[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 30, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3346-S3347]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IRAQI AND AFGHANISTAN LIBERATION MEDALS

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak to a bill to honor 
our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan who have served and 
continue to serve their country by working for a fee, independent and 
stable Iraq and a new Afghanistan. These missions have been difficult 
and the cost has been high; nearly 600 Americans have been killed and 
almost 3,000 Americans have been injured in Iraq, while more than 500 
Americans have been injured and more than 100 U.S. servicemen and women 
have been lost in Afghanistan.
  More than a year after the initial invasion, nearly 110,000 troops 
are still stationed in Iraq, working to build a new, stable beacon of 
freedom in the region. My fellow Senators, the liberation of Iraq is 
turning out to be the most significant military occupation and 
reconstruction effort since the end of World War II. We cannot 
understate the importance of the work being done there today.
  The administration's focus on Iraq leaves the mission in Afghanistan 
incomplete. Despite constant progress there, the fighting is still not 
over. Recent assassinations of government officials, car bombings, and 
the lingering presence of terrorist forces and former Taliban fighters 
force thousands of our troops to stay in-country.
  For their courageous efforts, the Department of Defense has decided 
to award our brave young men and women with the Global War on Terrorism 
Expeditionary Medal--GWOT--and no other medal. This is despite the fact 
that G.W.O.T. medal is meant for any individual who has served overseas 
during the war on terror and may have come within a few hundred miles 
of a combat zone. The dangers of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are 
greater; therefore, along with my colleagues, Senators Lott, Landrieu, 
Inhofe, and Lugar, I propose to correct this mistake by passing 
legislation authorizing the Iraq and Afghanistan Liberation Medals in 
addition to the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
  While some of us in this body have not shared the administration's 
view on this war, we are united when it comes to supporting our troops. 
These young men and women from active duty, National Guard and Reserves 
are all volunteers and exemplify the very essence of what it means to 
be a patriot. We believe that what they are doing in Iraq and 
Afghanistan today differs from military expeditionary activities such 
as peacekeeping operations or no-fly zone enforcement.
  They continue to serve, even though they do not know when they will 
return home to family and friends. They continue to serve despite the 
constant threat to their lives and the tremendous hardships they face.
  There is a difference between an Expeditionary Medal and a Campaign 
medal. We only need to look at an excerpt from U.S. Army Qualifications 
for the Armed Forces Expeditionary medal and Kosovo Campaign medal. In 
order to receive the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, you don't need 
to go to war. You only need to be ``placed in such a position that in 
the opinion of the Joint Chief of Staff, hostile action by foreign 
armed forces was imminent even though it does not materialize.''
  To earn the Kosovo Campaign medal, the standard is higher. A military 
member must:

       Be engaged in actual combat, or duty that is equally 
     hazardous as combat duty, during the Operation with armed 
     opposition, regardless of time in the Area of Engagement. Or 
     while participating in the Operation, regardless of time, 
     [the service member] is wounded or injured and required 
     medical evacuation from the Area of Engagement.

  Many within the military agree that there is a difference. According 
to the Army Times, ``Campaign medals help establish an immediate 
rapport with individuals checking into a unit.'' An expeditionary medal 
like the GWOT does not necessarily denote combat. A campaign medal is 
designed to recognize military personnel who have risked their lives in 
combat.
  Campaign medals matter.

       ``When a Marine shows up at a new duty station, commanders 
     look first at his decorations and his physical fitness 
     score--the first to see where he's been, the second to see if 
     he can hang. They show what you've done and how serious you 
     are,'' said Gunnery Sgt. James Cuneo. ``If you're a good 
     Marine, people are going to award you when it comes time. . . 
     .''

  My fellow colleagues, it is time.
  We must recognize the sacrifice of our young men and women who 
liberated Iraq, including great Americans like Army Specialist Joseph 
Hudson from Alamogordo, NM, who was held as a prisoner of war. The 
Nation was captivated as we watched Specialist Hudson being 
interrogated by the enemy.

[[Page S3347]]

Asked to divulge his military occupation, Specialist Hudson stared 
defiantly into the camera and said, ``I follow orders.'' Those of 
us with sons and daughters were united in worry with Specialist 
Hudson's family. The entire nation rejoiced when he was liberated.

  We have also asked much from our Reserve and National Guard forces. 
The reconstruction of Iraq would not be possible without the commitment 
and sacrifice of the 170,000 Guard and Reservists currently on active 
duty.
  My colleagues, Senators Lott, Landrieu, Inhofe, Lugar, and I are 
committed to honoring our over 200,000 heroes who liberated Iraq and 
Afghanistan. We believe that current administration policy does a 
disservice to our fighting men and women. Therefore we propose, in 
addition to the GWOT medal, new decorations that characterize the real 
missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, two that are distinctive and honor 
their sacrifice, the Iraq and Afghanistan Liberation medals.
  What we do today is not without precedent; Congress has been 
responsible for recognizing the sacrifice and courage of our military 
forces throughout history. Congress has had a significant and 
historically central role in authorizing military decoration. Our 
Nation's highest military decorations were authorized by Congress, 
including: the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Air Force Cross, the 
Navy Cross, the Army's Distinctive Service Cross, the Silver Star, and 
the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  We have also authorized campaign and liberation medals similar to 
what we hope to accomplish with this legislation. A partial list 
includes the Spanish War Service Medal, the Army Occupation of Germany 
Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Berlin Airlift Medal, the 
Korean Service Medal and the Prisoner of War Medal.
  The list goes on and on. The great men an women of our military 
forces are doing their jobs every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is 
time to do our job and honor them with an award that truly stands for 
their heroic service, the Iraq and Afghanistan Liberation Medals.

                          ____________________