[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H1397-H1398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, last week Secretary of Defense Gates spoke at 
West Point, and I would like to quote one comment from his speech:
  ``In my opinion, any future Defense Secretary who advises the 
President to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the 
Middle East or Africa should `have his head examined,' as General 
MacArthur so delicately put it'' years ago.
  Again, this is Secretary Gates. I have great respect for Secretary 
Gates. I think he is one of the true outstanding Secretaries of Defense 
this country has ever had.
  Mr. Speaker, the reason I'm here today, I bring a photograph of a 
flag-draped coffin--it's called a transfer case--being escorted off a 
plane at Dover Air Force Base.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to bring our troops home. They have been in 
Afghanistan for over 10 years. I would also say it is time that this 
Congress met its constitutional responsibility to debate war and 
whether we should be there or bring our troops home.
  In recent weeks, I was very concerned to hear our government and 
military leaders saying that it could be 2014 before we start 
significantly downsizing our troops in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, that 
brings to my mind trips to Walter Reed in Bethesda. So I will ask this 
question:
  How many more young men and women must lose their legs, their lives 
for a corrupt government that history has proven will never be changed? 
Why should they be dying and losing their legs for Karzai, who doesn't 
even know that we're his friends? It makes no sense.
  I will quote a highly decorated retired military general who has been 
advising me on Afghanistan for the past year:
  ``What is the end state we are looking to achieve? What are the 
measures of effectiveness? What is our exit strategy? Same old 
questions, no answers. What do we say to the mother and father, the 
wife of the last marine killed to support a corrupt government and 
corrupt leader in a war that can't be won?''
  Mr. Speaker, these are words from a general that fought in Vietnam 
for this country, that reached the highest he could in the branch of 
service where he served.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, I represent the Third District of North 
Carolina, the home of Camp Lejeune Marine Base. Recently, I was with a 
marine who has served this Nation for years. He shares my concern about 
getting out of Afghanistan. So I asked this marine if he would write me 
a letter, and this is what he wrote:
  ``Congressman Jones, I am writing this letter to express my concern 
over the current Afghanistan war. I am a retired Marine officer with 
31-plus years of active duty. I retired in 2004 due to service 
limitations or I am sure I would have been on my third or fourth 
deployment by now to a war that has gone on for too long.''
  I will quote end, Mr. Speaker, of his letter to me:
  ``The Afghanistan war has no end state for us. I urge you to make 
contact with all of the current and newly elected men and women to 
Congress and ask them to end this war and bring our young men and women 
home. If any of my comments will assist in this effort, you are welcome 
to use them and my name.''
  His name is Dennis G. Adams, Lieutenant Colonel, Retired, United 
States Marine Corps.
  Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to remind those on the floor of 
the House today that I hope, if you haven't had the chance, that you 
will go to Walter Reed in Bethesda to see the young men and women that 
will never walk again, to see the young men and women that maybe will 
not ever think properly again because of PTSD and TBI.
  And I want to remember the young soldier, 22 years old, a private in 
the United States Army, who before I walked in the room, the escort, 
Major Mack, said to me: This soldier has no body parts below his waist. 
They've all been blown away.

                              {time}  1040

  So, Mr. Speaker, it's time for the Congress to meet its 
responsibility and demand a debate on the floor of the House about 
bringing our troops home from Afghanistan.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, as I always do, as I look at this beautiful 
photograph of a soldier who gave his life for this country and the 
escort team, God, please bless our men and women in uniform. God, 
please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. God, please 
hold in Your loving arms the families who have given a child dying for 
freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  God bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in Your 
eyes for today's generation and tomorrow's generation. I ask God to 
give wisdom, strength, and courage to President Obama that he will do 
what is right in the eyes of God.
  And three times I will ask, God, please, God, please, God, please 
continue to bless America.

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