WEBVTT

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well , I was the deputy commander ,

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deputy commandant at the United States

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Naval Academy . So we were 30 miles

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from Washington when the attack

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occurred in New York and the Pentagon

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ultimately , and in the field in

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shanksville pennsylvania . Um

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At first we thought it was a terrible

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navigational error . And then very

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quickly we realized the United States

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was under attack . Mhm . It was

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something that was new obviously to me

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Had been in the service well over 30

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years at that point . Uh And at that

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point we realized that our future was

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going to be dramatically different than

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all that we had experienced in the

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previous years of the Cold War . It was

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going to be an era of long term

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conflict . It was going to be an era

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probably where we would have a long

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term commitment to both

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counterterrorism , but also seeking at

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a genuine at a national level to try to

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overcome the root causes that would

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create such a vehemence , such a

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malignant terrorist capability around

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the world . So things were going to be

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different . We knew they were going to

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be different . We knew this was going

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to be a long struggle . And it has

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manifested itself in a number of places

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around the world and in Afghanistan ,

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it had a uniqueness to it where U . S .

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And coalition forces ultimately and

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swiftly responded to that attack .

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Ultimately threw off the taliban

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darkness if you will , that had

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descended on this country and permitted

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it to become a safe haven for the

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taliban and al Qaeda and other

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terrorist organizations and since that

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time the great efforts , truly , great

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efforts and sacrifice of the

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international community to make a

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difference here , to give this

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government stability and security so

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that the people of Afghanistan will

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never again be under the heel of the

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taliban boot , but also to give them a

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future , a legitimate future . And to

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remove the possibility that Afghanistan

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will ever again be a terrorist safe

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haven . Especially a place where Al

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Qaeda can find , it could plot attacks

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upon the west or or upon the poor

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Afghan civilians . So it's been a long

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war . It's been 10 years and many of us

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have served in a number of places

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overseas in the course of the

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prosecution of that war . But if you

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spend a little time here in Afghanistan

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today , you see hope in the faces of

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the people , you see great change over

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the last several years . You see

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progress as it will ultimately unfold

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under the under the transition concept

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of the Lisbon conference . You see

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great partnership for the future

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between both the United States and NATO

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and the international community to

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accomplish something that is enduring .

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Something that is admirable . Something

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that is good for the people of

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Afghanistan . So out of the great

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darkness , frankly , of 11 September in

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2001 , while we've got work to do here

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still , I'm encouraged about the future