Harry Reid's statement in support of the Hagel-Webb amendment

[babylonsister]

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Reid Supports Hagel-Webb Amendment

WASHINGTON, March 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid today made the following remarks supporting the Hagel-Webb
Amendment to improve troop readiness and America's ability to respond to
threats around the world.

Mr. President, I am very pleased to join as a co-sponsor of this
important amendment, and I applaud Senators Hagel and Webb for returning
the focus of the Senate to the issue of our troops and their readiness.
There is a lot of talk around here about "supporting the troops," but
too often, we don't take the kind of action that can achieve that goal.
Yesterday, when the Senate voted to maintain the language on changing
course in Iraq - that was a good day for our country and for our troops,
who may finally get the new policy they deserve.
With yesterday's vote, the Senate finally acknowledged reality in Iraq.
The President's policy is not working. It is time to change course.
This bipartisan position was backed up in the papers today. USA Today
and the Associated Press have an article detailing how the surge is not
working. Baghdad may be quieter, but according to the news outlets,
insurgents have taken their attacks elsewhere.
Nationwide, the number of deaths from car bombs has decreased slightly
since the Baghdad security operation began, according to a tally by the AP.
However, the death toll from car bombs has more than doubled in areas
outside the capital, compared to the previous six-week period.
Violence has not stopped in Iraq.
Earlier today, Shiite militants, including reportedly local police,
went on a violent, vengeful rampage. When it ended, nearly two hours later,
as many as 60 Sunnis were reported killed. The victims were men between the
ages of 15 and 60, killed with a shot to the back of the head.
Mr. President, these reports fly in the face of what we heard in the
Senate yesterday, and what we constantly hear from President Bush.
The idea that the surge is working, or that it needs more time, is a
fantasy. What we see today in Iraq - months into the surge - is more of the
same ... the same violence ... the same chaos ... the same loss of life we
have seen over the last four years.
After more than four years of war ... over 3,200 of our brave men and
women killed ... and over $400 billion spent ... it is long past time to
change course in Iraq.
If, yesterday, the Senate acknowledged the reality of the Iraq war,
today we must acknowledge the reality of what the Iraq war is doing to our
military and their ability to defend this nation.
We have no better advocates to learn from than Chuck Hagel and Jim
Webb. The authors of this amendment have authority on this subject based on
their experience in battle.
These two men are authorities on war and the military. All of us would
be wise to heed their counsel.
Mr. President, Chuck Hagel and Jim Webb are heroes.
This morning, I got up early and went to Walter Reed. I met there a new
generation of heroes, men and women who were injured and serving in Iraq
and Afghanistan. I was accompanied by my friend, the distinguished senator
from Washington, Senator Murray.
To say, Mr. President, that I left Walter Reed depressed is an
understatement. We've all heard the stories about Walter Reed. I have two
observations from my visit. I've been there on other occasions and I had
two observations from my visit today. First, private contracting is
destroying the ability of the military to care for our troops. Go to Walter
Reed. Listen to the parents. Listen to the people that are hurt.
I was walking into Walter Reed and I introduced myself to a man in
civilian clothes and he told me who he was. He is a college graduate. I
said, "What do you do?" He said, "I am an industrial hygienist. I am one of
the guys that go around trying to make sure that places are sanitary and
safe." I said, "How are you doing?" He said, "Terrible." He said because of
contracting out, "we went from 15 industrial hygienists at Walter Reed to
5, so contracting is hurting our ability to care for our troops."
My second observation - our ability to care for our troops. A soldier
said it best. He was sitting there, his leg cut off at mid thigh. He said
"everyone thinks that this is my problem." He said, "That's not my problem.
It's this leg." And he had a leg that was terribly mutilated - calf blown
off, dropped foot, scars all up and down. He said, "I'm really fortunate
because I'm alive. We amputees are treated pretty well. It's the people
with the injuries you can't see that are having a difficult time. That's
the way it is."
One young man from Cincinnati, Ohio, just turned 20 years old. A big
man. He said, "I only got shot once." He had a protective vest and was shot
in the stomach and it did not hurt too badly. He said, "I survived multiple
explosive devices. My friend was vaporized sitting right next to me." He is
now, Mr. President, in big trouble emotionally and mentally. He has a lot
of problems. He said, "I have nightmares. I sweat, I become violent. I
can't remember anything. I don't know what I'm going to do." He was one of
number that we visited there, Mr. President.
Mr. President, Walter Reed is metaphor for what's happening to our
military as a whole. It is stretched too thin.
We do not have a single army unit that's not deployed already. It would
take $40 billion to bring the guard alone to what it was before the war.
The dual wars have badly strained our military and reduced our military
readiness to levels not seen for a long, long time. Not a single unit,
non-deployed army unit, I repeat, is combat ready. Multiple and extended
deployments have reduced readiness, damaged recruiting, retention, and
morale. Units have been sent into battle without proper training and
equipment, in my opinion.
That is not supporting the troops. That is breaking the force. We have
to do better.
This is not just my opinion. It is the opinion of current and former
senior army officers.
"The active Army is about broken."
-- Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff
"We can't sustain the on the course we're
on."
-- Arnold L. Punaro, Chairman of the Commission on the National Guard
and Reserves
"To meet combatant commanders' immediate wartime needs, we pooled
equipment from across the force to equip soldiers deploying in harm's way .
. . This practice, which we are continuing today, increases risk for our
next- to-deploy units and limits our ability to respond to emerging
strategic contingencies."
-- General Peter Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the United States Army

I spoke yesterday of a man in my security detail on his way to Iraq for
the THIRD time. Sadly, his story is the norm, not the exception. Of the
Army's combat brigades, all but the one permanently based in South Korea
have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Of those brigades:
- 12 have been deployed once
- 20 have been deployed twice
- 9 have been deployed three times
- 2 have been deployed four times
Today, we have soldiers serving in Iraq who have been fighting in
battle for over a year. We have other soldiers -- who are on their way to
Iraq- - after having been home with their families for less than 12 months.
That is not supporting the troops. That is breaking the force.
Our men and women cannot and should not continue to bear the burden of
this mismanaged war.
We have to do better. That's why the Hagel-Webb Amendment is so
important.
This amendment will ensure our troops have the equipment they need
before they go into battle. It explicitly states that troops must have the
training and equipment they need - or they cannot be sent overseas.
This amendment will also enhance the quality of life for troops and
their families, and as a result, improve recruiting and retention. It says
that after our brave men and women serve 365 days in Iraq, they are
entitled to a significant period of rest back home before they can be
redeployed.
In short, the Hagel-Webb Amendment will improve readiness and our
ability to respond to other threats and project power around the world
Mr. President, we live in a dangerous world. We face many threats. From
destroying Al Qaeda to deterring Iran and North Korea from gaining nuclear
weapons, there are critical challenges around the world America must
confront. Unfortunately, we have a military stretched too thin to meet
these challenges, because this administration has stretched it to the
breaking point in Iraq.
After years of overuse and neglect, we must reinvest in the military.
With the Hagel-Webb Amendment, we make a down payment on rebuilding our
fighting force and keeping our families safe.
I appreciate these two combat veterans, these two unique and good
United States senators leading us down this road that we must be led.
Contact: Jim Manley / Rodell Mollineau, 202-224-2939