At NJ Army Base, Obama Praises Troops, Vows Victory over ISIS
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Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama spoke on Monday from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, thanking troops stationed there for their service.
“Whether liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, white, black, brown, rich, poor, no matter how we pray, no matter who we love,” Obama said, “when it comes to our troops, when it comes to you and your families as Americans, we stand united.” Obama told the troops that their fellow Americans, “are proud of you. We support you. And we can never thank you enough.”
The commander in chief also spoke of the drawdown in Afghanistan, promising victory in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. “I want you and every American who has served in Afghanistan to be proud of what you’ve accomplished there,” Obama told the troops. “Your generation, the 9/11 generation, has met every mission that’s been given to you.”
His words came three days after two more Americans — Sgt. 1st Class Ramon S. Morris, 37, of New York, New York, and Spc. Wyatt J. Martin, 22, of Mesa, Arizona — were killed in Afghanistan when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb near the largest U.S. military base in the country.
On ISIS, Obama claimed that U.S. forces, “have blunted their momentum, and we have put them on the defensive.” Alluding to the fight against al-Qaeda, Obama said that ISIS militants, “are learning the same thing that the leaders of al-Qaeda have learned the hard way.”
“They may think that they can chalk up some quick victories, but our reach is long,” Obama said. “We do not give up. You threaten America, you will have no safe haven. We will find you, and like petty tyrants and terrorists before you, the world is going to leave you behind and keep moving on without you, because we will get you.”
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