Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this past Tuesday I came to the floor to talk about the corruption in Afghanistan and the growing concern of the American people due to the fact that many in both parties have said we need to stay there 4 more years, including the President of the United States.

In November of this year, we had 53 Americans killed in action in Afghanistan and 146 Americans wounded in Afghanistan. Beside me, Mr. Speaker, are the faces of marines who were killed from Camp Lejeune. Too many times, because of the fact that this country does not have a draft, this country seems to put the war in Afghanistan on the second, third, and fourth pages, and that is a tragedy to the families of those young men and women fighting in Afghanistan and to those families who have lost loved ones who have been killed.

I would like to take just a moment to read from the Washington Examiner a couple of comments and also a ``60 Minutes'' segment on November 28 by Anderson Cooper called ``Good Cop, Bad Cop.''

From the Washington Examiner earlier this year: ``The Examiner reported that numerous insurgents captured in Pakistan, including some members of al Qaeda, were returned to Afghanistan upon the request of the Karzai government, and then, according to senior Pakistan officials, `released back to the Taliban as bargaining chips in negotiations.'

``A marine stationed in southern Afghanistan's volatile Helmand Province told the Examiner that efforts to retaining insurgent fighters are `worthless.' '' They are worthless.

``Earlier this year, his unit held a man known to be working with the Taliban. The marines had gathered evidence that the man was transporting hundreds of pounds of bomb-making equipment and explosives for the Taliban. But, shortly after they captured him, he was set free.''

That is a tragedy in itself, Mr. Speaker, because our young men and women are over there dying for what, I do not know. In fact, there was an article written in the magazine called The American Conservative by Andrew Bacevich about 6 months ago, and the title of that article was ``To Die for a Mystique.'' He was comparing Vietnam to Afghanistan. Actually, the writer of that article, Andrew Bacevich, fought in Vietnam for this country, and his son died in Iraq for this country.

Let me just briefly read from ``Good Cops, Bad Cops: Afghanistan's National Police.'' This is the ``60 Minutes'' segment:

``We began with the three-star American general now in charge of their training. `The police have to succeed,' Lt. General William Caldwell told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

`` `If the Afghan police fail, we fail?' Cooper asked.

`` `We do,' the general said.

``Caldwell began overseeing training of Afghan security forces last November. `The sooner we can develop an effective police force, the sooner U.S. forces will be able to have less of an active combat role,' the general said. `If we had a better-trained Afghan police at this point, that would save American lives,' Cooper said. `There's no question about that. That is true,' said the general.''

Now, Mr. Speaker, let me tell you just how difficult this job is:

`` `Not only are most of the police illiterate, but it turns out many of them also have a drug problem. There is one study said 10 to 20 percent use or smoke hash and other forms of drugs,' Cooper told Caldwell, `and that's probably an accurate statistic based on what we have seen,' he replied.

``Another video taken by members of the 82nd Airborne shows an Afghan policeman smoking marijuana before going out on patrol--evidently not an uncommon ritual.''

Mr. Speaker, it is time that this House and this Senate and this administration understand that it is not worth the lives of our men and women in uniform to keep them in Afghanistan for 4 years. History has proven it is an uncontrolled country. It will never be a nation, it will never have a

successful national government, and it is time that the House and Senate understand that it is not worth one more life of our young men and women to stay in Afghanistan.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield back the balance of my time, I will ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I will ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I will ask God in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I will ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God, and God give strength, wisdom and courage to the President of the United States, Mr. Obama, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God. And three times I will close, God please, God please, God please bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I have to my side the faces of marines who have given their lives for this country. They are from Camp Lejeune, which is in the district I represent. These are the faces of those young men and women who gave their lives for this country.

I come to the floor today because I join the American people. I am very concerned about committing our troops to 4 more years in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a vast country. It has never been a nation. It doesn't have a government, and we are trying to build a government in Afghanistan. I want to share just a couple of comments. This is from The Washington Examiner.

It reads: ``Catch-and-Release of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan angers troops.''

``More than 500 suspected Taliban fighters detained by United States forces have been released from custody at the urging of Afghan Government officials, angering both American troops and some Afghans who oppose the policy on the grounds that many of those released return to the battlefield to kill NATO soldiers and Afghan civilians.''

