[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 91 (Tuesday, July 6, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5173-H5180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thought we would talk tonight about
several things, about our recent several CODELs to Iraq, to the
theater, and also about the defense bill, and lastly, about the
resources, the great American asset that ties all of our defense issues
together, and that is the men and women who wear the uniform of the
United States.
I thought, Mr. Speaker, maybe I would just start off with my great
colleagues, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) and the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), in just talking about a
couple of those great men and women in uniform.
I wanted to read a citation, Mr. Speaker, because we have had a lot
of talk, lots of discussion and enormous publicity about the prison
mess over the last several months. And one way we have countered that
image that I think has wrongfully been splashed against lots of folks
in uniform is by talking about the great heroism of a number of those
people. And I remind my colleagues that we had some 16,000 Bronze Stars
awarded in Iraq, some 127 Silver Stars, and I thought that tonight just
to start off I would talk about a couple of the commendations that have
been given to heroes in that very difficult theater in Iraq.
This is a Silver Star that was presented by order of the Secretary of
the Navy to Staff Sergeant Adam R. Sikes, United States Marine Corps. I
wanted to read this, Mr. Speaker.
``For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the
enemy while serving as Platoon Sergeant, 1st Platoon, Company G, 2nd
Battalion, 5th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5, 1st Marine Division,
I Marine Expeditionary Force on 12 April 2003. During the Battle of At
Tarmiyah, Staff Sergeant Sikes' platoon was pinned down by heavy small
arms and rocket propelled grenade fire in the opening moments of the
fight. Without orders, Staff Sergeant Sikes quickly rallied two of his
squads and set them into position to suppress the enemy and prepare
them to counter attack. With the squads in position, Staff Sergeant
Sikes charged alone across the 70 meters of fire swept ground to close
on the first enemy strongpoint, which he cleared with a grenade and
rifle fire. Moving to the roof of a three-story building that was
exposed to enemy fire, Staff Sergeant Sikes skillfully adjusted 60-
millimeter mortar rounds onto nearby enemy positions. The rounds
isolated the town from enemy reinforcement and decimated an enemy
position in the nearby tree line. Upon learning that the other squad
had taken causalities, Staff Sergeant Sikes moved to their position.
With wounded Marines in a small compound, cut off by the enemy, Staff
Sergeant Sikes signaled an amphibian vehicle and directed their
evacuation while under a hail of small arms and rocket propelled
grenade fire. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and complete
dedication to duty, Staff Sergeant Sikes reflected great credit upon
himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the
United States Naval Service.''
That is one of many, many commendations, Mr. Speaker, that have come
out of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Here is another citation that I thought
I would read tonight. This is a Navy and Marine Corps Commendation
Medal to Staff Sergeant Brian Porter, United States Marine Corps for
heroic achievement while serving as tank commander, 3D Platoon, Company
B, 1st Tank Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 7, 1st Marine Division in
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. ``Staff Sergeant Porter's actions
against the enemy were quick and deadly. Upon initial contact with the
enemy near Imam Anas with two of four tanks in the platoon temporarily
unable to fire, he guided his tank to the right of the platoon and
destroyed an Iraqi T-55 tank with main gun fire. He personally engaged
and destroyed numerous armored personnel carriers and tanks to ensure
the safety of the company. During a reconnaissance operation in Ad
Diwaniyah, he secured the southern flank of the company. During the
ensuing firefight involving mortar fire, machine gun fire, and rocket-
propelled grenade fire, he destroyed a technical vehicle that was
firing upon the platoon at close range. Staff sergeant Porter's
initiative, perseverance, and total dedication to duty reflected credit
upon him and were in keeping with the highest tradition of the Marine
Corps and the United States Naval Service.''
Mr. Speaker, these are obviously just a few out of thousands of
citations that have been given to our soldiers and airmen and Naval
personnel and United States Marines in theater in both Operation Iraqi
Freedom and in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Mr. Speaker, if we have time at the end of our special order, I would
like to
[[Page H5174]]
read a few more of those. But right now I would just like to introduce
two of my great colleagues who also have been really working the issues
that arise from this operation in Iraq and the operation in
Afghanistan. I would like to yield first to the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Hayes).
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, first let me thank my good friend and
chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Hunter), who spends every waking hour and then some
doing everything he can to make sure our fine men and women in uniform
have the support, the equipment, and the backing they need. So we are
all owing a debt of gratitude to our chairman and to our good friend,
the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson). He and I have a lot of
common friends in this fight. The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr.
Wilson) represents Ft. Jackson, a fine training facility, Parris
Island, Marine Beaufort Air Station.
Every time I visit my troops at Ft. Bragg or Pope Air Force Base in
North Carolina, I am constantly, continuously and consistently amazed
at the attitude, the ability, the commitment, and the performance of
these men and women who ask but little in return except the support of
this Congress and the American people.
I have been to Iraq on a number of occasions. I was with the first
group that went in. What our soldiers, sailors, Air Force, Marine and
Coast Guardsmen put up with in terms of conditions, the things that
they did not have but still came through, and won the fight in a
remarkably short period of time with virtually no collateral damage to
civilians and to other property is an incredible tribute to the
servicemen and women that serve this country.
