110 HRES 706 IH: Honoring all members of the Armed Forces U.S. House of Representatives 2007-10-02 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 706 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 2, 2007 Mr. Hall of New York (for himself, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. Engel, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Payne, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Stark, Mr. Farr, and Mrs. Lowey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Honoring all members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel serving in harm’s way and pledging to debate policy decisions regarding the war in Iraq without attacking the integrity of any person, and for other purposes.

Whereas on September 26, 2007, right wing radio commentator Rush Limbaugh referred to former soldiers who return home and speak in opposition to the war in Iraq as phony soldiers; Whereas Major General John Batiste (Ret.), a 31-year Army veteran, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, and former Commanding General of the First Infantry Division in Iraq, is a strong critic of the management of the Iraq war and has stated that the President has pursued a failed strategy that is breaking our great Army and that the President’s actions in Iraq have placed our nation in great peril; Whereas Major General Paul Eaton (Ret.), a 33-year Army veteran, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, and former Commanding General of the command assigned with reestablishing the Iraqi Security Forces, stated that because of the war in Iraq that our military is overcommitted and America is less secure; Whereas seven members of the 82nd Airborne, Army specialist Buddhika Jayamaha, Sergeant Wesley D. Smith, Sergeant Jeremy Roebuck, Sergeant Omar Mora, Sergeant Edward Sandmeier, Staff Sergeant Yance T. Gray, and Staff Sergeant Jeremy A. Murphy, said in an opinion article in the New York Times that reports that a majority of Iraqi Army commanders are now reliable partners can be considered only misleading rhetoric; Whereas these men further said to believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched and we see that a vast majority of Iraqis feel increasingly insecure and view us as an occupation force that has failed to produce normalcy after four years and is increasingly unlikely to do so as we continue to arm each warring side; and Whereas on August 12, 2007, Staff Sergeant Murphy was seriously wounded in the line of duty and on September 10, 2007, Staff Sergeant Yance Gray and Sergeant Omar Mora were killed in the line of duty in Iraq: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes the service of General John Batiste, General Paul Eaton, Army specialist Buddhika Jayamaha, Sergeant Wesley D. Smith, Sergeant Jeremy Roebuck, Sergeant Edward Sandmeier, as well as all other members of the Armed Forces serving in good standing, in the defense of the United States and honors the personal sacrifices made by these men and their families, and other members of the Armed Forces and their families, to serve with distinction; (2)recognizes the service and mourns the loss of Sergeant Omar Mora, Staff Sergeant Yance T. Gray, and the 3,784 members of the Armed Forces who have died in Iraq as of September 27, 2007, and extends its sympathies to their families; (3)recognizes the service and sacrifice of Staff Sergeant Jeremy A. Murphy, and the more than 24,000 members of the Armed Forces wounded in Iraq; (4)rejects conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh’s opinion that any of the individuals listed above are phony soldiers; (5)condemns in the strongest possible terms the personal attacks made by Rush Limbaugh impugning the integrity and professionalism of any members of the Nation’s Armed Forces; (6)honors all members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel serving in harm’s way, as well as their families; and (7)pledges to debate policy decisions regarding the war in Iraq without attacking the integrity of any person, regardless of his or her position on the war.