[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 148 (Wednesday, November 9, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12558-S12560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS' SUCCESS IN IRAQ

  Mr. SANTORUM. Mr. President, I congratulate the Senator from Texas, 
Senator Hutchison, for her tremendous effort in organizing Members to 
come to the floor to tell the other side of story in Iraq.
  It started with a series of e-mails that I received from different 
people, from constituents to folks who weren't constituents, who 
complained to me--these are soldiers in-country--that they were 
becoming frustrated because every day they would be out there on the 
frontlines in-country, serving, sacrificing for our country and 
accomplishing great deeds and then would have to turn on CNN and other 
news shows and read the clips from the American newspapers and see a 
war being described which they were not seeing. They were not seeing 
the war as being an IED every day but seeing, every day, hundreds of 
thousands of Iraqis working with our American military forces to make 
Iraq a more stable and safe place.
  I, along with Senator Hutchison and my colleagues, have decided it is 
time to start going around the mainstream media and telling the other 
side of the story.
  I came from a press conference downstairs where I had four civilian 
independent military bloggers. These are people who have been in-
country--one is going to be in-country in the next couple of weeks, one 
who is the wife of someone who is heading to Iraq--talking about the 
military blog, talking about all of the information that is now 
populating the Internet, of people who are actually there in-country, 
telling their stories, people who are making a difference every single 
day in the lives of Iraqis.

[[Page S12559]]

  One such person is Captain Jim Bentzley, who is from suburban 
Philadelphia, who wrote to me a month and a half ago. He said:

       The reason I'm writing to you about this mission is because 
     I do not believe that the American public realizes how well 
     we are working with the new Iraqi military. In my own shop, 
     the mission could not be accomplished without the help and, 
     cooperation of my Iraqi troop-employees. Likewise, I help 
     them by guiding them through the U.S. military's logistics 
     system. I'm also trying to educate them past the military 
     logistics by introducing them to some of my civilian-
     experience and U.S. business logistics practices: lean 
     logistics and six sigma. Efficiency is a new concept for them 
     . . . but I believe I can get through to them so that when 
     we, Americans, leave this place, the Iraqis will pick up the 
     mission seamlessly.
       I would like you to visit my operation so that you can see 
     the way we work with the Iraqis and so that the American 
     people can also see. There are a lot of good things going on 
     over here and most of them deal with people and the close 
     relationships that are being formed--this is definitely not 
     seen by America; America only seems to see the darker side of 
     Iraq. Friendships that will last a lifetime are starting 
     here, and they are friendships between former enemies. I 
     realize I've only been here, in Iraq, for a couple of weeks, 
     but already I consider my Iraqi counterparts close friends.

  Corporal Mindo Estrella, from Erie, PA said:

       I like working with the [Iraqi Army] and teaching them our 
     tactics. I think that they've learned what we are teaching 
     them and one day will be able to take over operations.

  Corporal Estrella reenlisted. in the Marine Corps this past October, 
shortly after his battalion arrived: in Iraq. He said:

       I like what I do, It gets rough at times, but nobody made 
     me come out here. I signed the contract knowing what I was 
     getting myself into.

  He reenlisted last month. He said he likes what he does. He feels he 
is making a difference in transforming the country of Iraq.
  LCpl Dan Williams said the same thing. He arrived in mid-March and 
has worked in-country, in Fallujah, to identify lots of insurgents and 
is working with the people now. He says he is getting the intelligence 
from the people in the community, where originally they were hesitant 
to work with them. Now most of the intelligence they are gathering is 
from Iraqi civilians who realize that it is now in their best interests 
for their country that they want to fight for to cooperate not with the 
American military but also with the Iraqi military in rooting out 
insurgents in their country.
  We are making tremendous, positive steps.
  I am going to be working, over the next several months, to make sure 
that the stories of the people who are on the frontline, who are 
fighting the war in the trenches, have their stories told to the 
American public and not people sitting in editorial rooms in New York 
City trying to spin what is going on in the mainstream of Iraq.
  For example, news comes that America has suffered the loss of 2,048 
brave servicemen and women in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The loss of any 
soldier in the cause of freedom grieves us all; especially the parents, 
wives, husbands and children of each deceased loved one. As elected 
officials, we don't know these soldiers as numbers, but as people, with 
hopes and dreams, family and friends. Knowing them as we do, it is hard 
to imagine the loss of any of them.

