Walter Jones

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I am still very disappointed that during the debate of the National Defense Authorization Act that Mr. McGovern and I myself had an amendment, known as the McGovern-Jones amendment, and all it did, Mr. Speaker, was set the parameters and the benchmark for bringing our troops home after 2014. The amendment basically said that if you're not bringing the troops out by 2014, then any continuation of those troops would have to be voted on by the Congress. I'm always very disappointed that the Congress does not meet its constitutional responsibility when it comes to war. Mr. Speaker, because of my disappointment and my continued support of bring our troops home, I will read the names of nine servicepeople given by the Department of Defense who were reported in the Raleigh, North Carolina, paper, The News & Observer: Hospitalman Eric D. Warren Private First Class Cale C. Miller Corporal Keaton G. Coffey Petty Officer First Class Ryan J. Wilson Second Lieutenant Travis A. Morgado Specialist Arronn D. Fields Sergeant Michael J. Knapp Sergeant Jabraun S. Knox Specialist Samuel T. Watts. Mr. Speaker, we are continuing to spend money that we do not have. Every day our debt goes up. Every day we borrow money from foreign governments, and yet we will not bring our troops home from Afghanistan. It's kind of ironic that the administration has signed a security agreement that will continue a financial relationship with Afghanistan after our troops come home in 2014. That relationship is for 12 years, has been projected that we will spend approximately $4 billion a month for those 12 years to pay for a corrupt leader and a corrupt government that will not survive. It does not matter how much money we spend. Afghanistan's history is that no nation has ever gone into Afghanistan and changed one thing. I do not understand why we in the House continue to find the money--of course it's borrowed money, by the way, probably from the Chinese--to send to Afghanistan. Yet we vote on programs to cut milk for children in the morning at school. We vote to cut programs for senior citizens to get a sandwich at the senior center, and yet we continue to fund a war that history has shown we will never win. I have a poster of a photograph that was in the Greensboro paper that has Dover Air Force Base as they are bringing home the flag-covered transfer case. The nine names that I just read, they took their final trip in the back of a plane and they lay dead in a transfer case with a flag over their bodies. Our Congress needs to wake up, Mr. Speaker. It makes no sense that we will stay there to 2014 or 2015. I have with me a book that if I could pay for every Member of Congress to have this book, and they would guarantee me that they would read this book, then I would buy it for them. Mr. Speaker, the title of this book is ``Funding the Enemy: How U.S. Taxpayers Bankroll the Taliban.'' The Taliban, the Taliban, that's our enemy. Yet American dollars are going over, and many of those dollars end up in our enemy's hands to buy weapons and bullets to kill young Americans. I have read only 100 pages. I hope to finish this book next week when we are home; but I think if any taxpayer in this country would read this book, they would be up here protesting Washington sending money to Afghanistan. What is ironic, Mr. Speaker, is that the Taliban will eventually take over Afghanistan, no matter what we do. I hope that my friends on both sides of the aisle will support us from time to time as we have amendments to create a parameter for bringing our troops out because, quite frankly, I think we will be there probably until 2015 or 2016. Mr. Speaker, in closing, 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 their families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, I would ask three times, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to come to the floor and say that I was very disappointed during the debate on the NDAA bill, the National Defense Authorization Act. We spent hours debating, and we only had 20 minutes to debate Afghanistan, with 10 minutes allotted to each side. Congresswoman Lee had her amendment, which I supported on the floor, but the amendment that Mr. McGovern and I had worked together for weeks crafting, the McGovern-Jones amendment, basically said accountability on 2014, bringing our troops out. We need to have these guidelines, and I was very disappointed that our leadership would not bring our amendment to the floor. I think it's tragic that our young men and women are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq and we're not meeting our constitutional responsibility when it comes to debating war. Last Saturday, like many of my colleagues, I was invited to speak at a Memorial event down in Beaufort, North Carolina. Primarily those in attendance were our veterans of yesterday and some of our Active Duty marines of today. It was amazing. I'm not a great speaker, but when I talked about bringing our troops out of Afghanistan before 2014, I got a strong applause in agreement. We have a tremendous responsibility to take care of our wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq. In this financial crisis, I truthfully don't know how we're going to take care of them, to be honest about it. What I do know is that we will deal with it. Yet we continue to spend $10 billion a month--it is borrowed money from the Chinese--to prop up Karzai in Afghanistan and to pay his bills, to fix his roads, to fix his water systems, but in America we can't fix our roads and our water systems. Somewhere along the way, Mr. Speaker, it doesn't make any sense to me at all. Last Saturday, before I went down to Beaufort, North Carolina, to give the speech, the Raleigh News & Observer published 27 names of Americans who had been killed in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, to honor those 27 who gave their life to this country, I will submit those 27 names for the record. Mr. Speaker, 2014 is a long way from 2012. How many more names must appear in the paper? Congress needs to have more debates about our policy in Afghanistan. We've got those in this country right now that want to go in and bomb Syria, bomb Iran, and do all these things, and yet we in Congress just sit by and pass more and more bills to pay for all this funding overseas that we can't even account for. Mr. Speaker, before closing, I bring this poster of this young woman who is in tears holding a little baby in her lap. The baby has no idea why this man in uniform is on his knees presenting a flag to this little girl's mother. How many more scenes like this must happen while Congress sits by and passes more and more spending bills to take care of Afghanistan while we deny the American people? Senior citizens can't get sandwiches at the senior citizen center, children can't get a pint of milk before school because we're going to cut those programs, but we're going to take care of a corrupt leader in Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, it makes no sense at all. When we should have been debating Afghanistan a week ago, 72 percent of the American people in a poll that week said, Get out of Afghanistan now. We had 20 minutes, 10 to the Democratic side and 10 to the Republican side. That's no way to say thank you to those serving. That's no way to say thank you to the families who have given a loved one. Mr. Speaker, in closing, as I always do, 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 ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people here in the United States of America. And I ask God to bless President Obama, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people in America, today and tomorrow. And three times I will say, God, please, God, please, God, please, continue to bless America. Recent U.S. Military Personnel Deaths from DoD Staff Sgt. Israel P. Nuanes; Sgt. Brian L. Walker; Pfc. Richard L. McNulty III; Spc. Alex Hernandez III; Sgt. Wade D. Wilson; 1st Lt. Alejo R. Thompson; Petty Officer Second Class Jorge Luis Velasquez; Sgt. Jacob M. Schwallie; Spc. Chase S. Marta; Pfc. Dustin D. Gross; Spc. Junot M. L. Cochilus; 2nd Lt. David E. Rylander; Staff Sgt. Thomas K. Fogarty; Sgt. John P. Huling; Master Sgt. Gregory L. Childs; Staff Sgt. Zachary H. Hargrove; Capt. Bruce K. Clark; Sgt. Nicholas M. Dickhut; Pfc. Christian R. Sannicolas; Master Sgt. Scott E. Pruitt; Staff Sgt. Andrew T. Brittonmihalo; Spc. Manuel J. Vasquez; Staff Sgt. Brandon F. Eggleston; Sgt. Dick A. Lee Jr.; Lt. Christopher E. Mosko; Spc. Moises J. Gonzalez; Spc. Jason K. Edens; Spc. Benjamin H. Neal.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time I've been on the floor of the House to speak about the V 22 Osprey crash that took place in Arizona in 2000--the crash that claimed the lives of 19 Marines. Mr. Speaker, the pilots of the Osprey, Major Brooks Gruber and Lieutenant Colonel John Brow, have been blamed for the accident by the media. The reason I'm standing here 12 years later is that the Marine Corps has not supported the finding of their own accident investigation for 12 years. The fact is, the official report, known as the JAGMAN report, conducted by the United States Marine Corps, clearly states that the pilots were not at fault. On page 77 of the JAGMAN it says: ``During this investigation, we found nothing that we would characterize as negligence, deliberate pilot error, or maintenance material failure.'' After 12 years, the JAGMAN, which has not been--nor do we want to try to change that report that I just read, Mr. Speaker, but we're asking the United States Marine Corps to make the change that is necessary because after the crash on April 8 of 2000, the United States Marine Corps claimed in their own press release: ``The pilots' drive to accomplish the mission appears to be the fatal factor.'' Mr. Speaker, the Osprey, for those that might not be familiar, is the helicopter that goes from the helicopter mode into an airplane mode. At the time of this crash the V 22 was still an experimental plane. What needed to be asked by the Marine Corps was for Bell-Boeing to do more testing--and more testing would have probably meant that they would have understood an issue that's called vortex ring state, or VRS. It is well known in most helicopters, but in the Osprey that has the twin engines they did not know how the vortex ring state would impact one engine or the other engine. And that's what caused this tragic accident in April of 2000. Again, there were 19 marines killed and burned to death. Mr. Speaker, in this 10-year journey that I have been on to clear the names of the two marine pilots--and the picture on my immediate left is Colonel John Brow. His lovely wife, Trish, and their two children, Matthew and Michael, live in California, Maryland. The other young marine beside Colonel Brow's photograph is the copilot whose name is Major Brooks Gruber. Major Gruber's wife, Connie, lives in my district. She's the one who brought this to my attention. In these 10 years, in addition to the JAGMAN report I just quoted that says that these pilots were not at fault, I have reached out to so many people that it's unbelievable, including the former Assistant Secretary of Defense Phil Coyle, and I would like to read his comment: Major Gruber should not be blamed for an accident caused by loss of lift due to the aircraft entering vortex ring state, phenomena which no one in the Marine Corps adequately understood in relation to the Osprey at the time of the accident. Not only did the Marine Corps not understand Osprey performance under VRS, the root cause of the accident, but neither the contractor nor the Marine Corps had not tested the aircraft at near VRS conditions--something which, following the accident, it later took the Marine Corps years to accomplish. Surely, Major Gruber cannot be blamed for something that the Marine Corps itself did not grasp until years after his death. Mr. Speaker, I further quote Phil Coyle: Considering that it was ignorance on the