Cheney thanks Indiana troops at Camp Atterbury for time overseas

EDINBURGH, Ind. -- Leaving Iraq too soon would be a mistake, but the United States will change tactics as necessary to win the war on terror, Vice President Dick Cheney told Indiana Air and Army National Guard troops Friday.\n"We know that terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength," he said. "They are invited by the perception of weakness. We know that if we leave Iraq before the mission is completed, the enemy is simply going to come after us," Cheney said during a rally to honor troops at Camp Atterbury.\nThe visit to the National Guard training site was one of several stops Cheney is making to honor troops for their war efforts and for recovery work after Hurricane Katrina last year. On Monday, Cheney was at Fort Campbell, Ky., to thank soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who had just returned from Iraq.\nCheney said Camp Atterbury, through which more than 30,000 guardsmen and women have passed since 2001, has helped the United States make progress in the war on terror.\n"Thanks to you, they've gone into the fight well-prepared and they've achieved great results for the United States," he said. "The excellence and the commitment shown at Camp Atterbury is one of the reasons we're going to win the war on terror."\nCheney said Iraq and Afghanistan are critical battlegrounds in a war that began Sept. 11, 2001, and that decisions on troop levels would be based on "conditions on the ground and the judgments of our military commanders -- not by artificial timelines set by politicians in Washington, D.C."\nGov. Mitch Daniels told the crowd before Cheney arrived that one of his daughters is dating an Army Ranger who recently found out he will be going overseas.\n"Our family will soon be where your family has been by the thousands -- waiting, missing people, staying in touch the best we can," Daniels said. "I am so grateful not just to those of you in uniform that serve, but to all of the families behind you."\nLt. Col. John Newman, of Indianapolis, serves with the 181st Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard. He brought his two children, Jessica, 13, and James, 7, to see Cheney at the camp about 25 miles south of Indianapolis.\n"I think it's fantastic that he took time out of his schedule to come here to Indiana," Newman said. "It's nice to put a little bit of light on the fact that Hoosiers have stepped up to the plate."\nJessica Newman said she enjoyed Cheney's speech and agreed with him about keeping terrorists from U.S. shores.\n"If we just leave, they're going to come back," she said. "If we just stay there and hold our ground, I think we'll win."\nThe rally for troops Friday included food, a band and appearances by cheerleaders from the Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers. When Cheney came on stage, he joked that he missed the fun earlier in the day.\n"Is it me you came to see, or the Colts and Pacers cheerleaders?" Cheney asked the troops. "I got here too late."\nThere are about 23,000 reservists and Guard members in Indiana, with an estimated 4,300 on active duty at any one time. Not all on active duty are serving overseas.\nSince February 2003, 68 Indiana military personnel have died after being sent to the Middle East for the war in Iraq. Overall, at least 2,786 members of the U.S. military have died in the war.