[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H5689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 BRING THE TROOPS HOME FOR MEMORIAL DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hall of New York). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, the sacrifices of those who have dedicated 
their lives in defense of our country are an important reminder of the 
price of freedom. These brave heroes have served this country with 
distinction, and it is our absolute responsibility to honor them.
  Memorial Day is an opportunity to reflect on how we must support our 
troops, which means honoring our responsibility to provide the best 
protection and support for the men and women who serve in our Nation's 
Armed Forces. It means honoring our promise to provide lifelong health 
care and benefits for our veterans when they return home, and it means 
doing everything we can to bring our troops home from Iraq, out of 
harm's way.
  As we reflect on the sacrifices and the accomplishments of our 
veterans, it's vitally important to reaffirm our support for our troops 
on Memorial Day. And Memorial Day is an opportunity to commend all who 
have defended our country and safeguarded the values cherished by every 
single American. It's a chance to repeat that while we strongly 
disagree with this administration and its continuing occupation of 
Iraq, we support our troops.
  This administration refuses to hear the calls of the vast majority of 
Americans demanding that we bring the troops home. It continues to 
believe that the only way forward in Iraq is to spend more money, send 
more troops for an open-ended debacle. This administration maintains 
its strategy for delay and denial, refusing to plan for an end to the 
Iraq occupation, a blank check and no accountability.
  As the administration stubbornly refuses to accept that we cannot win 
an occupation, the men and women serving in Iraq are suffering the 
consequences of these mistakes. Nearly 20 percent of the soldiers 
returning from Iraq experience some symptoms of post-traumatic stress 
disorder, or PTSD, which puts them at significantly higher risk for 
suicide and drug addictions. More than 34,000 of our servicemembers 
have been injured in Iraq, and more than 3,400 have been killed.
  Sending our soldiers back into an increasingly deadly civil war on 
extended tours with worn-out equipment is not supporting the troops. We 
cannot let this neglect for our veterans become the hallmark of the 
occupation. We must strengthen our commitment to our troops. We must 
provide them with the support they deserve.
  That's why I've introduced H.R. 508, the Bring the Troops Home and 
Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act, which will end the occupation within 
6 months of passage and will provide for full physical and mental 
health care for all of our Nation's veterans. Our troops deserve no 
less.
  Mr. Speaker, this Memorial Day is an opportunity, an opportunity to 
celebrate the honorable service of those who were in past wars, those 
who have served in between wars, and those who are serving today. And 
we can do that by providing our veterans with the support that they 
need. It's an opportunity on this Memorial Day to support the troops 
who are in Iraq by demanding that they come home.

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