part of the Marine Corps that caused the April 2000 accident, the Marine Corps should make it clear to Gruber's family--with no if, ands or buts, that Gruber was not responsible for the accident. I don't suppose the Marine Corps ever apologizes, but considering that the accident was their fault, and not major Gruber's, an apology to the family would be in order also. Mr. Speaker, I don't really like reading that because I have such great respect for the Marine Corps, but I must say today on the floor that I am very disappointed in the Marine Corps; because before I finish in just a few minutes you will understand why I am disappointed because the two wives have asked for something very simple, and I will explain that before I close. Another one of the experts who has joined us, former adviser to the Secretary of Defense, Rex Rivolo, stated: The failure of the manufacturer, Bell-Boeing, and the Navy to characterize the slow speed, high rate of descent handling qualities of the V 22 through flight testing, to describe them for the aircrew in the NATOPS, and to provide an adequate warning system were the causes of the mishap, not aircrew error. With the passing of 10 years, and the future of the aircraft now secure, I sincerely hope that the names of Lieutenant Colonel Brow and Major Gruber can now be exonerated and cleared for posterity. I strongly support any and all measures to this end, and request this letter be included in any official record regarding the causes of the MV 22 mishap at Marana, Arizona, on April 8 or any resolution attempting to clear the names of Lieutenant Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber. Mr. Speaker, so many people in this 10-year effort have joined, it's just unbelievable. I have just read from two of those individuals who are well known to the defense industry. Another person who was in the air in the third Osprey, Lieutenant Colonel James Shafer, a dear friend of Brow and Gruber's who was in the air with them that night in a separate plane, agrees with me and has gone above and beyond in his quest to clear his friends' names. I want to thank Lieutenant Colonel James Shafer for stepping out. He's a great marine. He loves the Marine Corps, but he know that these two gentlemen should never be seen as being at fault. I've gotten to know the two attorneys who defended the families. Jim Furman in Texas was the attorney for the John Brow and Brooks Gruber families. In New York, the attorney was Brian Alexander. He and his associate defended the 17 marines and their families who were killed in the back of the plane. Both these attorneys, Mr. Speaker, have written to the Commandant of the Marine Corps and made it perfectly clear that the lawsuits are all settled and nothing--should the Marine Corps decide to give the two wives what I'm going to describe in just a few minutes, a letter stating clearly that their husbands, Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber, should not be seen at fault. They have stated in writing and I have copies, Mr. Speaker, that there will be no lawsuits. The lawsuits are over. This is what Connie Gruber wrote me back in 2002. I want to read part of this for the record: I contact you in hopes that leaders of integrity, free of bias, would have both the intelligence and the courage it takes to decide the facts for themselves. If you do that, you will agree the human factor/pilot error findings should not stand as it is in the military history. Again, I respectfully ask for your support. Please do not simply pass this matter along to General Jones without offering the support my husband and his comrades deserve. Please remember, these 19 marines can no longer speak for themselves. I certainly am not afraid to speak for them, and I believe somebody has to. Even though it is easier put to rest and forgotten, please join me in doing the right thing by taking the time to address this important issue. Over the years I have received some help from the United States Marine Corps, but the Commandant is the person now, Mr. Speaker, that could give the wives what they are looking for, and that is just a simple letter I'm going to read for the record. That is: On July 27, 2000, the United States Marine Corps issued a press release about the April 8, 2000, MV 22 Osprey crash that killed 19 marines near Marana, Arizona. In that press release, the Marine Corps cited human factors as the cause of the accident. Furthermore, the release included a statement saying ``the pilots' drive to accomplish that mission appears to have been the fatal factor.'' Since that press release, there has been a mistaken perception in the news media and written history that cause of the accident was pilot error. That perception dishonors the pilots who died that night, Lieutenant Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber. I would like to set the record straight on this matter. The July 27, 2000 press release unfairly placed the blame for the accident at the pilots' feet. It is morally wrong to place the blame for that accident on John Brow and Brooks Gruber. The mishap was not a result of pilot error, but was the result of a perfect storm of circumstances. Any accident is a result of a multitude of factors. The primary causal factors of this accident were: One, insufficient developmental research and flight testing; Two, no knowledge of the possible sudden onset of an asymmetrical flight condition and loss of control during vertex ring state; Three, inadequate MV 22 NATOPS VRS discussion, warnings, and procedures; Four, no VRS avoidance training. With no knowledge, training, or warning concerning the possible consequences of VRS, John Brow and Brooks Gruber were essentially on their own in uncharted territory. The official investigation into this mishap explicitly states, ``During this investigation, we found nothing that we would characterize as negligence, deliberate pilot error, or maintenance/material failure.'' I wholeheartedly agree with the investigation. Any publication that is contrary to the official Marine Corps investigation and reflects the mishap was a result of pilot error should be corrected and recanted. Lieutenant Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber were aviation pioneers in the truest sense. The ultimate sacrifice made by all 19 marines aboard the aircraft that night led to a critical advancement in MV 22 safety and capability and overall readiness of the United States Marine Corps. It is because of their sacrifice that the MV 22 is successfully carrying marines in and out of combat today. Mr. Speaker, the letter I just read has been approved by the marines who wrote the investigation, Colonel Mike Morgan, Colonel Ron Radich and Major Phil Stackhouse, and has been approved by the widows, Connie Gruber down in Jacksonville, and her daughter Brooks, and Trish Brow in California, Maryland, and her two sons, Michael and Matthew. The letter does not go against any word in the investigation. The commandant should send these letters to the two wives. Mr. Speaker, I have said to the commandant a few months ago: Sir, if you would call a press conference at marine headquarters in Washington, D.C. and you would invite the families of John Brow and Brooks Gruber, you would present the two wives, Connie and Trish, on your stationery, exactly, Mr. Speaker, what I just read, this would bring a tragedy to a close. I'm going to continue to beat this drum, Mr. Speaker, for as long as I can because the dead cannot speak for themselves. If we the living do not speak for the dead and tell the truth, how can you ever correct a mistake if we don't take this upon ourselves? Mr. Speaker, the last point before I close, I want to read this. This is from the attorneys Brian Alexander and Francis Young. These two attorneys went to an administrative judge, and the lawyers for Bell- Boeing were there, and they made this point on April 8, 2000: There was no emergency procedure or recovery technique for asymmetric VRS. The pilot manual lacked adequate content, accuracy and clarity. Because of incomplete development testing there was insufficient explanatory or emphatic test to warn pilots of the hazards of operating in this area. The pilot manual was plagued with inaccuracies that degraded flight operations and contained performance charts provided by the developers which did not reflect actual conditions. Mr. Speaker, Bell-Boeing, after the lawsuit, had an experimental pilot named Tom McDonald who spent 700 hours in the air trying to figure out how you respond to vortex ring state. He figured it out. He won the Kincheloe Award, which is only given to one experimental pilot in this country per year, because he solved the problem of vortex ring state--VRS--what pilots are supposed to do when they hit that VRS state. Mr. Speaker, I hope that the commandant of the Marine Corps, who I have great respect for, will do what is right for John Brow, Brooks Gruber, and actually the 17 marines in the back of the plane that crashed and issue the letter that I just read for the record to the two wives, do it in a public setting, bring the press in and say that the Marine Corps does not forget its dead. It is so simple, Mr. Speaker, that you will never believe how many people have said to me in this 10-year journey: Why doesn't the Marine Corps do it? I can't explain it. The lawsuits are over. The plane is safe. The V 22 is safe. Nobody's trying to take it out of the program. But for the families of John Brow and Brooks Gruber, this is the right thing to do. In my humble opinion, the Marine Corps is so well respected and thought of in this Nation that they would be even revered more if they would say to Colonel John Brow, to Major Brooks Gruber and their families, you did your job, you did it to the best of your ability. We regret that you were not prepared, but it was not your fault that you were not prepared. It was a rush to get this thing completed by Bell-Boeing and the United States Marine Corps. With that, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the staff for staying later tonight. I knew that I could convey my heart in about 25 minutes. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to be on the floor from time to time with the photographs of these two young marine officers. I wish I had the 17 that were in the back of the plane, but I don't. With that, Mr. Speaker, as I always do when I think about our troops over in Afghanistan and Iraq, I close by asking God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless those who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I'm going to ask God tonight to please bless this effort to clear the names of John Brow and Brooks Gruber. I'm going to ask God to please bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for his people in America. I ask God to please bless Mr. Obama, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people. And three times I will ask God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, two years ago I had the privilege to be on the House floor to bring tribute to a wonderful woman, Mrs. Juanita Worsley Williams, to acknowledge and celebrate her 98th birthday. I come again today to honor this lady on her 100th birthday on May 18, 2012. Obviously, Mr. Speaker, there are many, many older Americans to celebrate, but this lady is special to me because she was with her husband, Dr. Williams, when he delivered me 69 years ago. My father, the late Congressman Walter Jones, Sr., and my mother were very close with Mrs. Williams and her husband. My sister and I were close friends with the Williams children as we grew up. In a small town like Farmville, NC, everyone knows each other and my unique relationship with the Williams family has always been very special to me. On the 19th of May, Mrs. Williams' family and friends will attend her birthday celebration. It will be a celebration of the 100 years of a lady with a strong religious faith who loves her family and community. What Juanita Williams has given to the Town of Farmville is hard to measure, but her deeds speak for themselves: church service, Girl Scouts, Daughters of the American Revolution, Children of the American Revolution, Meals on Wheels, and much more. This is a lady who gives more than she receives. Thank God for Mrs. Juanita Williams and may He continue to bless her, her family and these United States.