Senate Floor Speech
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
March 27, 2003 -- Page: S4460

MRS. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I will take some time this morning to show some pictures that speak more than 1,000 words. They are pictures from the field. They show how the mightiest force in the world is connecting with people on an individual basis.

I start with a picture showing PFC Joseph DeWitt, age 26, of the 7th Calvary Regiment carrying an Iraqi boy who was injured Tuesday, March 26, in the fight at Al Faysaliyah. The picture speaks for what America is. Here is this private, 26 years old, carrying this little boy to safety. You can see the terror on his face, of the little boy who is saved today because Private DeWitt cared.

An unidentified U.S. soldier gives candy to Iraqi boys as he patrols in the southern border city of Safwan, Friday, March 21. Waving Iraqi civilians greeted members of the 1st Marine Division as they entered the town of Safwan.

An Iraqi child waves as a convoy of 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division drives through a southern Iraqi town Sunday, March 23, 2003.

Children wave at members of the British 2nd Royal Tank Regiment as they arrive in Basra, southern Iraq, Saturday, March 22.

All of the missing in action and POWs in this conflict are from Texas bases. They are either from Fort Hood or Fort Bliss.

In addition to the great mission, I feel a personal connection in this conflict because I know the pain and agony the loved ones are going through at this time and, of course, I think every day, every hour, every minute about those who are actually in captivity or about whom we do not know. I have tried to make contact with as many as I could. It has been difficult because many of them are in such stress they probably do not want to talk to people they do not know or members of the press who might be calling them.

I have not connected with all of them. However, every conversation I have had has been uplifting. I have gotten more out of these conversations than I could ever give back. I have talked this morning to Michelle Williams, the wife of CWO David Williams, from Fort Hood, one of those captured by the Iraqis when the Apache helicopter he was in crashed. Michelle is also in the service. She is at Fort Hood. I talked to her this morning. She has not been talking to the press but one of her major concerns is that somehow she could get a message to her husband: That she is thinking of him, that she loves him very much, that their children are fine, but she just wants some way to make sure that message gets to him--if it is the Red Cross that could take a letter; we will certainly try to be helpful, as the Army will try to be helpful--if it is a message he might hear, that she has given, we want to do everything possible to try to get that message to him. She is strong and brave and waiting for a happy reunion with her husband when he is able to come home.

I talked to Mark Kennedy and his wife, Mrs. Kennedy, this morning. They are the parents of Brian Kennedy who was killed in action when his helicopter crashed in Kuwait. Brian was their only son. Again, they said to me the personal outpouring of support and love and attention they have received because of the loss of their son has made their ordeal better. They feel the Army has done everything it can to make this terrible situation as positive as possible. They asked me to take a message to the President, which I will certainly do. They said, please tell the President that they support him, that their son had called in just 2 days before he was lost. He said: Don't worry about me. We are good to go. We have been trained. We believe in this mission.

Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy want us to know that they supported Brian Kennedy and what he was doing. They know the importance of this action to freedom for everyone in America.

I will take that message to the President because these are people who have taken the greatest loss imaginable. They understand their son will be forever respected and revered by Americans in perpetuity, for the loss that they have and the giving of his life to make sure that our way of life is enduring in perpetuity, that freedom and America as the beacon of freedom to the world will prevail because of people such as Brian Kennedy and CWO David Williams.

Those are just two families with whom I have had contact. They are very special people. Their families are very special people. We owe them a great debt of gratitude. I know all Americans feel that as well.

I am pleased to be able to start this tribute to our troops as we will do every day our troops are in the field protecting us, to let them know how much we care and how brave we know they are as we watch on television the kinds of weather they are enduring, in addition to all of the normal horrors of war, sandstorms that are so thick it looks as if it is night when it is day. They are enduring a lot for us, and we want them to know we appreciate it.

My last word is that I hope anyone who hears our message will not forget the Geneva Convention; that the treatment of our prisoners of war--and any we do not know who are prisoners--will be humane and in line with the Geneva Convention because I know for sure America is giving medical treatment, food, water, and care to those Iraqi prisoners. We would always comply with the norms of war, including humane treatment of prisoners. I hope if there is any modicum of honesty and integrity in the Iraqi military, they will be treating our prisoners in like manner to the way their prisoners are being treated.