Bush to Pay Visit to Pendleton

President Bush will visit U.S. troops at Camp Pendleton on Tuesday to address the Marines and have lunch with base personnel, the White House said today.

“This is an opportunity to thank the troops for all their service and sacrifice in defense of freedom,” presidential Press Secretary Scott McClellan said. “And I expect the president will talk about the progress we’re making in the war on terrorism, as well.”

Tuesday will not be the first time that Bush has used Southern California as the backdrop for a war speech.

In a controversial appearance May 1, 2003, he addressed the nation from the deck of an aircraft carrier just off San Diego. Under a huge “Mission Accomplished” banner, Bush declared: “The United States and our allies have prevailed.”

But as the violence in Iraq continued, and then escalated, critics lambasted the president’s speech as premature and politically inspired. The White House responded by saying that the sign had been suggested by the carrier’s crew and was meant to herald the end of a long deployment mission.

Pendleton, 38 miles north of downtown San Diego, calls itself the busiest military base. It provides training facilities for many active-duty and reserve Marines, Army and Navy units, as well as national, state and local agencies. More than 60,000 military and civilian personnel work at the base.

About 25,000 Marines, mostly from Pendleton, are serving in Iraq, according to a base spokesman.