President Bush said something in Istanbul, Turkey just a week ago,
and that was, In order to have justice, you had to have democracy. What
our men and women in uniform are doing is providing for the Iraqi
people and other surrounding nations the opportunity to see, to taste
and to experience the democracy that equals freedom and ultimately
justice. That is what we want for people all around the world, the
privileges that we enjoy and, unfortunately, take for granted.
As I have been to Iraq and as I have visited our soldiers in training
facilities, the amount of time and energy and effort that they put into
making America safe, secure, and ultimately free is something that we
can never repay. But I think for us to stand up and to stand tall and
talk about the things that they are doing, whether it be in Fallujah,
Baghdad, Najaf, Nasiriyah, and Afghanistan, these men and women 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, are out there doing the things that we call
on them to do, tirelessly, without any idea of selfishness.
I cannot help but remember Daniel Metzdorf. I was in Iraq just a
couple of months ago and was there with our good friend, the gentleman
from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) from the other side of the aisle and the
minority leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), and they
too share our respect for what they saw these men and women doing.
As we were headed back we stopped in Germany and visited our hospital
at Landstuhl. We saw a number of folks, but the one I particularly
remember because he looked like my son, Bob, as I walked in the door
was Daniel Metzdorf of the 82nd Airborne. He had lost his leg. His
concern was for the rest of his team. As he came back and has
recovered, been at Walter Reed, he is a native of Florida but is back
at Ft. Bragg now, his biggest concern was that his squad leader was not
given sufficient recognition for the heroism that he exhibited in
saving other members of his team when they were under attack by the
enemy and the terrorists.
So as I think of him and the countless other men and women, a couple
of whom the gentleman has referred to in those citations, I think we
must continue to remind ourselves of how important these sacrifices
are. And these are not sacrifices made at the whim of an individual or
a Congress or a group of people. If we look at the record, the record
is very clear from the past administration, from news media who now
seem to have an extremely difficult time getting the facts right,
reporting the actual conduct and the progress and wonderful things that
our troops are doing for the people in Iraq, but as we look at that it
is very clear and consistent, we have no choice. If we were to live up
to the responsibilities of being a free and freer Nation, then we had
to step in and stop these terrorists abroad before they could come to
us.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to bringing a few more of these facts to
light as we move on, but without dwelling too long at this time, I
would like to turn over to a dear friend, the gentleman from South
Carolina (Mr. Wilson). And we have supplied the gentleman with Abe
Turner from Ft. Bragg to look after Ft. Jackson. So we are definitely a
team and we work well together.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to say before the gentleman yields,
I know he has been to Iraq and we really appreciate that great tour,
and also the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) has spent a lot
of time in Iraq. And I want to thank also the gentleman from California
(Mr. Calvert), a great member of the committee, and the gentleman from
El Paso, Texas (Mr. Reyes) who was there with me over the last couple
of weeks. So we have had great members of the Committee on Armed
Services going over. I think that gives us some insight of what the
troops need when we are putting together our bill to get the tools so
they can get the job done.
I thank the gentleman for his remarks, and I yield to the gentleman
from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson).
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the
chairman's leadership so much. We can all be proud of the gentleman
from California (Mr. Hunter), as the chairman of the Committee on Armed
Services. With his perspective as a veteran and with his devotion to
the military, having a son serving in Iraq now, by his extraordinary
leadership, I appreciate his coming and visiting Ft. Jackson last
December. That was a highlight of my brief career here in Congress, to
see the gentleman firsthand meeting with troops getting ready to deploy
overseas. They were so honored to have the gentleman come and show his
interest.
Mr. HUNTER. I want to thank the gentleman. I just want to remind the
gentleman that my job here is lots of inside work and no heavy lifting.
It is interesting, we do a lot of things here that have some import
and affect the ways our troops operate. But seeing those guys and
ladies in 120 degree heat in Iraq and cheerful is an extraordinary
experience.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. They can be cheerful because they know
they have a chairman of the Committee on Armed Services who is
personally interested in their safety and security and in promoting
democracy and protecting the American people.
Additionally, I am very grateful to be here with my colleague from
the north, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).
I had an opportunity to visit with the gentleman at Ft. Bragg and
visit with the Special Forces. It is so reassuring to see this new
generation, to see how dedicated they are. Many of us had somewhat
dismissed them as the Nintendo generation. Well, that is actually very
positive because the equipment that they use is so high tech, it is
crucial that they be able to operate equipment that is almost
inconceivable in terms of advances in just a few years, and
particularly even over the first Persian Gulf War, and the success of
our troops and dedication is so heart warming.
Additionally, I was happy to hear the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Hayes) reference Pope Air Force Base. I have a nephew who is
currently still in the Air Force, and I am really proud that he served
at Pope. But the perspective I would like to make tonight is indeed as
a veteran, I retired after 31 years of service, it was last July, with
my service with the Army National Guard, and I saw again firsthand the
capable people who are protecting our country, because my job was as
pre-mobilization legal counselor and additionally mobilization
counseling. People did not whine. They knew, men and women, that they
would be serving to protect the American people.
{time} 2015
Additionally, I am happy to be the parent of three sons who are
serving in the military. My oldest son is a young
[[Page H5175]]
attorney from Lexington, South Carolina. He has been mobilized. He is
serving in Iraq. I am in touch with him virtually every day by
BlackBerry, by satellite phone. It is very reassuring.