Recently, on November 28 of this year, there was a ``60 Minutes'' segment by Anderson Cooper. It was called ``Good Cop, Bad Cop: Afghanistan's National Police.'' I want to read just a couple of excerpts from this:

``While the Afghan Army has made some strides in recent years, the national police force has developed a reputation for drug abuse, illiteracy and desertion.''

``Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that up to 19 Afghan police officers from southwest of Kabul defected to the Taliban en masse, taking their guns with them and burning down their own station house.''

Just another part from that ``60 Minutes'':

``What is certain is that the United States has spent 9 years and more than $7 billion building and training the Afghan police force. ``60 Minutes'' wanted to find out what has become of that investment.''

I am going to paraphrase very quickly:

There has been very little success. The Afghan police are still 9 years behind in training, and we have already spent 9 years training them. I don't know how that adds up to anything positive.

I am going to save some of the other comments from the ``60 Minutes'' segment to use later on this week and to use, certainly, next year when we come back.

Mr. Speaker, I have signed over 9,747 letters to families and extended families who have lost loved ones in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I do that every weekend so I can be reminded of my mistake of voting to give President Bush the authority to go into Iraq--a war we never had to fight. It was manipulated by those within the administration, and it never had to be; and, yes, we lost young men and women in that battle.

On Afghanistan, I have joined my colleagues on both the Democratic side and the Republican side to ask: What is the end point? What is the definition of ``victory''? What are we trying to achieve? You can never get a straight answer. I don't care who gives you an answer; you don't know what the end point is.

So there we are, spending $6 billion, $7 billion a month in Afghanistan, but we can't fix the streets in America. We can't build schools in America; yet we have borrowed that $6 billion, $7 billion from our Chinese friends. We owe them the money while we spend it in a foreign country, and we can't even take care of our own people.

So, Mr. Speaker, again, the faces of these young marines--and they could be soldiers, they could be airmen, they could be Navy, but these young marines who died at 20 and 21, the only thing their parents can do in the years ahead, or their loved ones, is to show the face of a 21-year-old marine that died at 21 and will always be seen as a young man who gave his life for this country.

It's time for this Congress to come together and say to President Obama, We don't need 4 more years of spending money--and more important than money is the blood of the American soldier and marine and serviceman that is dying for this country.

So with that, Mr. Speaker, I will, as I always do, I will ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform, to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform, to bless the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I will ask God to please bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God. And I will ask God to please give wisdom, strength and courage to President Obama, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for today and tomorrow's generation.

Madam Speaker, this past Saturday, the 27th of November, Fox News aired a story about the Lee family and Lex, the wounded military working dog that was adopted by the Lee family.

Corporal Dustin Lee was Lex's handler and the Lees' son. A rocket- propelled grenade ended the life of Corporal Lee and also injured Lex by sending shrapnel into his back in 2007. Lex's pain has been so very severe over the past 3 years, and he has also had a hard time walking.

Lex received adult canine stem cell therapy at Georgetown Veterinary Hospital, performed by Dr. Lee Morgan. Lex was released last Friday with much success.

I would like to thank Kelly Wright of the Fox News' show ``Fox and Friends,'' for taking interest in this story and understanding the importance of war dogs in our military. Through his kind work, many people were touched by this heartwarming story.

I would also like to thank Dr. Lee Morgan of Georgetown Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Morgan volunteered much of his personal time to Lex, his recovery, and the Lee family. He was very kind and devoted to this cause and gave this dog and family the attention they deserve.

Many individuals and organizations have made it possible for Lex to receive this therapy by donating time and money to the cause. I would like to thank the Humane Society, the American Kennel Club, the German Shepherd Dog Club of Northern Virginia, the Shoreline German Shepherd Dog Club, and the United States War Dogs Association.

Also, Marine General Mike Regner for his help in retiring this dog and making sure Lex was able to be a part of and placed with the Lee family.

Contributions came from all over the country, and I appreciate everyone who donated. A dog handler currently stationed in Afghanistan sent a donation, which speaks to the importance of these dogs and to the appreciation our servicemembers have for them.

