[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10170-10171]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TALL AFAR MAYOR AND TROOP BRAVERY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2006

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to 
commend one of the bravest acts of personal courage that I have seen in 
many years.
  In the face of deadly car bombings, suicide attacks and assassination 
attempts, there are some Iraqi leaders who are willing to tell the 
truth about the successes of our American troops in Iraq and to share 
the stories of their generosity and courage.
  Earlier this month, one of my constituents named Roger Hattersley 
sent me a letter written by the mayor of Tall Afar, Iraq. Roger's son 
is an enlisted soldier serving in Iraq as part of the 3rd Armored 
Cavalry Regiment, and had sent his father a copy of this letter.

[[Page 10171]]

  Having personally visited Tall Afar just this winter on a CODEL with 
the Government Reform Committee, I was very interested to read what the 
mayor had to say.
  Mr. Speaker, I am going to read the letter here on the House floor so 
that all Americans can hear the bravery and courage of Mayor Najim 
Abdullah Abid Al-Jibouri and also the good works of our young men and 
women in uniform.

       To the courageous men and women of the 3rd Armored Cavalry 
     Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall Afar from a ghost 
     town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a 
     secure city flourishing with life.
       To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of 
     terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the 
     streets for many months, to those who spread smiles on the 
     faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through 
     their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new 
     life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and 
     stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.
       Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al 
     Zarqa wi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands 
     of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, 
     businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, 
     and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in 
     their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every 
     corner, terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital 
     in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they 
     stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed 
     them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents 
     attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was 
     the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered 
     unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry 
     Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi's 
     followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and 
     forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to 
     the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3rd ACR 
     soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiaft, Zumar and Avgani finally 
     destroyed them.
       I have met many soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry 
     Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but 
     avenging angels sent by the God himself to fight the evil of 
     terrorism.
       The leaders of this regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, 
     LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, 
     strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike 
     bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a 
     bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a 
     unique military operation, stands among the finest military 
     feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves 
     to be studied in military science. This military operation 
     was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the 
     ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of 
     surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city 
     without causing unnecessary damage!
       God bless this brave regiment; God bless the families who 
     dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our 
     hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we 
     will never forget. To the families of those who have given 
     their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence 
     and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not 
     in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls 
     hovering around us every second of every minute. They will 
     never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have 
     sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the 
     smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this 
     land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of 
     their sacrifice for humanity and life.
       Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this 
     brave regiment, I haven't the words to describe the courage 
     of its officers and soldiers, I pray to God to grant 
     happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their 
     brave families.

  Mr. Speaker, as you have just heard, the mayor of Tall Afar exhibited 
personal courage in daring to speak out in support of American troops.
  I recently read in the papers of a horrific homicide bomber who 
attacked a police recruitment station in Tall Afar.
  The terrorist killed more than 20 Iraqis, and there is no doubt in my 
mind that this attack was motivated in part by the outspoken support 
for the American 3rd Armored Cavalry regiment by the mayor.
  My constituent Roger Hattersley and I spoke about his son and his 
service in Iraq. he told me that like so many of the young men and 
women serving there, his son is totally committed to the cause of 
freedom and liberty in this far away land.
  It is heartwarming for me to read the words of mayor Al-Jibouri. It 
is clear that he is willing to put his life on the line to recognize 
the commitment and bravery of our men and women in uniform.
  While you will probably never hear about the courage of mayor Al-
Jibouri on the evening news or in your local newspaper, I wanted to 
take this opportunity tonight to make sure that the mayor received 
recognition for his outspokenness and honesty.
  Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to say how much I support the 
mission and work of our troops, especially the 3rd Armored Cavalry 
regiment.

                          ____________________