My second son is a graduate of the naval academy, an ensign in the
Navy. I am very proud of him being in medical school.
My third son was just commissioned a month and a half ago at Clemson
University, in the Army ROTC; and he will have a career in the signal
corps with the Army National Guard.
I am just so proud that they have on their own seen that one of the
best ways to promote our country is to serve in the military; and then,
finally, as a Member of Congress, it has already been referenced by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), I am very grateful to
represent Fort Jackson, ably commanded by General Abe Turner.
General Turner is so well known here in Congress because he was Army
liaison to Congress and did a masterful job. I then ran into him, of
all things, in Kuwait where he was one of the leaders there and helping
us protect and promote our troops.
Additionally, I represent the Marine air station at Beaufort. We are
very proud of their service. It is a joint Navy and Marine facility
with squadrons of both; and I also represent Parris Island, where the
training takes place of our troops on the east coast, and I have been
there in 3 days of parallel training; and it was an extraordinary
opportunity again to see the dedication of these young people.
I also represent the Beaufort Naval Hospital adjacent to McIntyre Air
National Guard Base, Sully Air Force Base. I, again, over and over
again, had the opportunity to meet young people, to meet people who are
so dedicated in protecting our country.
Indeed, it was 2 weeks ago today that I had the opportunity to go on
a delegation with the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) with the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and we had the opportunity
to meet with the incoming Iraqi police being trained. We had the
opportunity to meet with the new government officials, the Prime
Minister, Ayad Allawi, and also President Ghazi al-Yawer. It was very
encouraging.
The Prime Minister is a real hero. He himself was a victim of Saddam
Hussein's attempted assassination a number of years ago. I have heard
it described he was virtually cut in half, but he recovered. His wife,
though, did not. She had a permanent nervous breakdown. And so we have
a very brave person serving as Prime Minister in Ayad Allawi promoting
the people of Iraq to build a civil society.
Many of us had the opportunity, thanks to the gentleman from Missouri
(Mr. Blunt), to meet with President Ghazi al-Yawer. He is a graduate of
George Washington University; and he announced to us that he is an
optimist, that he believes a civil society can be established in Iraq,
and I believe that we have seen in the past 10 days, since he took
power and since the Prime Minister took power on the 28th, that,
indeed, they are working to rebuild a civil society in Iraq.
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, the gentleman
from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) and I were in on the same meeting, and
that was a wonderful opportunity. What he and I heard in terms of the
appreciation of the Iraqi people, the desire of their people and their
government to be free, the incredible gratitude that they feel towards
our soldiers. Does the gentleman read anything like that in our
national media? Does the gentleman hear that on the news at night?
What my colleague and I heard both there and in Iraq, we do not hear
it. That is what the people of America need to hear and see, because
that is true. That is what is happening in Iraq. That is the
contribution. That is how the people who are receiving this help,
particularly from men and women in uniform, that is the true response.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. It really is, and particularly with
President al-Yawer. He was so outspoken in his appreciation for the
dedication of our young people, of families who have lost heroes, who
are protecting American people; and it was just heartfelt. It was the
same heartfelt feeling that we actually did see, thank goodness, with
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, who was here about 3 weeks ago
to express the appreciation of the people of Afghanistan for their
liberation and their ability now for probably the first time in history
to establish a civil society.
When I say ``civil society,'' I am talking about one that looks out
for the people and the country, and one of the highlights was to meet
with the minister of health in Iraq. He had previously been the
minister of education, and he was telling us one by one of the progress
being made in regard to education.
Thousands of schools have been renovated. These are not elegant
schools with gymnasiums. These are largely one-room schoolhouses that
have been repainted, many of them by the American military, with desks
and with blackboards. In fact, 1\1/4\ million book bags were
distributed to the young people of Iraq from the United States Agency
For International Development.
Additionally, he told us that there are 293,000 teachers in Iraq.
What we hear when we read the paper is that people are unemployed. That
is all we hear; but there are 293,000 teachers, and it was incredible
to me.
I asked the minister what is the percentage of young people who are
school age going to school; and he told us it was around 90 percent,
maybe exceeding 90 percent, and that, in fact, in April when there was
an upsurge in violence, the young people still came to school, and they
were brought by their parents.
I find this encouraging because we know another fact is that there
were 60 million new textbooks distributed in the last year. This is
incredibly important. The textbooks previously had been idolatrous of
the dictator Saddam Hussein. They had virtually identified him as a
reincarnated Nebuchadnezer. That was an insult to their intelligence;
but if that is all they read, that is all they read, that is all they
heard.
Now, of course, we have all seen, as we have visited, the satellite
dishes. Those were illegal under the Hussein dictatorship. Those of us
who have visited, everywhere we look we see satellite dishes where it
may not be all we want them to see, but they do have choices that they
did not have before. So a civil society, I think, is being established.
Then the bravery that is exhibited. The gentleman from Nevada (Mr.
Porter) was very interested that we visit a hospital; and we visited a
hospital, and we visited with the American troops, and we visited with
Iraqi patriots. In particular, there was a city councilman who was
there who had been severely injured and his young son was there, and he
was telling us that his brother had been killed in the same attack a
week ago prior to us meeting with him and that another son, somebody
had left a package at their home and when he picked it up, it was a
small bomb that blew his right hand off. How brave that he persisted in
trying to build a civil society.
