[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14874-14879]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            STANDING STRONG

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis) is recognized 
for the remaining time until midnight as the designee of the majority 
leader.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this 
opportunity this evening to discuss the call to duty that our armed 
services have accepted, the importance of standing firm in the global 
war on terror, a war that was imposed upon us by those who seek to 
destroy not only our way of life but remove all vestiges of a culture 
of freedom, of tolerance and opportunity from this world.
  It is an interesting thing that I have seen happen in the United 
States since the terrible days following September 11. At that time, 
our national populace was galvanized. The war was close at hand. People 
understood the pain. We all knew the emotions we feel as we saw the 
images over and over again on television, stories of friends and family 
who were touched directly by the loss of relatives or friends who had 
been wounded or hurt during that attack.

                              {time}  2320

  Now we have moved back into comfortable familiarity. We are 
forgetting the importance of this was a war that was imposed upon us, 
one, I might add, that was coming whether we liked it or not.
  The burgeoning of radical Islamic extremist movements throughout 
southwest Asia, principally funded by Wahabist groups, groups like al 
Qaeda, other affiliated groups, were spreading quietly across the 
world, across the latitude 10-40 window and, yes, right even in the 
United States, even in cases where taxpayer dollars were going to 
institutions and organizations that were promoting activities that were 
destructive to our national way of life.
  Indeed, as President Bush said our freedoms not only were used 
against us in the initial assault of September 11, but our freedoms are 
used against us with salacious speech, literally calls to Jihad taking 
place right inside the border of this country.
  What do we hear from the other side in this body speaking of 
tolerance, of faith, of ethnic diversity, of belief? We hear nothing. 
We hear nothing to confront that reality.
  Indeed, a poignant moment came for me in the War on Terror, a war 
that is equally as important to this future of this Nation as the 
struggle was in the Second World War.
  This past Tuesday, I had a singular and great honor. I was invited to 
attend the funeral of Sergeant Michael McNulty who served in America's 
premier counterterrorist organization. He served all around the world, 
helping us to have the freedom to speak here tonight, that people could 
sleep in their beds safe, knowing that their men and women on the front 
lines were willing to lay their lives down, to go into harm's way, to 
stand firm, to train, to send a message to the world that our freedoms 
will be defended.
  As the honor guard fired its volley, as the bandsman played Taps, as 
Mrs. McNulty wept with the four children next to her, the parents of 
Michael sitting behind them, looking at that flag-draped casket, we 
looked at a casket of a man who died fighting to preserve these 
freedoms. He died in western Iraq, but in the background what I heard 
was the sound of jets leaving Reagan National Airport, traffic on the 
roads, the sounds of tourists in the distance. I came back over to the 
city, and people were going about their day-to-day business, completely 
unaware, oblivious to the struggle that was going on with the exception 
of the occasional salacious news report that the liberal media puts 
into the newspapers or on television, not talking about the successes, 
not talking about the commitment, not talking about what is at stake 
for the future of this country and why, as a Nation, we must rise up 
and have a sense of duty, a sense of resolve and a sense of commitment.
  One thing that we have learned in our history is to appease those who 
stand against our way of life, guarantees that the conflict that we 
seek to avoid will be brought upon us. Yet, we are not talking about 
this now. We hear empty rhetoric about exit strategies. We want to 
point to questions about the nature and motivation of, well, do we 
really want to be in this conflict.
  Mr. Speaker, I need to share with my colleagues, we did not choose to 
be in this conflict. This conflict was imposed upon us by groups that 
were intent on bringing it to our shores, and men like Sergeant McNulty 
were among those who are working hard to keep it from our shores, 
especially since September 11.
  As I look at this, one thing that I would share is that the best 
measure of the effectiveness and the belief in this mission is not 
public opinion polls to people who are not receiving the full story 
about this fight for freedom, this commitment to duty on the part of 
our Armed Services, the call to duty that I believe is upon every 
citizen of this country, as it has been for every generation that has 
come before us. What we need to understand is the best measure of 
belief in this mission in an army of the people who volunteer to serve 
is their morale and their commitment to stay the course.
  Contrary to much of the empty rhetoric and hot air that I hear from 
many of the talking heads who have never served this country, I might 
add and have no concept of the things they speak of as we talk about 
these alleged problems, answer me this, Mr. Speaker. Why are active 
components exceeding their retention levels over 100 percent? Why is 
the Army, the active Army, this month in June going to exceed 100 
percent of its initial recruitment quota? It is because the message is 
getting out.
  I have talked to over 400 soldiers and Marines since I have been in 
Congress this session. I have walked the halls with the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr.

