[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 165 (Tuesday, December 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8296-H8297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 COSTS TOO HIGH FOR WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the recent congressional elections here in 
the United States focused on many issues, but the war in Afghanistan 
was not one of them.
  There is no draft in this country. We have an all-volunteer Armed 
Forces. Only a small percentage of our population is at risk. And no 
one is paying for the war. It is all going on America's credit card. We 
are borrowing all the money to pay for this war. So, why should anyone 
pay attention?
  I believe, Mr. Speaker, that we must pay more attention. There is 
absolutely no excuse for our collective indifference. At 109 months, 
this is the longest war in our history. Over 1,400 of our uniformed men 
and women have lost their lives in Afghanistan. Over 8,700 have been 
wounded in action.
  High levels of deployment continue to strain our uniformed men and 
women, their families and their communities. In spite of the military's 
best efforts, suicide and post-traumatic stress rates continue to soar 
and our ability to care for the wounded is severely overburdened.
  The ability of individual servicemembers and their units to rest, 
recuperate, retrain and reequip themselves for redeployment is 
stretched beyond its limits. And in Afghanistan, our so-called ally, 
President Hamad Karzai, is corrupt. The Afghan military and the police 
are not reliable partners and al Qaeda is someplace else.
  A few weeks ago, President Obama told us we are in Afghanistan for at 
least another 4 years, maybe more. The question is, for what? Why do we 
need to sacrifice more precious American lives? Why do we need to 
continue to align ourselves with a crooked government that routinely 
commits fraud in elections? Why aren't we instead using all of our 
resources to go after the terrorists that murdered so many of our 
civilians on September 11?
  The Republicans won back the majority of the House by promising to 
control spending and reducing the deficit. This war has already cost us 
over $450 billion. When combined with the cost of the war in Iraq, it 
accounts for 23 percent of our combined deficits since 2003.
  Where is the outcry from the tea partiers and the deficit hawks? 
Fiscal conservatives should be outraged that this war is being financed 
with borrowed money. And for those who support the war, you should pay 
for it. And where is the liberal outrage? For those of us who are tired 
of being told that we don't have enough money to extend unemployment 
benefits or invest in green jobs or new jobs, we should be yelling and 
screaming at the fact that when it comes to the war in Afghanistan and 
supporting Hamad Karzai, our Treasury is an ATM machine.

                              {time}  1240

  Let us put in perspective what this war truly costs and what we must 
give up in order to maintain the status quo. According to Nobel 
Laureate and Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz, testifying 
before the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, the total cost of the 
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including interest payments on the money 
borrowed for these wars and taking care of our wounded soldiers and 
veterans, will likely be between $4 trillion and $6 trillion. Yes, Mr. 
Speaker, between $4 trillion and $6 trillion.
  On Saturday, December 11, Mr. Speaker, another soldier from my 
district sacrificed his life in Afghanistan. Army Specialist Ethan 
Goncalo was just 21 years old when he died in Kabul. He is the third 
graduate of Durfee High School in Fall River to die in uniform this 
year, and the fourth servicemember from Fall River, a town of 90,000 
residents. His loss is deeply felt in this tight-knit community, and my 
thoughts and prayers are with his parents, family, friends, and 
schoolmates.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe the human and financial costs of this war are 
unacceptable and unsustainable. It is bankrupting us. We need a plan to 
extricate

[[Page H8297]]

ourselves from Afghanistan, not a plan to stay there for 4 more years 
and ``then we'll see.'' This doesn't mean that we abandon the Afghan 
people, Mr. Speaker. Rather, we should abandon this war strategy. It 
hasn't brought stability to Afghanistan, and it is not enhancing our 
own national security.
  Ending war is politically difficult. It is easier for politicians to 
``go along'' rather than make waves. But, Mr. Speaker, this isn't about 
politics. It's about doing the right thing. And the right thing is to 
end this war.

