[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10182-10183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            THANK YOU TROOPS

  (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. During the recess, I was grateful to 
visit for the 10th time with troops in Iraq, and my eighth visit with 
troops in Afghanistan. As our delegation met with servicemembers of our 
home States, it is inspiring to see the commitment to protecting 
American families at home by defeating terrorists overseas.
  We learned in Baghdad that terrorist attacks have been reduced by 
over 90 percent from 2007 due to the success of the surge. The next 
day, when President Obama spoke, he stated, ``You have given Iraq the 
opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country. That is an 
extraordinary achievement.''
  As the father of two sons who have served in Iraq, I am especially 
appreciative of military families. In Afghanistan, it was explained 
that extensive

[[Page 10183]]

plans are underway to expand the Afghan National Army, the Afghan 
police, and the Afghan border police. I know firsthand of the success 
of local forces as my former National Guard unit, the 218th Brigade, 
completed a year of service at Camp Phoenix last year promoting a civil 
society.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops--and we will never forget 
September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

                          ____________________