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts. I want to start my comments with his close. As he closed with the quoting of President Eisenhower, I would like to begin my comments by quoting President Eisenhower. When he was leaving office, he said, ``Beware the industrial military complex.'' Madam Speaker, it doesn't make any sense when our kids are dying or losing their legs that we're going to have a 20-minute debate on Afghanistan. We ought to be having a full day of debate on Afghanistan, quite frankly. We've spent $1.3 trillion in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Over 6,400 Americans have died. That's why I rise with my friend Mr. McGovern. I will tell you that I will vote against the rule today because it denies the American people a full debate on why our young men and women are dying for a corrupt leader named Karzai. Madam Speaker, we can't even audit the books in Afghanistan. I think about the fact of those marines I saw recently at Walter Reed over in Bethesda. Two had lost both legs. They're from my district, Camp Lejeune. One was a lance corporal who lost one leg. He said to me, Congressman, why are we still in Afghanistan? I said, Sir, I don't know. With friends from both sides, I'm trying to get you out of Afghanistan. But, no, we're going to stay there because we won't even take the time to debate Afghanistan on this bill. It doesn't make any sense. I took the McGovern amendment, and I sent it to my adviser, who is a former commandant of the Marine Corps. I said to him, Mr. Commandant, what do you think about this approach by Mr. McGovern and myself? He emailed me back and said, You're on track. Bring it up and debate it in the House. And we can't even do that. Let me quote a Special Operations officer in Afghanistan today-- today. He emailed this to me yesterday: If you ask me if it's worth one American life to build governance here in Afghanistan, I would say ``no.'' They're on the ground, Madam Speaker. They're on the ground and are fighting for this country. This week, we lost seven American lives in Afghanistan. We owe it to them to at least debate a realistic future course for the war. What we are doing today and tonight and tomorrow is not realistic because there are those in this House of Representatives, for whatever reason, who want to stay there 15 years and 20 years. That's why we today owe it to the men and women in uniform, to the families who have kids who have died and, really, more so, Madam Speaker, to the kids who came back with their legs gone. I've seen five kids at Walter Reed that have no body parts below their waist, and they're living and they will live. We owe it to the American people to debate the future course in Afghanistan, and I'm sorry that many on my own side will not allow this amendment to get to the floor so we can have an honest debate and we can say to the American people we care about your $10 billion, we care about your sons and daughters, and it's time to stop sending them to give their life for nothing in Afghanistan. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. JONES. I thank the gentleman from Connecticut. I want to say to both parties, he is exactly right. I have Camp Lejeune Marine Base in my district. The last 4 years I've met two different times with Marine husbands and wives and their children with autism. It is a serious problem. And as Mr. Larson has said, this was fixed, but somewhere along the way the communication breaks down, like it does too often here in Washington. As Mr. Larson said, let's try to fix this problem today. Let's get it in the base bill. Let's send it over to the Senate on behalf of all of our men and women in uniform and the families who have children with autism. Please, God, let us fix this for those families.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following letter to the editor of the NY Times that was published on 24 April 2012. The letter was written by noted constitutional lawyer, Mr. Bruce Fein, Esq. It talks about the unchecked power the office of the President of United States has acquired since WW II. [From the New York Times, April 27, 2012] A History of the Expansion of Presidential Power (By Bruce Fein) The unilateral actions of President Obama in the domestic arena to circumvent Congress are more than matched by the president's unilateralism in foreign affairs. Among other things, President Obama has unilaterally commenced war, authorized the assassination of American citizens abroad and denied the writ of habeas corpus to detainees not accused of a crime. Executive branch power at the expense of Congress and the Constitution's checks and balances has mushroomed since World War II. Examples include President Truman's undeclared war against North Korea; President Eisenhower's executive agreements to defend Spain; President Johnson's Gulf of Tonkin Resolution regarding Vietnam; President Nixon's secret bombing of Cambodia and assertions of executive privilege; President Clinton's undeclared war against Bosnia; and President Bush's countless presidential signing statements, Terrorist Surveillance Program, waterboarding and Iraq war. The Constitution gave Congress the power to declare war because the president is inclined to aggrandize executive power when faced with conflict or danger. As James Madison wrote to Thomas Jefferson: ``The constitution supposes, what the History of all Governments demonstrates, that the Executive is the branch of power most interested in war, and most prone to it. It has accordingly with studied care vested the question of war in the Legislature.'' The steady escalation of unchecked presidential power has transformed the Republic whose glory was liberty into an empire whose glory is perpetual war and domination.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Congressman Dan Benishek be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 4103.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. I am coming to the floor again to clear the names of two marine pilots who crashed in Arizona April 8, 2000. Not only two pilots, but there were 17 marines in the back. The V 22, which is the plane that goes from a helicopter mode to a plane mode, at that time was really an experimental plane. Major Gruber and Colonel Brow in the cockpit had no idea of what was happening when the plane went into what's called ``vortex ring state.'' I would like to go through this 10-year journey for the record, Mr. Speaker. It so happened that in November 2002, Major Gruber's wife, who lives in my district in Jacksonville, North Carolina, wrote me a letter that I would like to read. Her husband, Brooks Gruber, was the copilot. I contact you in hopes that leaders of integrity, free of bias, would have both the intelligence and the courage it takes to decide the facts for themselves. If you do that, you will agree the ``human factor/pilot error'' findings should not stand as it is in the marine military history. Again, I respectfully ask for your support. Please do not simply pass this matter along to General Jones without offering the support my husband and his comrades deserve. Please remember, these 19 marines can no longer speak for themselves. And I certainly am not afraid to speak for them and I believe someone has to. Even though it's easier to put to rest and forgotten, please join me in doing the right thing by taking the time to address this important issue. Mr. Speaker, on March 9 of this year, The Hill magazine--and I would like to thank a new young man on the staff named Jeremy Herb, who did an article in the magazine about this 10-year journey that started with Connie Gruber's letter to me. Mr. Speaker, over the 10-year journey, I have spoken to many, many experts. One that I would like to quote today for the Record is a former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Phil Coyle, and he states: Major Gruber should not be blamed for an accident caused by loss of lift due to the aircraft entering ``vortex ring state,'' a phenomena which no one in the Marine Corps adequately understood in relation to the Osprey at the time of the accident. Secretary Coyle further states: Not only did the Marine Corps not understand Osprey performance under VRS, the root cause of the accident, but neither did the contractor nor the Marine Corps had not tested the aircraft near VRS--vortex ring state--conditions, something which, following the accident, it later took the Marine Corps years to accomplish. Surely Major Gruber and Colonel Brow could not be blamed for something that the Marine Corps, itself, did not grasp until years after the accident and after the death of the 19 marines. Considering that it was ignorance on the part of the Marine Corps that caused the April 2000 accident, the Marine Corps should make it clear to the Gruber and Brow families, with no ifs, ands, or buts, that Gruber and Brow were not responsible for the accident. He further stated: I don't suppose the Marine Corps ever apologizes, but considering that the accident was their fault and not Major Gruber's and Colonel Brow's fault, an apology to the family would be in order also. Mr. Speaker, I read that because this 10-year journey--and I will continue to add names in the next few minutes of people trying to help me. These two marines were the very best of the pilots, Major Brooks Gruber and Colonel John Brow. They gave their life for this new plane known as the V 22 Osprey. And those young marines sitting in the back, 19, 21, 23, 24, and 25, were selected from other marines to sit in the back of that plane. Those in the Marine leadership that created the mission in Arizona should join me in clearing the names of these two pilots. Mr. Speaker, I further read for the Record, a former adviser to the Secretary of Defense, Rex Rivolo, stated in a letter trying to clear these names, and I read: The failure of the manufacturer, Bell-Boeing, and the Navy to characterize the slow speed, high rate of descent handling qualities of the V 22 through flight testing, to describe them for the aircrew in the NATOPS, and to provide an adequate warning system were the causes of the mishap--not aircrew error. With the passing of 10 years, and the future of the aircraft now secure, I sincerely hope that the names of Lieutenant Colonel Brow and Major Gruber can now be exonerated and cleared for posterity. I strongly support any and all measures to this end and request this letter be included in any official record regarding the causes of the MV 22 mishap at Marana, Arizona, on April 8, 2000, or any resolution attempting to clear the names of Lieutenant Colonel Brow and Major Gruber. Mr. Speaker, what has been so ironic about this 10-year journey of everyone that was part of reviewing the accident, or maybe it was in the air like Lieutenant Colonel Jim Schaeffer who is joining this effort. Colonel Schaeffer was a friend of John Brow and Brooks Gruber, and Colonel Schaeffer was in a third airplane that night, a V 22, and he saw his friends and the 17 marines in the back flip, crash, and burn. And there is no reason that the Marine Corps will not give the wives what they're asking, and I'll explain that in just a moment, Mr. Speaker. In this 10-year journey, Mr. Speaker, I've gotten to know the two attorneys, Jim Furman in Arizona, who defended the families of John Brow and Brooks Gruber before Bell-Boeing--it was a major suit--and then Brian Alexander in New York, who defended the 17 families of the marines sitting in the back of the plane. They have all joined in this effort to clear the names of John Brow and Brooks Gruber. Mr. Speaker, what is so ironic in their effort, Jim Furman and Brian Alexander, to see the names cleared, they have given letters to the commandant that clearly state