With that, Madam Speaker, I close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform, to bless the families of our men and women in uniform. And I ask God to continue to bless America.

Madam Speaker, this week, the German Shepherd Lex, whose master Corporal Dustin Lee was killed in Iraq in 2007, is returning to Washington.

The RPG that killed his master also injured Lex by sending shrapnel into his back. Lex's pain has been very severe over the past three years and also has a hard time walking.

Lex was able to be retired and in December of 2007 he was officially adopted by Jerome and Rachel Lee, the parents of Cpl Dustin Lee.

I would like to thank Gen. Mike Regner for helping get Lex retired and adopted by the Lees, as their son would have wanted his partner to be home with this family.

This week Lex is traveling to DC for a visit to the Georgetown Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Lee Morgan is performing stem cell therapy on Lex to help relieve his pain and extend his life. The idea is to not only treat the pain, but to repair the damage done by the shrapnel altogether.

This is a very important procedure for both Lex and the Lee family, as they have all been through so much together already.

Many individuals and organizations have made it possible for Lex to receive this therapy by donating time and money to the cause,

I would like to thank the Humane Society, the American Kennel Club, the German Shepherd Dog Club of Northern Virginia, Shoreline German Shepherd Dog Club, and the U.S. War Dogs Association.

I would like to give a special thanks to Connie Whitfield and her husband Congressman Ed Whitfield, for all they have devoted to Lex and the Lee family. Thanks to John Burnam for all of his work and for bringing Lex's story to my attention three years ago.

A big thank you goes to Dr. Lee Morgan of Georgetown Veterinary Hospital for performing the procedure.

Contributions came from all over the country and I appreciate everyone who donated. A dog handler currently stationed in Afghanistan sent a donation, which speaks to the importance of these dogs and the appreciation our service members have for them.

With that Madam Speaker, I close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform, their families, and I ask God to please bless America.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1605, as amended, recognizing the service of the military medical and aircrews who help our wounded warriors return home quickly and safely and commending the members of the Air Force for their commitment to our service men and women.

I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson) for introducing this resolution.

The key to our having our men and women survive after being wounded in combat is immediate medical care, followed by the quick and safe evacuation from the battlefield. No one does this better than the United States military.

Mr. Speaker, today's combat casualty care system is a complex, integrated effort that brings a wounded

servicemember from the point of injury on the battlefield to the most sophisticated medical treatment available in the world. All of the military services have a role in this effort--from front-line medics who treat our casualties to the ambulance and aircrews who provide critical transportation to the next level of medical care. We owe our utmost gratitude to all of the dedicated individuals who have a part in this lifesaving endeavor.

But today we specifically recognize the men and women of the United States Air Force. Their commitment to excellence has raised aeromedical evaluation to an unprecedented level of success. One only has to travel to Andrews Air Force Base to witness firsthand the care, compassion and love given to our returning wounded. The Air Force pilots, crew chiefs, doctors, nurses, and medics have worked tirelessly to bring the wounded safely home.

I urge my colleagues who have not had that opportunity to watch the Air Force unloading these medical transport planes to go out to Andrews and see it. It is truly unforgettable. I have been out there myself, and I must say that it is heartwarming and a humbling experience to see this fine work done by the United States Air Force in the care for these wounded.

Mr. Speaker, I join all of my colleagues to honor the military medical personnel and aircrews whose skills and professionalism ensure that our wounded warriors return home quickly and safely. I, therefore, strongly urge all Members to support this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on November 5, 2009, 13 people were killed and 31 wounded at Ft. Hood, Texas, when a gunman attacked unarmed military civilian personnel who were preparing for deployment or who recently returned to the United States from deployments. This was an attack that devastated the people there and across this Nation. It was a senseless act of horror that betrayed our respect and dignity for human life.

I want to thank my colleague, Representative John Carter of Texas, for introducing this legislation to give all Members the opportunity today to once again stand in support of the men and women at Ft. Hood and their families who suffered in that time of trial.

This resolution also honors those military and civilian law enforcement officers who acted swiftly and courageously to neutralize the threat, as well as the medical personnel who immediately began treating the wounded, thereby reducing the loss of life.

