CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – In a somber address on the 63rd anniversary of Pearl Harbor, President Bush on Tuesday thanked Marines for their service and promised they and their colleagues in Iraq would “come home with the honor they have earned” once Iraqis take control of their country.

“The time of war is a time of sacrifice, especially for our military families,” Bush said, sporting a khaki military jacket. “I urge every American to find some way to thank our military and to help out the military family down the street.”

The Marine base north of San Diego is home to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, which has 21,000 Marines serving in Iraq and has taken part in some of the most dangerous missions there, including the recent assault on Fallujah.

The president indirectly acknowledged the difficulty the military has faced in Iraq, where more than 1,200 military personnel have been killed, including about 240 from Camp Pendleton. He said he was confident the Iraqis would one day learn to defend themselves, but noted that Iraqi security forces, who have at times fled from insurgents, have had mixed success.

“Some Iraqi units have performed better than others, as you know,” he told the 7,000 Marines standing in a muddy field.

Afterward, the president ate lunch with Marines in a mess hall and then met privately with about 50 families of Marines who had been killed or injured.

He awarded one a posthumous Bronze Star.

The meetings were off-limits to reporters, but White House spokesman Trent Duffy described “a lot of emotion, a lot of hugs. … The president tried to comfort them and thank them for their service.”

Bush studded his speech with references to historic Marine battles.

“This is the home of the 1st Marine Division, one of America’s oldest and most decorated units. In Korea, the Marines of the 1st Division were surrounded at the Chosin Reservoir by 10 divisions of Chinese troops,” he said, retelling a bit of military lore that Marines learn in training.

“When Col. Chesty Puller heard the news, he said, “They’ve got us right where we want them. We can shoot in every direction now.’ He wasn’t bluffing. The 1st Marine Division made it out, destroying seven enemy divisions and upholding the great tradition of the Corps.”

Later, several Marines, who had been hand picked by the military to speak with reporters, said that they appreciated the president’s visit and that it showed he cared about their sacrifices.

Lance Cpl. Brandon Thornton, 21, a reservist from Columbia, Md., said he felt humbled that the president would compare today’s battles to the storied ones, particularly Chosin Reservoir.

“That’s one of the key points of history and comparing me to that, I feel like I don’t rate,” he said.

The day before Bush arrived, about 6,000 Marines and sailors shipped out on their way to Iraq.

One of them, a sailor named Pablo Paredes, refused to board the ship in protest against the war in Iraq. He showed up instead wearing a black T-shirt that said, “Like a Cabinet member” on the front, and “I resign” on the back.

The same day, eight active-duty soldiers sued the Army for forcing them to serve beyond their discharge dates.

Bush acknowledged the difficulty troops have faced in Iraq.

“The enemies of freedom in Iraq have been wounded, but they’re not yet defeated,” he said. “They’ll keep on fighting – and so will the Marine Corps.”

He said that unlike past wars, America’s current struggle against terrorism would end less definitively.

“Today’s war on terror will not end with a ceremony, a surrender ceremony on a deck of a battleship,” he said. “But it will end with victory. Just as we defeated the threats of fascism and imperial communism in the 20th century, we will defeat the threat of global terrorism. And we will help the people of liberated countries to rebuild and to secure a future of freedom and peace.”

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