there can be no future lawsuits. It has all been settled. There can be no more lawsuits. I must say that along this journey, at one time I had the Marine Corps to take the findings of the experts and put it into the personnel jacket of Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber. But, Mr. Speaker, I knew at that time that was not enough because the press continues to put articles about the crash in Arizona, and they say pilot error, human factors. The JAGMAN report, which was the official report that was written by and signed by Colonel Mike Morgan, Colonel Ron Radich and Major Phil Stackhouse--they were the three investigators sent from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to Arizona the day after the crash, and they were given the responsibility, Mr. Speaker, of determining what caused the crash. Mr. Speaker, in the JAGMAN report that I just made reference to, on Page 77, those three men that I just named wrote this: During this investigation, we found nothing that we would characterize as negligence or deliberate pilot error. Mr. Speaker, all the two wives are asking the Marine Corps is a letter from the commandant on his stationery that clearly states one paragraph: Lieutenant Colonel John Brow, pilot, and copilot, Major Brooks Gruber, were not at fault for the accident that occurred on April 8 of the year 2000. Mr. Speaker, the three investigators have joined in this effort, and I'd like to read from retired Lieutenant Colonel Ron Radich, one of the three investigators that I just named: Despite the fact procedures were in the NATOPS for vortex ring state, there was no discussion concerning the aircraft flight characteristics during high rates of descent at slow airspeeds. No mention was made of a possible asymmetric condition that could lead to an uncontrolled and unrecoverable situation. With no knowledge, training, or warning concerning the possible consequences of VRS, the pilots of Nighthawk 72 were essentially on their own in unchartered territory. These two pilots did not know what was happening, and it was the fault of Bell-Boeing and the Marine Corps. He further stated: It was through their misfortune that the MV22 VRS hazard was identified. Because of the accident, they learned so that nothing like this would ever happen again to a pilot. Colonel Radich further stated: The Marana mishap of April 8, 2000, represents a monumental discovery that enhanced the overall safety and effectiveness of this highly capable weapon system. May the marines of Nighthawk 72 rest in peace knowing that the ultimate sacrifice they made for their country also led to a critical advancement in V22 safety and capability, and overall readiness of the United States Marine Corps. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families who continue to cope with the loss of their loved one and search for some form of closure. Mr. Speaker, I further would like to add some comments from Lieutenant Colonel Mike Morgan. Again, he was the lead investigator of this crash that happened in Arizona. And I read: I applaud and fully support the extraordinary effort you have undertaken in support of John Brow, Brooks Gruber, and the families who lost loved ones in the tragic crash of Nighthawk 72. One merely needs to look at what has transpired in the years since this tragic accident. After a second MV22 crashed just 8 months later, a blue ribbon panel closely examined the MV22 program. NAVAIR also aggressively pursued a test program to understand VRS and develop safety measures to educate and protect future MV22 pilots from the dangers. This was such a monumental undertaking that the lead developmental test pilot, Mr. Tom McDonald, was awarded the Society of Experimental Test Pilots Kinchloe Award for outstanding professional accomplishment in the conduct of flight testing. Colonel Morgan further states: John Brow and Brooks Gruber did their job and did it well. I look forward to the day when DoD officials accurately recognize the sacrifice made by them and all the marines of Nighthawk 72. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to read the third letter from the third investigator, Major Phillip Stackhouse. It states: I do not believe that it would be a surprise to anyone that it is in my opinion the mishap was not a result of pilot error, but was the result of a perfect storm of circumstances. During the conduct of the investigation, we collected some 20 binders of evidence--including, among other things, maintenance records, training records, telemetry records, operational and testing records, and dozens of photographs. I do not feel that our investigation reflects that the mishap was a result of pilot error and if the investigation was interpreted that way, it was misinterpreted. For any record that reflects the mishap was the result of pilot error, it should be corrected. For any publication that reflects the mishap was a result of pilot error, it should be corrected and recanted. Mr. Speaker, the problem has always been that after the JAGMAN report, which I just made reference to, if the Marine Corps in 2001, 2002 had issued a press release stating that new evidence has shown and proven that Colonel John Brow, pilot, and copilot Brooks Gruber were not at fault, Mr. Speaker, I wouldn't be on the floor today. But the Marine Corps has never, in a press release, corrected the misinformation that happened shortly after the Osprey crash when the Marine Corps' original press release indicated possible pilot error. Mr. Speaker, that's why all these names that I have read today have joined me in asking the United States Marine Corps--who I have great respect for; they're among the best--to give the families, Connie Gruber and her daughter Brooks, to give Trish Brow and her two sons, Matthew and Mark, one letter on the commandant's heading on his stationery, clearly state to the Brow family that your husband, John Brow, a true American hero, was not responsible for the crash on April 8, 2,000. The same for Connie Gruber and her daughter Brooks down in Jacksonville, North Carolina, one paragraph with the same language that I just mentioned for Colonel John Brow, the same language for Major Brooks Gruber. Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that as long as I have the privilege to serve in the United States Congress, and with all these experts that I've quoted today that are willing to join me, that the right thing must be done for the family, and the right thing is that letter from the commandant. Mr. Speaker, I would not be the kind of person that I am without the faith that I have in my God. My mom and dad taught me the Bible. They taught me right from wrong, and they taught me that truth does matter. I have, with the help of God and the many experts, we have the truth. The truth is that these two outstanding pilots were put into an impossible situation without any training to understand how to react to vortex ring state. So, therefore, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to speak out on the floor of the House. I have told the families that when this clarification comes through and their husbands are cleared, I would like to go with the Brow family to Arlington Cemetery and stand there with Trish, Matthew, and Mark and salute the colonel and say, Colonel, rest in peace. You're not blamed for this accident any longer. I want to do the same thing with Connie Gruber down in Jacksonville, North Carolina, where her husband is buried. I want to walk with Connie and Brooks, and I want to stand at the grave and say the same thing to Major Gruber: Rest in peace. You no longer will be blamed for the accident on April 8, 2000. Mr. Speaker, before closing, there's a quote that someone sent me in this 10-year journey to clear these names by Voltaire that says: To the living we owe respect. To the dead we owe the truth. That's what this is all about, Mr. Speaker, is the Marine Corps could issue one paragraph to the two families so that never again will they have to read in the paper the accident in Marana, Arizona, on April 8, 2000, was due to pilot error. Because as the families have said to me, help us get this clarification, and we will make sure that any print about the pilot error on April 8, we will ask and demand that it be retracted because it is not the truth. 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 to hold in His loving arms the families who've given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to please bless the Brow family and the Gruber family. Bring peace to these families, God, by helping us get this misinformation corrected. And I'll ask God to please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people. I will ask God to bless the President that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people. And I'll ask three times, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, like my colleagues in the House, I was home for the last 2 weeks on our Easter break. It continues to amaze me why we in Congress do not listen to the American people. I represent the Third Congressional District of North Carolina--the home of Camp Lejeune Marine Base, Cherry Point Marine Air Station, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, and over 60,000 retired veterans. Not one person has said to me that we need to stay in Afghanistan. I'm not exaggerating, Mr. Speaker. Everyone I saw and had a conversation with, when the issue of Afghanistan came up, said, Get out. Get out now. That's why I wanted to be on the floor today, because the administration keeps saying, Well, in 2014, in 2014. Yesterday, when driving back to D.C., I was listening to C SPAN, and I heard an interview with Secretary Panetta and General Dempsey. I have a lot of respect for both men, but it was kind of vague when Secretary Panetta said to the reporter who asked him our plans for 2014, Well, you know, we're hoping that we can train the Afghans to stabilize their own country. Mr. Speaker, I say this respectfully: That's an iffy proposition at best. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, only 30 percent of the American people say the war has been worth fighting. The citizens of this country are tired of sending their loved ones to die for a country we have not been able to change in a decade. I'll even go further and say this: It has never changed in the history of Afghanistan going back to Alexander the Great. So why are we still there? Again, people say, Well, we've got to stabilize the country. We can't even stabilize America's economy. Sometimes it gets a little bit ridiculous when I look at all the money being spent overseas, particularly in a country like Afghanistan, and we say to the people of eastern North Carolina and to the people in the 50 States, We don't have money to fix your infrastructure; but yet, Mr. Karzai, you corrupt leader, we are proud to keep sending you $10 billion a month. Talking about Mr. Karzai brings me to an editorial written by Eugene Robinson, a syndicated columnist, and it's titled, ``Afghanistan and Indefensible Costs.'' I feel that Mr. Robinson, who wrote this in 2010, could be writing it right now in 2012, and it would have even more meaning. I quote from Mr. Karzai: The time has come to reduce military operations. The time has come to reduce the presence of, you know, boots in Afghanistan . . . to reduce the intrusiveness into the daily Afghan life. This is what President Karzai said to the Washington Post. In his column in 2010 that he could be writing today, in April 2012, this is what Mr. Robinson said in response to Karzai: All right then. Let's save American lives and a ton of money. Let's oblige him. Mr. Robinson, thank you. I hope and pray that this Congress, when we debate the DOD bill in May--and we have amendments from both sides saying that we must have a more defined end to this involvement in Afghanistan--that we will pass some of these legislative amendments. Mr. Speaker, I've got so many of these posters. I've brought with me today one of a tragic scene of a soldier, marine, airman, Navy, whatever it