[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 8846]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, as we have been doing over the last several 
weeks, we are devoting a few moments each morning to pay respect to the 
tremendous work our troops are doing overseas. Evidence continues to 
build that American and coalition forces are advancing, that they will 
prevail in this war.
  Coalition aircraft destroyed a complex believed to be the site of an 
Iraqi leadership meeting.
  Coalition forces are conducting operations at will throughout 
Baghdad, and British forces now control most of Iraq's second largest 
city.
  The threat of Chemical Ali, the Iraqi general responsible for the 
atrocious chemical attacks on the Kurds in the 1980s, has reportedly 
been eliminated.
  We have captured more than 7,000 Iraqi prisoners of war.
  Of the more than 800 tanks in the Iraqi Army when this conflict 
began, all but a few, a couple dozen, have been destroyed or abandoned.
  Coalition forces continue to generate good will among the Iraqi 
people, as we saw on the television early this morning, by delivering 
humanitarian supplies the country so desperately needs.
  I applaud a very special group of people in Iraq, and that is the 
medical workers, the medical personnel, the troops who are responsible 
for delivering care, both in Iraq and the surrounding region. They are 
providing superb care, not only to fellow Americans who have been 
wounded on the battlefield but also to nearly 300 wounded Iraqi 
soldiers, as well as civilians. On the hospital ship Comfort in the 
northern Arabian Gulf, we are treating 75 Iraqi prisoners of war.
  Yesterday, the Pentagon quoted one doctor who said:

       We do not differentiate between patients, whether they are 
     friends or foes.

  I cannot imagine a more powerful statement about the compassion of 
our men and our women in uniform and our country.
  On Monday, GEN Tommy Franks paid a visit to the 101st Airborne in 
Najaf. He awarded Bronze Stars to two 1st Brigade soldiers: SGT James 
Ward of the 1st Battalion and SGT Lucas Goddard of the 3rd Battalion. 
PFC Miguel Pena of the 2nd Battalion will also receive a Bronze Star at 
a future date.
  In closing, General Franks said in a brief speech during the ceremony 
something that really captures, I believe, the feelings of all 
Americans when he said:

       There's something real special to stand with these two 
     young noncommissioned officers back here--and stand with 
     these heroes.

  He continues:

       What I meant when I said stand with ``these heroes'' is I 
     meant all of you.

  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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