Posted on 07/04/2006 3:18:17 PM PDT by 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.
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
July 4 dose going up.
Pls wait to post or repost photos till the All Clear.
"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."
Hey.
First??
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
Missed it by one.
th Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, Commanding Gen. XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg
God bless President Bush, our military, and our nation.
Me too!
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.)
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.'"
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!
"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." 
At Ft. Bragg (an early birthday cake)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.