might be, in a coffin, going to his or her grave. That brings me to my last point: the ``Body of War,'' which is a production by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro. I'm going to be talking more about this, because this young man is paralyzed from his breast down, and about what he has to go through to live. This Congress needs to meet its constitutional responsibility. Any other involvement by our country needs to be a declaration of war. Mr. Robinson, thank you again. And I close. God, please, God, please continue to bless our men and women in uniform, the families of our men and women in uniform, the wounded and their families. And God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I, again, come to the floor to talk about a 10-year journey that I have been on with two wives whose husbands were tragically killed on April 8, 2000. The pilot was John Brow, lieutenant colonel, and the copilot was Brooks Gruber. They were flying what's known as an Osprey. I will hold this up, Mr. Speaker. The Osprey has been one of the planes that the Marine Corps for so long has needed to replace the aged helicopters from the Vietnam era. The sadness and the problem was that the MV 22 at the time that it was being flown by Colonel Brow and Major Gruber was not ready for the mission it had been assigned to. Sadly, that night there were 17 young marines in the back of that V 22 that crashed on April 8 in Arizona. So a total of 19 marines were killed when the V 22 flipped and crashed and burned. December of 2002, the wife of Major Brooks Gruber, Connie Gruber, who lives in my district, Jacksonville, North Carolina, the home of Camp LeJeune Marine Base, she sent me an email. And I want to read one paragraph: I contacted you in hopes that leaders of integrity, free of bias, would have both the intelligence and the courage it takes to decide the facts for him/herself. If you do that, you will agree the ``human factor/pilot error'' findings should not stand as it is in military history. Again, I respectfully ask for your support. Please do not simply pass this matter along to General Jones without offering the support my husband and his comrades deserve. Please remember, these 19 marines can no longer speak for themselves. I certainly am not afraid to speak for them, and I believe somebody has to. Even though it is easier put to rest and forgotten, please join me in doing the right thing by taking the time to address this important issue. Mr. Speaker, along the way, there have been so many people joining me in asking the Marine Corps to correct the press release that came out in July of 2000. And I will read from the press release: Marine Corps Officials Say Combination of Factors Caused Osprey Accident: Confirms that a combination of ``human factors'' caused the April 8 crash of an MV 22 Osprey tilt- rotor aircraft that killed 19 marines. It further stated, Mr. Speaker: Although the report stops short of specifying pilot error as a cause, it notes that the pilot of the ill-fated aircraft significantly exceeded the rate of descent established by regulations for safe flight. Commandant General Jones, who is now retired, stated: The tragedy is that these were all good marines joined in a challenging mission. Unfortunately, the pilots' drive to accomplish that mission appears to have been the fatal factor. Mr. Speaker, that is so erroneous, it is painful for me to even repeat it on the floor of the House. I have spent 10 years trying to clear the names of Pilot Colonel John Brow and his copilot Major Brooks Gruber. If you look at the JAGMAN report, this is the report that was completed by three marine officers who were sent the day after the accident to Marana, Arizona, to investigate. And they published what was called a JAGMAN report. I would like to read the major section that I think says clearly that John Brow and Brooks Gruber were not at fault: During this investigation, we found nothing that we would characterize as negligence, deliberate pilot error, or maintenance/material failure. During this investigation, we found nothing that we would characterize as negligence, deliberate pilot error. Mr. Speaker, I want to further read because this plane was not ready for the mission that it was assigned to by General Fred McCorkle, who was the general that oversaw aviation for the Marine Corps at the time. In fact, I will read from an expert, Philip Coyle, who understands the issue involved with this plane. He wrote me a page and a half in his support of clearing the names of John Brow and Brooks Gruber. And I will read one paragraph: Considering that it was ignorance on the part of the Marine Corps that caused the April 2000 accident, the Marine Corps should make it clear to Major Gruber's family--with no ifs, ands, or buts--that Major Gruber was not responsible for the accident. I don't suppose the Marine Corps ever apologizes, but considering that the accident was their fault and not Major Gruber's, an apology to the family would be in order also. Another one of those individuals who has joined us in this effort to clear the names is Rex Rivolo, well known in the aerospace industry as an expert: The failure of the manufacturer, Bell-Boeing, and the Navy to characterize slow speed, high rate of descent handling qualities of the V 22 through flight testing, the failure to describe them for the aircrew in the NATOPS, and the failure to provide an adequate warning system in the aircraft were the causes of the mishap, not aircrew error. Mr. Speaker, I reached out to the two attorneys who prosecuted, who filed suit against Bell-Boeing on behalf of the families. Jim Furman, himself a Vietnam helicopter pilot, was the attorney for the wives of John Brow and Brooks Gruber. Brian Alexander in New York and his associate Francis Young, they represented the 17 families whose sons were burned to death. I'm not an attorney, Mr. Speaker, but I must say, knowing that Bell- Boeing settled for no one knows how much money because it is closed, but they settled with the families of the 19 marines who were burned to death. And Jim Furman has joined me in saying these two pilots had not been trained, there was no warning system. And, Mr. Speaker, the NATOPS manual is what pilots have between them that explains if you get into this kind of situation, you can read and see how to react. The NATOPS manual they had was written by an Army helicopter pilot, and nothing in there about vortex ring state, which is a phenomenon that can cause the plane, particularly a V 22, to flip. And Major Gruber and Colonel Brow had no idea. Mr. Speaker, I would like to read comments from the attorney, Jim Furman: If there was no human error, it was error for the program manager to certify the aircraft as airworthy when clearly it was not. Brow and Gruber found themselves in a position of having to do what they were not trained or qualified to do. Jim Furman further stated: It was not the mission of the operations evaluation crew to discover the new boundaries and limitations associated with the V 22. Engineering test pilots, under appropriate test conditions, should have done this. It is simply wrong and improper to place this burden upon Gruber and Brow. They did the best job they could have done under the circumstances. Mr. Speaker, the wives, Connie Gruber and Trish Brow, are asking that the United States Marine Corps, on the letterhead of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, write one paragraph that says Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber, pilot and copilot, were not responsible for the accident on April 8, 2000. I am very disappointed in the Marine Corps, quite frankly. I have Camp Lejeune Marine Base, New River Air Station, and Cherry Point Marine Air Station in my district. I'm not disappointed in the Marines and their magnificent fighting force for this country, but I never thought that I would be fighting for one paragraph with the United States Marine Corps. These two pilots deserve better than having this blemish against their names. Mr. Speaker, there are so many people that have joined in this. The three investigators, Colonel Mike Morgan, Colonel Ron Radich, and Major Phil Stackhouse, have given me letters independent of the JAGMAN report that have clearly stated that nothing in their investigation should indicate that this was pilot error. I have given this to the attorneys for the Commandant. In addition, Jim Schafer, at the time a lieutenant colonel, was in the air in the third V 22. John Brow and Brooks Gruber were his friends. He's joined in this effort to clear their names. It does not make any sense, Mr. Speaker, that the Marine Corps cannot do what has been asked by the wives. The wives have just asked for one paragraph that clearly states--and Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, the Marine Corps owes this to the families because they came out with this press release that I just read a moment ago, in 2000, and indicated that this was pilot error. They have seen all the information that I have accumulated in 10 years. All the families are asking for their children. Connie Gruber has a little girl named Brooke. Trish has two boys, named Michael and Matthew. All they're asking is an official letter from the United States Marine Corps that the children can have for years to come, and whenever it comes up that the crash on April 8, 2000, in Arizona, was pilot error, Mr. Speaker, they can say, No, that's not true. I have a letter from the United States Marine Corps Commandant that clearly states that my father was not at fault. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank The Hill magazine today. I'm sorry that I had to be featured in it, because the most important thing about the article--and I want to thank Jeremy Herb, who spent so much time on this article. He interviewed the Commandant; interviewed General McCorkle, who was the aviation chief at the time of this crash; and he interviewed the wives. Again, they clearly understand that if you want to bring rest to two outstanding marines who have been blamed for this crash, Mr. Commandant, all you have got to do is write a letter with one paragraph in it. The wives have given you what they request. I'm calling on the United States Marine Corps today, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, to please do what is right. You have the evidence. The attorneys that sued Bell-Boeing over this accident know more than anyone, including the Commandant, about what happened and who was at fault. Again, Jim Furman and Brian Alexander have joined in this effort. I hope that the Marine Corps will give the wives what they're asking for. Mr. Speaker, if we can ever bring this journey to an end, I intend to go to the cemetery in Jacksonville, North Carolina, with Connie Gruber and her daughter Brooke, and I want to walk to the grave of the husband and the father and say, Major Brooks Gruber, Rest in peace. The blame game is over. You're not to blame for the accident. And then, Mr. Speaker, I would like to go with Trish Brow and her sons, Matthew and Michael, to Arlington and say the same thing to Colonel Brow. Colonel, you have earned the rest. You did nothing wrong to cause that accident. Mr. Speaker, it makes no sense that these wives and their children have had to carry this burden because, Mr. Speaker, too many times articles are written, books are written, that say one accident in the history of the Osprey was caused by pilot error. And they're talking about John Brow and Brooks Gruber, and they're talking about the accident in Arizona. I give you one quick example, Mr. Speaker. A book called ``Leathernecks'' was published about 4 years ago. The father of Colonel Brooks Gruber is living. His name is Bill Gruber. He lives in Naples, Florida. He fought for this country as a marine in the Korean War. He's carried the pain of this blemish on his son's name. He called me a couple of years ago. He knew what I was trying to do for the families. He called me here in Washington, D.C., about 2 years ago, and said, Congressman, they've