It just brings to mind, particularly here in the week of the 4th of
July, of the sacrifices of the persons who signed the Declaration of
Independence. They were not greeted with riches and with a warm
response by the ruling elite at that time. They lost so much, and now
we have got people who are indeed promoting the establishment of a
democracy.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I know both the gentlemen mentioned going
through the air base in Germany, Ramstein Air Base, and going to the
medical facility in Germany where our wounded troops are taken before
they are brought back to Walter Reed or Bethesda; and in doing that
this time, just this last week, I was reminded very strongly about what
we displaced in Iraq when we got rid of Saddam Hussein, because one of
the lead surgeons there had a videotape that was done by Saddam
Hussein's agents as they amputated the hands of businessmen who they
brought to the prison and decided, because Saddam Hussein had figured
that they had not done enough for business lately and they had not
brought the economy up sufficiently in Iraq in a certain period of
time, he had their hands surgically amputated to give a little
motivation to the other members of the business community. I imagine
[[Page H5176]]
it did motivate them. It probably motivated them to get out of there as
quickly as they could.
When I see the discussion about Iraq peel off into some type of a
debating society over whether or not we have found weapons of mass
destruction lately, I pull that picture out of my top drawer that has
all those Kurdish mothers spread out across the hillside dead, where
they were killed in mid-stride holding their children, holding their
little babies, where that chemical hit them and appeared to kill them
just where they stood, and those pictures were as poignant and dramatic
as any photos I saw of any of the death camps in Germany.
I was reminded once again of what we displaced when we displaced
Saddam Hussein; and certainly, we are going to have, as the years go by
and more mass graves are discovered and more people come forth with
their stories, it is going to become very evident that the United
States of America acted when others were afraid to act, when they were
intimidated or when they were incentivized not to act because of
economic situations, like the French who thought they were going to get
all the contracts for the big oil fields, and perhaps others who
thought that they somehow would have a good political or economic
relationship with Iraq.
The United States acted, and we acted on behalf of humanity because
it is humanity which rejects cutting people's hands off because they
have not raised the economic standard; or shooting thousands of Shiites
in the back of the head and bulldozing them into open trenches because
they would resist Saddam Hussein's regime; or gassing Kurdish citizens
in their little villages in northern Iraq. That is resisted by
humanity, and the only nation which really took action along with our
great British allies and Australia allies and several others brought
something to the battle but not a lot, was the United States of
America, and I think we can all be proud of that leadership.
It is going to be a rocky, tough road. They live in a tough
neighborhood, and there is lots of danger for that new government to
face. In fact, I think the biggest challenge for their armed forces is,
number one, just keep their government alive, because there are lots of
predators out there that want to take them down. I think we are going
to make it and we are going to have an Iraq which is benign with
respect to its relationship with respect to the United States, and that
is going to accrue to the benefit of lots of Americans in generations
to come.
I would be happy to yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Hayes).
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, just a couple of quick points.
Again, the gentleman referred to the Iraqi businessmen whose hands
were cut off. They came here to the Capitol of the United States of
America and had a press conference. I did not see anything about that
anywhere near the front page, simply to make the point.
Mr. HUNTER. No. In fact, you know what I saw, The Washington Post had
a front page article about the prison mess, and what they devoted the
front and center to their front page on one day was that some prisoners
in Guantanamo had asked for sugar in their tea, and they were told it
was going to be a while before they got sugar for their tea. So they
thought that was quite an abuse, and so instead of putting in an
article about people who had their hands amputated by Saddam Hussein,
they wanted to devote that very important space to prisoners who did
not get sugar in their tea.
Mr. HAYES. The issue of weapons of mass destruction, let me for just
a moment quote what the administration said about weapons of mass
destruction.
The New York Times reported November 14, 1997, in a meeting that the
White House was deciding to prepare the country for war. According to
the Times, the decision was made to begin a public campaign to do
interviews on the Sunday morning television news programs to inform the
American people of the dangers of biological warfare and Saddam
Hussein.
During this time, The Washington Post reported that President Clinton
specifically directed Secretary of Defense Cohen to raise the profile
of biological and chemical threat.
Again, I point out, this was the former administration, not because
of partisan politics but because of the unanimous consensus that
existed about the weapons of mass destruction.
On November 16, Cohen made a widely reported appearance on ABC's
``This Week'' in which he placed a 5-pound bag of sugar on the table
and stated that that amount of anthrax would destroy at least half the
population in Washington, D.C.
Cohen began his November 25 briefing on the ``Pentagon Report'' by
showing a picture of a Kurdish mother and child that had been gassed by
Saddam's Army. A bit later, standing beside the gruesome image, he
described death on a mass scale: one drop of vx nerve agent on your
finger will produce death in a matter of just a few moments.
Now, the U.N. believes that Saddam may have produced as much as 200
tons of vx; and this would, of course, be theoretically enough to kill
every man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth.
He then sketched a massive chemical attack on an American city, on
and on and on.
{time} 2030
Steven Hayes has written, by the way, no kin of mine. So I am not
promoting my relative's book. Not a relative. I want to make that clear
for the record.
Mr. HUNTER. He may make that point to you when you try to get a part
of the royalty.
Mr. HAYES. That is probably true.
