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Somalia Address 12/31/92 [OA 7583]
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Somalia Address 12/31/92 [OA 7583]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Backup Chronological Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S; 2005-0999-F; 2006-0861-F
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Backup Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13842
Folder ID Number:
13842-001
Folder Title:
Somalia Address 12/31/92 [OA 7583]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
23
2
4
WHAT I SAW AT THE
REVOLUTION
A Political Life in the Reagan Era
PEGGY NOONAN
A Thousand Points of Light
303
ack of sometimes being hard
generation, because, of course, for all of you the decision to have a baby
on the Capitol steps-"Do
is truly a decision. But in our time it was different, you married and
had children, it was what you did. And we did too."
v, the I-ectomies ended. But
The conversation gave me something: What she remembered about
hat I tended to keep writing
Texas was that it was so hot in the summer you could hardly bear it,
but even with the discomfort, even though they were apart from their
families, they weren't lonely or anxious. They thought it was an adven-
'ine I saw more of him than
ture, in part because there was a certain Eleanor-and-Franklin compo-
rn was the most I'd been
nent to the move. Mrs. Bush told me, "George's mother was a
d known him slightly there,
formidable and strong woman, and so was my mother, and we wanted
t he was the next president.
to get out from under the parental gaze, be on our own!" Forty years
aim on his announcement
later her eyes blazed with the memory of her hunger.
She is a strong woman, not ego-driven but protective of kith and kin.
tched out, head cocked. I
Those merry eyes, the warmth, the ability to get the help cracking in
None of the great-man
a jolly way, and then not so jolly. A lack of pretension, a breeziness, but
He will have this thing.
underneath she is Greenwich granite, one of the women who settled
the plane; the fact that it
the hard gray shores of the East and summoned roses from the rocks.
his need for movement.
They say that she had been hurt by Mrs. Reagan, patronized or
ignored. I do not know if it is true. There are always such stories. But
Bush to be more personal
if it was, she would not take revenge, or would take it so subtly, so much
ES role in society, what it
the slight absence of a warmth than the presence of a coolness, that
e were on our way from
Mrs. Reagan would barely see it, and only feel later, in bed, a slight
ent sprawled on one side
discomfort at
what? An undigested bit of beef, a crumb of cheese,
h him for the day, next
a fragment of an underdone potato?
Resolute with an air of flexibility. A good match: a team.
noving there and being
stories about the man
One afternoon on the plane I asked the vice president when he first
-drawn wagon, and the
became aware, as an adult, of the reality of poverty. He told me of
George at dinnertime,
getting to know the barrios and border towns of Texas, when he was
itoes in the oven, three
a young man first running for Congress. He was walking in a barrio
king out the window,
when he saw coming along the street a little boy who was wearing
ragged clothing, an old undershirt, no shoes. With him was his mother.
de you have a family
They were holding hands. Bush saw the poverty, but was struck by
something else. He said, This little boy had nothing in terms of physical
things, but here he is with his mother, and they're together and he's
onal, and I do apolo-
happy, there's love, and it was a feeling of how much we have in
ddened. Mrs. Bush,
common. He was like my kids.
He talked about children, how he worries about the kids in the cities
te question for your
who have nothing, and he doesn't know what we can do to help them,
304
WHAT I SAW AT THE REVOLUTION
"But that doesn't mean you give up." He spoke of going to Africa and
holding in his arms children who were victims of famine. "The one I
feel in my heart was when we held the seven-year-old kid in our arms
in Somalia." He made a cradling motion. "Seven years, seventeen
pounds. It haunted me."
I asked Bush about a note he'd sent that said, "I know what drives
me
Everyone matters." He talked about how America has chal-
lenged the world to solve the problem of poverty. "You have to put
something back in, put something back. It's caring about others."
I had already received his list of words that had special meaning for
him-"kindness," "caring," "decency," "heart." I thought of what he
had told me. He spoke with a gentleness that was striking. This was
the genesis of "I want a kinder, gentler nation."
(People ask me if I knew it would become the phrase that people
thought of when they thought of Bush and his presidency. The answer
is no. I knew it was striking because it marked a break with what had
been perceived, often rightly, as the careless effulgence of the Reagan
era; and because it was Bush; and because it reflected the future of
conservatism and the yearnings of the young of the Reagan administra-
tion. But such phrases only work if they're genuine to the man and part
of the warp and woof of the text, and for that reason they don't jump
out at you as you go over the speech. But I keep as a prized memento
an early draft in which after "I want a kinder nation" there is a
scribbled little caret with the word "gentler.")