  As great as the loss is, it can only compound a family's sadness to 
hear some say that the loss of their loved one was neither for the 
protection of America or the freedom of man. Yet we hear it regularly. 
Critics say Iraq posed no threat, as there was no link in Iraq to the 
war on terror. Or that securing freedom in the Middle East is 
impossible or isn't worth one American life.
  To those who have lost their loved ones, don't believe these critics. 
Don't let those poisoned words take root in your heart.
  As you hear of the 2,048th soldier lost, there is another number that 
demonstrates the protection of Americans here, and the preservation of 
freedom around the world. And that number, as best we can ascertain, 
stood at 450 last month.
  Over 450 suicide bombers have attacked in Iraq. That is over 450 
suicide bombers who did not strike at America's homeland, did not 
strike at our embassies, our ships, our civilians around the globe. It 
is your sons and daughters who have protected America from these 450 
plus suicide bombers.
  The suicide bomber represents that greatest threat to America, to 
democracies, to civilized society, and to peace. Stopping suicide 
bombers from attacking America and our allies is the foremost goal of 
the War on Terror. Without terrorists, planes, trains, boats, cars, and 
buses are moving gifts to society. Add a single terrorist, and they are 
transformed into weapons of mass death and destruction.
  With one suicide bomber, a stolen van filled with explosives cost the 
U.S. Embassy in Beirut 63 lives, including 17 Americans. With one 
suicide bomber, a delivery truck took out the Marine Barracks in 
Beirut, costing the lives of 241 U.S. Marines. With just two suicide 
bombers, a small boat hit the U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors. With 
just four suicide bombers, the London subway and buses became the final 
destination for 52 civilians. With just 19 suicide bombers, four 
airliners made for one of America's darkest days by killing nearly 
3,000 innocent people.
  The suicide bomber is the foremost weapon of terrorism today. So how 
can anyone say that 450 ex-suicide bombers in Iraq has not protected 
American lives?
  Critics of this war insist that it is America's presence in Iraq that 
has created the 450 plus suicide bombers in Iraq. Did America's 
presence in Iraq cause the attack on the World Trade Center in 1993? 
Did our presence in Iraq compel terrorist to attack us on 9/11? The 
answer is no. It was our existence in the world that compelled the 
terrorists to attack us, time and again. These suicide bombers existed 
and attacked America before, on, and after 9/11, and well before 
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
  Frankly, I am stunned that after 9/11 that anyone in a position of 
power would assume the peaceful intentions of one suicide bomber, much 
less each and every one of the 450 ex-suicide bombers in Iraq.
  So I believe that 450 fewer suicide bombers does make America safer, 
and our brave men and women in uniform serving in Iraq have protected 
America from these cowards.
  On the Marine Corps website is a story about Lance Corporal Dan 
Williams, a 22-year-old intelligence analyst from Murrysville, PA with 
the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment currently conducting security 
and stability operations in and around Fallujah. Part of Lance Corporal 
Williams' mission is to piece together fragments of data on terrorist 
identities, connections, and locations. This information is used to 
determine where and when to apprehend these individuals, and what type 
of threat they may face upon arrival. Since his unit arrived in Iraq in 
mid-March 2005, Lance Corporal Williams and his fellow Marines have 
helped to apprehend dozens of insurgent supporters and to unearth 
several weapons caches in the area.
  As for this fight for freedom, we now have a democratically-elected 
constitution in place in Iraq. Will freedom and democracy take root and 
flourish in Iraq?
  We cannot say right now. But, when we laid to rest the 1,500 American 
soldiers that perished on D-Day in the grave at Normandy, no one could 
say whether freedom would take in post-Nazi Germany. When we laid to 
rest those 6,891 fallen soldiers at Iwo Jima, no one could say that 
militaristic Japan would become a democratic nation. None of those tens 
of thousands who fought and died in the hot chapter of the Cold War 
knew that freedom would ever arise behind the Iron Curtain, much less 
survive. And even here in America, as we buried the 4,435 lost in total 
at Concord, Lexington, Bunker Hill, Trenton, Princeton, Bennington, 
Cowpens, and Yorktown, no one could say for certain that a government 
of, for, and by the people would take. But it did.
  Each of those who died in all these battles never knew if freedom and 
liberty would result from their sacrifice. Rather, they died for the 
hope and dream that it might exist and flourish, both here and 
elsewhere for our fellow man.
  It is so unfortunate that so often critics of this war fail to tell 
the stories of success coming out of Iraq; the stories which prove that 
our U.S. servicemembers are working with the

[[Page S12560]]

Iraqis to help them to sustain this newfound freedom by helping the 
strengthen their armies.
  The stories of success from our soldiers and sailors in Iraq need to 
be told. Our soldiers need to know that their bravery and hard work in 
Iraq is not in vain.
  This new chance for freedom in this part of the world is due entirely 
to the sacrifice of our soldiers and sailors, and their families.
  I say to our servicemen and women and your families--Our nation owes 
you our gratitude, and we honor you for bestowing the immeasurable gift 
of freedom. We thank each and every one of you.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Pennsylvania 
for talking about what our people with boots on, on the ground in Iraq, 
are saying and what they are seeing.
  I think it is important that we talk to them about the feelings in 
America because some people might get a misimpression if they listened 
to people who actually put forward the idea that we would cut and run 
from something that was started for all the right reasons--to protect 
Americans.
  The President, knowing what happened on 9/11, was determined that he 
was not going to have another terrorist attack on America with weapons 
of mass destruction. That is why we went into the Middle East. We took 
on Saddam Hussein, who was known to have, from many different sources, 
weapons of mass destruction.