The book is very accurate, very concise, and there is also a
condensed 7- or 8-page article on where the connection between
terrorists around the world was so clearly made and tied into Saddam
Hussein, his government, and their effort to promote, to build, and to
harbor terrorists. So clear. So if anybody has any doubt in their mind,
simply read that article, which is in the Weekly Standard, or read the
book. The evidence is clear. It cannot be denied.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Chairman, it should be pointed out
that, indeed, a certain gas projectile was discovered, that is a
chemical weapon, and, additionally, mustard gas has been discovered,
projectiles in the country of Iraq, which had previously been in the
jurisdiction, obviously, of Saddam Hussein. It was clearly indicated
that, of course, chemical weapons were being used against the Kurdish
population by Saddam Hussein.
It is equally significant that the anthrax that was never explained
as to what happened to it or where it may be, could fit in the back of
a medium-sized U-haul, but yet it would be sufficient to have a
horrible impact. More than the known population on the East Coast could
have been killed by such an attack if it were widely dispersed, which
would be difficult, but we would not want to find out. That is why we
took this action. And this war in Afghanistan, the conflict in theater
in Iraq, this is to protect the American people.
My colleague from California brought up our allies, but this needs to
be brought out. We have 32 nations that have sent troops to Iraq. I am
particularly grateful that 2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet a
soldier from Latvia. Not in our lifetime would we ever dream that we
would be meeting with a soldier from the Independent Republic of
Latvia, which is now a free republic. Not any longer is it a forced
member of the U.S.S.R., the Soviet Union. Now Latvia itself is a member
of NATO.
It should also be noted, and it is just amazing how this is not
picked up, when we express concern about NATO's involvement, we should
be pointing out that 16 of the 26 members in NATO have troops serving
in Iraq today. I want to particularly congratulate, because I have
worked very closely as the co-chair of the Congressional Bulgaria
Caucus, I want to thank the Republic of Bulgaria. I had the opportunity
in Kabul, Afghanistan, to meet with the Bulgarian ambassador and
commander of Bulgarian troops serving in Afghanistan.
I am very pleased there is a battalion of 495 Bulgarians serving in
Iraq today. That is the largest foreign placement of troops in the
nearly 1,300-year history of Bulgaria. For the first time, Bulgaria has
invited a foreign country, the United States, to establish a base in
their country, an air base at Burgas.
[[Page H5177]]
This is incredible, because every other base that has been established
in Bulgaria has been done involuntarily, not at the request of the
national assembly.
So this is an historic time where, because of the veterans who have
made this possible, I believe there is a greater spread of democracy
today than in the history of the world. The way I phrased it, too, I
have had the opportunity to visit with our troops, and Dutch troops and
Australian and Polish troops at Bishkek, Kyrgystan; at Kharshi-
Khanabad, Uzbekistan; and Bagram, Afghanistan, and all of these are
former Soviet air bases that had been built to fight the United States,
which are now American and coalition air bases fighting the terrorists
and winning the war on terrorism.
I think it is a remarkable time for us to celebrate the successes of
the American military that are unparalleled in history, and I am very
proud of what is being done. I am very proud of the successes, and I am
confident the young people who are today on the front lines are going
to persist and, with the resolve of the American people and around the
world, succeed.
Mr. HUNTER. The gentleman is absolutely right. And this Cold War was
won by American service personnel. I look at Korea and Vietnam as two
of the important battles in that war and battles which helped to bring
that war to a successful conclusion.
The gentleman makes a great point about people who used to be behind
the Iron Curtain now serving side-by-side with Americans. And I am
reminded also that troops from Nicaragua and El Salvador, which were
the centers of the so-called Contra wars during the 1980s, when
America's liberals said Ronald Reagan should stay out of Central
America; that if the Soviets want to have an influence in Central
America, which they were having with the Communist Sandinista and the
FMLN in Salvador, let them have it, said the liberals, and let us stay
out of Central America; we cannot possibly win that war. And of course
they brought back the old Vietnam thing, they said you are going to get
bogged down in another Vietnam. Today, we have fragile democracies in
each of those countries, and they have sent troops to stand side-by-
side with Americans in Iraq to try to bring freedom to yet another
country.
I was told, incidentally, that the Salvadorans in particular have
fought fiercely in the Iraq theater; that they are excellent fighters
and they very much support the coalition, and that they have brought a
measure of strong support to our operation there. So I thank the
gentleman for bringing that up because I think that is an important
one.
When Ronald Reagan was bringing down the Wall, and when he met that
first move of force by the Russians during his administration, when the
Soviet Union started to ring Western Europe with SS-20 missiles and
Ronald Reagan started to push in ground launch cruise missiles and
Pershing missiles into Europe, the liberal commentators across the
world said, essentially, now you have gone and done it; we will never
have peace with the Soviet Union, and we have to get this Ronald Reagan
out of there.
Yet, by meeting the strength of the Soviet Union with American
strength, the President produced a situation where at one point the
Russians picked up the phone and said, can we talk? And when they
started talking, they talked not about a negotiated settlement but they
talked really about the disassembly of the Soviet empire brought about
by American strength.
I think this operation in Iraq, while it is tough and hard and very
dangerous, is going to produce a good result in that very difficult
part of the world.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Chairman, as we sit here and call attention to our
incredible allies, I think that we may have forgotten momentarily the
Italians, who have been incredibly courageous, along with the
Hungarians, the South Koreans, and the list, as the gentleman from
South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) pointed out, is 32-plus members.