done it again. I said, What's that, Mr. Gruber? On page 113 of the new edition of ``Leathernecks'' they've got a section on the Osprey. They say one accident was due to pilot error. Mr. Speaker, I'm a strong man of faith, and I prayed every night that God would touch the hearts of those who could make the decision to clear the names of Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber. And as long as I serve in the Congress, as long as I have the energy to fight for these two men, I will continue to fight until the Marine Corps does what is right. And what is right is to give Connie Gruber and Trish Brow an official letter with one paragraph on it. And we will ask that the Marine Corps issue a national press release that the commandant has done this so that the press in years to come will always be able to look at that press release by the Marine Corps and see that Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber, young men who died too early in their life, through no fault of their own, they were 17 young marines, the oldest being 23, in the back of the V 22 that crashed, that they are not at fault for this accident. Mr. Speaker, as I do before I close, I ask God to please bless our young men and women in uniform and their families. I ask God to bless the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to please bless the families of John Brow and Brooks Gruber, and I ask God to touch the heart of the Marine Corps and the commandant to bring these two men's image to respect and not an image that is blemished by the accident. I ask God to bless my good friend sitting here and his family. I ask God to bless everyone in America. I ask God to bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people. And I ask God to please bless the President, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people. And three times I will ask, God please, God please, God please continue to bless America. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Last week, in the Armed Services Committee, we had General Allen, who oversees our military effort in Afghanistan. I have the utmost respect for General Allen. In fact, General Allen's former boss in the Marine Corps had some very kind words to say about General Allen, which I read before I got into my questions. I would today like to quote the former boss of General Allen, who's been my adviser on Afghanistan for 3 years, and I actually read these comments to General Allen before I got to my question: Attempting to find a true military and political answer to the problems in Afghanistan would take decades, not years, and drain our Nation of precious resources, with the most precious being our sons and daughters. Simply put, the United States cannot solve the Afghan problem, no matter how brave and determined our troops are. Mr. Speaker, I keep hearing the term, well, we're going to probably be out sometime around 2014. Well, it's kind of like what many of us, including myself, are guilty of, and that is putting it down the road, putting it down the road, we'll deal with it in some time. But the problem is our young men and women are dying, getting killed and severely wounded by IEDs. I hope that Congress, when we get into May of this year and we start debating the Department of Defense bill, will bring up some amendments dealing with Afghanistan. History has proven time and time again that no one, no nation will ever change Afghanistan. And it was kind of ironic that last week I just happened to be on the floor Thursday when Mr. Hoyer was asking Mr. Cantor, on our side, what is going to be the schedule this week, meaning today. And then Mr. Hoyer said to Mr. Cantor, well, why don't we bring up the Senate transportation bill? And I was just taken aback by Mr. Cantor's response. He said, ``We're just out of money.'' We're just out of money? And we're spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan? I don't understand the mathematics around here. We can't bring up a transportation bill, a 2-year bill, because we're just out of money. But, yet, Mr. Karzai, you can get your $10 billion a month and you can negotiate with the Taliban and take the $10 billion that we're borrowing from the Chinese to give to Karzai so they can buy weapons to kill the American soldiers and marines. It just does not make any sense. Mr. Speaker, I have put together a resolution that I have asked the speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Thom Tillis, who is a great gentleman, to introduce in the May session of the North Carolina House asking the Congress to bring our troops home out of Afghanistan before the 2014 deadline. And I'm pleased to say that the Tea Party in my district, who doesn't agree with me on everything, does agree with me on Afghanistan. They have passed this resolution at their meeting a month ago. We need to start bringing our troops home now, not later. Mr. Speaker, I've got beside me today--and I'm going to close in just a minute--a reminder of the cost of war--all the families who have cried with pain and all the children who have cried because their moms or their daddies are not coming home. So I have about 14 of these posters when I do these little 5-minute speeches I bring to the floor. This is the latest one. I saw it in the newspaper. It's very profound. It is time for the American people to say to the United States Congress, if you have no money and you can't fix the roads, then you have no money to send to Afghanistan to waste on a corrupt leader. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to close the way I normally do: God, please bless our men and women in uniform; please bless the families of our men and women in uniform; please, God, bless the House and Senate that we will do what's right in the eyes of God for His people. I ask God to please bless the President of the United States, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people. And I'll close three times by asking, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, about 3 years ago I initiated a House resolution, and I was joined by many of my colleagues on the Democratic side as well as my friends on the Republican side. The resolution called on the Speaker of the House one time a month, at that time, Ms. Pelosi, that she would stand at the Speaker's stand and ask the Members of Congress to remember our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. I want to give her credit and thanks that she did it for the whole time that she was Speaker of the House. After my party, the Republican Party became the majority, I wrote Speaker Boehner and asked him if he would continue that moment of remembrance of all of our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, their families, and those who gave their life and those who were wounded. I regret that I must say the last time we did this was December 16 of 2011. I intend to prepare a letter to Mr. Boehner and ask him, himself, not one time do I remember, maybe one time that he was in the Speaker's chair and he said the words of I thank you, those who have served and those who have given so much. I don't know if it is just because the war is not on the front page, but last week two Army captains from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who were trying to train the Afghans, were shot point-blank in their forehead and killed. We have lost 40 Americans who have been in Afghanistan trying to train Afghans to be police and soldiers; 40 have been killed by the trainees. And when you factor in the coalition troops trying to train the Afghans, 70 have been killed, including the 40 Americans. We need to continue this process of remembering those who have given so much to our country because too many times we get so wrapped up with major issues like the debt, the deficit and jobs, and so many important things, but there is nothing more important than those young men and women over there in Afghanistan who are giving their limbs and their life. I went to Walter Reed about 3 weeks ago and saw three Marines from my district, Camp Lejeune Marine Base. All three have lost both legs. So I hope when we get back from the next break next week, again I intend to hand deliver a letter to the Speaker of the House, as I did a year ago, and I want the Speaker, himself, to stand at the Speaker's stand and read the words thanking our men and women in uniform for their service to our Nation and remembering the families who have given a child dying for freedom. I intend to follow through on this, and I hope friends on both sides of the aisle will join me in asking the Speaker to continue this recognition of those who have given so much. With that, 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; God, in His loving arms, hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people here in the United States of America. I will ask God to please bless the President of the United States that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people here in the United States. And three times I will ask, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Last week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee and I asked for a classified briefing on Afghanistan. Really, the only thing I can say about the briefing, because it was classified, is that I will continue to come to the floor and to say let's bring our troops home from Afghanistan. Also last week, we had two Army officers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who were in Afghanistan to train, and they were shot by the Afghan trainee at point blank range. This brings the count to 42 Americans who have been killed in Afghanistan while working with the Afghans to train them to be police and soldiers. When you factor in how many coalition troops have been killed, along with the Americans, it's about 70. It is a totally impossible situation, as well as the fact that we continue to spend $10 billion a month there. I have beside me, Madam Speaker, a poster from the Greensboro News- Record in Greensboro, North Carolina. The headline is ``Get Out,'' and there is an honor guard bringing a transfer case off the plane. The sad thing is that the day is on a Sunday in February 2011, and we're now in March of 2012. We continue to spend money that we cannot even account for. We send auditors to Afghanistan to try to account for the $10 billion a month that is being given to Mr. Karzai so he can lead Afghanistan--buy some new roads and camps, I guess--while our troops are losing their legs, their arms, and their lives in a war that should be ended now, not later. We will, during the debate on the DOD bill in May, continue to try to bring amendments to the floor to bring some sanity to this involvement in Afghanistan. As I mentioned many times, a former marine commandant has been my adviser on Afghanistan, and he continues to talk about the fact that we are wearing out our military, the equipment, our manpower. Yet, there is a threat growing in the Pacific that we seem not to pay any attention to. Recently, Jim McGovern and I and John Garamendi and some others met with Lieutenant Colonel Danny Davis. He is an active duty reservist who has been to Afghanistan. He returned just a couple of months ago, and had been over there for almost 10 months. He has written articles saying that the Congress in these hearings with the military leadership is not getting the straight talk that we need to hear. Too many times they use the words: Well, the training of the Afghans is going pretty well, but it's fragile, it's real fragile. Well, I'd like to say it's real fragile. No, it's even worse than that. You cannot predict what is going to happen in the country of Afghanistan. We had two marines from my district, Camp Lejeune, the Marine base in the Third District that I represent, that were over there. About 3 months ago, Sergeant Baldus and Colonel Palmer--Colonel Palmer being from Cherry Point Marine Air Station and Sergeant Baldus from Camp Lejeune, also, like these two Army officers--were training in Afghanistan. They were having dinner with