[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 25387]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            APPRECIATION FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this last weekend I was 
grateful to visit our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  I saw firsthand the growing success in Baghdad during a visit with 
Major General Joseph Fil, commander of forces in Baghdad, to a 
neighborhood joint security site. We saw shops open, normal traffic, 
and civilians unafraid. This evidence of success was repeated in a 
visit to Ramadi, where enthusiastic American and Iraqi troops have 
deposed the al Qaeda terrorists.
  In Kabul, I was briefed on training of Afghan police by the 218th 
Brigade of the South Carolina Army National Guard led by General Bob 
Livingston. As a 28-year veteran of the 218th, I know the competence 
and resolve of our troops. Additionally, in Jalalabad, American and 
Afghani provincial reconstruction teams are promoting security, 
governance, and economic development.
  With eight visits to Iraq and four to Afghanistan, I am more 
convinced than ever that to protect the American families we must stop 
the terrorists overseas. Our dedicated troops deserve our support of 
this vital mission.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September the 11th.

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