[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 47 (Monday, March 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H2649-H2650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               VIEW FROM AN O'BRIEN COUNTY, IOWA, SOLDIER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor tonight to read 
into the Record an editorial that was published in the O'Brien County 
Newsletter, O'Brien County, Iowa. It is from Sean P. O'Brien, First 
Lieutenant, Field Artillery, United States Army and Purple Heart 
recipient.
  It reads like this: ``There are few things that a professional 
military officer can attribute to editorial statements. However, I 
would like to share some of the ideas that more than represent what our 
tour of duty in Afghanistan meant to me. This ethos is to help put 
these personal feelings, which all soldiers have, into a tangible 
rallying point.
  ``I am an American soldier. I am a warrior and a member of a team. I 
serve the people of the United States and live the Army values. I will 
always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will 
never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade.

                              {time}  2015

  ``I am a disciplined, physically and mentally tough trained and 
proficient warrior in my tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, 
my equipment, and myself. I am an expert and I am a professional. I 
stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United 
States of America in close combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the 
American way of life. I am an American soldier.
  ``This is called the Warrior Ethos. Every soldier can recite it. It 
means everything. I cringe when I say this aloud. These words have such 
weight. As far as service, I understand now. When I shake hands with a 
veteran, there is a silent conversation that takes place that 
transcends all words. You can never understand this without 
experiencing it.
  ``I cannot deny the power of facing the enemies of truth with truth. 
The population was the center of gravity, and we systemically engaged 
in separating these bullies from the population, usually by simply not 
leaving. The stability created by our presence allowed civil leadership 
to stop focusing on being brutalized and start focusing on fostering a 
better way of life for the people, education, medical aid, and 
commerce. When the population realized that these ideas were worth 
having, they would generally take on the responsibility of denying safe 
havens for the bad guys.
  ``These people, the Afghans, are just like you and me. They want 
their children to have a safe place to grow. They

[[Page H2650]]

are extremely thankful that we are making the sacrifice we are for 
their nation. It is very humbling to be told that by a common villager. 
These people have known war as a way of life for 2,000 years. That 
being said, it is important to know that in every town there is an 
elder that stated, `The U.S. was just different. You are respectful and 
you want to help us.'
  ``If you have ever held the ideal of compassion for your neighbor, 
then it is easy to understand that Afghanistan and her people are well 
worth the sacrifice. I am thankful to have been a part of a stronger 
future for Afghanistan.''
  And here he says some complimentary things about me which I will 
leave from my presentation but leave in the printed Record and conclude 
with:
  ``As I said before, our efforts in this region are worth it. I 
encourage all to take a longer view. The compassion and the patience of 
the American servicemember make up a large part of their sense of duty. 
This is a fight between good and evil.'' Sean P. O'Brien, First 
Lieutenant, Field Artillery, United States Army, Purple Heart 
Recipient.
  Mr. Speaker, I respectfully enter this into the Record.
       For: O'Brien County Republican Newsletter, Iowa
       There are few things that a professional military officer 
     can attribute to editorial statements; however, I would like 
     to share some of the ideas that more than represent what my 
     tour of duty in Afghanistan meant to me. This ``ethos'' is to 
     help put these personal feelings--which all soldiers have--
     into a tangible rallying point.
       I am an American Soldier.
       I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people 
     of the United States and live the Army Values.
       I will always place the mission first.
       I will never accept defeat.
       I will never quit.
       I will never leave a fallen comrade.
       I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained 
     and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always 
     maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
       I am an expert and I am a professional.
       I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of 
     the United States of America in close combat.
       I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
       I am an American Soldier.
       This is called the Warrior Ethos. Every soldier can recite 
     it. It means everything.
       I cringe when I say this aloud. Those words have such 
     weight. As far as service, I understand now. When I shake 
     hands with a veteran, there is a silent conversation that 
     takes place that transcends all words. You can never 
     understand this without experiencing it.
       I cannot deny the power of facing the enemies of truth with 
     truth. The population was the center of gravity, and we 
     systematically engaged in separating these bullies from the 
     population; usually by simply not leaving.
       The stability created by our presence allowed civil 
     leadership to stop focusing on being brutalized and start 
     focusing on fostering a better way of life for the people; 
     education, medical aid, commerce. When the population 
     realized that these ideas were worth having, they would 
     generally take on the responsibility of denying safe-havens 
     for the bad guys.
       Those people (the Afghans) are just like you and me. They 
     want their children to have a safe place to grow. They are 
     extremely thankful that we are making the sacrifice we are 
     for their nation. It is very humbling to be told that by a 
     common villager.
       These people have known war as a way of life for 2,000 
     years. That being said, it is important to know that in every 
     town, there was an elder that stated:
       ``The U.S. was just different, you are respectful and you 
     want to help us''. If you have ever held the ideal of 
     compassion for your neighbor, then it is easy to understand 
     that Afghanistan and her people are well worth the sacrifice. 
     I am thankful to have been a part of a stronger future for 
     Afghanistan.
       I was honored by the personal efforts of 5th District 
     Congressman Steve King. He actively followed our efforts and 
     through personal correspondence offered his support. I enjoy 
     the fact that there is adequate moral ``top cover'' that 
     actively engages in seeking the truth. Thank you Steve, you 
     are as much a patriot as I ever hope to be.
       As I said before, our efforts in this region are worth it. 
     I encourage all to take a longer view. The compassion and the 
     patience of the American Service Member make up a large part 
     of their sense of Duty. This is a fight between good and 
     evil.
       Sean P. O'Brien, 1st Lieutenant, Field Artillery, U.S. 
     Army, Purple Heart Recipient.

                          ____________________