Bush spoke of the sanctity of human life, of his son's newly adopted
daughter, how he and Mrs. Bush had wept at the christening. "Try to
touch on this delicately."
On public service and ethics: Government isn't supposed to be
personally profitable. "I was worth four times as much in 1960 as I am
today
But it doesn't matter. We don't want to do fancy things or
own stuff."
He told me that in his speech he wanted to take issue with the idea
that America is in decline, "all that doom and gloom." He spoke of how
he and Mrs. Bush had lived in forty-three houses in twenty-one cities
since he'd left the service, which made him a uniquely national candi-
date. "When you do that, you understand this country. Its patriotism,
strength, love. 'And so I come to you a national candidate."
There was another conversation on Friday morning, the day after
Dukakis's convention speech. I had left Air Force Two as the speech
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
POSSIBLE EVENTS, as of Dec. 28:
end of Day 1 -- remarks to crew, on board USS Tripoli.
o
Day 2 -- Departure/Farewell remarks, 1000 members of
coalition forces, Mogadishu Airport.
improvised:
I heard that sny
of our rifee squads
Is
even invented their
own carol:
new
on
coalition
6049
"Rudo 16 the
a
Red Nosed Came)"
N
(3 bullet
in
points
N alimo fast the back
POTUS
Som 30th
ETA 31st
maybo
[visits attroops, volunter ago] sanalis
NYE Cafter overightes an ain crant cannier)
same ty pe events on the 1st
anecdotes
local angle
2 pase + 3 6 age version
this will need to be
covapsable to 2 cards
on New Years ave day
Research i
letter office
copy of anything thoughs forwarded to
POTUS
in
anyone whooforword a letter for the don
ane crotes (quotes by soldier
TV coverage CDM will talk to ther about tenping ding xMas)
INSIDE WASHINGTON
Moderator: Gordon Peterson. Panel: Carl Rowan, Charles
Krauthammer, Nina Totenberg, Evan Thomas.
On Somalia:
Totenberg:
I think the Administration has been a little
disingenuous about what we're doing there
Thomas: We're going to declare victory and go home after a while.
We're not going to disarm the Somalis.
Krauthammer: And we shouldn't try to. It's an endless and it's
an impossible task. However, what we can do is at least try to
establish some safe havens where people can come and receive the
food, keep the roads open and then in the future to bring in U.N.
troops who will stay and patrol in these safe havens
###
attaboy facts
your moving ahead
of shedule
your already
moved È troms of
food
I
not at family
Veterans
Affrins
Asst Sey
Edward Imbalato
535-8159
anginer faces at
-frown & you from alone
- d do mot
Tolerance asso a discreet value, divorced
from its object, is a dangerous they.
Tolerance of into leave is intoluable.
I regret d have but one face to
give for mg contry. Alas, it smiles,
Conservatives who bo to gawk at
the crash of 192 will not reach
the destriction.
what we agard
we
as for usual, they are right
about may things. d do not
unjoy mg. companying d smile.
And, my wife, Joane. is invantably
miser the cl.
unis me To be mare total A
consemation
dyspeptic duo
smiles
NEWYORK,
White Men Can'f
WATCHING THE BUSH FIASCO
FROM THE TRENCHES
BYRUSS HODGE
"IT'S OVER. THANK GOD, IT'S OVER."
The last time I had heard those words delivered in
that tone-a mixture of sadness, defiance, and relief-
was years ago, when my grandmother died after a long
illness. Tonight, I had been hearing the phrase-more
like a mantra-in a setting that was not unlike a funeral
parlor: the Washington
Hilton, where mid-level
Bush/Quayle staffers had
assembled to watch the election-night re-
turns. Only the top-level staff were gathered
around the president in Houston.
ENT
OF
In the ballroom of the hotel, Republicans
were booing the senatorial victories of Dem-
ocrats Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and
Barbara Boxer of California, and cheering the
Republican victories of New York's Al D'A-
ITED
Courtesy of the White House
mato and Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter as
they appeared onscreen.
The music was practically a Republican
Greg Smith/Saba
parody: Motown as interpreted by a ten-
A GUY FROM STATEN ISLAND:
THE AUTHOR AND BUSH.
Ann D. Jessie
W.R.
