[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING COLONEL BILL WILLIAMS AND GEORGIA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD 
                     AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB WOODALL

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2011

  Mr. WOODALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Colonel Bill 
Williams and the Georgia Army National Guard Agricultural Development 
Team. Colonel Williams will be leading the Guard's Agricultural 
Development Team on a year-long deployment to Afghanistan at the end of 
April 2011. These brave citizen-soldiers are not only going into the 
theater to assist our men and women on the ground as they engage 
insurgents and terrorists but also improve the lives of Afghani 
citizens. They will work to build an agricultural and irrigation system 
where local Afghani farmers can grow fruit and vegetables, raise 
livestock, and better manage limited water resources. Their efforts 
will create a stable, vital agricultural base and water resources 
system that can support the Afghani people and serve as a springboard 
for further economic growth in rural Afghan villages.
  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this kind of development 
and reconstruction. A stable, productive Afghani agricultural sector 
will be a counter-balance to the Taliban and the illicit production of 
opium, both of which are prevalent in rural parts of that nation and a 
threat to the security of the Afghan people and our military mission 
there. We have a chance to counteract these activities by collaborating 
with the Afghani people to find the tools and the seeds to grow their 
own democracy. In partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
the Georgia Army National Guard will also deliver clean water to more 
and more Afghani communities. By simply treating and transporting clean 
water to these communities, we will dramatically improve the health of 
the overall population, helping to win the hearts and minds of the 
Afghani people.
  We have a real chance to turn the tide, and the Georgia Army National 
Guard Agricultural Development Team will continue that fight. I am so 
proud to see our Georgia military men and women meeting this challenge 
and leading the effort in the coming year to further transform Afghani 
society. It is my hope that through the work of the Agricultural 
Development Team and their Afghani partners, Afghanistan will develop 
an agrarian foundation that will not only bear food, but also the 
fruits of liberty, prosperity, and security in the coming years.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
Georgia Army National Guard Agricultural Development Team for their 
outstanding service to our country and for their commitment to growing 
the seeds of democracy. May God bless them on their mission in 
Afghanistan and return them safely home.

                          ____________________