Posted on 03/07/2008 3:54:28 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2008 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney thanked recruits and sailors at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., today for choosing to serve a cause greater than themselves in the struggle against terrorism.
Cheney talked with about 4,000 recruits and sailors at the center outside Chicago, where his own father trained for his Navy service during World War II.
The vice president compared today’s military members who, like their World War II predecessors, put their own interests aside to serve “when the country needed you most.”
“Your presence at Great Lakes proves that you understand the core Navy values of courage, honor and commitment,” he said. “And the war on terror is all about those ideals.”
The enemies the United States faces despise what Americans know to be right, fair and humane, and serve an ideology that glorifies murder and suicide and shows no mercy for innocent life, Cheney said.
Too many years of too little action against terrorists emboldened them, he said.
“The terrorists came to believe that they could strike America without paying any price,” he said. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the terrorists’ true ambitions became clear.
“We learned that the global terror network is a strategic threat to this country, and must be dealt with as such,” he said.
“So our nation made a decision: to fight and win this war, we’re going on the offensive, we’ll confront the enemy directly and decisively, and we will persevere until the enemy is destroyed,” Cheney said, drawing applause from the crowd.
Cheney credited this approach with preventing another 9/11 from happening in the United States, and said it’s important to keep up the pressure.
“A lot of tough work lies ahead, because both sides in the fight understand what is at stake,” he said. If extremists have their way, Cheney said, they’ll use the Middle East as a staging ground for more attacks on the United States.
“That’s a danger we cannot and will not accept,” he said. “The war on terror is a battle for the future of civilization. It’s a battle worth fighting. It’s a battle we’re going to win.”
Cheney noted the important role the Navy plays in this battle as it projects U.S. power and influence around the world. “With a strong and well-supplied Navy, we can project American influence across vast distances, protect our interests, deliver humanitarian relief and provide a stabilizing presence,” he said.
Cheney toured a five-eigths-scale replica destroyer used at the base for training. He observed a simulated missile attack, and saw how recruits train to respond.
During his visit, Cheney spoke privately to about 350 recruits at a “capping ceremony” in which they removed their caps that said “Recruit” and replaced them with caps that said “Navy.” The vice president congratulated the recruits, soon to become full-fledged sailors who will carry the Navy forward.
“You’ll be ready, because this is the place where civilians become sailors,” he said. “And you’ll be proudly accepted into the finest Navy in the world. In all that lies ahead, you have my respect and gratitude, and the good wishes of the entire nation.”
Ping
I was “lucky” enough to do my basic at Great Lakes in the Winter..WAAAAAAAAAY back in ‘71..what a freakin garden spot at that time of the year..(do I need a /s tag??)
hehehehe,.. so Ive heard,.. my Dad went through Great Lakes in winter of ‘42.
One of my memories of Great Lakes was that I would always volunteer to take the hand-held brooms and sweep under the racks of my own rack and the neighboring racks. It was one of my favorite parts of the day there, because for five minutes, nobody was bothering me about anything. It was truly amazing that they could push you so hard that sweeping dust from under a bed was pleasant in comparison.
Nevertheless, I would recommend boot camp to anyone. It’s good to be pushed outside of one’s comfort zone from time to time.
Anyway, getting a break to listen to Vice President Cheney would have been great.
I remember those days also, with fond memories (Winter 69). /s ;-)
fyi Ty Cobb retired in 1926 from baseball
Unlike the Vice President.
I did basic at Great Mistakes over the summer. I had to stay over the winter for A school.
One day in the winter, they announced that the wind chill factor was 59 degrees below zero. All I could think was that’s much colder than yesterday that was only 40 below zero.
the good part for me was, after basic, I went to San Diego for 13(?) weeks of Radioman school..The ship I was assigned to was the USS El Dorado, LCC-11 also in San Diego..first thing the RM1 in charge told us was..paraphrasing, “The Navy just spent thousands of thousands of dollars to train you. It’s my job to make sure you forget everything you’re learned. I’m going to teach you the way things really are”...
heh..he was a good guy..
‘put their own interests aside to serve “when the country needed you most.”
Unlike the Vice President.’
I think he has done his share. Certainly did when the country needed him.
Amen!
Article Reminds me of Boot Camp Days - ‘63. After the Kennedy assasination in Nov., scuttlebutt said JFK was supposed to be there for our graduation in Dec. Don’t remember who was the honored guest, I was too busy making sure I didn’t screw up in the All-State Flag Group.
Glad you finally made it to San Diego, GeorgiaDawg32. A great place to be stationed (Co 459 USNTC - 9/63 SF”P” A school 1-64 - 4-64 - USS PIEDMONT (AD-17) NAVSTA San Diego 4-64 - 9-67). Three WESTPAC tours 64, 65-66, 67. Second Class Diver School, SRF Subic 66.
SFP2(DV)
I never made it to San Diego. The cruelest the Navy did to me was send me to ship, USS Butte AE-27, home-ported in New Jersey.
I put down Norfolk on my dream sheet. I figured that is the largest naval base in the world, surely they have a billet for me somewhere.
Not getting sent to Norfolk still shocks me, after all these years.
Was there then also CO 005 . Then to Fighter Squadron 143 Pukin Dogs NAS Miramar San Diego California .
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