[[Page 14875]]

Conaway), my colleague who is going to share his views in a moment, and 
talked to wounded Marines. We have spoken with wounded soldiers. Over 
and over, we hear one thing: a commitment to their command; a belief in 
the mission; and a question of why the media is not accurately 
reporting the successes of our soldiers, our Marines, our airmen and 
our sailors in the theater.
  We are not talking about the restoration of infrastructure that 
frankly did not exist in the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. We are not 
talking in the national media about the bringing for the first time in 
the history of this country true women's suffrage and women's rights 
and interest in the opportunity and the hope for families in 
Afghanistan. For the first time in the history of that part of the 
world, women went to the polls and chose a duly elected leader of the 
country.
  One of my West Point classmates jokingly described Iraq as he found 
it, as a country run by the Sopranos. It was not run by the rule of 
law. It was run by thuggery, by terror, by intimidation and by 
corruption. The Iraqi people were standing up. They are standing up and 
they are taking hold, and our soldiers and our Marines, our airmen and 
our sailors see that every day as they serve. They see that commitment. 
They see the fact that the Iraqi people want us to stand by them as 
they stand up so they can stand completely on their own.
  There are many things that we are going to address in this time 
tonight, but the first thing that I would like to do is introduce my 
colleague who has seen firsthand many of the exciting developments. He 
has seen firsthand the work of our civil affairs soldiers, the work of 
people in communities, helping them to rebuild, to have a hope and a 
future, a desire to raise their children and the quality of the people 
that we have.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway).
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for 
hosting this hour tonight. These chambers are home to an awful lot of 
rhetoric, and I hope that our ours tonight will add to the 
understanding that Americans have of how important it is that we finish 
this job, we finish this work in Afghanistan and, more importantly, in 
Iraq.
  There were a couple of anecdotes earlier this evening by one of the 
speakers about folks opposed to the war. I, too, had an opportunity 
this past week, last Wednesday a week ago today, to attend the service 
for Lance Corporal Mario Castillo in Brownwood, Texas. I flew back to 
the district in order to do that.
  The church, as my colleagues might expect, was full that morning in 
Brownwood, Texas, and the tribute letters that were read as a part of 
that service from Lance Corporal Castillo's colleagues and comrades-in-
arms are very instructive as to the attitude that our military has.
  To a person, to a man, these letters talked about what a wonderful 
person Mario was. His nickname was ``Happy.'' The picture of Mario on 
the front of the program for the funeral showed a young man in full 
battle gear, helmet, goggles, but the most incredible white-toothed 
smile you had ever seen. Obviously, an individual loved by his 
comrades, respected for the job he was doing, respected for the risks 
he took. To a person, they talked about what a wonderful fellow Mario 
was, what a great job he was doing.
  They also talked about what they were doing there and why and how 
important it was that we stay the course and how important it was that 
we did not let Mario Castillo's and his family's sacrifices go in vain.
  As we left the church that day, the good citizens of Brownwood and 
Early, Texas, literally lined the route, the 5-plus mile route from 
Brownwood's church out to the Early Cemetery. This was a bright blue 
Texas day. It was noon, a blazing white sun, precious little wind. It 
was hot and uncomfortable, and many of these people had stood in that 
heat, in that sunshine for almost 2 hours, waiting for the procession 
to move through. An incredible display of support and honor for this 
family.
  These were not people who were hired to come out and stand with the 
flag and with their hands over their hearts. These were people who 
loved and cared for Mario Castillo, who did not even know him until 
this event, young men and women, babies in strollers, teenagers, moms 
and dads.
  This was a working day, Wednesday. Working families were out manning 
these roads, many of the businesses allowing as much of their staff as 
they could to go man the roads with the flags. It was just the most 
incredible site that anyone could have experienced.

