[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 57 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H2770-H2771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       COMMENDING AND THANKING OUR BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend and to thank our 
brave men and women in uniform who risk their lives every single day to 
protect America and to keep our families safe.
  We have the very best warfighters in the world who are led by the 
very best commanders, and under President Obama, our military 
servicemembers are experiencing even greater success in keeping our 
Nation safe from those who seek to do us harm.
  Earlier this week, a joint raid by U.S. and Iraqi forces delivered 
what General Odierno, the top military commander in Iraq, identified as 
``potentially the most significant blow to al Qaeda in Iraq since the 
beginning of the insurgency.'' During this raid, two of al Qaeda's top 
leaders were killed, including al Qaeda in Iraq's top leader. This news 
was not only a sign of our continued progress against al Qaeda in Iraq 
and its affiliates but of our progress overall in our fight to quell 
terrorism and to keep America and our allies safe.
  Our increased success in killing and capturing terrorists isn't 
limited just to Iraq. Under President Obama, we have stepped up the 
fight against terrorists, and we have strengthened strategic 
partnerships in places like Pakistan and Yemen. With the help of these 
partners, we are finally making significant progress in the war against 
al Qaeda terrorists and their allies.
  We are capturing terrorist leaders every week, and we are seeing much 
greater success in getting our allies and other countries in the region 
to root out terrorists and to send a loud message that those who seek 
to do us harm will not be able to operate freely. This increased 
progress is markedly noticeable in Afghanistan, which for many years 
under the Bush administration was, frankly, the forgotten war.
  Mr. Speaker, Afghanistan is an epicenter of terrorism. We cannot 
afford to forget that it was the genesis of multiple attacks that have 
killed thousands of Americans: our children, our parents, our spouses, 
our friends, and our neighbors. After nearly a decade with no real plan 
in Afghanistan, we now have a strategy for success under this 
President.
  While we build an Afghan Government capable of keeping al Qaeda from 
using Afghanistan as a safe haven, we are striking ever harder at al 
Qaeda and at their allies as they hide in the mountains of Pakistan. 
Using special operations forces and Predator planes and in cooperating 
with the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, we have captured or 
killed hundreds of al Qaeda's fighters and affiliates since 2009, far 
more than in 2008. In fact, during this administration, more than 600 
terrorists have been killed by drone strikes. That is more than triple 
the amount from 2004-2008 combined.
  The President's new strategy in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, in 
cooperation with Pakistani forces, also helped lead to the capture of 
the Taliban's

[[Page H2771]]

second-in-command, a former Taliban finance minister and two Taliban 
shadow governors. These were the most significant captures of Afghan 
Taliban leaders since the start of the war in Afghanistan. Building the 
capacity and reinforcing the will of other countries to strike at al 
Qaeda will, I believe, be critical toward eliminating this threat 
forever. President Obama's administration deserves to be congratulated 
for its progress on both fronts.
  Importantly, this administration understands that we need a 
comprehensive strategy to prevent terrorism. Just as you cannot 
effectively rid your backyard of poison ivy by just cutting off all the 
leaves, we cannot effectively destroy terrorist cells unless we take 
them out by the roots, cutting off the supply of recruits that feeds 
them. So, in addition to ramping up our missions to capture and kill 
terrorists, we are also now placing a greater emphasis on taking the 
necessary measures to prevent the recruitment of violent extremists.
  Mr. Speaker, with the responsible new steps being taken by our 
Commander in Chief, with the outstanding leadership by our commanders 
on the ground, and with the unrivaled dedication and courage of all of 
our men and women in uniform, I have no doubt that our Nation is safer 
today than it was 3 years ago. We have come a long way in keeping 
America safe from future terrorist attacks.

                          ____________________