[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 192 (Wednesday, December 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H8913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1220
                          END OF THE IRAQ WAR

  (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, as we gather here, President Obama is at 
Fort Bragg honoring and thanking our men and women in uniform for their 
service in the war in Iraq and for the sacrifices they've been willing 
to make to keep us the home of the brave and the land of the free.
  America's brave men and women in uniform have done everything that 
has been asked of them. They have performed with valor, with courage, 
with patriotism and a dedication to duty.
  It is because of our troops and the leadership of President Obama 
that this month we will be able to say that the war in Iraq is over, 
our troops are coming home for the holidays with their families. As we 
thank our troops, we also thank the families of our men and women in 
uniform for the sacrifices they have been willing to make for our 
country.
  President Obama promised to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Promise 
made, promise kept. When he took office, nearly 150,000 American troops 
were deployed in Iraq. This month our troop presence will wind down to 
just around a few thousand. In winding down the war, the President 
honored the wishes of the American people.
  As we mark the end of the war, we honor the nearly 4,500 Americans 
who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq. Tens of thousands more have 
been wounded. We will never forget those who were lost in the war. We 
will forever be grateful to them and to their families.
  I'm from Baltimore, Maryland. When my father was mayor, they built 
Baltimore stadium. What would they call it? The consensus name was 
Baltimore Memorial Stadium to honor those who made so much sacrifice 
for our country. General Pershing said, and that was engraved on 
Baltimore Memorial Stadium, ``Time will not dim the glory of their 
deeds.'' Time will not, indeed, dim the glory of those who served and 
sacrificed in Iraq.
  I'm particularly proud to have presided over 4 years of a Congress 
that made more progress for our veterans and military families than has 
been made since the passage of the original GI Bill in 1944.
  But our work is not done. On the battlefield, the military says we 
will leave no soldier behind. And when they come home, we promised, 
Democrats and Republicans working together, to leave no veteran behind.
  Over a million of our men and women in uniform served in Iraq. We 
must honor their service with economic opportunities and the benefits 
they deserve. We must remember that our commitment to our veterans is 
not while they serve or even for life. It is a commitment forever, to 
them and their families.
  We must build a future worthy of their sacrifice. As the war in Iraq 
comes to an end, we express our enormous gratitude to those who have 
served. Because of them, we express our great optimism for the future.

                          ____________________