                              {time}  2330

  I also had the opportunity last November, just after I was elected, 
to sit with Amy Baker. Amy Baker is the young wife of Brian Baker. 
Brian was killed in Iraq in early November. I sat with Amy and cried 
with Amy and her mom and dad. Amy was pregnant with twins, about 7 
months old, as they have since been born. We have an obligation to help 
that family.
  But as I sat with Amy during the worst grief period you can possibly 
imagine, she looked at me with tears in her eyes, her eyes and my eyes, 
and she said, you tell President Bush under no circumstances is he to 
back away from this fight, because to do so would dishonor my husband.
  We have an obligation to stay this course. We have plenty of blood on 
the battlefields of Iraq. Our treasure is there. We are winning this 
battle.
  A couple of other things I want to talk about. One of the previous 
speakers this evening talked about loving our enemies out of their 
position. I do not think I have ever seen that happen. It may be 
scriptural, but it just does not happen. As an example: my colleague, I 
have spent some time in Guantanamo Bay. One of the detainees there, one 
of the early detainees, who has since been, for all intents and 
purposes, been awarded an academy award for his act because he was able 
to convince our people in Guantanamo Bay that he was not in fact a 
threat; that he just got swept up in the battlefield and was one of 
those people that should be returned to Afghanistan and Pakistan 
because he was not a belligerent; he was just an innocent who had 
gotten swept up in an event beyond his control.
  When he presented himself he had suffered a battlefield injury, 
losing a leg. We nursed him back to health, fitted him with a 
prosthesis. We loved this individual and we let him go, turned him back 
to Pakistan and Afghanistan, whereupon he changed his name. He is now 
referred to as Mohammad Masoud. He has been implicated in the 
kidnapping and killing of two Chinese engineers, killed one of them; he 
has been implicated in the car bombing of a bus carrying journalists; 
he has been implicated in the bombing of a hotel. He is a bad guy.
  We loved him. We did the right thing. We should have done what we did 
for him, fix his wounds and fit him with that prosthesis, but it did 
not change his heart. He is a bad guy and he wants to hurt us, and so 
we have to stay the course.
  Let me finish up by talking about something that happened earlier 
this afternoon. We have a life here in America that is relatively fear 
free. It is fear free because we have good men and women manning the 
wire, manning the walls, planning the threat points to our country and 
doing greats work in Iraq, and so we rarely have fear enter into our 
lives. We stand in the center, the epicenter of democracy not only of 
the United States but of this world. These hallowed Chambers are home 
to democracy.
  Early this evening, we had some sort of alarm go off. Immediately, 
Members, our colleagues, began to flee these Chambers. And as I walked 
out of here, I was struck by the fear and the panic in some of our 
colleagues. It was not Republican or Democrat. It was just that there 
were folks on both sides of the aisle who looked scared. There was fear 
in their eyes. They wanted to get out of this building, period; and 
they were running past me towards the door. And it struck me what an 
odd event that was.
  Here we are in the epicenter of democracy, as I said, and yet a 
wayward

