[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 174 (Tuesday, November 15, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H7583]
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. It's a sad day in America when a major general in the
United States Army cannot give his honest opinion about our war in
Afghanistan without losing his job.
Last week Major General Peter Fuller gave an interview in which he
commented on the Afghan Government and the President of Afghanistan,
Mr. Karzai. And I want to quote the general, Mr. Speaker. These are his
words: ``erratic and isolated from reality,'' that is the leader of
Afghanistan. He continued by saying: ``Why don't you just poke me in
the eye with a needle! You've got to be kidding me. I'm sorry, we just
gave you $11.6 billion, and now you're telling me, `I don't really
care'.''
That's what our young men and women are doing; they are dying and
losing their legs for this erratic leader of Afghanistan.
Let me further state, in a December 8, 2010, Washington Post article,
while meeting with General Petraeus and former Ambassador Eikenberry,
President Karzai said he has three ``main enemies'': the Taliban, the
United States, and the international community. ``If I had to choose
sides today, I'd choose the Taliban.'' Yes, that's the erratic leader
our young men and women are dying for.
Just last month during a television interview, President Karzai
stated, ``If ever there's a war between Pakistan and America,
Afghanistan will side with Pakistan.''
These are not the statements of a leader for whom United States
servicemembers should give life and limb.
On May 12 of this year, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Palmer and
Sergeant Kevin Balduf, both from my district, Camp Lejeune and Cherry
Point, were in Afghanistan, with the sole purpose to train Afghan
officers, when one of the trainees opened fire and shot and killed
Lieutenant Colonel Palmer and Sergeant Balduf as they sat down for
lunch. They both were killed by an Afghan trainee. And, Mr. Speaker,
these two little girls on this poster are the daughters of Sergeant
Balduf, Eden and Stephanie. They're standing at their father's service
at Arlington.
The tragedy for these little girls is not just the fact that their
daddy gave his life for this country, trying to help the Afghans learn
to be policemen; but the day before he was killed, Sergeant Balduf
emailed his wife, Amy, and he said, ``I don't trust them. I don't trust
them for anything, not for anything at all.'' The next day, he and
Colonel Palmer were shot dead by the people that we're spending $10
billion a month on in Afghanistan. And we're telling the American
people, We've got to cut programs for your children and our senior
citizens.
I'm asking that President Obama and Congress do everything to defend
the truth and encourage military leaders to be honest with the American
people as to what is happening in Afghanistan, and I will submit a
letter that I wrote to President Obama regarding General Fuller.
Mr. Speaker, as we move forward with this debt supercommittee that's
going to be making recommendations, I hope that my colleagues in the
Republican Party will join those of us, the few of us in the Republican
Party, as well as some of the Democrats, and let's bring our troops
home before 2014. Yes, when you read in the paper we're bringing our
troops home, it's 2014. How many more little girls and little boys have
to go to their father's or mother's funeral? Why doesn't America wake
up and demand that Congress bring our troops home before 2014?
With that, Mr. Speaker, I will close, as I always do, from the bottom
of my heart to ask God, please bless our men and women in uniform. I
ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I
ask God, in His loving arms, to hold the families who have given a
child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I ask God to bless
the House and the Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of
God and God's people.
Mr. Speaker, last night on ABC, I was so touched to see Gabrielle
Giffords, one of our colleagues, making such a strong effort to come
back to the Congress. I wish her the very best in my heart, and I ask
God to bless her and her husband.
Dear God, I ask You, please give wisdom, strength, and courage to the
President of the United States, where he will do what is right in the
eyes of God. And God, please continue to bless America.
November 7, 2011.
President Barack Obama,
The White House,
Washington, DC.
Dear President Obama: It was with great sadness that I
learned that a senior military officer was relieved of his
position for telling the truth. Major General Peter Fuller
should receive praise from the American people, not the scorn
of military leadership. His comments about Afghan leadership
being ``erratic'' and ungrateful for the United States'
financial assistance and military training are correct.
In a December 8, 2010 Washington Post article, while
meeting with General Petraeus and former Ambassador
Eikenberry, President Karzai said he has three ``main
enemies''--the Taliban, the United States and the
international community. ``If I had to choose sides today,
I'd choose the Taliban.'' Just last month, during a
television interview, President Karzai stated ``. . . if ever
there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will
side with Pakistan.'' These are not the statements of a
leader for whom U.S. service members should give life and
limb.
On May 12 of this year, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Palmer
and Sergeant Kevin Balduf, both from my district, were in
Afghanistan with the sole purpose to train Afghan officers
when one of the trainees opened fire and shot and killed Lt.
Col. Palmer and Sgt. Balduf as they sat down for lunch. In an
email to his wife shortly before he died, Sgt. Balduf said
``I don't trust them; I don't trust them for anything, not
for anything at all.'' These two families quickly learned
why.
Mr. President, the day after you visited the wounded at
Walter Reed at Bethesda, I went and visited severely wounded
Marines from my district, which includes Camp Lejeune. One
Marine looked me in the eye and asked why we were still in
Afghanistan. I had to tell this Marine and his mother that I
did not know, and that I believed it was time to declare
victory and bring our troops home before 2014. As of October,
1,812 U.S. service members have died in Afghanistan. How many
more families will give a loved one for a corrupt leader?
Maj. Gen. Fuller spoke the truth and does not deserve this
fate. As Commander in Chief, I hope you will support and
demand the truth for the American people. If our military
leaders cannot tell the truth, then America is in deep
trouble. Mr. President, you can right a wrong by reinstating
Maj. Gen. Fuller to his previous position.
Sincerely,
Walter B. Jones,
Member of Congress.
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