  So we are there, and our troops are doing a great job. We are 
building the confidence in Iraq. You can see it from the people who are 
voting with their feet. They are walking to the polls and voting. Even 
under threat of death, they are working to establish a democracy. They 
are defying the terrorists. They know what the terrorists are doing to 
their country, and they are fighting back. And we are going to stand 
and fight with them, as we promised we would do.
  I want to talk about this picture. It says more than any words ever 
could. Michael Yon is a former Green Beret who has been out of the 
service for years. He is also a gifted photographer and writer. He was 
embedded in Iraq for 9 months earlier this year. He learned about the 
area, the people, the unit in which he was embedded, and the situation 
in Iraq. His photographs capture an honest and inspiring message about 
our soldiers' service in Iraq, the mindset of the terrorists we are 
fighting, and what this war is all about.
  I would like to read Michael's own words describing what happened on 
Saturday, May 14, 2005, in Mosul, just before he took this 
heartbreaking picture:

       Major Mark Bieger found this little girl after the car bomb 
     that attacked our guys while kids were crowding around. The 
     soldiers have been angry and sad for two days. They are angry 
     because the terrorists could just as easily have waited a 
     block or two and attacked the patrol away from the kids. 
     Instead, the suicide bomber drove his car and hit the Stryker 
     when about twenty children were jumping up and down and 
     waving at the soldiers.
       Major Bieger, I had seen him help rescue some of our guys a 
     week earlier during another big attack, took some of our 
     soldiers and rushed this little girl to our hospital. He 
     wanted her to have American surgeons and not go to the Iraqi 
     hospital. She didn't make it. I snapped this picture when 
     Major Bieger ran to take her away.
       The soldiers went back to the neighborhood the next day to 
     ask what they could do. The people were very warming and 
     welcomed us into their homes, and kids were actually running 
     up to say hello and to ask soldiers to shake hands.
       Eventually, some insurgents must have realized we were back 
     and started shooting at us. The American soldiers and Iraqi 
     police started engaging the enemy and there was a running gun 
     battle. I saw at least one Iraqi police who was shot, but he 
     looked okay and actually smiled at me despite the bullet hole 
     in his leg. I smiled back.
       One thing seems certain: The people in that neighborhood 
     share our feelings about the terrorists. We are going to go 
     back there, and if any terrorists come out, the soldiers hope 
     to find them. Everybody is still very angry that the 
     insurgents attacked us when the kids were around. Their day 
     will come.

  Mr. President, it is stories like this one that reaffirm why 
Americans are so proud of our troops and proud of the Iraqi people for 
embracing democracy and supporting our efforts to defeat terrorism. 
U.S. troops are not seen as occupiers, as some in our country would 
have you believe. Our soldiers are standing beside Iraqi forces, and 
their sacrifice to win the war on terror will never be diminished.
  We are fighting an enemy who is willing to make a point of killing 
innocent children. There will be no freedom if we cut and run. We know 
why we are there, and we will complete the mission.
  This story shows so much about how our troops feel. And if any person 
in this country talks to troops who have returned from Iraq, they will 
tell you similar stories about the feelings of the Iraqi people. Iraqis 
often are under threat of death if they are talking to American 
soldiers or trying to do something productive that would move their 
country forward, such as voting on a constitution, which they did in 
droves. They are standing firm despite the threats.
  Our troops are going through the process of teaching the Iraqi police 
and the Iraqi soldiers how to help themselves, how to work the 
equipment, and how to counter insurgents who would wait until children 
are in the picture before choosing to blow themselves up.
  This is an enemy that we must not let stay on this Earth. We must 
eradicate it wherever it is. And we must make sure that it does not 
come to America because if this enemy would wait until children are 
surrounding our soldiers to do their heinous crimes, what would they do 
if they came back to America to attack our people? How heinous would 
their crimes be here?
  Our President is trying to make sure they do not have that 
opportunity, that they will not be able to perpetrate their horrible 
and indecent acts against the people of America on our soil. Our 
President is taking every step to assure that Americans are secure.
  So I think it is time for us to stop the partisan bickering. No one 
in their right mind would suggest that this is a time for America to 
turn and run. So let's try to work together to make sure we are doing 
everything possible to help the Iraqi people get on their feet, hold 
their elections, and begin the process of self-government.

       Nothing will eradicate terrorism more quickly than showing 
     that democracy and self-governance can work. That is what our 
     President is leading our country and our troops in the field 
     to provide: Safety and security for the Iraqi people so they 
     can govern themselves. The Iraqi people are moving forward 
     with a constitution they have written and they have voted 
     for, which will be followed by more elections of a parliament 
     and leaders who will take this constitution and make the laws 
     that will give freedom to every Iraqi. Freedom is something 
     which they have not known--many of them--in their lifetimes. 
     It is a worthy cause because it will also assure the security 
     of the American people in future generations.

  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________