[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6715-6716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL GUARD

  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, next month the Virgin Islands 
National Guard is scheduled to deploy another 100 soldiers to Iraq. 
Already over 400 have served several tours of duty; of that 100 to be 
deployed, 36 are women.
  We in the Virgin Islands have lost a total of seven soldiers, five 
Virgin Islanders, and two whose families moved there. Having just lost 
two of our finest, the first VI National Guard to be killed in Iraq, 
that April deployment will be a very difficult one not just for the 
families, but for the entire community. I want to be able to go with a 
message of hope.
  This week we will be debating the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' 
Health and Iraq Accountability Act. This bill sets a reasonable 
timeline for troop withdrawal, ensures funding needed to ensure that 
our troops are trained, protected and equipped while in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, and that they are properly cared for when they return.
  Colleagues, this is an important bill; our country needs us to pass 
it. I want that when the April deployment ceremony comes about, I can 
meet my VI National Guard knowing that they will not be there for more 
than one tour, that they will have what they need to

[[Page 6716]]

get the job done, that they will come home in a time certain, and that 
all the services they need will be there for them when they return. 
That is a message that will make all the difference in the world to 
them and their families.

                          ____________________