[[Page 14876]]

airplane, a twin engine plane, was causing the elected Members of this 
body to run fleeing out of these Chambers, and what a rare occurrence 
that is. What if that was an everyday event? There is a possibility 
that could be an everyday event, with the threats that we are 
constantly getting from al Qaeda, from the terrorists around this 
world. They would love nothing more than to be able to be setting off 
car bombs and to have suicide bombers blowing up sidewalk cafes, and 
all the kinds of things we see happening in Iraq.
  They would dearly love to be doing that inside this country, putting 
a real threat to the fear that some of my colleagues felt this 
afternoon as they fled these Chambers, on a regular basis instead of 
the odd occurrence that happens every once in a while.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I will yield back to my good friend, the 
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis), and appreciate his hosting this 
hour tonight.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman from Texas for his 
commitment to our troops, to the families in his district, and in the 
country as a whole.
  I did find some of the time during both evacuations interesting. 
Certainly, when we were walking out of the Capitol and moving down the 
hill, there were gentlemen standing next to me and a policeman came up 
and said run. I turned to him, along with two colleagues from the other 
side of the aisle, and we said no. I was asked why not, and I said the 
first reason why not is to run in a situation like that is only going 
to create more disorder as opposed to calm. And the second thing, more 
importantly, is from a standpoint of leadership and the example that is 
set not only for people in this Nation, for the confidence they can 
have of their leadership, but more than that, the world is watching 
this country. It is important that the rhetoric in this Chamber and the 
way that Members act in this Chamber, their words and their actions 
reflect a commitment to freedom, to liberty and a resolve to stand 
firm.
  Somebody who has shown great resolve and steadfast leadership in 
dealing with the war on terror with unconventional warfare and threats 
emerging in this hemisphere and the other side of the world is the 
chairman of the House Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional 
Warfare who also now serves as our chief deputy whip, the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Cantor). He has become a good friend and is 
nationally recognized, and certainly recognized in this body as a 
leader and also a committed student of this issue, and also committed 
to bringing about all of his energies toward ultimate victory to 
preserve our freedom here at home and expand freedom in the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.
  Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky, and I 
want to salute him as well as the gentleman from Texas for their 
remarks this evening. I also want to recognize the importance of this 
debate that we are having here tonight to point out where we are in 
Iraq, to salute our men and women in uniform, and to really set the 
record straight.
  As the gentleman from Kentucky has said, there has been much rhetoric 
tonight in this Chamber and throughout the last couple of months aimed 
at the President's policies and our policies, the American policies in 
Iraq. And, in fact, it is those policies that I think represent a bold 
approach to safety for the citizens of this country. They are also a 
bold approach which represents and reflects an awareness that we must 
act in this country, in a new world and a new paradigm, against an 
enemy the likes of which we really have not seen before.
  It is this so-called Bush doctrine that takes a very courageous stand 
against the terrorists and says that we will never, ever condone the 
killing of innocent people. It is that sense of moral clarity that 
governs the actions of this administration, and I salute this President 
for his strength and his courage.
  But I think there are some important points that we ought to make 
this evening, an evening that is just 1 day after the 1-year 
anniversary of the return of sovereignty to Iraq. A few points I would 
like to make are, number one, we must fight the terrorists abroad, 
otherwise the terrorists will strike us here at home.
  And thank God, Mr. Speaker, for the men and women in uniform who have 
sacrificed so much to go over there to defend our liberty that we may 
enjoy here while they are abroad. I salute them and I salute their 
families for what they do for all of us here in America.
  Secondly, our mission in Iraq is clear: we must help Iraqis build a 
free nation, strong enough to defend itself and also to advance freedom 
in the broader Middle East. This, Mr. Speaker, will make us more secure 
here at home by closing yet another potential terrorist outpost around 
the world.
  Mr. Speaker, it is this notion, that we must seek out the threat and 
go after it before it comes after us, that this President has pursued. 
That is our mission in Iraq. That, unfortunately, is what the other 
side of the aisle has consistently condemned this President for, the 
strength and courage that he has exhibited.
  Thirdly, Mr. Speaker, I would say that the sacrifice that our troops 
make, the sacrifice that their families make is difficult and often 
painful. But, clearly, Mr. Speaker, their efforts and their sacrifice 
are worth enduring because it is that sacrifice that lays the 
foundation for peace for our children and our grandchildren and the 
future generations of this country.