the Afghan trainees, and that night one of the trainees stood up and shot and killed both of them. This is not fair to the American soldier, marine, sailor, airman, Navy, whatever, to continue to be in Afghanistan 11 years after it started. The money that we're going to cut here in America of the senior citizens and the children who need programs to have a better quality of life, we are going to cut their programs, but we are going to keep spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan. It makes no sense. Madam Speaker, before I close, I would like to encourage every Member of Congress--who has the authority, should they want to implement that authority--to read the National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan that was published in 2011. It is classified, but every Member of Congress can take 1 hour--it's about 55 pages, I've read it--and read it. You need to read it, and then maybe you can help us make better decisions here on the floor about what in the world are we doing in Afghanistan spending Uncle Sam's money that he doesn't even have. He has to borrow his money from the Chinese to pay Karzai. Where does that make any sense? The American people do not think it makes any sense. We did a teletown hall about a month ago, and 66 percent of thousands of people that were on that call said bring our troops home now. Now, I realize that's the Third District of North Carolina, the home of Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point Marine Air Station and New River. Madam Speaker, I do want to close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform and ask God to continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, thank you very much. I was elected in 1995. Shortly after being sworn in, I was appointed to the Armed Services Committee. In my district of eastern North Carolina, we have Camp Lejeune Marine Base, Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, New River Marine Corps Air Station, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. At the time, I was familiar with the Marine Corps' desire and need to have the MV 22 Osprey. The Osprey is the plane that can go from a helicopter mode to a plane mode. I realized it was at that time very controversial. In fact, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney was opposed to the plane's ever becoming a reality, and as a Member of Congress I was very supportive. I was a new Member, obviously, and I was very much supportive. Madam Speaker, I am just going to hold up for a moment what the Osprey looks like, which is the plane I was just describing. It is an unusual-looking bird, but the Marine Corps believes it's what it definitely needs to complete its mission of serving this great Nation. On April 8 of the year 2000, a tragedy happened in Marana, Arizona. Colonel John Brow, who is to my left on this poster, was the pilot; and the copilot was Major Brooks Gruber. That night, 19 marines on a mission at Marana, Arizona, on Night Hawk 72, which was being piloted by Brow and copilot Gruber, flipped and crashed and burned, and 19 marines were killed. It was a very tragic, tragic happening, a very tragic night. The wife of Major Brooks Gruber contacted me and asked me if I would please look into the fact that the Marine Corps had issued a press release, and I'm going to just touch on this very briefly. The Marine Corps officials say that a combination of factors caused the Osprey accident. A report released by Marine Corps officials today confirmed that a combination of human factors--and that's a problem, Madam Speaker, those words ``human factors''--caused the April 8 accident. General Jones replied: ``Unfortunately, the pilots' drive to accomplish that mission appears to have been the fatal factor.'' Madam Speaker, again, from Marine headquarters, they sent out this press release nationally and internationally. Therefore, people started believing that the pilots were somewhat responsible for the accident. About a year later is when Connie Gruber contacted me, and I would like to read part of her email to me, December 10, 2002: I contacted you in hopes that leaders of integrity, free of bias, would have both the intelligence and the courage it takes to decide the facts for him or herself. If you do that, you will agree the ``human factor/pilot error'' findings should not stand as it is in military history. Again, I respectfully ask for your support. Please do not simply pass this matter along to General Jones without offering the support my husband and his comrades deserve. Please remember, these 19 marines can no longer speak for themselves. Madam Speaker, that email from Connie Gruber started a 10-year journey. From that journey I continued to reach out to experts, which I am no expert, Madam Speaker, at all. But I had to believe the wife of Brooks Gruber that she and Trish Brow, the wife of the pilot, Major John Brow, that they told me that their husbands have the right to rest in peace. So, Madam Speaker, from that I would like to read some comments. Rex Rivolo wrote me this in the effort of trying to clear the names of John Brow and Brooks Gruber: I write in an attempt to help correct a great injustice perpetrated on Lieutenant Colonel John Brow, United States Marine Corps, and Major Brooks Gruber, United States Marine Corps, in attributing the cause of the MV 22 mishap in Marana, Arizona, on April 8, 2000, to aircrew error. At the time of the mishap, I was the principal analyst for the V 22 as a research staff member at the Institute For Defense Analyses, a nonprofit organization supporting the Department of Defense Office of Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. Madam Speaker, another individual who's an expert that joined us in this effort to clear the names of John Brow and Brooks Gruber is Phil Coyle, and I want to quote what he put in an email to me on November 8, 2000: Major Gruber should not be blamed for flying his aircraft on a flight path that he was not trained to fly and expected to fly. The Marine Corps knows today that flight path was lethal, but they did not know it then, and neither did Major Gruber. Considering it was ignorance on the part of the Marine Corps that caused the April 8, 2000 accident, the Marine Corps should make it clear to Major Gruber's family-- with no ifs, ands, or buts--that Major Gruber was not responsible for the accident. Madam Speaker, I continue to go on, because this has been a 10-year effort for the families of John Brow and Brooks Gruber. Madam Speaker, the Marine Corps, shortly after the accident, assigned three marines the day after the accident on April 8 to fly to Arizona and to do their own investigation for the United States Marine Corps. At the time, Colonel Mike Morgan was the lead investigator, assisted by Colonel Ron Radich and also Major Phil Stackhouse. In the JAGMAN report that was the official report for the Marine Corps of the accident, on page 77 they stated: During this investigation we found nothing that we would characterize as negligence, deliberate pilot error, or maintenance/material failure. Madam Speaker, in this 10-year journey to clear the names of these two Marine pilots, I reached out to the attorneys. John Brow and Brooks Gruber, their families employed Jim Furman, an attorney in Texas, who himself, was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He is an outstanding attorney, and he defended the two pilots when they went and filed suit against Bell Boeing. In a letter on April 28, 2010, from Jim Furman to me in this effort to clear the names of John Brow and Brooks Gruber, he wrote: It was not the mission of the operation evaluation crew to discover the new boundaries and limitations associated with the V 22. Engineering test pilots, under appropriate test conditions, should have done this. It is simply wrong and improper to place this burden upon Gruber and Brow. They did the best job they could have done under the circumstances. Prior to the March 2000 crash, the Navy already had reports of strange asymmetric response in the aircraft. These events should have been completely investigated before any more operational testing continued. Madam Speaker, I have over seven or eight emails that are two or three pages from Jim Furman in his effort to help us clear the names of Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber. From the attorney for the 17 marines' families who were in the V 22 that crashed--and these young men were killed in that crash--Brian Alexander defended the 17 families, and he said: Please thank Congressman Jones for contacting me and assure him that I stand by ready to assist him in any way that I can. As a former Army aviator and lawyer who had the privilege of representing the marines who gave their lives in the Marana crash, I applaud the Congressman's efforts to clear the names of pilots Gruber and Brow from any and all blame for this senseless tragedy. Due to these undisputed reasons, the pilots are not to blame and should be fully exonerated. Again, the two attorneys, Jim Furman in Texas and Brian Alexander in New York, they defended the families in the lawsuit that was settled out of court by Bell Boeing. Madam Speaker, I also would like to share for the Record--you might say, well, if the lawsuits are over, then why won't the Marine Corps give the families what they are looking for as a clear exoneration of John Brow and Brooks Gruber? Madam Speaker, I can't answer that but recently, about 4 months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with General Rutter, who was representing the Commandant, and he was asking what would help the wives bring this to an end, so to speak. There is no way you can replace the husbands and the 17 marines who were burned to death. So the wives gave me a paragraph that they would like for the Marine Corps to issue to them on Marine Corps stationery and also a press release, Madam Speaker, and it states: The United States Marine Corps concurs that pilots Lieutenant Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber were not at fault for the April 8, 2000, Osprey accident. The original accident report will officially include this statement of fact. A copy of the official statement will be formally presented to the Gruber and Brow families as written evidence to this fact. A press release and formal statement will also be publicly issued by military officials. Madam Speaker, I don't know why the Marine Corps has not been willing to give the families this closure that they have asked for. I just touched on a few of the letters of many people who were so familiar with the program and the V 22 in the early stages that have joined in this effort, so it is hard to understand why the Marine Corps will not give the families this one paragraph. Madam Speaker, I will continue to work and to speak out because that's the least that the Marine Corps can do for these families. Let me also share that I reached out to the investigators, Major Morgan, Major Radich, and Major Stackhouse. Madam Speaker, they in July and August of this year sent me 2-page letters from each one of them stating clearly that if there is anything in the JAGMAN report that has been misunderstood, that they found it was pilot error, to please have it recanted because that's not what they wrote in the JAGMAN. Madam Speaker, I have a copy of the JAGMAN. I have read from one page what they said about the pilots on page 77 that nothing was done by the pilots in a deliberate way to cause the accident. Madam Speaker, I'd like to read now just a couple of sentences from Lieutenant Colonel Mike Morgan's letter back to me. He again was the lead investigator that wrote the JAGMAN report. He said: John Brow and Brooks Gruber performed as model wingmen on this mission. They were doing exactly what was expected of a wingman on a tactical flight. Lieutenant Colonel Morgan further stated: John Brow and Brooks Gruber did their job, and did it well. I look forward to the day when DOD officials accurately recognize the sacrifice made by them and all the marines of Nighthawk 