[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 19, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3987-S3988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING AMERICAN SOLDIERS

  Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, I rise to honor our brave soldiers fighting 
in the global war on terrorism. We recently passed the first 
anniversary of Operation Anaconda, a critical seven-day

[[Page S3988]]

military effort within Operation Enduring Freedom that helped break the 
back of the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan. It is fitting to take 
time to remember the sacrifice of the participants in that noble 
undertaking in the mountains of Afghanistan, and to ask Americans to 
pray for those who gave their lives. Let us also pause to recall the 
continuing efforts of our armed forces and civilian national security 
employees in Operation Enduring Freedom, and in the global war on 
terrorism. We are profoundly grateful for the sacrifices of all, and 
offer our prayers and deep gratitude to them and to their families.
  On March 1, 2002, Americans went into battle near Gardez, 
Afghanistan, with Afghan and other allies, to attack al-Qaida and 
Taliban forces in eastern Afghanistan. Over the course of seven days, 
our forces engaged and defeated determined terrorist forces throughout 
mountains and rough terrain, at elevations as high as 12,000 feet, and 
in temperatures that dropped to 15 degrees Fahrenheit at night.
  During Operation Anaconda, American Special Operations Forces 
combined with elements of the 101st Airborne Division, the 10th 
Mountain Division, and other aviation and ground units representing 
several allied nationalities to bring the war begun on September 11, 
2001, directly to the terrorists and their supporters.
  On March 4, 2002, a small American force came under night attack at a 
desolate mountain base at Takur Ghar. As a result of the ensuing 
engagement, seven Americans died. They gave their lives while trying to 
help each other, in a remote and forbidding place where their duty and 
their devotion to one another and their families had taken them. These 
seven Americans--like all Americans, civilian and uniformed, now 
engaged in the noble effort to end the terrorist threat to our Nation--
were volunteers. They didn't have to be on Takur Ghar, but when called 
they did not hesitate to step forward and say ``send me.'' As a 
testament to their heroism, at least eight Silver Stars, the Nation's 
second highest medal for valor, were awarded to participants in the 
battle along with almost thirty Bronze stars and numerous other awards.
  Mr. President, Americans and their allies gave their lives during 
Operation Anaconda and elsewhere in Afghanistan. Americans and their 
allies have given their lives in other engagements in Operation 
Enduring Freedom.
  Let us take a moment to reflect upon the sacrifices of those who died 
on Takur Ghar, and on other remote battlefields in the war on 
terrorism. Let us rededicate ourselves to ensuring the safety of home 
and hearth for their families, and for ours. Finally, let the Senate 
and all Americans show deep gratitude for their unselfish decisions to 
step forward and say ``send me.''

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