Awarded to members of the uniformed services of the United States who served in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Katharine Lee Bates wrote the original version in 1893. She wrote the 2nd version in 1904. Her final version was written in 1913. The Vocal Majority Chorus sings. America the Beautiful
America Has A Clear Strategy For Victory In The War On Terror
Excerpts from The President's State of the Union Address, 2002
When I called our troops into action, I did so with complete confidence in their courage and skill. And tonight, thanks to them, we are winning the war on terror. The man and women of our Armed Forces have delivered a message now clear to every enemy of the United States: Even 7,000 miles away, across oceans and continents, on mountaintops and in caves - you will not escape the justice of this nation ...
Our cause is just, and it continues ... Our war on terror is well begun, but it is only begun. This campaign may not be finished on our watch - yet it must be and it will be waged on our watch.
The President at the FBI Academy, 2005
The terrorists want to attack our country and harm our citizens. They believe that the world's democracies are weak, and that by killing innocent civilians they can break our will. They're mistaken. America will not retreat in the face of terrorists and murderers. And neither will the free world. As Prime Minister Blair said after the attacks in London, 'Our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people.' The attack in London was an attack on the civilized world. And the civilized world is united in its resolve: We will not yield. We will defend our freedom.
America Must Fight The Enemy Abroad, So We Do Not Have To Face Them Here At Home. By using every available tool to keep the enemy on the run, America's Armed Forces can ensure that terrorists spend their days trying to avoid capture, not planning their next attack.
The United States Must Deny Terrorists Sanctuary And The Support Of States. By helping friendly governments control their territory and by making it clear to outlaw regimes that providing safe haven to terrorists will not be tolerated, the United States can limit the infrastructure terrorists have at their disposal to plan and carry out attacks.
Mass Murderers Must Not Obtain Weapons Of Mass Destruction. The United States must prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. This must be a global effort involving many countries.
Freedom And Hope Will Defeat An Ideology Of Hate. Through the spread of democracy, the United States can help deny terrorists the ideological victories they seek. Free nations do not support terrorists or invade their neighbors. By advancing the cause of liberty across the world, we will make the world more peaceful and America more secure.
Since September 11th, America Has Made Great Strides In Winning The War On Terror.
The United States Has Removed Brutal Regimes In Afghanistan And Iraq That Harbored Terrorists And Threatened America. Fifty million people were liberated in the process, and both Afghanistan and Iraq have chosen leaders in free elections.
Across The World, Liberty Is On The March. In the last 18 months, we have witnessed a Purple Revolution in Iraq, an Orange Revolution in Ukraine, a Rose Revolution in Georgia, a Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, and a Cedar Revolution in Lebanon.
The World's Most Dangerous Nuclear Trading Network Has Been Shut Down. The United States has launched the Proliferation Security Initiative, a global effort involving 60 countries to stop shipments of weapons of mass destruction. The black-market network that supplied nuclear weapons technology to North Korea, Libya, and Iran has been shut down, and the government of Libya has even agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons program and rejoin a community of nations.
In The Last Few Weeks, U.S. Forces Have Captured A Number Of Key Terrorists. In Pakistan, one of Osama Bin Laden’s senior terrorist leaders, al-Libbi, was brought to justice. Earlier this week, in Iraq, U.S. forces captured two senior operatives of the terrorist Zarqawi. America has also killed or captured hundreds of terrorists and insurgents near the Syrian border and in a series of raids throughout Baghdad.
The United States Must Transform The Military With New Technologies That Will Make Our Armed Forces Faster, Lighter, And More Lethal.
The U.S. military has the best equipment and everything it needs to protect the American people.
The Key To Future Victories Is Transformational Military Capabilities. The United States has invested $16 billion in these innovative efforts and will add $78 billion over the next four years.
Research And Development Will Make Our Armed Forces The Strongest In The World. So the United States can build even more advanced capabilities in the decades ahead, the United States has invested $240 billion in these efforts and has requested an additional $275 billion over the next four years.
The United States Must Transform The Military By Repositioning Forces At Home And Abroad.
To be able to quickly meet unexpected threats, our Armed Forces must undertake the biggest transformation of our global force since the end of the Second World War.
The United States Will Bring Home Many Uniformed Personnel Currently Stationed Overseas. By bringing home between 60,000 to 70,000 troops from abroad and deploying them rapidly when needed, America can become a more effective fighting force. This will not only reduce the stress on military families, it will help our Armed Forced raise the pressure on our enemies.