(615)66-6235
574- 7024
544
J. Rich Concert
481 - 0618
229 woodLANd TBAce Drive
The
PM IN 379
1992
KNOYVILLE TN 37922
DMV
$
8 DEC
HERSEARCH
1392
Timnesseen
K. New - sentival
571 8132 PResident George Bush
The white House
WAshing TON D.C. 20335
(no record of him
Its 519
100 Pennsy LVANIA Ave
E995-9t5/519
EESO
229 woodland Mace Drive
Pent: >Oakridge Attomic security Energy Plant
-2 Sons serving
Jimmie Rich Jimmie e Rich
H.
local chunch
President Hopkins
Ms. Stansbury
V
neither one have called
Bryan (Fort Bragg)
Jasen (7th infanty
Fort Ond, CA)
6905809
615
(Grossman/Walters)
SOMALIA
Draft Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
ABOARD USS TRIPOLI
DECEMBER 31, 1992
[[I want to congratulate you all for the way you've been
able to improvise the holidays -- I hear that one of our rifle
squads even invented their own Christmas carol: "Rudolf the Red
Nosed Camel." Not exactly Bob Hope, but what can you do. \\]]
I remember the time I spent aboard another aircraft carrier,
the USS San Jacinto, 48 years ago. I was young -- not that much
different from many of you: same hopes for the future, same
fears, same feeling about a special girl back home.
But the world we face today is different. The fatal
certainties of a Cold War have shattered into a jigsaw of
international complexity. This much is certain: American
leadership, and American troops, must put the pieces together.
I am here because I believe in this mission because I
believe in you. You are proving that if America is to lead in
great ways, we must lead in good will. The world has seen the
face of suffering in Somalia. But already, through our action,
the Somali people are being helped and healed: within 36 hours of
my pledge of assistance, we had teams on the ground. 17,000
troops are now in place. We've secured bases from Baidoa to
Bardera. The port is open and food is moving though.
We can make a difference, and so I believe we must. Our
objective is limited, our mission defined: America, shoulder to
shoulder with the coalition, will secure the peace so that help
can get through. Operation Restore Hope will do just that. \\
2
Now no President is quick to order American troops abroad -
- especially during the holidays. So let me send this message to
your families: once our work is done here, we 11 hand the
security mission back to the UN, and you're coming home. I think
your families understand that -- military families are kind of
special that way. Just before Christmas, I received a letter at
the White House from a military dad, Ret. Major Jimmie Rich of
Knoxville, Tennessee. He sent me a copy of a letter he wanted me
to deliver to his son in Somalia. Here's what it said:
"Today when I was putting the Christmas lights outside
I
realized that by being in Somalia you will have the best
Christmas ever. I know that sounds crazy. Christmas in the
desert and in a land of unhappiness with millions of
starving people. But it is true when you think of the REAL
meaning of Christmas. Christmas is faith, hope, love, and
giving
The greatest gift you can give is yourself
I
learned the true lesson of Christmas when I went to Viet Nam
on December 15 and missed Christmas
Your brother Bryan
learned it when he was in the Persian Gulf on Christmas --
and missed the birth of his second child
Now you are being
given the opportunity to experience the real meaning of
Christmas, to give others hope for a better future. And you
are learning what it really means to be a soldier."
Now most of you probably don't know this, but I've been here
before, here in Somalia. It was another time, and yes, another
famine. I remember holding one special child in my arms: seven
years old, and only seventeen pounds. Many of you here have seen
things that could break the heart of the strongest soldier.
But in this season of peace -- you are helping make peace
possible. Your sacrifice echoes the words of the scriptures:
"When I was thirsty, you gave me water When I was hungry, you
gave me food. " May God bless you all, and may God bless the
United States of America.
(Grossman/Walters)
DEPART
Draft Two
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
DEPARTURE REMARKS
MOGADISHU AIRPORT
JANUARY 1, 1993
As I was falling asleep last night, I thought about my time
aboard another carrier, the USS San Jacinto, 48 years ago. I was
young -- not much different from many of you: same hopes for the
future, same fears, same feeling about a special girl back home.
But the world we face today is different. The fatal
certainties of a Cold War have shattered into a jigsaw of
international complexity. This much is certain: America and her
partners, like the brave coalition forces here today, must come
together where we can to do what we will -- to thwart a tyrant,
to protect the peace, to feed the starving.
But make no mistake. Our objective here is limited: we come
together -- not to make Somalia safe for democracy -- but to make
it safe for survival. Our mission: to secure the peace so that
help can get through. Operation Restore Hope will do just that.
Thanks to you we're ahead of schedule: we've secured bases
from Baidoa to Bardera. The port is open, food is moving, people
are being helped.
