[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 9945]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              COMMUNICATION FROM SOLDIER STATIONED IN IRAQ

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, this weekend we celebrate the greatest 
generation, our World War II veterans. I am here to say that I think we 
have the next greatest generation, and that is our men and women 
serving today around the world. This is an e-mail from one of them:
  ``Thank you, sir, for the note. I appreciate your concern for the 
troops stationed in Iraq. I am flying Black-
hawks based in Balad, Iraq. I am currently working with another West 
Point graduate, a very capable infantry officer from the class of 2001, 
in developing an Air QRF team to respond to mortar and rocket attacks 
on the air base. We have been operational for about 10 days and are 
still refining our tactics and writing SOPs, but it is going well. I am 
impressed with the commitment the Army has made to good food, hot 
showers and decent living conditions.
  ``I have spent 16 years training, burned countless gallons of jet 
fuel and have flown over 1,800 hours in preparation for this 
deployment, and I am proud to serve and give the country something back 
for all it has invested in me.
  ``I have a wife and two young boys. I miss them very much. We are 
blessed with close family and friends, and it is a comfort to know that 
they are well cared for in my absence. My mom has always been a special 
source of comfort in difficult times. I speak with her often and just 
today received a box of her homemade cookies.
  ``Thanks for taking the time to offer your support. I believe our 
task here is a difficult one. I hope we will stay the course.''
  To this young man, I say, we will.

                          ____________________