[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H3740-H3741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MOURNING 2,000TH DEATH OF OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
[[Page H3741]]
California (Mr. Garamendi) for 5 minutes.
Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, the 2,000th U.S. military
servicemember was killed in Operation Enduring Freedom. I send my
deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of each individual
who has been killed since this war began more than a decade ago. Those
losses are a cause for sadness beyond what I can adequately convey in
my words. Having just celebrated Father's Day with my daughters and
son, I reflect on the fact that each fallen soldier was the child of
some parent. Many were husbands and wives, and many were parents
themselves.
We are a Nation at war. Yet the burden of this war has been primarily
borne by a very few, by our military servicemembers and their families.
Less than 1 percent of the United States population is in the armed
services. Many Americans were not aware of last week's tragic
milestone, or perhaps they may have glanced at the fatality count in
their local paper and then they went about their daily events. This is
a war that, for many, goes on in the background while most Americans
carry on their daily lives.
It's imperative that we stop and think deeply about the human cost of
this war. We must read the names of those who have been killed, look at
their pictures, and imagine the grief of those who have been left
behind. We must also think about those who have been wounded. Every day
outside this Chamber, we see yet one more military man or woman who has
lost a limb, who has been harmed. They are in our military hospitals
now, their futures uncertain. We must think about those servicemembers
whose lives have been so shattered by the experience of war that they
cannot continue living. More servicemembers took their lives in this
year than were killed in combat in Afghanistan. Only when we feel those
losses can we fully comprehend the cost of this war.
Recently, this House passed its version of the National Defense
Authorization Act that I opposed but the majority pushed forward, a
bill that has no meaningful timeline for ending combat operations and
bringing our troops home, no concrete plans for transitioning full
responsibility for Afghanistan security to Afghan forces. Most
Republican supporters of the National Defense Authorization Act would
slow down the withdrawal of our troops. They would have American troops
continue to fight against a domestic insurgency in Afghanistan, and
they would have American troops fighting for the corrupt Karzai
government.
As Members of Congress, we're responsible for authorizing the funds
that sustain this war. If we believe this war should continue, we
should say that this war is absolutely essential to our Nation's
security. This war is not.
Can we look into the eyes of the mother or father of a serviceman who
has been killed and say your child died for a mission that's absolutely
essential to our Nation's security? I can't do that, and I believe most
of us cannot. I believe it is time for the war in Afghanistan to come
to an end. Our troops and their families have given enough. We should
welcome them home as heroes, and we should ensure that they receive the
support and care that is due when they return.
We sent our brave servicemen and -women to Afghanistan to eliminate
international terrorist organizations that threaten the United States.
As President Obama said last month, our goal is to destroy al Qaeda.
Our troops have successfully executed this mission with phenomenal
dedication and capacity. We have virtually eliminated al Qaeda from
Afghanistan. No expert says that there's more than 100 there, and they
have no meaningful operation. They have demonstrated that we can take
terrorists out wherever they are in this world. We have captured and
killed most all of al Qaeda's top commanders. One year ago, we
celebrated the historic moment when Osama bin Laden, the 9/11
mastermind, was killed. He met his just end.
The cost of this war in blood and treasure has been staggering. Even
those who have not given their lives have given of their lives. It's
time for this war to end. The loyalty and dedication of our
servicemembers, our most sacred resource, must be conserved. We must
not squander it. End this war now.
Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, the 2,000th U.S. military service member
was killed in Operation Enduring Freedom. I send my deepest sympathies
to the families and loved ones of each of the individuals who have been
killed since we began this war in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.
These losses are a cause for sadness beyond what I can adequately
convey in words. Having just celebrating Father's day with my daughters
and son, I reflect on the fact that each fallen soldier was the child
of some parent. Many were husbands and wives, and many were parents
themselves.
We are a nation at war. Yet the burden of this war has been primarily
borne by the few--by our military servicemembers and their families.
Less than 1% of the U.S. population serves in the armed forces. Many
Americans were not aware of last week's tragic milestone, or perhaps
glanced at the fatality count in their local paper and continued with
their day. This is a war that, for many, goes on in the background
while they carry on with their daily lives.
It is imperative that we stop and think deeply about the human costs
of this war. We must read the names of those who have been killed, look
at their pictures, and imagine the grief of those they left behind. We
must think also about those who have been wounded, who are right now in
our military hospitals with uncertain futures. Every day outside this
Chamber, we see yet one more soldier who has lost a limb. And we must
think about those servicemembers whose lives were so shattered by the
experiences of war that they could not continue living. More
servicemembers took their own lives this year than were killed in
combat in Afghanistan. Only when we feel these losses can we fully
comprehend the costs of this war.
Recently, this House passed its version of the National Defense
Authorization Act, which contains a provision inserted by the majority
that would continue this war indefinitely. I opposed this bill. This
majority bill has no meaningful timeline for ending combat operations
and bringing our troops home. It has not concrete plans for quickly
transitioning full responsibility for Afghanistan's security to Afghan
forces. The majority has pushed to slow down the withdrawal of U.S.
forces. They would have American troops continue fighting against a
domestic insurgency in Afghanistan and striving to defeat those armed
factions that threaten the corrupt Karzai government.
As Members of Congress, we are responsible for authorizing the funds
that would sustain this war. If we believe this war should continue, we
affirm that this war is essential to our national security. It is not.
We should be able to look into the eyes of a mother or father of a
service member has been killed and say, ``Your child died in a war that
is absolutely necessary to keep our country safe.'' I cannot do that,
and I believe most of us cannot. It is time for the war in Afghanistan
to come to an end. Our troops and their families have given enough. We
should welcome them back as heroes and ensure that they receive the
support and care that is their due when they return.
We sent our brave service men and women to Afghanistan to eliminate
those international terrorist organizations that threatened the United
States. As President Obama stated very clearly last month, ``Our goal
is to destroy Al Qaeda.'' Our troops have successfully executed this
mission with phenomenal dedication and capacity. They have virtually
eliminated Al Qaeda from Afghanistan, as our intelligence experts
report that fewer than 100 Al Qaeda operatives remain in the country.
They have demolished terrorist training camps, and captured or killed
most of Al Qaeda's top commanders. One year ago we all celebrated the
historic moment when Osama Bin Laden, the 9/11 mastermind who bears
responsibility for the death of thousands of innocent American
civilians, met his just end.
The costs of this war, in blood and treasure, have been staggering.
Even those who have not given their lives have given of their lives,
missing time with loved ones at home while they serve our country
abroad. The loyalty and dedication of our military servicemembers is
America's most sacred resource, and we must not squander it. They have
achieved the core national security objectives for which they were sent
to Afghanistan. It is now time for our troops to come home to their
families.
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