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First Lady, JCS Chairman Praise Service Members at Gala

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2003 – The men and women of America's armed forces received a personal thank you from first lady Laura Bush and an award from a national media owners' and managers' group at a gala here June 9.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accepted the Guardian Award on behalf of all U.S. service members at the Service to America Summit dinner held at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington.

Sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, the event was also part of Operation Tribute to Freedom, an ongoing DoD-public program that thanks service members for their contributions and sacrifices to the nation in the war against terrorism.

Mrs. Bush received NABEF's Leadership Award for her efforts in improving the lives of America's young people through early reading and learning programs.

However, "the most deserving award winners are the men and women of the United States military," the first lady declared to the audience.

Over the past year "the world witnessed the courage and the resolve of our military" during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mrs. Bush noted.

America's troops, she added, "have conducted themselves with compassion and we pray that they will return safely and soon."

Mrs. Bush and the Joint Chiefs chairman both received standing ovations from the audience when they were introduced. In his remarks, Myers thanked the foundation for the award and praised service members "for their dedication, their professionalism (and) their selfless service to our nation."

The four-star general then introduced, to a round of applause, five service members who'd accompanied him to the dinner: Army Pfc. Patrick Malone, a broadcaster with the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard); Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Cara Hunt, a broadcaster with the Naval Media Center, Air National Guard Senior Airman Alex Smith, a military policeman with the 171st Air Refueling Wing; Marine Staff Sgt. Steven Williams, also a broadcaster at the Naval Media Center; and Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Patrick McNeilly, a member of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Strike Team.

Myers asserted that he and the nation "owe a debt of gratitude" to America's troops for their dedication, professionalism, and "the sacrifice that they're willing to make and not just their sacrifice, but the sacrifice of their families."

The four-star general observed that as JCS chairman he couldn't "be prouder" representing "not only these five (service members), but all our armed forces."

Smith, a Pittsburgh native who recently returned stateside after a tour of duty at Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, noted it "was a real honor" to attend the dinner.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," the 19-year-old airman remarked, adding, "I'm only an E-4; to be able to meet a four-star general, especially Gen. Myers" was a definite thrill.

Recent Iraqi Attacks May Have 'Element of Organization'

LISBON, Portugal, June 10, 2003 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld does not believe that the recent spate of attacks on U.S. soldiers in Iraq is the result of any "well-organized nationally directed campaign," he said June 9.

But, he noted, there are people who say that in certain parts of Iraq "it looks as though it has an element of organization to it as opposed to being random."

The attacks on coalition forces north and west of Baghdad are not just a criminal enterprise, Rumsfeld said on the plane flying here. He said his impression is that the attacks are coming from the paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam, die-hard Baath Party members, Iraqi Republican Guards and other sympathizers with Saddam Hussein's former regime.

He said coalition forces do not have the same problems in the southern part of the country, because most of the battles were fought there. "The regime sympathizers (in the north) did not get into a battle and, therefore, a lot of them didn't get killed as they did down south," he said. "So there are probably more of them per square mile in the northern portion of the country between Baghdad and Tikrit than there are in other portions of the country."

Rumsfeld said the United States is talking to 41 countries about support to the coalition effort in Iraq. On June 6, he said there was the possibility of up to three divisions' worth of troops would ultimately join the U.S., British, and Australian coalition.

The secretary said he had a meeting June 8 with Indian officials and sounded out the possibility of India providing troops in Iraq. "We feel good about it," he said. "We're hopeful that we'll get a sizable set of forces in Iraq. The first ones would likely be in September."

He said the composition of U.S. forces in the country – which now number about 145,000 – is being changed. "We've been adding ground forces in Iraq," he said.

U.S. Central Command has moved out air and naval forces from the region. CENTCOM is "mixing and matching" for the forces it will need in the months ahead. The secretary said that at this stage there isn't a great need for heavy armor, artillery or rocket battalions.

"There is a need for presence – ground forces," he said. And those ground forces will be heavy with military police, civil affairs personnel, interpreters and infantrymen.

Rumsfeld also addressed the perception that many Iraqis are not cooperating because they still fear Saddam Hussein. He said the Iraqi people were afraid of the vicious and repressive dictator. "And if they fear he might come back, they might be somewhat slower to say what they know," he pointed out.

The thought of Saddam returning to power may be fueling the attacks on coalition forces, but they will not succeed, the secretary said.

In the meantime, coalition forces will "just keep looking for him. We'll find him," Rumsfeld said.