My colleague was talking about these agents, biological weapons,
chemicals, but what I mentioned was the previous administration in the
1990s. What has happened in June 24, of 2004? Charles Duelfer, head of
the Iraq weapons inspection team, announced his group had uncovered at
least 10 more artillery shells filled with banned chemical weapons from
the regime of Saddam Hussein. I have not read that prominently in any
paper or heard it on the nightly news.
Duelfer announced that his team is finding new WMD evidence almost
every day, and I quote. ``A roadside bomb, discovered May 15, contained
chemicals that when combined formed sarin gas. All such weapons were
supposed to have been destroyed. Chemical munitions were probably
stored with conventional arms at some of the thousands of weapon depots
located throughout Iraq. Military officials have uncovered some 8,700
weapon depots and continue to find new ones, and estimate the weapon
depots in Iraq contain between 650,000 and 1 million tons of arms.''
How do you kill 400,000 people and not refer to weapons of mass
destruction? It defies common sense.
Mr. HUNTER. Well, I thank the gentleman for pointing that out, and I
think that the American service personnel who are serving in Iraq,
because of what the gentleman has mentioned, are undergoing enormous
hardship because they always have to be on guard for the possibilities
that other shells, for example, that have nerve agents like the one
that was picked up as an IED in Baghdad and was partly exploded to the
point where the people who were the team that were neutralizing the
shell got sick, there is always a possibility that more shells are
going to be taken out of that particular load or cache of weapons. And
that will be a danger to American troops. So I thank the gentleman for
bringing that point up.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if my chairman would kindly
yield to me for 30 seconds.
Mr. HUNTER. I would be happy to yield to the gentleman.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Chairman, I notice that you have about 20
minutes more left in this hour, and I believe that the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Inslee), myself, and the gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Delahunt), as well as a couple of other Members have an hour
coming up. I found it very interesting, the conversation. Obviously, we
may have some differing views on this, but I wonder if the chairman
might consider that perhaps next week or the balance of the week at
some time, that we could, those of us interested in this issue and have
the articulate views, as my colleague and the other Members do, might
consider combining our hour sometime and having a discussion?
Mr. HUNTER. I would be happy to. I would say to my friend that I
would be happy to.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Maybe we could discuss that off the floor and
perhaps we might benefit the whole American public by the kind of
discussion that could take place.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to do that with my friend.
I cannot guarantee the American public is going to make a sell-out
crowd for us, but I would be happy to do that. Sure.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. I am sure with this trio that is here this evening
and those we could bring to the discussion, particularly those of my
esteemed colleagues on the Committee on Armed Services, I think we
might get an audience that might not necessarily be able to follow the
hearings that the chairman has put together so far.
In any event, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy and
we will talk about it and perhaps something good in terms of dialogue
could result.
Mr. HUNTER. I look forward to it.
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Hawaii will yield.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Well, the time belongs to the Chairman.
Mr. HUNTER. I would be happy to yield to the gentleman.
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to call attention to our
friends here, and anyone watching, that my first real experience with
the Committee on Armed Services was with the gentleman from Hawaii. We
were dealing with an issue in Bosnia which demanded bipartisan
attention, and when it comes to supporting the men and women in
uniform, the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) is there. He will
be there with you.
[[Page H5178]]
So I thought it was appropriate to call attention to a very fine
memory, of many that I have, of the gentleman from Hawaii.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful, Mr. Chairman. I
will yield any time to take that kind of compliment.
Mr. HUNTER. You better leave on that one. That is a good one.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Can I leave now?
Mr. HUNTER. I thank the gentleman.
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I want to also join in
thanking the gentleman from Hawaii for his constructive suggestion.
But I want to reiterate again too that the war we are into, this
global war on terrorism, is not something the United States sought. It
is my humble opinion that the first attack was really in 1979, with the
attack on our embassy in Tehran. We can all remember the signs that
were carried at that time were ``death to America.'' It does not need a
discussion. That is what the intent is. And the reason for this feeling
is because the United States represents freedom of association, of
speech, as we just saw, freedom of women to participate in society, and
freedom of media. All of this is being opposed by people who want to
construct a 14th century life-style.
This is not a religious war. To me, it is a group of extremists who,
as we saw last week, there was a heinous suicide bomber who attacked a
Shiite mosque in Pakistan. Imagine just going straight into a mosque
and killing 20 people. This is just something that has to be faced, and
we either face the enemy overseas or we will again see them here in the
United States, as we did on September 11.
September 11 was the culmination of a direct attack on the United
States in 1993 on the World Trade Center, a direct attack on our
embassies in 1998, at embassies all throughout Africa, and then, of
course, the infamous attack on U.S.S. Cole in Yemen in the year 2000,
and finally the attack of September 11, 2001. America is responding.
And I am very grateful that just as after World War II we helped
rebuild Germany so it would not be a breeding ground for communism, we
are helping to rebuild Iraq. I am sorry that it does not get the
attention it should. It is probably just dull to hear that there is
freedom of the press and media in Iraq. It is dull to hear the schools
have been reopened. It is dull to hear the hospitals have all been
reopened and the health clinics are available. But it is not dull. It
is creating a civil society that protects the American people. We were
able to protect the American people and defeat communism, and I am
confident we can do the same thing in defeating terrorism.
