[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 162]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              AFGHANISTAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, today, I have a photograph of Tyler Jordan, 
whose father, Phillip, was a marine gunnery sergeant killed in Iraq. I 
saw this photograph about 5 years ago in a national paper, and I felt 
that I needed to have this photograph for myself to be able to be 
reminded of war and the pain of war.
  On Tuesday, I had the privilege and humbling experience to visit the 
wounded warriors at Walter Reed. I saw the pain these heroes were 
experiencing from the severe injuries they received fighting for this 
country. That's why today I show you the photograph of Tyler Jordan's 
pain as he holds a folded flag at his father's funeral. This boy's pain 
and the pain of the heroes at Walter Reed are the reasons I've joined 
my colleagues in both parties in asking President Obama to bring our 
troops home.
  Madam Speaker, this country has many problems. Maybe I am wrong, but 
sadly, it seems to me, the war in Afghanistan seems to be on the back 
burner.
  Before Christmas, I read from a Washington Post article that quoted 
President Karzai as saying he now has three main enemies--the Taliban, 
the United States and the international community. He said in that 
article that, if he had to choose sides today, he would choose the 
Taliban.
  There have been many articles written questioning the success of our 
troops in Afghanistan, but our troops have been successful. So why keep 
them in a country, risking their lives, when the President of that 
country supports the enemy?
  The Afghan Government is corrupt. Not one American life should be 
sacrificed for such a dysfunctional, corrupt government.
  In mid-December, President Obama released a review of the American 
strategy in Afghanistan that painted a positive picture of the progress 
being made there. This review is, at best, dubious. I agree with two 
national intelligence reports that were also released with a more 
realistic, negative assessment on the state of the war and our chance 
for success.
  As I have said before, we are spending approximately $7 billion a 
month, which is $234 million a day, to fight a winless war for a 
corrupt government. Why do we continue to spend $234 million a day so 
that some other child has to know Tyler's pain?
  In closing, I would like to ask God, as I do every day on the floor 
when I speak, to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God 
to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I ask 
God, in his loving arms, to hold the families who have given a child 
dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  I ask God, please bless this House and Senate that we will do what is 
right in the eyes of God for the American people; and I will ask God to 
give wisdom, strength, and courage to the President of the United 
States that he will do what is right in the eyes of the American 
people.
  And I will say three times: God, please, God please, God, please 
continue to bless America.

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