"Iraq is the central front in this war on terror. If we leave the streets of Baghdad before the job is done, we will have to face the terrorists in our own cities. We will stay the course, we will help this young Iraqi democracy succeed, and victory in Iraq will be a major ideological triumph in the struggle of the 21st century.

"I firmly believe we'll succeed. We'll succeed in spreading liberty. And as we do so, we can say that this generation did our duty and laid the foundation of peace for generations to come.

"For those of you with loved ones in the United States military, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't tell you how proud I am to be the Commander-in-Chief of such a fantastic group of young men and women. And I'll make this pledge to you: Our government will make sure your loved ones have all the support, all the help, all the training necessary to do their job of defending freedom, defending America, and spreading liberty that will yield the peace we all want.

"So I want to thank you all for coming. It warms my heart to see such a huge crowd. May God bless the great state of Utah, and may God bless America. Thank you all very much."

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Source: www.whitehouse.gov