Bush drops 'crusade' from Eisenhower's D-Day message
Wed Jun 2, 2004 14:50:03 ET
President George W. Bush compared the war on terrorism to World War II on Wednesday but trimmed one famous Allied message and dropped the word "crusade."
In a speech at the US Air Force Academy graduation, Bush recited part of General Dwight Eisenhower's message to troops ahead of the D-Day landings but carefully quoted around the term, which has deeply negative connotations in the Muslim world.
"'Soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force,'" Bush quoted Eisenhower as saying. "'The eyes the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you."
Eisenhower's original message to the troops opened with: "Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months.
"The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you."
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