[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD--RETURNING FREEDOM FIGHTERS----

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, a National Guard unit is coming back home to 
Texas. On Saturday, December 17, 2005, the 1st Battalion 133rd Field 
Artillery will be welcomed back home to the Beaumont Armory, in 
Beaumont, Texas after bravely serving the past year in Iraq. In August 
2004 the Texas Army National Guard deployed the 56th Brigade Combat 
Team of the 36th Infantry Division, to go to Iraq. They trained for 
four months in Ft. Hood, and got to Iraq in December of 2004.
  The 133rd Field Artillery has a long-standing history. This was the 
same famous Texas Army National Guard Division that landed on the 
beaches of Anzio, Italy during WWII, liberated Rome and freed hostages 
in Dachau, Germany.
  They continued this long-standing tradition in Iraq where they 
conducted offensive operations, deny and destroy operations, combat 
logistic patrols and civil military affairs operations. They built 
schools, hospitals, and won the hearts of the Iraqis they met along the 
way.
  In January, I had the privilege of going to Iraq to witness the first 
elections. I met with our military and saw firsthand their 
accomplishments in their fight for Iraqi freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, freedom has a price. Our troops are paying that 
sacrificial price for the Iraqi people and world freedom. 
Unfortunately, the 133rd lost 6 members during their fight for freedom 
and I would like to extend my prayers and our condolences to their 
family and friends. They were making a difference in the world when 
they gave their life. Their bravery, dedication and patriotism will 
never be forgotten.
  President John Kennedy once said, ``The cost of freedom is always 
high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never 
choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.'' We have 
chosen the right path, the hard path, the freedom path. We will 
persevere with the freedom loving people of Iraq until the journey down 
this path is successfully completed.
  The 133rd operated in the Sunni Triangle, Tikrit, Tillal, on the 
Jordanian Border and in Baghdad and it is my pleasure to welcome them 
back to Beaumont, Texas today. I would like to extend a sincere thank 
you to all the members of the 133rd and all the men and women of the 
United States Armed Forces. They have honored us with their commitment 
to Texas and the Nation, and the citizens of America and Iraq owe them 
a debt of gratitude. They are America's best. They are the sons and 
daughters of liberty, they are freedom fighters. They make us proud.
  I join the citizens of Texas's 2nd Congressional District in paying 
the utmost respect to the 1st Battalion 133rd Field Artillery. Through 
their service, Iraq is a free democracy, and America remains the land 
of the free and the home of the brave. That's just the way it is.

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