FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — President Bush rallied U.S. troops here Friday and then viewed a deafening, action-packed tactical demonstration by Special Forces at nearby Ft. Bragg, home to units deployed in Afghanistan and elsewhere in Central Asia.
Bush used his visit--the latest of several he has made to military bases since the war on terrorism began--to urge support for his defense spending request. The House faces a key vote next week on the federal budget, which includes Bush's proposal for the largest hike in money for the Pentagon in two decades.
The presidential visit also came just a week after a Ft. Bragg soldier and an airman from adjacent Pope Air Force Base were killed in action in Afghanistan.
Bush met privately with the widows of Army Chief Warrant Officer Stanley L. Harriman and Air Force Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, and then reported that the women had told him: "Don't falter."
The president added:
"These people just lost a loved one, and they're just as resolved about winning this war on terror as I am. And I was very impressed by their steadfast support for what we're doing and their understanding of the sacrifices necessary to defend freedom."
At Ft. Bragg, Bush watched a simulated hostage rescue by Special Forces. The training exercise took place on a movie-like set in a fictional developing nation, dubbed "Pineland."
The scenario included several dozen soldiers posing as a mob of anti-American street demonstrators. Upon Bush's arrival in a third-story observation deck, they began chanting: "U.S.A. go home!" Some shook their fists at the commander in chief. Bush responded with a chuckle.
The simulation also included attack helicopters depositing troops onto rooftops and the ground to rescue imaginary hostages in a cinder-block building dubbed a U.S. Embassy.
Although the soldiers fired blanks in their assault rifles, they detonated real stun grenades after they knocked down a door and burst into the building, moving quickly from room to room and floor to floor.
The president also saw several participants "shot dead" and placed in the muddy street, as well as a separate demonstration of an airplane refueling two copters.
Throughout the exercise, which lasted more than an hour, Bush wore ear and eye protectors and watched from behind a thick, plastic pane on a rooftop.
"That was exciting," he said afterward. "I think we're well trained. I'm glad they're on my side."