While we wait for the justice system to decide the fate of the gunman, it is

important that we also recognize that Ft. Hood's preparations beforehand enabled a timely response and situational control once the attack occurred. Unfortunately, the attack at Ft. Hood signals the requirement that such preparation apply to all of our military installations.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter), who introduced this resolution, as much time as he might consume.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1630 to express support for National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day.

I would like to commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for introducing this resolution. At the heart of this resolution is the principle that the American military never leaves a fallen comrade behind. More than 84,000 members of the Armed Forces remain unaccounted for from World War II, the Korean war, Vietnam, the cold war, and the gulf war, and U.S. military personnel have been held in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since the Vietnam war, achieving the fullest possible accounting of our POWs and MIAs has been a national priority. The Department of Defense organizations principally responsible for the accounting effort have made significant progress even at the cost of the lives of some involved in the physically demanding, dangerous fieldwork required. So I want to especially commend the efforts of the Defense POW/Missing Persons Office, the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command, the Armed Forces Identification Laboratory, the Life Sciences Equipment Laboratory, and each of the military services. They make up the core of the Department of Defense's accounting community.

Yet with all the progress that has been made, more needs to be done. The House Armed Services Committee took the lead a year ago with the enactment, for the first time, of a statutory requirement that the POWs and missing from all America's prior wars be fully accounted for. In addition, the legislation mandated that by 2015, the Department of Defense achieve the fullest possible accounting of no less than 200 persons a year. To achieve this requirement will require additional resources and an improved integration of effort among the DOD accounting community. We look forward to the Department of Defense plan to improve the way it has conducted the accounting mission.

It is also important for us to understand and commend the efforts of the families and loved ones of those who remain unaccounted for. Their unflagging grassroots efforts, as well as those of national POW/MIA organizations, have been essential to ensure that both the Congress and the executive branch remain committed to the accounting effort.

Finally, we must not forget those who died as POWs or survived captivity despite starvation, forced labor, and severe torture. For this reason, this resolution in support of National Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action Recognition Day is an important one, and I urge unanimous support for its adoption.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I want to also thank Betsy Markey, who just spoke, from Colorado. She has worked with me hand in glove, as we should do more times than not, on the House floor, to be honest about it, and we were able to get over 130 cosponsors.

As she said, this year more than 50,000 people in this country will die from blood-related disorder.

This legislation asks the House to support this designation of September as Blood Cancer Awareness Month.

This resolution will enhance the understanding of blood-related cancers. Researchers have recently made important advancements in blood cancer research, but these diseases need more funding resources.

This legislation was requested by the American Society of Hematology, the International Myeloma Foundation, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Before I close, I want to thank the committee of jurisdiction, the chairman on the floor today, for getting this legislation to the floor. The end of September, I will be in Raleigh, North Carolina, for an event called Walk the Night. There will be those who have been cured of cancer blood diseases that will be walking. There will be those who lost loved ones because of blood cancer diseases; they will also be walking.

For this Congress to do this, I will be indebted and grateful too. Again, I want to thank Congresswoman Betsy Markey for being a cosponsor and thank the committees and thank the Congress and the leadership of the House, both Democrat and Republican, for getting this to the floor.

Madam Speaker, for 10 years the House of Representatives, under the leadership of Duncan Hunter and Ike Skelton, have brought to the floor of the House in our Armed Services bill language to honor and respect the Marine Corps by changing the name of the Department of Navy to be known as the Department of Navy and Marine Corps. For 10 years we sent this language over to the Senate. For 10 years the Senate rejected the House position.

This year, under the leadership of Ike Skelton and Buck McKeon, the Armed Services Committee decided to bring this language to the floor as what's called a stand-alone bill. We had 425 House Members--there are only 435--425 signed this bill to recognize the Navy and Marine Corps as one fighting team. And the bill passed the House, as you know, Madam Speaker, by what's called unanimous consent.

Well, at that period of time Senator Pat Roberts from Kansas, a former Marine officer, put the same bill in. It's what is called a companion bill. And by the time we had passed our bill, he had 80 Senators in the U.S. Senate sign his companion bill to rename the Department of Navy to be Navy and Marine Corps.

