[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 193 (Thursday, December 15, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H8977-H8978]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Nugent) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NUGENT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remind all Americans that 
we still have troops in harm's way. As the Iraqi war comes to a close 
and we prepare to draw down in Afghanistan, we cannot forget those who 
serve us, the men and women. We cannot forget those that are still 
being held captive in those foreign lands. And these are our 
volunteers. These are young men and women that went to the fight and 
volunteered to go there willingly because America calls.
  Several weeks ago, I sent a letter to the President, asking him for 
his continued commitment for those that we have left behind, those that 
have been held against their will in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
Unfortunately, I never got a response. I never received a response.
  And recently, if you read the British tabloids, one of the British 
papers talked about PFC Bowe Bergdahl who

[[Page H8978]]

escaped from his Taliban captors in Afghanistan and was on the run for 
3 days. Unfortunately, he was recaptured. It shows you that we have 
those that are still in harm's way as we pull out from Iraq and start 
to withdraw from Afghanistan.
  But we can never forget--we should never forget--the sacrifice that 
these young men and women have given to this country. They truly are 
the 1 percent that need to be talked about because they have 
volunteered at great risk to themselves and to their families.
  I have three sons that are currently serving in the United States 
Army. And I know what it's like to have a son go to war. On numerous 
occasions now, my sons have been called. And one still is in Iraq 
today. So we can never forget about the sacrifice not only of the men 
and women in our armed services but how about their families and loved 
ones that they leave behind.
  The warrior ethos says, We never leave a man behind. And I call upon 
the President and I call upon this great body to make that same 
statement, that we will never leave a man behind, that we will do 
everything within our power to make sure that we get these kids back 
home. And I call them kids because I have three sons, and I still call 
them kids, even when they're 30 years old. It is about doing the right 
thing.
  So today we're putting forth a resolution, this resolution, asking 
for the House to exert its will, to talk about our unending commitment 
to those that have given up their freedoms to protect us.
  In this season of Christmas, we need to think about the families that 
are out there whose loved one is being held captive, either in Iraq or 
Afghanistan. We cannot forget them. We should not forget them. And this 
great country should stand up for those that have stood up for us. We 
should express our outrage and our feeling that we will never leave a 
man behind on the battlefield, ever.
  Madam Speaker, I just want to implore this body to stand up and vote 
for this resolution, talking about the sense of this Congress and 
supporting those men and women who have given so much and have asked 
for so little.
  God bless America.

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