President George W. Bush Visits Our Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan

President Bush visits our troops.

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A man throwing a show at President George W. Bush during a news conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday. (The Associated Press)

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As most of you probably already know a hate filled Iraqi journalist threw a shoe at George Bush in Iraq and Afghanistan on Sunday.
This is not just an “Iraqi Journalist” – this is an emigre journalist, working for an emigre news outlet out of Cairo, which was pro-Saddam Hussein and anti-Shiite.
The Left in the USA will seize on this and say, “see the Iraqi people hate us thanks to Bush.” This misses the point, and they would be dead wrong. Back with Saddam there was no dissent. Instead there were rooms for torture. Under Saddam, this man and his family were feeding other people to the pigs – or the plastic shredders.
— Wild Thing

If you really want to get pumped up, listen to the way the troops in Iraq greeted their Commander in Chief.
Headquarters 18th Airborne Corps Public Affairs
14 Dec 2008 Baghdad IQ
Troops reactions to President George W. Bush’s speech to them in Iraq. Scenes include Gen. Odierno introducing the President, President Bush speaking at the podium, reaction shots and Bush shaking hands with troops s they applaud. Also see “Spc. Whitfield, 1st Lt. Benson, Capt. Howell, 1st Lt. Butel”
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO
Bush departed the Green Zone by helicopter to Camp Victory, where he was greeted with cheers and whoops from the troops inside the enormous rotunda of the Al Faw palace. Speaking at a lectern beneath an enormous American flag that nearly reached the domed ceiling, he praised this generation of soldiers and reflected on the sacrifice of those who had died.

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan
President George W. Bush paid a visit to the service members of Combined Joint Task Force-101 at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Dec. 15 during his last visit as president of the United States.

“I’m proud to be back in Afghanistan,” Bush said during his visit. “I am proud to be with brave souls serving the United States of America.”

Bush expressed his well wishes to the troops during the holidays and thanked them for their service in eastern Afghanistan.

“It was here in Afghanistan that the terrorists planned the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,” Bush said. “After that date, America gave the Taliban a choice: you can turn over the leaders of Al Qaida – or you can share in their fate. And when they refused, our just demands were enforced by the United States military.”

“Because of you, killers who wanted to take the lives of Americans back home have been brought to justice before they reached our shores,” he said to the troops.

Awesome Videos of our Troops and their Commander in Chief George Bush.
PART ONE
PART TWO VIDEO
PART THREE VIDEO
He called the surge “one of the greatest successes in the history of the United States military.”
“Thanks to you,” he told the soldiers, “the Iraq we’re standing in today is dramatically freer, dramatically safer and dramatically better than the Iraq we found eight years ago.”

After action report:
Probably over 1,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines packed the palace and stood for a couple hours (lots arrived way early to make sure they could get in).
The 4th Infantry Division had some band members there playing some great tunes and even doing vocals. Support folks had chow, snacks and beverages laid out for the crowd.
People were packed in like sardines. The backdrop for the stage was a gigantic flag that reached all the way to the ceiling, maybe about 70 feet.
General Odierno introduced the President. Started with, “Someone wanted to come see you to say goodbye, and to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays…”
The troops were jazzed and very energetic, though this was about 2200 at the end of a, no doubt, very long day for everyone.

A great cheer went up when he took the stage. The President talked about the early decisions to go into the war, UN resolutions, the success of the Coalition. He talked about the dark days during ‘04-’05, and the ultimate success of the surge. Many compliments for the unprecedented successes of the military.

The troops broke in several times with applause and “Hooahs!”.

Two things stood out. The first was when he said its sometimes hard to understand you’re making history when you’re in the middle of the action. Second, he said he was ordering everyone, as Commander In Chief, to call their families when “y’all get out of here tonight” and tell them “the Commander in Chief says ‘thank you’” for all the sacrifices made.

He spoke about the losses and injuries to friends and loved ones, and how the troops would someday be thought of in the same way as those who were in Normandy, Verdun, Korea and elsewhere.
He was very comfortable with the troops and talked about what he would miss most not being President which was not being CiC. Afterwards, he stayed for a bit and shook hands and signed autographs. This one was just for the troops – no civilians or contractors or TCNs, just our soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines. It was clearly a great morale booster.

President George W. Bush gestures the “hook’em horns” sign of the University of Texas to U.S. military personnel in the balcony, as he meets with U.S. military and diplomatic personnel Sunday, Dec, 14, 2008, at the Al Faw Palace-Camp Victory in Baghdad. White House photo by Eric Draper

Military reporter interviews the troops after the Baghdad visit:
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO