[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 11, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   GENERAL DAVID H. PETRAEUS JOINS RANKS OF AMERICA'S GREAT MILITARY 
                                LEADERS

  (Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, America has a long tradition of 
producing great generals; and Major General David Petraeus, the 
Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, has joined the ranks of 
America's great military leaders. Like his predecessors, Generals 
Washington, Patton, and Eisenhower, to name a few, he has spent a 
career defending our Nation and bringing freedom to people all over the 
world.
  I have been to Iraq and I have seen General Petraeus' leadership 
firsthand, and the awards and distinctions that he has received in his 
career are not empty. The true meaning behind each of these 
commendations is crystal-clear when you meet the men, women, and 
children who would have lived a lifetime of terror under the old Iraq 
had the General of the 101st Airborne from Fort Campbell not helped 
lead Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is an example of why the American 
military is so great. He is a true leader.
  Today, we join the newly-free people of Iraq to thank him for his 
dedication to our Nation and our belief that no people should be denied 
freedom.

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