Madam Speaker, I have said many times in the last few weeks that I don't think you could get 80 Senators to agree there is a Santa Claus. But the Senators do recognize the importance of honoring the Marine Corps by letting them share in the name of the family, the family being the Navy and Marine Corps family.

It's my hope if the Senate brings this bill up next week, or the week after, or maybe during a lame duck session, that Senator Roberts will offer an amendment to that debate on the Senate side. And I would hope that those 80 Senators that have signed his bill will vote to honor and give this respect to the Marine Corps.

Madam Speaker, a year ago this September we did a news conference, the Marine Corps League, and we had generals here, former commandants to speak on behalf of the bill. But two people I wanted to make quick reference to. One was Eddie Wright. Eddie Wright is from Texas. He is a young Marine--he is not in the Marine Corps now--but he lost both hands in Iraq. He has picks for his hands. And he said at the news conference that, ``If it had not been for a Navy corpsman, I would be dead. But he saved my life. We are one fighting team. And it should be in the name.''

Madam Speaker, I have got these posters, as I begin to close. This is the real thrust of what we are trying to do. There would be no cost to the Department of Navy if we changed its name to be Department of Navy and Marine Corps. But this is an actual condolence letter that a Marine captain who was killed for this country--the family received this condolence letter. And Madam Speaker, it says at the top the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D.C., with the Navy flag, extends its condolence to this Marine who died. It's almost like it's a stepchild. It's not really part of the family. All we're trying to do, Madam Speaker, is to make this one family.

Madam Speaker, I am now showing that this same family whose loved one was killed, if this bill becomes law, the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps, with the Navy flag and the Marine flag will send the condolence letter to the Marine family.

Madam Speaker, it's time that we do this for the Marine Corps. I want to thank my House colleagues who have helped us with this for 10 years. And I hope that the Senate will certainly support Senator Roberts in honoring the Marine Corps by renaming it the Department of Navy and Marine Corps.

Madam Speaker, as I do every time before I close, I ask God 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 will ask God to please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God. I will ask God to please bless the President, Mr. Obama, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God. And three times I will say, God, please, God, please, please, God, continue to bless America.

I thank the gentleman from Ohio for this resolution and also the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, ``To Die for a Mystique, the Lessons Our Leaders Didn't Learn From the Vietnam War''--that's why this debate is so important today. Because I remember Mr. Nixon saying, no, no, there are no troops in Cambodia. Then a year later, he acknowledges there are. That's all it takes is a little incursion here and a little incursion there, and before you know it, it's out of control.

This article ``To Die for a Mystique'' was written by Andrew Bacevich, himself a Vietnam veteran, his son, a graduate of West Point, killed in Iraq.

``To Die for a Mystique.'' The dirty little secret to which few in Washington will own up is that the United States now faces the prospect of perpetual war and conflict. That's why this debate has to take place, whether we have three Americans killed in Pakistan or we have 33 or we have 300.

Where is Congress meeting its responsibility? That's what this is about.

I will regret to the day I go to my grave that I voted to give President Bush the authority to go into Iraq. We did not meet our responsibilities. We passed some little resolution, and I voted for it. We trusted the President to not go to war unless it was absolutely necessary, but we went to war.

Mr. Speaker, I have signed over 9,400 letters to families. This is my retribution to my God for not doing my job that day when I voted for that resolution. That's why I stand on the floor today with the gentleman from Ohio and the gentleman from Texas to say let's meet our responsibility. Let's not keep saying to the American kids, You need to die for a mystique. Let's give them purpose.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, God, please bless our men and women in uniform.

Please support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, back in May, I had the privilege of visiting Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in my district for a special program put on by Sesame Street and the USO. The Sesame Street-USO experience for military families is a wonderful program aimed at helping children of servicemembers understand deployments. It also helps parents talk to their children about a parent who is coming home with a changed personality or not coming home at all.

This program has spanned nine countries and 84 military bases. The Sesame Street mission is to improve the connection between parent and child during the long absence of deployment and help children understand the harsh realities of war.

During my visit, I was thrilled by the enthusiasm of the Sesame Street actors and the excitement it brought to the children as well as the parents. This was a very heartwarming experience that brought hope and understanding to the very special children of our very special parents who make up our military.