                              {time}  2340

  Fourth, I would say that our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines 
serve with pride. They serve with pride and honor despite the attacks, 
despite what I call the irresponsible rhetoric that has come from many 
of the leaders on the other side of the aisle in this body and others 
questioning the sense or the wisdom of our mission in Iraq.
  Once this mission has taken place, once we have gone over to Iraq, 
the mission the President has set out is very clear. We are there. The 
exit strategy is for the Iraqi soldiers, the Iraqi security forces to 
be in place, to be able to defend that country. That is when we will 
leave. These young men and women have fought bravely, and they deserve 
our respect and certainly our honor.
  I would like at this time to bring to Members' attention a letter 
from one of my constituents currently serving in Iraq. I think it 
demonstrates really the sense of pride that is felt by our young men 
and women in uniform.
  Marine Corps Captain Matthew James Markham is an F-18 fighter pilot. 
He wrote to me recently, ``I am about to begin my fifth month of 
deployment to the Al Anbar province of Iraq, where I am serving as a 
pilot with the Fighting Bengals, an F-18 Marine Fighter Attack 
Squadron. Our squadron was here for the election, and I was proud to be 
piloting a Hornet over Baghdad on that historic day. Since then, we 
have provided overwatch for many convoys, directed cordon and searches, 
located and destroyed enemy mortar sites, and provided air cover for 
many special operations forces raids. While all these jobs are 
important, nothing has excited us more than to see the increased role 
the Iraqi security forces and Iraqi defense forces have been providing 
in defending this young democracy.
  ``Morale among our individual Marines remains high. I am amazed how 
enthusiastically our Marines perform their jobs despite the intense 
heat and long hours, and I am honored to lead such individuals.''
  Mr. Speaker, I submit that the morale of our troops is high, their 
mission is clear, and thank God for the young men and women serving in 
the United States military.
  Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Cantor) for his remarks and thank him and his team for 
being willing before September 11 to engage in groundbreaking work in 
this body to bring to light this issue.
  It was important to mention that aviator's comments. One of the 
things that is not done enough in this body or frankly in the national 
media is to talk about the tremendous successes our

[[Page 14877]]

soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are seeing on the ground, not 
seeing simply where our troops are involved, but also with the Iraqis 
helping themselves. We have had historic events over the last 3 years 
that have been constantly pooh-poohed by those in the media, by 
pundits, by those who have never served and without experience in that 
part of the whole. Always being prophets of doom and gloom, always 
seeking to minimize or remove every opportunity for success. It is 
almost as if some of the commentators, some in this own body, would 
rather have this country defeated and have this Islamic extremism 
rampant throughout the world, bringing a cloak of darkness over every 
area in the world where the light of freedom has begun to shine.
  I want to talk about some of the successes because they are 
significant when we look at the accomplishments of the troops and of 
the Iraqi people themselves.
  A year ago yesterday, there was a formal transfer of power. Iraq had 
a provisional government. They were in charge. More than that, we 
followed in January with a historic election where people freely chose 
their leader. Everybody was able to come out and vote, and 8 million 
Iraqis responded. America saw the benefit, saw the eyes and the faces 
of the men and women who went to vote, the tears shed by those who cast 
that ballot for the first time, who had lived in a culture of fear, 
hopelessness, and had an ambivalent feeling toward government, now were 
able to come together under rule of law.
  It took a few months to form a government. There are hundreds of 
tribes, thousands of clan groups, three major religious ethnic groups, 
yet they formed a government. The commentators and some of the people 
who are even in this body would say it is a failure because it took so 
long. If that were true, why did it take the United States when it 
formed from 1776 to 1787 to even have its Constitution, and then a 
Civil War many years later, 87 years later, to bring about the true 
unification of this Nation.
  I think the accomplishments of the Iraqi people are remarkable 
considering the pressures they are under. We will see a constitution 
that they will write and implement and, finally, full parliamentary 
elections where the Iraqi people elect that government internally in 
the country. Polling shows this clearly on the Iraq streets; people 
have confidence in their local leaders. There are people volunteering 
for the police force. The power grid is coming back. Services are being 
delivered in some communities for the first time in over a decade; in 
some places, for the first time ever.
  These are the projects and the work, the bulk of the time that our 
men and women in uniform have invested themselves in, to rebuild that 
infrastructure, strengthen this community and provide a helping hand, 
something that our men and women in uniform have done since the 
beginning of this country.
  Setting a timetable on this insurgency is wrong, and oftentimes I 
think we do a disservice when we say the Iraqi troops are not standing 
up to the quality of our Special Operations Forces. That is not the 
measure of success. The measure of success is that they can adequately 
protect their communities, that the people in the neighborhoods have 
confidence in them, and we have much to be very encouraged and very 
pleased about.
  At this time last year, only one battalion of the new Iraqi Army were 
trained and equipped. Now there are over 100. There are over 80,000 
other forces in border police, Ministry of Interior forces, and 
facilities protection. The Iraqi government took it upon itself to 
develop pipeline protection battalions to protect their energy 
infrastructure.
  The jihadists are extremely violent, and only maybe 1 percent of the 
population. They are formed of a unique core of jihadists who have come 
from the outside who perform the most spectacular attacks against the 
Iraqi people, with al-Zarqawi being the best-known leader of that 
group; former Baathists who were disenfranchised, and frankly corrupt, 
vulgar, violent politicians whose interest is not the future of Iraq, 
but is to have power restored under that old regime.
  The positive signs we see are dialogue between the Shiite and the 
Sunnis. Even those who seek to reject the regime are in dialogue now. 
They understand that militarily there is no possible way that they can 
win. And the enemies of freedom in these Islamic extremist terrorist 
groups around the world understand very clearly that the battle for 
their future has to be won in Iraq. If they cannot win in Iraq against 
the Iraqi people, then their ideology of hatred, murder, retribution, 
and of intolerance will be swept away and defeated and cast, to use the 
President's words, literally on the ash heap of history, where it 
belongs.
  One of the exciting signs that we have seen, 2 weeks ago, Australian 
hostage Douglas Wood was rescued. No American forces were involved 
whatsoever. Iraqi security forces receiving intelligence from Iraqi 
citizens in the neighborhoods passed through the police chain of 
command, were moved along, and they rescued Douglas Wood. They set him 
free.

                              {time}  2350

  They captured terrorists in the process, and I think the positive 
thing is they are willing to shed their blood to build their country 
and to provide freedom. And working together, we will be able to 
decrease our forces. In fact, one thing that is exciting to see is our 
forces are already reduced 21,000 troops since January. That is a 
positive step.
  As we reduce our footprint, they are increasing, they are 
strengthening; and we are not going to walk away from this until they 
have the infrastructure in place to be able to stand alone, and I think 
they are going to be an exciting partner in the future.
  There are a small group of regime elements, as I mentioned before, 
that are resisting at every turn, every opportunity to bring freedom to 
the very people these folks seek to govern. But they do not seek to 
govern from an American world view, from a Western world view based on 
the rule of law. They seek to govern through corruption, through 
extortion, and through violence. In fact, General John Vines, commander 
of the Multinational Corps in Iraq said that if they had a bumper 
sticker, the former Baathists, the Baath Party rejectionists, it would 
go something like this: ``If you liked Saddam, you'll love us,'' 
because they simply want to resume power.
  I think that there are some other indicators. I mentioned recruiting 
and retention, America's active Army components, especially units that 
are deployed in theater where troops continue to reenlist, to stay with 
their units. That is also applicable to the Iraqi security forces and 
the police. Recruiting remains strong. Even though attacks on Iraqis, 
Iraqi security forces, have approached 70 a day in some cases, that 
trend of men coming to join remains very strong.
  One of the things I deeply regretted when the police station bombing 
took place on February 18 and 118 people were killed, the news media 
sent their cameras out to show that carnage of that heinous act of 
murder, that atrocity. What they did not tell us, Mr. Speaker, was that 
the next day over 300 men were there to volunteer because their 
commitment was not to let thugs rule their neighborhoods and rule their 
cities.
  This is a tremendous struggle for the future of a free and democratic 
Iraq, freedom in that region, and ultimately one that leads to freedom 
at home to deal with the most pernicious threat that this Nation has 
faced since World War II.
  I think another indicator that is very positive as well is the fact 
that information from Iraqi citizens themselves is coming forward. 
Throughout the region, people tire of this. They want a stable life. 
They want a life of hope, a life of opportunity, a life of freedom. The 
fact that people braved threats of death in many communities to go out 
and vote, to cast that vote, shows they want to provide their children 
with that hope and opportunity. And I think it is a tremendous 
disservice to have

