[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E236-E237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE MADE BY 28 UNITED STATES SOLDIERS 
                  KILLED DURING OPERATION DESERT STORM

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 27, 2001

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this 
resolution.
  It's been ten years since the Persian Gulf War and the allied victory 
in Operation Desert Storm. We learned a great deal during the war, 
perhaps most importantly that strong relationships with our allies and 
others were critical to building the kind of support necessary to see 
the war through. Those relationships have also been critical in 
maintaining pressure on Saddam Hussein in the years following the 
allied victory. The war also taught us that we can achieve our 
objectives--with minimal loss of life--thanks to our professionally 
trained troops and technologically advanced weapons systems.
  While we know that war inevitably entails loss of life, and that 
soldiers assume the risks of war, this realization doesn't make it 
easier to bear the news when a loved one is killed in service to our 
country. Today we honor the sacrifices of the 28 servicemen killed in 
February 1991 when an Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. Army barracks in 
Saudi Arabia. We extend our sympathy and thanks to their families, and 
we honor their memories. In the same spirit, we honor the contributions 
of those serving today in our armed forces. Every day they brave 
hardships in the name of defending our country and our freedom. We can 
never be grateful enough for what they do.
  This resolution also asks us to resolve to support ``appropriate and 
effective theater missile defense programs to help prevent attacks on 
forward deployed United States forces from occurring again.'' I am 
supporting this resolution for what it says and not for what some may 
believe it says.
  Just to be clear: Theater missile defense systems are different from 
the proposed national missile defense system, which continues to raise 
many questions and concerns that I believe must be addressed before 
deployment can be considered.

[[Page E237]]

  There is no question that we must do all we can to defend our troops 
in the field. We should provide them with the best training, equipment, 
and weapons. We should also develop better technologies to protect them 
from incoming enemy fire. This means doing all we can to be better able 
to counter the kind of threat posed by Iraq's Scud missiles back in 
1991.
  Mr. Speaker, this ten-year anniversary presents us with a duty and an 
opportunity. We have the duty to look back in honor of our servicemen, 
but we also have the opportunity to look forward to identify possible 
new solutions to longstanding regional problems. This is an opportunity 
for us to consider anew questions about our overall Persian Gulf 
policy--the viability of our current sanctions regime on Iraq, the 
importance of working with our allies in the region, and our 
overdependence on foreign oil. Along those lines, I was encouraged to 
learn today of Secretary Powell's proposal to refocus sanctions more 
narrowly on Saddam Hussein's military capabilities and ease the 
economic sanctions that have placed an unfair burden on Iraq's 
population, This is a step in the right direction.
  If we can help to bring stability to the region, we can rest assured 
knowing that our servicemen will be less likely to be put in harm's way 
in the future.
  Again, I stand with my colleagues here today to honor the memories of 
the U.S. soldiers lost in Operation Desert Storm. We will not forget 
their sacrifice.

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