                 [From the Boston Globe, Dec. 14, 2010]

            Wartime Losses Hit Hard in Tightknit Fall River

                  (By David Abel and John M. Guilfoil)

       Fall River.--A week before Army Specialist Ethan Goncalo 
     was scheduled to speak at BMC Durfee High School, where he 
     had been an A student known for his fastball, the 21-year-old 
     died in Afghanistan.
       He became the school's third graduate to die in uniform 
     this year and the fourth servicemember from Fall River.
       In Massachusetts, only Boston, with six times the 
     population of Fall River, has lost more of its own in Iraq 
     and Afghanistan, according to icasualties.org, which tracks 
     military deaths.
       ``As a community, it's tough . . . very tough,'' principal 
     Paul Marshall said yesterday.
       Marshall said the succession of deaths has made him wonder 
     whether it was wise for administrators to steer students into 
     the military.
       ``In time of peace, it's a great opportunity,'' he said. 
     ``Kids can get their education paid for, but they are 
     literally putting their life on the line.''
       Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, Fall River 
     has lost five servicemembers, and Boston has lost seven.
       Goncalo, who was assigned to the First Battalion, 181st 
     Infantry Regiment in Worcester, died Saturday in Kabul of 
     injuries sustained in a noncombat-related incident, military 
     officials said.
       In addition to Goncalo, Fall River has lost Army Private 
     Michael E. Bouthot, a 19-year-old who died in Iraq in 2006; 
     Army Sergeant Robert Barrett, a 21-year-old who died in 
     Afghanistan in April; Army Specialist Scott Andrews, also 21, 
     who was killed in June in Afghanistan; and Marine Corporal 
     Paul Fagundes, 29, who died July 4 while trying to rescue 
     fellow Marines drowning in a rip current off Guantanamo Bay. 
     Barrett and Fagundes were also Durfee graduates.
       ``It seems surreal that we would lose this many heroes,'' 
     said Manuel DaPonte, director of veterans services in Fall 
     River, which has about 90,000 residents.
       ``It's really hard to believe. It doesn't seem real or fair 
     for so many people to die from a city our size.''
       Mayor Will Flanagan said it was hard for him to imagine 
     attending his fourth military funeral this year, his first 
     term in office.
       ``It has had a toll on me,'' he said. ``This is a time for 
     me to reflect and to be there for the families and the city, 
     to honor any requests they have.''
       He said the city has paid tribute to the fallen in parades 
     and through benefits. In addition, he said the city plans to 
     rename the reconstructed Brightman Street Bridge the 
     Veteran's Memorial Bridge when it is rededicated in the 
     spring.
       ``Fall River is a hard-working community, a patriotic 
     community, and our young men see the military as a way to 
     serve,'' said Flanagan. ``It provides them stability in their 
     lives and gives them an opportunity to further their 
     education and to earn an income.''
       He added: ``We are deeply saddened by the loss, but these 
     young men paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom and 
     democracy. Their losses are not in vain, and their memories 
     will not be forgotten.''
       At Durfee yesterday, friends, coaches, and administrators 
     described Goncalo as a talented baseball player, a driven 
     student, and a good friend. He had agreed to address his 
     school during his upcoming leave.
       Marshall said each of the young men who attended the 2,200-
     student school was the kind of person you would want beside 
     you in a foxhole.
       ``They were stand-up kids,'' he said. ``The common thing is 
     that they made their commitment with their eyes wide open.''
       He said Goncalo, who graduated from Durfee in 2008 after 
     transferring there a year earlier from Bishop Connolly High 
     School, fit in immediately. ``It felt like he was here for 
     four [years],'' Marshall said. ``He was that kind of kid.''
       Brad Bustin, the varsity baseball coach at Durfee, 
     described Goncalo as ``dedicated, well-rounded, and a hard 
     worker.'' Goncalo was a utility player who caught and 
     pitched, with an arm strong enough to play outfield and a 
     glove good enough to play first base.
       ``He was a nice, nice kid, easy to get along with and liked 
     by all the other kids,'' Bustin said. ``He was just a happy 
     person, a happy kid, always smiling.''
       The school put a large piece of paper in the school 
     cafeteria with several boxes of magic markers. Students 
     described Goncalo as a ``good man'' and a ``big brother.''
       ``You were a great teammate, friend, and an overall good 
     man,'' wrote one student, Nathan Farias. ``Thank you for all 
     you helped me with.''
       Danielle Santos, another student, also thanked the fallen 
     soldier.
       ``You were the nicest guy and a great athlete,'' she wrote. 
     ``You will be missed.''
       Goncalo's relatives could not be reached yesterday and were 
     apparently heading to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where 
     his body was to be brought sometime today or tomorrow, city 
     officials said. The military did not release details about 
     his death.
       On Goncalo's Facebook page, friends sang his praises.
       Bryanna Rego, who attended Bishop Connolly High School with 
     Goncalo, recalled how he loved to goof around.
       ``Ethan was an amazing person,'' she wrote. ``. . . He made 
     an impact on so many people's lives, and his face will be 
     engraved in not only mine, but in the hearts of everyone who 
     knew him.''

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