Walter B. Jones

Madam Speaker, the Vietnam War is widely regarded as one of the most brutal conflicts our young service members have faced to this day. With such brutal conditions abroad and dwindling support within the United States, the Vietnam War left an indelible mark on our nation, and most importantly, on the people who served. One man to experience these effects was Mr. Clifton James Coward, Jr., of Washington, North Carolina. I rise today to honor him.

Known as C.J. to his friends, Clifton was a happy and outgoing person when he was younger. Unfortunately, by the time he returned home following his tour in Vietnam, his world was flipped upside down.

C.J. served in the military from 1967 to 1970, completing one tour in Vietnam. As a Specialist 4th Class in the U.S. Army, he was a part of a New Equipment Training (NET) team and was the operator/gunny attached to a Sheridan M551 tank. One of the hardships the group faced while fighting was that they traveled so quickly throughout the country. Letters that their loved ones sent often wouldn't arrive until after they had moved on to a new location.

Unfortunately, by the time his tour was over and C.J. was discharged, he had developed anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. This greatly exacerbated other health problems, which arose later in his life. Having married Lola Woolard after returning to the states, C.J. dealt with emphysema and episodes of anxiety that led to his wife driving him around into the early hours of the morning to help calm him down. Even throughout the hardships, the couple was happily married for 48 years. The two of them have lived in my district for 45 of those 48 years. C.J. was a proud father to Lynn and Kylie Coward Carter and a grandfather to Lucas and Lily Carter. After his service, he continued supporting his family by preparing bread trays, that way he could avoid the stress of your typical 9 to 5 job and he was able to work at his own pace.

The effects of Vietnam are still felt by many, just like Clifton. Despite never returning to the same happy, outgoing young man he once was, he always tried to keep a smile on his face and was a dear friend who will be missed by many. May God continue to uplift his family.

Mr. Speaker, in the last couple of weeks, the effort to declassify the 28 pages of the Joint Inquiry Report into the 9/11 attacks has received a lot of media attention, mainly because of Zacarias Moussaoui's recent comments exposing the financial link between the Saudi royal family and al Qaeda.

In 2002, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, chaired by Senator Bob Graham, and the House Committee on Intelligence, chaired by Congressman Porter Goss, released the Joint Inquiry report into the 9/ 11 attacks. In a political move, the Bush administration then classified 28 pages of the report even though the contents of those 28 pages posed no national security risk to the United States. Rather, the contents of those 28 pages are probably embarrassing for the Bush administration. Senator Graham has repeatedly called for the 28 pages to be declassified as a result.

I have read the 28 pages and cannot divulge what is in them, but I can say that the contents deal with relationships. Senator Graham has openly said that the 28 pages deal with the Bush administration's relationships with the Saudis. My colleagues Congressman Stephen Lynch from Massachusetts and Congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky, who have also read the 28 pages, have joined me in introducing H. Res. 14, to urge the President to keep his word to the 9/11 families and declassify the 28 pages, which he could do with a stroke of a pen.

The movement to declassify the 28 pages is picking up momentum. Just last week, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich tweeted his support for declassifying the 28 pages to 1.5 million of his followers. All of the principal players in producing the reports on the 9/11 attacks have called for the declassification of the 28 pages-- Senator Bob Graham, Senator Richard Shelby, Congressman Porter Goss, Congressman Tom Kean, and Congressman Lee Hamilton. I urge my colleagues to submit to the House Intelligence Committee a request to read the 28 pages and to join me, Congressman Lynch, and Congressman Massie in supporting H. Res. 14 as a cosponsor.

Mr. Speaker, it is time that the 28 pages are declassified. The 9/11 families have a right to this information in the 28 pages, and the American people deserve to know the truth about what caused the 9/11 attacks. For more information on this effort to declassify the 28 pages, visit 28pages.org.

May God continue to bless America, and may God continue to bless our men and women in uniform.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure that my colleagues would agree that we have many needs in our districts. For example, my district has an inlet that cannot be dredged, which causes an economic problem. And the reason it cannot be dredged is because of lack of funds. We continue to spend billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there is no money for necessary infrastructure projects back here in North Carolina and across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, as you know, I have been outspoken on the continuation of war in Afghanistan. I would like to recite a segment from Rudyard Kipling's poem, ``Epitaphs of the War,'' as Ron Paul did when we went into Iraq: ``If any question why we died, tell them because our fathers lied.''

Mr. Speaker, a recent letter to the editor of the Marine Corps Times echoed the same sentiment. Bryan Chou wrote:

``Remember the part I said about ending the Marines'

presence in Afghanistan? I lied,'' said every politician.

I assume Mr. Chou was referring to the President's recent statement that the war in Afghanistan is over.

How can the war be over when we just committed to a 10-year bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan to keep thousands of troops there while spending millions of dollars? The Afghan Parliament voted on the bilateral security agreement while we in Congress had no discussion and no debate.

According to the Constitution, the President does not need to come to Congress for permission on an agreement, but I think we have a responsibility to the American taxpayer and our men and women in uniform to discuss an agreement that will keep more taxpayer dollars and more troops in Afghanistan in the coming years.

Just a couple of weeks ago the Marine Corps announced that the marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina's Third District, which I represent, are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. When does it end, Mr. Speaker? When does it end?

I would like to quote Grant Filbeck from Erie, Pennsylvania, who wrote a letter to the Marine Corps Times last week about Afghanistan:

I believe in the mission 100 percent, but we have given the

Afghans the tools to succeed, and it's up to them to use

them. We have been in the country for more than 13 years.

That is ridiculous. We have spent so much money funding these

guys. If the Afghans want to fight for their country, then

they will, or the Taliban will take over without much of a

fight.

These two men whose letters I referenced are marines who have been to Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, this is a poster from a book titled, ``How U.S. Taxpayers Bankroll the Taliban.'' It was written several years ago by Douglas Wissing. It is a great expose on how the taxpayers' money ends up in the hands of the Taliban, to kill Americans and to blow up the buildings that we built for them with taxpayer money.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, we owe it to the American people, our military, and our Constitution to debate war. As James Madison wrote: ``The power to declare war, including the power of judging the causes of war, is fully and exclusively vested in the legislature.'' I agree with James Madison and urge the Congress to meet its constitutional duty to debate war and not let any President have an AUMF to send our young men and women overseas to die and see the taxpayers' money wasted.

May God continue to bless our troops, and may God continue to bless America.