It is never easy to try to explain death or war to a child, but with the helpful tools this program uses, like a video using the Sesame Street characters explaining the death of a parent to a small child or a young person, the difficult issue becomes much easier to talk about.

I would like to thank the USO and Sesame Street for their hard work and concern for our troops. These are people that have not forgotten our men and women overseas and their brave families back home waiting for the return of their loved one. I encourage my colleagues to attend one of these shows at a base in your State or near your district. You will realize, as I did, how important this program is to our military families. It is definitely something worth seeing.

Again, I would like to say to Sesame Street and USO, thank you for making this commitment to these families. We know how difficult it is for our families going on these frequent deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, and Sesame Street and USO, you are making a commitment that those of us in Congress are very grateful for.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, as I do always on this floor, I ask God 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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people. And I ask God to please give strength, wisdom, and courage to President Obama, that he will always do what is right in the eyes of God for his people. And Mr. Speaker, I will ask three times, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, I have a poster beside me of a handsome couple. It's Marine Sergeant Tom Bagosy and his wife, Katie. I would like to read from an article:

``Marine Sgt. Tom Bagosy stepped out of his black GMC Sierra pickup and onto the gray speckled pavement of McHugh Boulevard, a busy thoroughfare in the heart of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He held a pistol in his right hand. The military police car that had pulled him over idled on the shoulder a safe distance behind him. The midday traffic stopped. Bagosy stood for a moment on the warm pavement under a cloudless May sky. Then he raised the pistol, pointed it to the right side of his throat just below his jaw, and pulled the trigger. The bullet sliced through his jugular vain, traveled through his skull, and exited near the top left side of his head. He crumpled down in the road. Even if the bullet had failed to rip through his brain, shooting through the jugular was solid insurance. He would have bled out in minutes anyway.

``Bagosy, 25, who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, had become another statistic in the war-fatigued military and its steadily escalating suicide rate. Last year, 52 marines committed suicide.''

Mr. Speaker, I bring this to the floor because I don't know what we're trying to accomplish in Afghanistan. The experts say they can identify about 50 al Qaeda. Yes, we know al Qaeda is in other parts of Afghanistan, of the 50, then Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries. And yet Tom Bagosy is like so many in our military who are willing to go time after time, time after time. But they also are human beings that break down as well as get tired. And the families--Katie is now the mother to two children without her husband, Tom.

Mr. Speaker, the tragedy of war goes on and on and on, and yet we have no endpoint in Afghanistan. We just keep sending the troops back and back and back and back. Just recently we had a debate on the floor of the House and we tried to debate what is the endpoint to the strategy. I'm not a military man, Mr. Speaker, but I've talked to many,

all ranks, and I've been told if you don't have an endpoint to a strategy, you have no strategy.

I hope Mr. Obama will keep his word and start in June of 2011 to downsize the military in Afghanistan because, Mr. Speaker, it breaks my heart to stand on the floor and to show a beautiful young couple, and yet the husband was worn out and tired. In fact, the title of the article says, ``A predictable suicide at Camp Lejeune: A doctor warned that mental health care for violent, disturbed marines was inadequate. Sgt. Tom Bagosy proved it.''

Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege of representing Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point and Seymour Johnson Air Force base, and what I would like to continue to say before I close is we thank you in the military and your families. You have done a magnificent job for this country. But those of us who make policy, Mr. Speaker, we need to understand and develop and demand an endpoint to the strategy because it's not fair and it's not right to wear out our military and its equipment.

So, Mr. Speaker, as I do and have many times, I will close this way: I ask God 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. And I will ask God to please bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for this country, including our military. And I will ask God to please bless the President of the United States, Mr. Obama; give him wisdom and strength to do what is right in the eyes of God for his people. And three times I will ask, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Madam Speaker, tonight I would like to bring up the issue of Afghanistan. This weekend in the Raleigh News and Observer, they published 20 names of our men and women who have given their lives for this country. As most of you know, I have written over 9,000 letters to immediate and extended families of the fallen. Lately, the numbers have dramatically increased. More and more of our sons and daughters in uniform are paying the ultimate price.

