[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16321-16322]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              STATEMENT DEFENDING THE HONOR OF OUR TROOPS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHARLIE NORWOOD

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 18, 2005

  Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, the protection we have enjoyed here at home 
since we took the fight to the enemy has been purchased with the 
sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. The very least we can do in 
return is to show them honor and respect when they come home.

[[Page 16322]]

  According to the Greensboro Herald-Journal, middle school teacher 
Michael Lund of Anita White Carson Middle School in Greensboro, Georgia 
had that intention when he invited his old college roommate, Marine 
Sergeant Zach Richardson to speak to his middle school students about 
his experiences in Iraq.
  The children in Mr. Lund's class had been pen pals with Sergeant 
Richardson and several of his fellow Marines in Iraq, so everyone was 
excited about finally getting to meet in person.
  Imagine the surprise when he and Mr. Lund were intercepted outside 
the classroom by School Principal Ulrica Corbett. She demanded Mr. Lund 
escort Sgt. Richardson off school grounds immediately. Principal 
Corbett later told the media that Mr. Lund did not have approval for a 
guest speaker to come on campus.
  Mr. Lund produced documentation to prove that he had indeed filed the 
necessary paperwork well in advance, and that Principal Corbett refused 
to act on it.
  Regardless of the reason, this treatment of one of our heroes 
returning from Iraq is unacceptable and inexcusable.
  Under no circumstances should Sergeant Richardson have been denied 
the opportunity to speak to the students with whom he had been 
corresponding.
  But just as damaging as the disrespect shown to Sergeant Richardson 
was the impact of this disrespect on the 6th grade students who were 
waiting to welcome this veteran.
  They witnessed their Principal kick a Marine just back from the front 
off school property, giving our children a real-life lesson in 
disrespecting our military.
  We have a lesson to teach at Anna White Carson Middle School--and 
across this country. That lesson should be that disrespect for 
America's service men and women by public officials will simply not be 
tolerated by the people of this country.
  But before we scream too loudly about the speck in the eye of Greene 
County public schools, we need to take a look at the log in the eye of 
this Congress.
  Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois stood on the floor of our Senate and 
compared our military prisons to those of Nazi Germany.
  Members of this Congress have whined about whether a book was 
mistreated at Guantanamo, while the comrades of those Guantanamo 
prisoners cut the heads off innocent, unarmed, civilian prisoners in 
their custody.
  Any reasonable person can see that comments such as these plant seeds 
of disdain against America, here and abroad.
  Are these comments and actions against our military forces now 
actually encouraging new attacks by our enemies in London and Baghdad?
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot win this war if we continue to allow a handful 
of public officials to undermine our efforts with irresponsible 
comments and actions without paying a price--here and all across our 
country.

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