[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 156-157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       WELCOME HOME 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION'S TASK FORCE RAKKASAN

  (Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I humbly rise today to welcome home the 
heroic soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division's Task Force Rakkasan 
after a year's deployment in Afghanistan.
  Mr. Speaker, this morning we read aloud the document we are all sworn 
to protect and defend. None defend that document and our freedom better 
than those deployed in harm's way. Many of the members of the Rakkasan 
have been deployed five times since September 11. They are part of the 
most deployed unit in the history of the U.S. Army. They have my 
profound gratitude for that service.
  These brave soldiers served in and around Khost, Afghanistan. 
Together with their Afghan allies, they took 2,000 insurgents out of 
the fight and cleared the way for expanded Afghan governance. The 
Rakkasans arrived in a region that was controlled by the Taliban. They 
leave an area where children are free to go to school, play cricket, 
fly kites, all activities that the Taliban forbade.
  Tomorrow, Tennessee will welcome these heroes home. We will open our 
arms and embrace them and thank

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them for their service and their sacrifice. We will also remember those 
who are not returning. I hope that my colleagues in this body will take 
a moment today to reflect on how our service should honor the service 
of those who serve us so well.

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