S. bilateral relationship. Georgia. I’ve really been looking forward Today I was very much looking forward to this lunch because every time I meet to meeting with President Bush in order with the Prime Minister, we have a con- to discuss Iraq, North Korea, and those structive and important dialog. issues from a viewpoint of Japan-U.S. alli- The first thing, of course, I will do is ance in the global context. As the inter- congratulate him on the fact that the Japa- national community has to cooperate in nese economy is improving under his lead- order to reconstruct Iraq, I would like to ership. We will talk about security issues. pay respect to his strong leadership of We’ll talk about our mutual desire to fight President Bush in meeting this inter- terror. We will talk about North Korea. We national coordination. will talk about Iraq, and in doing so, I And also on the North Korean issue, know I’m talking with a leader I can trust President Bush has strongly supported the and a leader who has got good, sound judg- Japanese policy, and we would like to— ment. Japan and the U.S. would like to coordinate Mr. Prime Minister. together, consult together in the issue of Prime Minister Koizumi. First of all, I North Korea in order to come up with a would like to express my condolences to peace in Korean Peninsula. the pass away of President Reagan. I would

1009

ug 31 2005 11:38 Dec 19 2006 Jkt 201942 PO 00000 Frm 01009 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\HR\OC\201942A 024 201942A