I would like to reference this poster beside me. The picture's of a flag-draped coffin being carried off a plane. This is war. This is the reality of war.

In a recent debate on the floor of the House regarding Afghanistan, I made reference to conservative George Will and liberal Thomas Friedman. Both have stated in written editorials that there is nothing we can accomplish in Afghanistan. In an article published in Newsweek yesterday, Richard Haass shares this opinion. His article is entitled, ``We're not winning. It's not worth it.''

In my remaining time I would like to share some thoughts of a former general who's my personal adviser on Afghanistan. These are his words, not mine: ``The basic 'mission' of defeating al Qaeda in Afghanistan is a sham. Our own intelligence tells us that there are only about 50 al Qaeda members in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan . . . certainly nothing worth sending thousands upon thousands of our best young men and women to fight. Al Qaeda is not a geographic entity . . . it cannot be pinpointed to a single area. Attacking them in Afghanistan or Pakistan just pushes them to other locations . . . Yemen is the perfect example. It is like playing the child's game 'Whack a Mole.' Stop al Qaeda in one area and they will just pop up in another. Bottom Line: the war against terror is not to be found in the mountains of Afghanistan or Pakistan . . . as we have vividly seen in Uganda and the U.S. recently.''

Madam Speaker, I mention that, and I have this poster that shows, again, as I have been repetitive for just one moment, the number of young men and women coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq in a flag- draped coffin.

It's our policy, responsibility on the House floor and in the Senate to debate policy. These young men and women are doing exactly what they joined the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force and have sworn they will do for this country. They will go when their leaders call upon them to go. It is our responsibility on the floor of the House to debate the policy, and the policy on Afghanistan has been proven from Alexander the Great to the English, to the Russians, to all the countries: you are taking a country with over 1,400 tribes and trying to make it a nation. It just is not going to happen.

And it's not fair to our men and women in uniform to continue to send them back 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 deployments. We had a marine recently down at Camp Lejeune, which is in my district, a sergeant who committed suicide right there on the streets of Camp Lejeune.

We are wearing out our military. It's time to have another debate on the floor of the House, and it's time to bring these troops home and rebuild our military and rebuild the equipment and make America's military strong again.

Madam Speaker, I will close with this: God, please bless our men and women in uniform. Please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. And, God, in Your loving arms hold the families who've given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And, God, give the strength to the House and the Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God and give strength to Mr. Obama to do what is right in the eyes of God.

And, God, three times I will ask from the bottom of my heart, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Madam Speaker, on July 8, I had the privilege of visiting the American Kennel Club in Raleigh, North Carolina, where care packages were being prepared to be sent to our K-9 units overseas. The effort is called Project 7-4.

Project 7-4 is an effort to help the United States War Dog Association collect much-needed supplies for both dogs and their handlers to send over to our active duty dog teams in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was very touching for me to see all the boxes being prepared by people who care so much. I was absolutely amazed by everything I saw that day at the American Kennel Club in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Last year I had the great opportunity to watch some of these valuable dogs being trained at Lackland Air Force Base. Lackland is the center for all the training of all these dogs that help our men and women in uniform.

Through the years that I have been in Congress, I have had the pleasure and honor to talk to many military dog handlers, some that go back to the Vietnam War, some to Desert Storm, and certainly many who have been in Iraq and Afghanistan. These dogs are so valuable because they are trained to sniff out the IEDs that kill so many and maim so many of our wonderful men and women in uniform.

These dogs themselves many times are wounded, and many times killed. But as I had a soldier tell me one time, Yes, it breaks my heart. This has become my friend, this has become my buddy. But you know what? My buddy is willing to give his life for me so that I can continue to serve this Nation.

I bring that story forward, Madam Speaker, because these dogs are truly heroes, these dogs are truly valuable to the national security of our country. And I have beside me a poster that has the dog named Lex. Lex is looking at the headstone of his master, Marine Corporal Dustin Lee, who was killed by

a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq. He was a dog handler, and this was his friend, his dog Lex. Lex himself has shrapnel in the back. And the family, the Lee family, wanted so badly to have Lex, since they gave their son up for this country. And I want to thank Mike Regner, United States Marine Corps, for helping this become a reality. Madam Speaker, when Dustin was killed and Lex was wounded, the Marine Corps told me that they found Lex laying next to the body of his master.

