President Bush has vowed that the United States will not abandon its commitment to the war on terrorism. He made the promise as he visited U-S Army troops who made up the main fighting force in the U-S-led campaign in Afghanistan.
In a visit to the 10th Mountain Division's Fort Drum base in the U-S state of New York today (Friday), Mr. Bush told soldiers the enemy underestimated their courage and determination.
Fort Drum troops were among the first Army units to be deployed after the terrorist attacks on September 11th.
In October, they were deployed overseas to provide security for U-S operations in Kuwait and Uzbekistan, and then to the front lines in Afghanistan.
Most of them returned home by the end of April.
President Bush also used his trip to Fort Drum to urge the Senate to quickly approve his huge proposed boost in U-S defense spending. Mr. Bush said this would be the largest defense spending increase since the Reagan administration in the 1980's.