[[Page 14878]]

talk in this Chamber about withdrawal timetables.
  Even Jon Corzine, Democratic Senator from New Jersey, made a 
statement today understanding very clearly, regardless of one's views, 
and I think there is always opportunity and one of the things we have 
in this body is the great opportunity to disagree openly because on 
both sides of the aisle on differing view points even within our own 
caucuses or conferences, we have a deference to the rule of law.
  That is not the case for the majority of the world; and when the 
world watches us, they are viewing our rhetoric through the filter of 
their world view. When we denigrate our leadership or the regrettable 
comments of the leadership of the minority party in the House and the 
Senate about our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines; they are 
fueling the propaganda machine that emboldens the enemies of our way of 
life, our freedom, and ultimately that rule of law that we cherish so 
deeply.
  I think that it is important that we know that an exit strategy is 
simply this: it is winning the war. It is sending a clear message of 
national resolve. It is having a President who is willing to lead from 
the front, a Defense Secretary who is willing to lead from the front.
  Certainly our commanders in the field understand that clearly. I 
think it is incumbent upon those in this body that we measure our 
rhetoric, that we understand that the world is watching, and not use 
our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines as human shields to advance 
a political agenda, regardless of which side of the aisle that comes 
from, Mr. Speaker. What is most important is that we stand united, that 
we stand firm, and that this Nation has given its word to a people that 
we are going to stand with them until they are free.
  And what makes this Nation strong is its ability, the power, and the 
will to keep its word and to keep its promise. And I think that that is 
fundamentally important. And I hear that not only, Mr. Speaker, from 
people from Iraq, from citizens in my district. I hear it from the 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who are serving this Nation 
right now.
  Victory sets its own schedule, wrote Brendan Miniter in a June 21 
Wall Street Journal column. I think it is important to understand that 
determination, as many of us in this body know who have run tough 
races, many of us who have served in the military know, that prevailing 
in a situation or a circumstance, a struggle that one might face in 
life, means staying that course, having that sense of duty and 
commitment, whether it is to a member of our family, whether it is to 
our community, whether it is to fellow servicemembers if we are serving 
in the military at some point. Making that commitment to stand fast is 
a tremendous elixir and gives hope to those also and infectious 
enthusiasm to stand firm, and that is the message that we need to send.
  I believe that we have a call to duty in this country to finish this 
job. We have a duty to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines to 
stand behind them; and we have a duty to the American people and, 
frankly, to the free world to stand firm.
  I would like to take a moment before I close to recognize the 
accomplishments of one particular unit. We have a unit from the great 
Commonwealth of Kentucky that distinguished itself and its mission 
serving, these citizen soldiers from the 617th Military Police Company.
  It was established in October 2002 and was reorganized as a combat 
support military police company from a headquarters detachment of a 
combat engineer unit. It came about as a result of force structure 
changes within the Kentucky Army National Guard, quite apart from the 
war.
  The company strength is currently close to 175 soldiers deployed in 
theater right now with about 80 in the rear detachment. The soldiers of 
the 617th are employed in the civilian sector with varying occupations 
that all of us in this body, back in our communities, those watching on 
C-SPAN can relate to: school teachers, law enforcement officers, 