War dogs have been used in every war throughout history. There are currently between 500 and 700 dog teams stationed in the Middle East. This is not a new concept, but it is time that these dogs and their handlers are acknowledged for their sacrifice to this country.

I would like to thank the United States War Dog Association for all they do and for helping the American Kennel Club with this tremendous effort. I also encourage anyone who would like to donate to this effort to contact the American Kennel Club or United States War Dog Association. Both dogs and handlers are in need of basic daily items that we all take for granted.

Madam Speaker, as I begin to close I would like to ask God, as I always do on this floor, to please bless our men and women in uniform, ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform, ask God in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ask God to please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God, and ask God to give wisdom, strength, and courage to President Obama that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people.

And I will close by asking three times, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Madam Speaker, when we were debating the issue of Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago, during the 3 minutes of time that I had, I brought up the issue of rules of engagement. These are the rules that our men and women in uniform in Afghanistan and Iraq have to follow if they're going to be confronted by the enemy.

Well, I have been very disappointed that we've put so many restrictions on our men and women in uniform that I, along with two other Members of the House--Jeff Miller, a Congressman from California and Doug Lamborn, a Congressman from Colorado--wrote to Chairman Ike Skelton and Ranking Member Buck McKeon, and we asked for a classified hearing on this issue of the rules of engagement.

And, Madam Speaker, in the letter that we wrote to the chairman and ranking member, we cited in there an article from The Washington Post that was entitled, ``This is not how you fight a war.'' One example, one of the United States Army officers serving in southern Afghanistan quoted in this article, ``Minimizing civilian casualties is a fine goal, but should it be the be-all and end-all of the policy? If we allow soldiers to die in Afghanistan at the hands of a leader who says, `We're going to protect civilians rather than soldiers,' what's going to happen on the ground? The soldiers are not going to execute the mission to the best of their ability. They won't put their hearts into the mission. That's the kind of atmosphere we're building'' in Afghanistan.

Another soldier in the same article was quoted as saying, ``This is not how you fight a war, at least not in Kandahar! We've been handcuffed by our chained chain of command.''

Madam Speaker, also from that article, I would like to read another paragraph: ``For troops on the ground, the directive has lowered their morale and limited their ability to pursue insurgents. They note that Taliban fighters seem to understand the new rules and have taken to sniping at troops from inside homes or retreating inside houses after staging attacks.''

This is an ongoing issue and problem for our military. In fact, in a June article, there was a syndicated column by George Will, and I will read just one paragraph. In ``a recent email from a noncommissioned officer serving in Afghanistan'' . . . ``he explains why the rules of engagement for U.S. troops are too prohibitive for coalition forces to achieve sustained tactical successes.''

And, Madam Speaker, also during that debate a couple of weeks ago, I held up these two articles from Marine Times, ``left to die. They call for help. Negligent Army leadership refuse and abandon them on the battlefield. Four marines and one Army killed'' because they did not get the support that they needed because of rules of engagement.

I also have spoken to a father from Maine who was quoted in another Marine Times article, ``Caution killed my son. Marine families blast suicidal tactics in Afghanistan.'' The father said to me--he, himself, a retired marine--that my son and the platoon, if they had gotten the cover that they needed the day before when they saw Taliban soldiers going into a cave--they called for air support. The helo came over the gunship but did not fire into the cave because the pilot said, ``We cannot see the enemy,'' yet the young lieutenant had just reported to them, ``We saw the Taliban soldiers go into the cave.''

Madam Speaker, it is time to get out of Afghanistan. We have put our troops over there in harm's way, and we're not letting them fight as they should be able to fight.

Before I close, in a poll from CBS just 2 days ago, ``Should U.S. Set a Timetable for Withdrawing Troops from Afghanistan?'' 54 percent said ``yes,'' 41 percent said ``no,'' and 5 percent were undecided.

Madam Speaker, I want to close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform, to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. God, in Your loving arms, hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I will ask God to please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God. 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 God. And three times--God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.