I am so happy the gentleman brought up Ronald Reagan. It was 20 years
ago virtually this minute that he was attempting to win the Cold War by
putting Pershing missiles in Western Europe. Millions of people
demonstrated against that in the United States and Western Europe. It
ultimately led, again, to our victory.
I had the extraordinarily opportunity Sunday to meet with people at
our church who are from Russia, and I was telling them how incredible
it was for me to be there with them, because 15 years ago we were told
that they like living under communism; that due to their serf
background, they liked being slaves; that they really did not want to
have to make decisions of who to elect and how to elect, what jobs to
take, how much money to earn, whether they could buy a car or not; that
they really enjoyed living in oppression.
{time} 2045
We know that is not true. The dear Russians that I met with on Sunday
said how much they appreciated what President Reagan and the American
people have done to provide for their liberation. The same analogy
applies to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is such a positive
time to see what our troops are doing.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Gingrey), also a great member of the Committee on Armed Services
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the distinguished chairman of
the Committee on Armed Services. I know if the troops who are so
bravely defending us, our liberty in Iraq and Afghanistan, if they have
any opportunity to read a newspaper or listen to a radio or watch
television, I know they know that if there is any greater friend than
the chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services, the gentleman
from California (Mr. Hunter), it is possibly the Commander in Chief,
George W. Bush. I thank the gentleman for giving me an opportunity to
say a few words tonight during this important hour.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, the 108th Congress appropriated some
$187 billion to Operation Iraqi Freedom. $18.5 billion was to restore
the infrastructure of this Middle Eastern country long neglected by
their dictator, Saddam Hussein. While Saddam Hussein was incurring huge
debts, some say as much as $100 billion to build up his own personal
military and to construct numerous palaces, compounds to his own glory
and edification, those of us on both sides of the aisle of the
committee, we were there and saw these palaces. While at the same time
the typical Iraqi citizen, especially the Shiite majority and the
Kurds, was not only suffering from a lack of the basic necessities of
life, but they were also being killed and tortured with reckless
abandonment.
Mr. Speaker, I could talk more time than I am allotted about how we
are expending this $18.5 billion appropriation to restore the
infrastructure, the needs, basic needs such as water and sewer plants,
electricity, and schools; but let me use the time that I have got to
discuss something that I know a little bit about and that is called
health care.
I am a physician member of the House of Representatives; and along
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I care deeply about the
health care, most basic health care needs of the impoverished Iraqi
people.
Mr. Speaker, let us do a little before and after comparison on health
care expenditures in Iraq. Saddam Hussein's regime provided only $16
million for the ministry of health in 2002. That was less than $1 per
person. This is a 23 to 24 million population country. The Iraqi
medical system severely lacked medical equipment and capabilities.
Doctors' salaries were about $20 a month.
Today, Iraq's 2004 budget for health care is $950 million, a $934
million increase over 2002. All 240 hospitals and more than 1,200
health clinics are now open. The minister of health assumed full
independent authority on March 28, 2004, and the minister of health is
addressing drug shortages by making emergency drug purchases. Health
care spending in Iraq has increased 30 times over its prewar levels,
and children are receiving crucial vaccinations for the first time.
Over 5 million children have been immunized for measles, mumps, and
rubella. Every child in our country gets that basic right. It is
estimated that 85 percent of Iraqi children now have been immunized.
Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I was listening to some discussion on
this floor of the House earlier and a member on the other side of the
aisle spoke about fairness. He used that little cute way of saying the
F word, and the F word being fairness, and said it was not fair for us
to be spending money on the health of the Iraqi people when it is
estimated 40 million Americans do not have health insurance. But, Mr.
Speaker, they have health care. They may not have health insurance, but
they have basic health care; and I would remind my colleagues on
September 11, 2001, 3,000 of our citizens, citizens of other countries,
had good jobs with health care and health insurance, but they were
killed. They are not with us today. Their families no longer have their
presence, and yet they had great health care. So it is hugely important
that we provide this infrastructure, this basic health care need to the
Iraqi people.
It would be unconscionable to free them from the dictatorship of
Saddam Hussein and leave them in poverty and squalor without having
these basic health care needs met, because we would just be creating
yet another dictator to take Saddam Hussein's place. I think it is
entirely appropriate that we spend this money to restore the
infrastructure, including the health care, the basic health care needs,
of the Iraqi people. With that I yield back to my chairman.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
[[Page H5179]]
Gingrey) for the point he has made. It is a very important point. That
is the message that I think has gone out to people around the world.
They really understand the goodness of this country. Interestingly,
they might not understand by watching our own television, but they have
enough experiences with their own families and with their own view of
the world to know that the United States is a good country.
I am reminded of a couple of years ago when my parents were in Manila
in the Philippines, and the Philippines were undertaking demonstrations
against the United States. The demonstration leadership would walk over
to the line of Filipinos waiting to get visas to come into the United
States, and they would hire people to take hold of signs that said
``Down with the United States,'' or ``The United States out of the
Philippines.'' They would hire them to demonstrate against the United
States and after they demonstrated awhile, the demonstrators would then
give back their signs to the organizers, and they would retake their
position in line waiting for their visa to the United States that they
just demonstrated against.