nurses, retail sales and management, information technology 
professionals, college students, even an attorney.
  On 16 November of 2004, after completing training and validation at 
Fort McCoy, the unit departed for Iraq. The unit remains in Baghdad, 
and their principal purpose there is to conduct route security and 
convoy security, and they also support two Iraqi highway patrol 
stations as a backup, as a force to come alongside and to help these 
units stand up. The 617th has been very successful in their mission, as 
evidenced by the achievement and the valor of their soldiers who are 
willing to stay the course, who understand the importance of this 
mission, who see the fruits and the potential of their service and 
their sacrifice and that of their comrades. Soldiers in this unit have 
received three Silver Star Medals; three Bronze Star Medals for Valor; 
four Army Commendation Medals for Valor; and, additionally, 15 soldiers 
have received 17 Purple Hearts.
  This is not about counting medals; but when a unit has that level of 
achievement, that speaks to discipline, to esprit, to integrity, to the 
acceptance and the inculcation of a sense of duty that is being acted 
out every day that brings great honor to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 
to the United States of America, and to the United States Army. And I 
thank those members of the unit.
  I would like to recognize some who distinguish themselves. One of the 
things that I learned in the military is what one friend said who won 
the Congressional Medal of Honor, which is, the valor, the commitment, 
and the discipline and courage of a man or woman is not measured by 
what they wear on their chest but some who were in a certain place at a 
certain time who received that recognition. I believe if we were to 
talk to these soldiers, they would point that out, that they were just 
there to help their buddies to accomplish that mission and they did 
what they believed was their duty, that any of their fellow soldiers 
would have done as well.
  First, I would like to recognize Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester of 
Nashville, Tennessee. She joined the Guard on April 20, 2001. She was 
awarded the Silver Star for Valor in Combat. Staff Sergeant Timothy 
Nein of Henryville, Indiana, joined the Kentucky National Guard on 
November 26, 1996, was awarded the Silver Star for Valor. Sergeant 
Dustin Morris of Murray, Kentucky, joined the Kentucky Army National 
Guard as a junior in high school under the split option program. This 
week, as I speak of that, it reminds me of my own journey into the 
Army, enlisting 29 years ago on June 21. I look at the sacrifices of 
these young people. He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal V device 
for Valor.
  Specialist Casey Cooper of Eddyville, Kentucky, joined the Kentucky 
National Guard after completing 2 years of college at Murray State 
University, awarded the Bronze Star Medal with V device for Valor. 
Specialist Jason Mike of Radcliff, Kentucky, joined the Kentucky 
National Guard after September 17, ``to give back to my country,'' he 
said. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with V device for Valor.
  Specialist Jesse Ordunez of Gilbertsville, Kentucky, joined the 
Kentucky Army National Guard in March of 2000, awarded the Army 
Commendation Medal with V device for Valor. And, finally, Specialist 
Ashley Pullen of Edmonton, Kentucky, joined the Kentucky Army National 
Guard on December 19, 2001, at the age of 17, the same age I was when I 
enlisted 29 areas ago while still attending high school. His award was 
the Bronze Star with V device for Valor.
  When I look at the commitment and the service of these young people, 
with their sense of duty and commitment, as they stand literally at the 
tip of spear to preserve our freedom, I am thankful that they are 
there, that Americans can sleep well and safely tonight as we standing 
with Iraqi people to see a successful mission as we accept that duty 
and stand with resolve.

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