Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen…. Good evening.

Thank you, Jimmy, for that kind introduction.

I understand that I am the second choice as your speaker tonight. George Bush couldn’t come. I don’t mind being second choice to the president of the United States. The way I look at it, we both have a lot in common.

·                    We have the same middle initial.

·                    We both love the state of Florida…. I grew up there.

·                    We both married up.

·                    We both love dogs and

·                    We both like to fly.

I called George Bush and asked him if there was anything he wanted me to say to you tonight since the WLI really wanted to hear from the president. He said he’d think about it. And he called me back this afternoon and dictated the following letter which I will now read:

. . .

From the White House

February 22, 2007

Distinguished Members of the Washington Light Infantry:

I am truly sorry I could not be with you tonight but I am sure you will find John Rosa a fitting replacement. I have discussed with him some important points to make and I’m sure he’ll do a fine job.

I want to congratulate you, the good people in the Washington Light Infantry, on your 200^th anniversary. Congratulations also to Henry Seigling. I saw that article in the Post and Courier and you look mighty good in that uniform. (Would you like to put on another uniform? Like the recruiting commercial says, You could be Army strong.) I admire the Washington Light Infantry for all of your fine work and historic roots. I like history. In fact, I think reading about history is almost as much fun as making it.

I particularly wanted to come to Charleston because polls tell me only 36 percent of the people in this country approve of the way I am doing things and I figure the members of the Washington Light Infantry would be among those 36 percent. It’s always better to talk to people who like you.

These public opinion polls don’t worry me but I don’t understand them. Why don’t people like me? Afterall, I’m just a regular guy working his 80 hours a week like all red-blooded Americans. Married…two children and a dog. I like bagpipes. I never was a Rhodes Scholar and nobody has ever accused me of talking down to them. Some people make fun of my accent but that is something I have in common with people born in Charleston.

I know you understand that it is very hard to get away from Washington these days. With the nuk-u-lar proliferation in North Korea and all the problems with the Democrat party, it is just too busy here to leave.

I did have a chance to get out of town two weeks ago with Dick Cheney. But when I heard he had planned a hunting trip, I changed my mind.

It would be easier to get away if there were not so many trouble spots to deal with….North Korea… Iraq… France… Congress . . . Hillary Clinton. Everyone has their own agenda and I wish we could all just get along. (Barack Obama, are you listening?)

Even though I cannot be there, I join you in celebrating this special occasion. So raise your glasses, give toast to the WLI’s third century and “Remember the Leopard.”   (Raise your glass for a toast)

Yours truly,

George W. Bush

 

Picture Charleston in 1807….200 years ago… the time the Washington Light Infantry was formed.

200 years ago an incident between the Chesapeake and the Leopard off the coast of Virginia led to the formation of the Washington Light Infantry .. one of the nation’s oldest historic military commands.

You all know the story of the birth of the Washington Light Infantry and the phrase Remember the Leopard so I won’t repeat it here.

I do want to say a few words about a strong connection I have and The Citadel has to the Washington Light Infantry. 

In December of 1842, at the urging of members of the Washington Light Infantry and others, the South Carolina Legislature voted to establish the South Carolina Military Academy in Charleston. This academy was a place where young men could receive “a broad and practical education” while also receiving military training that would equip them to protect the city.

On March 20, 1843, the first members of the Corps of Cadets reported to the arsenal at Marion Square. In a ceremony that is remembered each year at Corps Day, the Washington Light Infantry turned over control of the arsenal to the Corps. So The Citadel and all of the Citadel alumni in this room are the ancestral descendants of the Washington Light Infantry.

More than two decades later, The Citadel was closed. The South was defeated in the War Between the States. Members of the Washington Light Infantry had fought bravely in that war and more than 100 had died. Union troops occupied The Citadel at Marion Square. No longer was there an academy where young men could receive an education and military training.

15 years passed. But members of the Washington Light Infantry would not let the idea of The Citadel die. Thanks to persistence of the WLI and others who lobbied before the South Carolina Legislature, The Citadel reopened in 1882. And today, thanks to the Washington Light Infantry, our alma mater is stronger than ever.

If you look around, you will see concrete evidence of the close ties between The Citadel and the Washington Light Infantry. This gathering includes

·                    our 17^th President and First Lady, General and Mrs. Watts

If we look around in society today, it is sometimes hard to see people who have an appreciation of history and tradition. We rush ahead to plan the next day, the next month and the next year. We are all busy and there seems to be scant time to reflect on the past, the examples and the stories from our history.

Thank God there are places like The Citadel and organizations like the Washington Light Infantry who will not let us forget the stories of the past.