Posted on 03/12/2002 2:44:57 PM PST by knighthawk
A FALLEN Australian commando was singled out for special mention by George W. Bush in marking the six-month anniversary of September 11. The President also used the first major anniversary of the terrorist attack to map out the next phase in the global war against terror.
With Australia's flag fluttering in a cool breeze outside the White House, Mr Bush offered a moving tribute to SAS Sergeant Andrew Russell and his young family.
"Last month Sergeant Andrew Russell, of the Australian Special Air Service, died in Afghanistan," Mr Bush told the world from the historic South Lawn.
"He left behind his wife Kylie and their daughter Leisa, just 11 days old.
"Friends said of Sergeant Russell, 'You could rely on him never to let you down'. This young man and many like him have not let us down."
Sergeant Russell, 33, was killed when his jeep, carrying a five-man squad, struck a land mine in southern Afghanistan on February 16.
He never got the chance to meet his daughter.
America has lost 38 soldiers in combat and accidents related to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, and Mr Bush said each loss was terrible.
"We mourn each one, and for their bravery, a noble cause, we honour them," he said.
"Part of that cause was to liberate the Afghan people from terrorist occupation, and we did so."
Mr Bush heartily thanked Australia and 16 other nations who are fighting terrorism in the wake of the attacks that took 3000 lives in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
"On the day before September 11, I met with Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, who spoke of the common beliefs and shared affection of our two countries," he said.
"We could not have known that bond was about to be proven again in war, and we could not have known its human cost."
In front of 1300 world leaders and guests, Mr Bush recalled the heroism that emerged in the midst of horror after hijackers grabbed four airliners.
"September 11 was not the beginning of global terror, but it was the beginning of the world's concerted response.
"History will know that day not only as a day of tragedy, but as a day of decision, when the civilised world was stirred to anger and to action," he said.
"And the terrorists will remember September 11 as the day their reckoning began."
Mr Bush also urged governments to support the US-led war on what he branded "terrorist parasites" and issued a new threat to any country that backs fanatics.
"We face an enemy of ruthless ambition, unconstrained by law or morality," he said.
"The terrorists despise other religions and have defiled their own, and they are determined to expand the scale and scope of their murder."
Mr Bush reiterated America's massive military commitment in nations as far-flung as the Philippines, Georgia, Yemen and the frontline of Afghanistan.
"We will not send the American troops to every battle, but America will actively prepare other nations for the battles ahead," he said.
"The havens and training camps of terror are a threat to our lives and to our way of life, and they will be destroyed."
Mr Bush did not name Iraq, but issued a thinly veiled threat that Saddam Hussein could soon feel the might of the US military for sponsoring terrorism.
"Some states that sponsor terrorism are seeking or already possess weapons of mass destruction," he said.
"Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death."
He never got the chance to meet his daughter
He gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom of others. We can be proud to have allies like them.
For a better tomorrow...
Pinned down by a fanatical enemy
Australia to support ousting of Saddam
God bless him and his family. To Jesus' loving arms..............
We can ALWAYS count on the Brits, the Aussies, and the Canadians. Proud to have 'em ALL on our side. We'll be there if they need us, as well.
A quote from the British 14th Army's Burma war creed
"For all our tommorrows, they gave there today".
Think those words are quite apt.
Den.
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