I think it is clear to the Iraqi people that we are the good guys. I
think they are reflecting on this now as we have turned this government
over. They have been ruled by a government for so long that was very
self-serving. Its own survival and its own enrichment were the major
goals that it undertook. Here is the United States, which has expended
an enormous amount of human capital and our economic capital in this
part of the world, and yet what we are asking them to do is be free; be
free, grow your economy, become prosperous, become a member of the
world community, which does not oppress its people; and it is our hope
if you have a free government, you are not going to oppress other
people.
The Iraqis are going to have to be tough to maintain this government.
There are going to be bombs and explosions going off in Iraq for a long
time to come. If the pouring in of resources could stop explosions from
going off, we would not have explosions in Israel right now, but that
is a fact of life in that part of the world. It is going to have to be
a tough government with some grit. They are going to have to develop a
military that has the capability of protecting that government and
protecting this running chance at freedom that we have given the Iraqi
people.
Maybe it will not work; but from the beginning of time to the end of
time, the only time when the Iraqi people will have had a real chance
at freedom is when the Americans were there, and that is something we
can all be proud of.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr.
Wilson).
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate
some other heroes who are serving our families, and that is the
families and employers. The families are so dedicated to our
servicemembers who are serving overseas, men and women. We all know
first hand of circumstances where families are making sacrifices.
Additionally, we have got family support groups that we have community
support for. Anyone who wants to help members of our Guard and Reserve,
in any phone book will be the listing of an armory. They can contact
the unit clerk or the AST and offer to assist in some way.
Also, employers. We were very fortunate 2 weeks ago to have a hearing
put together by the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kline), himself a
retired Marine colonel. It was brought to our attention how employers
are coming to bat for the people who have been mobilized and deployed.
There are some indications of obvious problems; but I was told, and
during the hearing it came out, for every one problem, there are nine
good stories of where businesses have come forward to assist their
employees who have been deployed.
They know the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act, now the
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, will protect our servicemembers.
Additionally, there are reemployment rights that will accrue to the
people in the Guard and Reserve. We are all here to help make sure that
they have the jobs that they had when they left, they have their
seniority, that they have the ability to blend back in and assimilate
right away into American society. But it is the employers who are doing
this voluntarily.
Again, families and employers deserve a great deal of credit in
helping us win the war on terror.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman has described something very
important to our country and that is all of us pulling together. That
means we are pulling together whether you are part of the family and
you know your husband or loved one is going to have to take off and
spend some time overseas and you are going to try to pull through those
difficult times, or if your neighbors are going to help out or
relatives are going to help out. Or as the gentleman has said,
employers are going to help out. This country has got to pull together.
We have done a lot of that.
One thing that the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes) has
worked on so much is American businesses pulling together. That means
if you are a business, you are a prime contractor in this country and
you can buy a piece of material or a machine tool from another country
but you have the opportunity to buy one from Americans, and employ
Americans by your purchases, create jobs in America by your purchases,
take a look at that and that is something that the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Hayes) has been encouraging our American businesses to
do. That is part of pulling together.
We are going to have to all do that with the same spirit that we used
to win the Cold War and World War II.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Hayes).
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the effort that the chairman has
put into that because a strong industrial defense base is the key to
our future. With economic security and good jobs in this country, then
we are able financially to support our wonderful military.
A couple of quick things. President Bush has stood tall for freedom
in America and freedom around the world. He said, ``Democracy is the
surest way to build a society of justice. If justice is the goal, them
democracy is the answer.'' President Bush has stood tall for our troops
in Iraq. What do the Iraqis say about what is happening? Well, 68
percent has confidence in the interim Iraqi Government, and 79 percent
think the interim government will make things better for the Iraqis.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, mentioning the President reminded me of
something Saddam Hussein said, because the other day when he got to
have his say in court, which is something he never gave the people that
he oppressed, he said words to the effect that he would not be there if
it were not for George Bush. I will not repeat the adjectives that he
used to describe President Bush, but when he said he would not be there
if it were not for President Bush, or words to that effect, he was
right, George Bush and about 300,000 great Americans in uniform. The
point is we have to be the leaders of the free world. If the free world
were not led by the United States, I do not think there would be a
leader in the free world.
Mr. HAYES. Mr. Speaker, President Bush stood up for freedom, as well
he should.
Just a couple of weeks ago at President Reagan's funeral here in
Washington, I had the unique privilege of standing in line waiting to
walk by the casket of former President Reagan with Mikhail Gorbachev.
{time} 2100
They called Reagan a cowboy; but Mikhail Gorbachev, his adversary at
that time, was at his funeral saying that that man stood up for
freedom, and he won the Cold War, just like President Bush is standing
up and winning the war on terrorism and our troops are making that
happen.
Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Hayes). It must have taken a lot of grit for Mikhail Gorbachev to
have all of the previous speakers or the speakers at that ceremony talk
about how Ronald Reagan equipped him; but, you know, he put up with
that and then paid his respects to President Reagan. And I think there
is a message there, and that is that the goodness of America comes
through, and ultimately it persuades others to follow
[[Page H5180]]
the path of freedom. I thank the gentleman for his comments.
And I think, Mr. Speaker, we are out of time. We would like to yield
back the balance of our time.
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