As President, I want to send a message to the families of
America's troops: once our work is done here, we'll hand the
security mission back to the UN, and you're going home. I think
your families understand that. Military families are special
that way. Just before Christmas, I received a letter at the
White House from a military dad, Ret. Major Jimmie Rich of
2
Tennessee. He sent me a copy of a letter he wanted me to deliver
to his son in Somalia. Here's what it said:
"Today when I was putting the Christmas lights outside
I
realized that by being in Somalia you will have the best
Christmas ever. I know that sounds crazy. Christmas in the
desert and in a land of unhappiness with millions of
starving people. But it is true when you think of the REAL
meaning of Christmas. Christmas is faith, hope, love, and
giving
The greatest gift you can give is yourself
I
learned the true lesson of Christmas when I went to Viet Nam
on December 15 and missed Christmas Your brother Bryan
learned it when he was in the Persian Gulf on Christmas --
and missed the birth of his second child
Now you are being
given the opportunity to experience the real meaning of
Christmas, to give others hope for a better future. And you
are learning what it really means to be a soldier.' "
Now most of you probably don't know this, but I've been here
before, here in Somalia. It was another time, and yes, another
famine. I remember holding one special child in my arms: seven
years old, and only seventeen pounds. Many of you here have seen
things that could break the heart of the strongest soldier.
But in this season of peace -- your sacrifice makes peace
possible. American Pfc. Bill Davis put it this way: "It will be
kind of like a Christmas present for the kids of Somalia. " He's
right. We may all come from different countries, and pray in
different ways, but when we think on these things, the sands of
Somalia seem a little closer to the places we call home. May God
bless you all, and may God bless the United States of America.
(Grossman/Walters)
TP
Draft Two
PRESIDENTIAL TALKING POINTS: SOMALIA VISIT
12/31/92 - 1/1/93
I'm here because I believe in this mission, because I
believe in you. We've already made great progress: within
36 hours of my pledge of assistance, we had teams on the
ground. Today -- about 17,000 troops are in place. We've
delivered almost 20 thousand tons of food, secured bases
from Baidoa to Bardera. The port is open, food is moving,
people are being helped.
Our objective is limited, our mission defined: The United
States, shoulder to shoulder with the coalition, will secure
the peace so that help can get through. Operation Restore
Hope will do just that.
No President is quick to order American troops abroad. So
let me be clear: we will finish the job, hand the security
mission back to the UN, and we'll get you home.
Your country and your families support you. One dad, Ret.
Major Jimmie Rich, of Tennessee, sent me a copy of a letter
to his son in Somalia. He wrote: "Today when I was putting
the Christmas lights outside, I realized that by being in
Somalia you will have the best Christmas ever. I know that
sounds crazy, but it is true when you think of the REAL
meaning of Christmas."
2
O
"I learned the true lesson of Christmas when I went to Viet
Nam on December 15 and missed Christmas
Your brother Bryan
learned it when he was in the Persian Gulf on Christmas, and
missed the birth of his second child
Now you are being
given the opportunity to experience the real meaning of
Christmas, to give others hope for a better future. If
I've been here before, here in Somalia. Another time,
another famine. I held one special child in my arms: seven
years old, and only seventeen pounds.
You're here on a mandate from the UN, a mission of a new
world order. But your sacrifice answers an even greater
mandate, the old words of a timeless order: "When I was
thirsty, you gave me water
When I was hungry, you gave me
food. II May God bless our work here, and our home, the
United States of America.
U.N. vote
TWO
on troops
RESCUING SOMALIA
say a
catch
set today
'It will be kind of like a
By Rae Tys
USA TODA
By Lee Michael Katz
Christmas present for the
kids of Somalia.'
The EPA
and Marilyn Greene
stated the ca
USA TODAY
- Pfc. William Davis
million ang
UNITED NATIONS - The
chemically
Security Council today is ex-
of the larges
pected to approve deployment
1 expect to go to Somalia.
tall groups S{
It's part of the job.'
The "EP
of U.S. forces to guard food
shipments in starving Somalia.
Photos by Cramer Gallimore
over a real
U.S. military planners hud-
DUTY: Staff Sgt. Lee Rey
Staff Sgt. Lee Reynolds
CAN DO GOOD: Pfc.
lem," says
dled here Wednesday night
nolds with daughter Hyswana
William Davis
Silbergeld 0
tal Defense
with U.N. officials to assure
A Nov. 19
them the operation will eventu-
ronmental
ally be handed over to a U.N.
did show wi-
peacekeeping force.
contaminati
U.S. officials say some Ma-
where eatin
rines could land by Friday.
