[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 19, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE IRAQ WAR

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                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 19, 2013

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the tenth 
anniversary since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom and to remember 
the men and women of our armed services who have defended the United 
States in the war on terror.
   Starting on March 20, 2003, and for nearly nine years thereafter, 
members of our Armed Forces fought to protect both their loved ones 
back home and Iraqi citizens from the many threats that lingered in the 
region. It was a long and difficult journey for us as a nation but none 
more so than the journey traveled and sacrifices made by our service 
men and women and their families. The United States lost 4,475 members 
of our armed services by the time we left Iraq in December 2011, and an 
additional 32,220 were wounded. I know that I speak for many when I say 
that these men and women, who gave so much for their country, are true 
American heroes whose names will be forever honored.
   Our involvement in Iraq may be officially over, but we still face 
many threats as a nation, and there is much work ahead of us in the war 
on terror. We still have many members of our Armed Forces who continue 
this fight, both at home and abroad. On this important anniversary in 
the war on terror, I ask that we take a moment to honor and recognize 
the many troops we have lost, the sacrifices made by those who stayed 
at home, and the men and women of our Armed Forces who remain on the 
front lines in the name of freedom.
   Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the tenth anniversary of 
the war in Iraq. I thank my colleagues for joining me in honoring of 
the service men and women who have defended the United States.

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