|
Washington, Feb 16 -
Congressman Henry E. Brown Jr. (R-SC) delivered the following statement on the floor of the United States House of Representatives in support of the troops and in opposition of the Democrat offered Iraq resolution, H.Con.Res.63, on Wednesday, February 14th, 2007. H.Con.Res.63 passed the House by 246 to 182.
Mr. Speaker, as President Bush and his top military advisors implement the new plan for victory in Iraq, we must be united in a common goal of victory, and we should never forget that our enemy is listening to this debate just as our troops are listening to every word of every member of this Congress.
As many of my colleagues have done, I have personally visited Iraq. I have seen the progress, and I have seen the good job that our brave men and women are doing for us and for the people of Iraq. We have achieved some major accomplishments in Iraq. Women are now able to vote in real elections for the first time in their lives, Iraqi citizens are now able to protest and let their opinions be heard in public and Iraq is a self governing nation free of tyranny.
I was proud to sit down and share a meal with many soldiers from South Carolina’s First District and the question that many of our soldiers kept asking me was: “Why are none of the good stories making it back to the folks at home?”
Mr. Speaker, I think that many of us today are trying to share some of the good stories and recognize all of the positive things that our brave men and women in Iraq are doing for us. South Carolina’s First District has a high proportion of active and retired military personnel that are directly impacted by the war in the Middle East. At the Charleston Air Force base, the C-17 aircraft that come and go are a direct link in the supply chain that assists our brave soldiers fighting for us in Iraq. At Force Protection in Ladson, South Carolina they continue to build the Buffalo and Cougar vehicles that save the lives of our soldiers against mine and IED attacks every day. Last year, on Memorial Day, in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health, I was fortunate enough to be the guest speaker at the American Cemetery in Normandy, France which overlooks Omaha Beach. Our brave soldiers during World War Two were in France not to fight the French but to fight the occupying Nazis.
Today our soldiers are not in Iraq and Afghanistan to fight the citizens of those countries but are there to fight the insurgents in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. In listening to the debate over the past few days it reminded me of my visit and reading some of the names of the brave soldiers that fought for our nation during World War Two.
Mr. Speaker, there are over 9,300 patriots buried in Normandy. Those brave souls fought in a war against the forces of evil then, just as our soldiers in Iraq are fighting against the forces of evil today.
What would have happened if Franklin Delano Roosevelt pulled our troops out of France after the casualties we took storming the beaches of Normandy?
If Franklin Delano Roosevelt were alive today what would he think of this debate which empowers and energizes our enemies and demoralizes our brave fighting men and women? What would America have done if the Congress enacted a “non binding resolution” to pull our troops out of France after D-Day? What kind of world would we be living in today?
Iraq is directly tied to the future security of our nation, and consequently, failure in Iraq is not an option. I do not believe that we have already lost in Iraq, but we will lose if we don’t give the troops what they need to win. I remain hopeful that Democrats and Republicans can unite around a new policy clearly defining our troop’s mission for the sake of our national security.
Mr. Speaker, I support President Bush and his vision for a new strategy for victory in Iraq. I cannot in good faith support this resolution, because it sends our soldiers the message that the United States Congress believes that they cannot succeed in their mission. It is much easier to complain while offering no real ideas or alternatives. This resolution is all bark and no bite.
I will conclude with a quote from a good friend and someone that I am proud to have as my constituent, Medal of Honor recipient retired Major General James Livingston: "Today we have a choice of fighting the enemy in Iraq. If we do not take them on in Iraq, then we will be forced to fight the enemy here on our homeland."
|