But an ar
Up to 80% of the food and
medicine in Somalia is being
report by th
Federation a
stolen by warlords fighting a
Defense Ft
civil war, aid workers say.
Last week, President Bush
risks at 4,00
and the Dist
offered 20,000 troops to bolster
a small U.N. force unable to
The analy
stop the gangs.
sport fish, n
Today, 1,800 Marines on
or supermar
ships arrive off the coast of So-
"Consump
nated fish th
malia. Expected to follow: Ma-
rines from Camp Pendleton,
of people th
Calif., and Army troops from
try," says M
the Nationa
Fort Drum, N.Y., and Europe.
tion's Great
Also on Wednesday:
But earli
Relief agencies generally
welcomed protection, but some
EPA report
fear retribution.
lifetime of E
fish fillets a
Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.,
chairman of the House Appro-
most pollute:
priations Defense subcommit-
risk 1 in 10,0
The envir
tee, said sending troops "is not
in our national interest
We
By John Moore, AP
analysis also
can only afford SO much."
MERCENARY: A Somali gunman employed by UNICEF guards its compound Wednesday
The EP
sessment OI
that people
COVER STORY
USA TODAY
of fish eac
pounds a ye:
12/3/92
Mission of
Resistant elms may
The group
is closer to 1
But the E
calls that "e:
be sprouting by '94
Native
mercy makes
ational angl
families -
By Steve Marshall
or vehicles parked along the
because the
USA TODAY
curb," Schrieber said.
much higher
The new trees grow 35 to 45
"We live
some uneasy
Two blight-resistant elm spe-
feet tall. For fall, the Frontier's
ety," says M
cies may be for sale by 1994 -
crown turns a deep maroon;
the Assembl:
replacing American elms, the
Prospector's turns yellow.
Chemi<
Others say
By Johanna Neuman
gentle giants that shaded U.S.
Wholesale nurseries have
mercury, P(
USA TODAY
cities for decades.
had tree cuttings since 1990,
and other pe
'affront to
"The American elms -
said National Arboretum re-
The imminent arrival of
probably the most intensively
searcher Alden Townsend.
Concerne
humanity'
troops in Africa is once again
planted. species of trees in ur-
has to end
raising unsettling questions
ban areas - were very adapt-
about Western intentions.
able and very beautiful," plant
Waiting for
Developing nations decry
pathologist
Lawrence
the deployment as a vestige of
Pining for Chris
Schreiber said Wednesday.
orders, 2A
colonialism, the stuff of Eve-
Downfall of the magnificent
lyn Waugh novels and Gen.
trees: Dutch elm disease, a fun-
Patton war posters.
gus introduced by French log
European observers won-
shipments in the 1930s.
DEC 27 '92 18:31
FROM
PAGE 02
1. United States Central Command deployed 35 members of it's
Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team from MacDill AFB, F1 within
approximately 36 hours of the President's pledge of assistance to
Somalia. The teams assessed the situation in Somalia, and
determined the type and scale of operations that would be needed
initially, evaluated the conditions of the airfields and checked
on the availability of fuel, navigational aids and medical
conditions in preparation of the deployment.
2. As of today the U.S. has delivered 18,891.39 metric tons of
food to northern Kenya and southern Somalia on 1648 sorties in
support of Provide Relief.
3. Again, the rapid USCENTCOM response to the President's
decision to have the command organize, plan and conduct Restore
Hope. The announcement was made by the President on 4 December
92 and the first Marine contingent went ashore at Mogadishu on 9
Dec 92. As of 31 Dec we anticipate nearly 17,000 U.S. troops
will be in place. (15,000 ashore, 2,000 afloat).
4. since D-day the troops have nearly completed phases I-III
securing and establishing bases at Mogadishu, Baidoa, Baledogle,
Belet Wen, oddur, Gailalassi, Kismayo and Bardera. The port is
open, food is moving, and the NGOs are making deliveries.
DEC 27 '92 18:30
FROM
PAGE 01
TEAM MEN 2 lit DI
Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
(Public Affairs)
STATE
FACE
THE
Facsimile Transmittal
To:
Ms. Jennifer Grossman
Fax #:
(202) 456 - 6218
White House Speachwiter Office #: (202) 456-7752
From: Cdr Mike Thuravanger
Fax #:
(703) 695-1149-DSN225-1149
Office #: (703)697-9143
TOTAL PAGES (Including cover): 2
Date:
28 Dec 192
If all pages are not received or are illegible, please call (703) 697-5007 or DSN 227-5007
Comments:
smis248,mo
December 6, 1992
Dear Mr. President:
I admire and support you in the action you are taking in regards
to Somalia. I am dismayed with the news media and many citizens
saying "why now - why just before Christmas - the situation has
existed for some time and we could wait until after Christmas."