Closing And Realigning Military Bases Will Free Up Funds To Support Our Troops. Each branch of the military services has completed a review of their requirements and has concluded that there are more military bases than are needed. The President will help communities affected by base closings, providing them development aid and job training. The process will produce a net savings of $48 billion over the next 20 years and will make the military more efficient and better prepared to protect the American people.
The United States Must, Above All, Transform The Way We Think About War.
All the advanced technology in the world will not transform our military, if we do not transform our thinking.
Transformation Means Using Old Capabilities In New Ways. In Afghanistan, U.S. troops rode into battle on horseback – but they did it while using GPS and advanced satellite communications to call in air strikes on enemy positions. They combined a staple of 19th-century warfare with the most advanced 21st-century technology in the American arsenal.
The President Advised Recent Military Academy Graduates To Pursue The Possibilities Others Tell You Do Not Exist. By bringing the spirit of creativity and innovation to work, the U.S. military can accomplish what conventional wisdom says is impossible.
A trailer with the names of all those who lost their lives in 9/11. The trucker's name is John Holmgren from Shafer, Minn. The trucker has been "pulled over" numerous times just so the troopers can get their picture taken with the truck. The official website of The Rolling Memorial.
Defense spending has increased by more than one-third - the largest increase in a generation.
Military research has increased and development by more than 50 percent.
Now the law. landmark legislation that better prepares our defense establishment to meet the challenges of the 21st century. A military that was designed for the challenges of the mid-to-late 20th century is being transformed into a lighter, more flexible, more agile, and more lethal force - one better able to deal with new threats to our national security.
The United States announced the most comprehensive restructuring of US military forces overseas since the end of the Korean War. By closing bases no longer needed to meet Cold War threats that have ended, this new initiative will bring home many Cold War-era forces while deploying more flexible and rapidly deployable capabilities in strategic locations around the world.
The United States will soon deploy a functioning missile defense system to protect Americans from nuclear threats posed by rogue regimes - and will deploy the first land and sea-based system.
The United States is acting with the support and cooperation of Australia, Britain, Japan, and other nations to establish a missile defense capability with support sites on multiple continents.
The Department of Defense has conducted several successful tests of a national missile defense system in which an incoming missile was intercepted and destroyed.
The United States has been a leader in transforming NATO to make it effective in the 21st century and the global war on terror.
In 2004, NATO welcomed seven new members from Central and Eastern Europe into the Alliance.
NATO leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin created the NATO-Russia Council to facilitate consultation and joint action.
The Alliance commands the International Security Assistance Force (consisting of more than 6,000 troops) that is helping secure and rebuild a free Afghanistan. Afghanistan is NATO's first mission outside of Europe.
NATO allies are contributing troops to the coalition in Iraq and NATO leaders have agreed to help train Iraq's new security forces.
NATO launched the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, which will increase cooperative security efforts with the broader Middle East in areas including counterterrorism and halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The United States proposed with Norway a measure to adopt a "zero tolerance" policy on human trafficking in areas of NATO operations. NATO will develop specific measures to support local efforts to combat trafficking. Two hundred thousand victims of trafficking are transported through the Balkans each year, a region where NATO has a significant presence.
Basic pay for service members has increased by more than 20 percent - and the
increase in payments for food and housing combined has reached 50 percent.
Funding for child care services has increased by $21.5 million.
The Military Family Tax Relief Act of 2003 provides tax relief and other benefits to members of the armed services and their families.
Proposed are unprecedented levels of funding for veterans. The 2005 budget represents an increase in overall funding for our nation's veterans by almost $20 billion - or 40 percent - since 2001. Funding has increased for our veterans more in four years than funding was increased in the previous eight years.
Since 2001, the four budgets for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have provided a more than 40 percent increase in veterans' medical care spending alone.
Changes have been implemented to ensure that veterans receive timely, quality medical care. Waiting lists for medical care have been essentially eliminated and the processing time for disability claims has been reduced by 30 percent.
The budgets have allowed 2.5 million more veterans to enroll for health care; outpatient visits to increase from 44 million to 54 million; the number of prescriptions filled to increase from 98 million to 116 million; and 194 new community-based clinics to open.
Legislation effectively providing "concurrent receipt" of both military
retired pay and disability compensation for those military retirees most deserving, combat injured and highly disabled, reversing a century-old law.
The United States has committed $1.5 billion in the 2004 and 2005 budgets to increase outpatient health care services for veterans, to build new hospitals, and to modernize or replace outdated pre-World War II facilities. Through the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) plan, the VA is working to better distribute its network of
clinics and hospitals so that the vast majority of veterans are within 30 miles of a VA community-based outpatient clinic or similar facility.
