special commendation, including the son of missionary workers. He spoke at an emotional charged Memorial Day service for fallen United States troops at Arlington National Cemetery, after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Bush specifically praised Capt. Joshua Byers, a West Point man and South Carolina native. "When this son of missionaries was given command of a 120-man combat unit, he wrote to his parents, ‘I will give the men everything I have to give," Bush said.
The president, a self declared born again Christian, also noted that several Americans soldiers in Iraq had urged their wives, children, parents and other family members and friends to "smile to the stars" promising that they will see them again "in a better place."
Speaking of Master Sgt. Kelly Hornbeck of Fort Worth, Texas, Bush noted that he wrote his parents saying, "I am not afraid and neither should either of you be." The president, whose administration has come under pressure for the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, said that the men he mentioned show the true nature of United States men and women in uniform.
"FIERCE COURAGE"
"Because of their fierce courage, America is safer, two terror regimes are gone forever and more than 50 million souls now live in freedom," Bush added. He also took his time to praise Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for "your great leadership," although he has heard calls for his resignation in connection with the prisoner abuse scandal.
There was also time for prayer during the ceremony, in a country where Christians have formed prayer groups for both the president and forces fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Two Americans died Monday, May 31 as U.S. troops clashed with Shiite militiamen in fighting that strained a cease-fire called last week around the holy cities of Kufa and Najaf, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
CAR BOMB
And in Baghdad, a car bomb exploded near U.S. coalition headquarters, killing four people and injuring 25, AP said. Two other American soldiers died over the weekend in separate attacks, said U.S. military as it commemorated lost comrades.
"When we return to our home stations, we must ensure that we never forget those fallen comrades that deployed with us that will not return to their loved ones," AP quoted Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the senior U.S. military officer here, as saying during a ceremony at Baghdad’s Camp Victory.
"They must not have died in vain," said Sanchez, who is due to rotate out of Iraq soon. Over 800 soldiers have been killed in Iraq since last year and last week the Pentagon reported that the number of wounded in action is approaching 4,700.