My wife and I realize that our two sons in the Army could be
deployed and miss Christmas. If they are we will be very proud.
We understand that duty calls them as I spent over twenty years
in the military and duty called many times.
We had the same initial reaction - why now. However, after
thinking about it I realized what the deployment really means in
relations to Christmas. I then wrote the attached letter to our
youngest son who has been in the Army only six months. I did it
to help him understand what being a soldier means and that he
could have the best Christmas ever if he is deployed. That is,
the best Christmas when we think of the real meaning of
Christmas.
Today at church I again heard some comments of "why now. " I came
home and read the letter again and thought "if only everyone
could understand the deployment in how it relates to the real
meaning of Christmas." Then I decided to send you a copy. If
you would like to use the words to help Americans understand "why
now" I would be honored.
Again, we support you, and if duty calls our sons we will be
proud.
Sincerely
229 immie Woodland H. Rich, Trace
Major (Ret.)
Knoxville, Tennessee 37922
1
December 5, 1992
Dear Soldier Son:
When you called and told us your unit may be sent to Somalia we
were sad. Our first thoughts were "this is bad, right before
Christmas. You will miss Christmas." Eventhough you could not
be home for Christmas we knew we could talk to you if you were
still in the United States.
My thoughts have changed now. Today when I was putting the
Christmas lights outside (the seasonal chore you and I usually do
together) I realized that by being in Somalia you will have the
best Christmas ever. I know that sounds crazy. Christmas in the
desert and in a land of unhappiness with millions of starving
people. But it is true when we think of the REAL meaning of
Christmas. Christmas is faith, hope, love, and giving. By you
and your battle buddies giving your Christmas to the people of
Somalia you will be giving them the other three. The greatest
gift you can give is to give of yourself. As a soldier you may
have to give your life as Jesus did so others will have hope and
peace.
You are also following in the truest tradition of being a soldier.
Since the beginning of time soldiers have faced sacrifice and
have been willing to go where they are needed when they are
needed. They have been unselfish in giving even their life so
others may have Christmas. I learned the true lesson of
Christmas when I went to Viet Nam on December 15 and missed
Christmas. Buying gifts but not getting the pleasure of watching
others open them. But I helped give hope to the oppressed. Your
brother Bryan learned it when he was in the Persian Gulf on
Christmas and missed the birth of his second child. He helped
give the people of Kuwait hope. He learned it again when he was
sent to help after hurricane Andrew and missed special training
he had looked forward to. Now you are being given the
opportunity to experience the real meaning of Christmas, to give
others hope for a better future. And you are learning what it
really means to be a soldier. My military enemy was hard to
identify just as yours will be. But remember the real enemy is
hopelessness for those people and selfishness on the part of the
wealthiest nation in the world.
We were very proud of you when you joined the Army. You were on
your way to being an adult. We were very proud when you came
home on leave and wore your uniform to church. We are even more
proud to know you may be giving to the people of Somalia and the
world. Maybe the Somalians will now know that "Yes, Virginia
there is a real Santa Claus. Remember that being a soldier is
not easy. You give of yourself both physically and mentally
until you think there is nothing left to give. Then you keep
going and give that much again.
1
I'm sending you this letter not knowing for sure that you will be
deployed. But if you are then there will not be time for you to
receive it before Christmas. I know and accept that the mail
will be slow at first.
If you are in Somalia on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning
without the decorated tree, gifts, Christmas goodies, and Christmas
dinner look into the eyes of the starving people who you are
helping and see Christmas. All the Christmas we could ask for.
Remember, being a soldier is not easy, but very rewarding. I
would not trade places with you if I could. I would go with you.
If you are given the mission, accomplish it to the best of your
ability and with pride.
Love
Dad
2
2 periods of service
57-61 AF
66-82 Army
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
SCHEDULE OF THE PRESIDENT
Monday, December 21, 1992
Intelligence Briefing
Oval Office
8:30 am
8:5 am
National Security Briefing
Oval Office
12:00 noon
Lunch
Oval Office
6:45 pm
B Christmas Party
State Floor
12/18/92
6:00 pm
Ed
Pentagon Contact:
Bob Taylor
DepAss't See for Pub ACTs
697-0713.