72. From Lieutenant Colonel Ron Radich, he was the assistant JAGMAN investigator: It would be morally wrong to place the blame on the pilots of Nighthawk 72. Prior to the mishap, control measures to mitigate the risk of vortex ring state were deficient. With no knowledge, training, or warning concerning the possible consequences of vortex ring state, the pilots of Nighthawk 72 were essentially on their own in uncharted territory. Madam Speaker, what Colonel Radich is saying is that they were put into the cockpit flying this plane with 19 marines, counting the two pilots on this plane, and they had no idea of how to react to the condition known as vortex ring state, VRS. They had not been trained. The plane was not even prepared to warn them of such a happening. And the third investigator, Madam Speaker, was Captain Phil Stackhouse and he said: I do not feel that our investigation reflects that the mishap was a result of pilot error and if this investigation was interpreted that way, it was misinterpreted. For any record that reflects the mishap was a result of pilot error, it should be corrected. For any publication that reflects the mishap was a result of pilot error, it should be corrected and recanted. Madam Speaker, there cannot be stronger support for this change to make sure that the Marine Corps would issue a statement to the families and also issue to the families a paragraph that would clearly state that their husbands were not at fault. Madam Speaker, some people might just say, Congressman, why have you spent 10 years trying to clear the names of two pilots that you never knew? Well, Connie Gruber, the wife of Major Brooks Gruber, she does live in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and she and her a little girl, Brook, deserve to have this paragraph for the future of their family, to clearly state that the pilots were not at fault. Trish Brow lives over in California, Maryland. John Brow was her husband, and I have been with one of her sons, Michael, who was in my office a year ago in March when we talked about our strategy to clear the names of these two marine pilots. I never will forget that Michael leaned up after we talked, about five adults, including his mom in there, and he leaned up and he said, May I say something? And we all said, Certainly, whatever you'd like to say. And he said, Will you please let me clear my father's name. Madam Speaker, the ball is in the Marine Corps' court. All of the evidence and all of the experts have joined in this effort to clear the names of the two pilots. On these charts, you can see the faces of the two marine pilots. Right immediately close to me is Colonel John Brow, the pilot; and beside him is Major Brooks Gruber, who was the copilot. I think about what I have said to the wives and to their sons and daughters: It's time that the Marine Corps salute Colonel John Brow and Major Brooks Gruber and say, Colonel and Major, you may rest in peace. Don't ever worry about your name again. We have done everything we can as the United States Marine Corps to make sure that the public knows that you two, pilot and copilot, were not at fault for that tragedy on April 8 of 2000. Madam Speaker, just a couple more minutes and I will bring my comments to a close. I had someone send to me a quote by Voltaire that says, ``To the living, we owe respect; to the dead, we owe the truth.'' And that's why I wanted to be on the floor tonight to share just a few comments by the experts, not by me. I am no expert. I'm just one man who believes what the wife said, Connie Gruber: My husband and John Brow cannot speak for themselves. Someone has to speak for these two men to clear their names. The lawsuits are over. They were settled out of court. It was a closed settlement. Nobody knows the figures except the families. I've never heard a figure, so I have no idea. But I know one thing. When a firm as large as Bell-Boeing, which manufactured the V 22, when they settle out of court, they must feel some responsibility for the accident. I hope and pray that soon the Marine Corps will close the chapter on the tragedy in the life of Trish Brow and Connie Gruber. The reason they want the letter, Madam Speaker, is so their children, 10, 15, 20 years from now, whenever there's another article written about the V 22 crash in Arizona in the year 2000 and they misstate that this was pilot error, that the families will have an official letter from the Commandant of the Marine Corps that will clearly state that John Brow and Brooks Gruber were not at fault. Madam Speaker, I'm going to close in about 2 minutes. I want to call on the United States Marine Corps to come forward and give the families what they are asking. The three investigators, as I said earlier, have joined in this. Jim Shaffer, Madam Speaker, who was in the air at the same time as this crash, he was flying a V 22 when the other two were flying and before Nighthawk 72 crashed. He was a friend of John Brow and Brooks Gruber. He has joined in this effort. He believes that the right thing to do, based on the circumstances of the time, that the right thing to do is to say that the two pilots were not at fault. Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for staying a little bit later tonight to give me this time. I'm not going to take the full 30 minutes. There is a lot more I could say, but I think that I've done the first step of what is going to be many steps in coming to the floor and talking about these two pilots and their families until we get the letter from the Commandant that is just one paragraph that clearly states that Lieutenant Colonel John Brow, Major Brooks Gruber, pilot and copilot, were not at fault for the crash that happened on April 8, 2000, in Arizona. So with that, Madam Speaker, I will ask God to please bless the families of these two pilots and the families of the 17 marines who were in the back of the V 22 that crashed and 19 died, to bless those families as well. I will ask God to please touch the heart of the United States Marine Corps so that these two marines can rest in peace. Madam Speaker, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, today the Republicans held a conference--the Democrats do the same thing during the week, talk about issues--and I had a couple of minutes to remind our Speaker of the House, John Boehner, whom I like, think the world of him, that as he was talking about the domestic policies of the President and how many of them seem to be failed policies, I said, well, how about the failed policy in Afghanistan? I had written the Speaker back in November asking him to please take just a few minutes to talk to a retired marine general who has been my adviser on Afghanistan for 3 years. He agrees with me, the general does, that we're not going to win anything there; we just let our precious resources, our children, go there and lose their legs and lives, for what, we don't know. I asked the Speaker--we did it in a bipartisan way. In fact, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), who will be speaking shortly after me, we did a bipartisan letter, three Democrats and three Republicans, asking Mr. Boehner and also Ms. Pelosi to go read the National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan that came out in December. If they would read it, they would be better informed and better understand those of us who want to get out. I had emailed the commandant of the Marine Corps who has been my adviser. He is retired now. Right before the burning of the Koran in Afghanistan--what I'm going to share for the record is an email that happened before the burning of the Koran. I quote the general: Attempting to find a true military and political answer to the problems in Afghanistan would take decades, not years, and drain our Nation of precious resources--with the most precious being our sons and daughters. Simply put, the United States cannot solve the Afghan problem, no matter how brave and determined our troops are. We need to bring our people home and prepare for the real danger that is growing in the Pacific. Mr. Speaker, I read that today in the conference. As you know, Mr. Speaker, we only have 1 minute and a lot of Members want to speak on different subjects. In addition, I did get time to read from a VSO team leader. The VSO team leader happens to be a young marine officer. VSO means village stability operation. This young marine, this team leader, emailed a friend of mine who emailed to me: If you ask me if it's worth a single American life to build governance here in Afghanistan, I would have to say no. Sometimes it is very perplexing to me in terms of just where is the outrage in this country. I've seen so many wounded from my district of Camp Lejeune, of marines and soldiers who have lost legs and arms. I have even seen four young men that have no body parts below their waist. They are living and they will live, but they have nothing below their waist. I don't know where the Congress is, quite frankly. We're going to be there until 2014 unless we get out sooner. I've got a feeling we'll probably be there a little bit longer than 2015, knowing the way both parties feel about this. There's nothing we're going to change. Karzai half the time doesn't like us; the other half he does. It is all about the $10 billion a month. He wants that money to buy some roads and fur caps and stick some money in foreign countries so when his administration collapses in Afghanistan, he's got some money to fall back on. Mr. Speaker, I'm just going to take another minute and then I'm going to close. In Marine Times recently there was an article called: ``TriCare Costs Would Jump in Budget Plan.'' If we forget our veterans of yesterday and our veterans of today, I think God will punish America. These young men and women and now the older veterans are older men and women and did so much for America to make it the greatest Nation in the world because they were willing to sacrifice and give of themselves. But if we're going to continue to borrow money from China to send $10 billion a month to Karzai, $120 billion a year, that to me is a sin, quite frankly. We need to wake up in this country and figure out if we're going to fix our problems. We should start right here in America and fix our problems before we worry about the world's problems. Seventy-two of our servicepeople have been killed by the trainees in Afghanistan that they were trying to train to be policemen or soldiers. Seventy-two have been shot or killed by the people they were training. Where in the world does that make any sense? It doesn't make any sense. It is time for America to wake up and demand that Congress get our troops out now, not in 2014. Before I close, as I always do, 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 ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people here in the United States of America. I ask God to please bless the President of the United States, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for God's people here in the United States. And I close three times: God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America. Congress of the United States, Washington, DC, February 10, 2012. Hon. John Boehner, Speaker, House of Representatives, U.S. Capitol, Washington,

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I wish all of the Members of the House could take the time to read the National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan. It's classified, but I think they would benefit greatly as both parties continue to try to bring our troops home from Afghanistan sooner than 2013. I do want to compliment the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Panetta. I did yesterday, in a hearing, and thanked him for saying that he would start bringing the combat troops home by 2013. Mr. Speaker, I've been advised on Afghanistan by a military marine general for the last 3 years. I have great respect for him. He is a man of faith, and he has served our country at the highest rank in this particular type of service. I can't say his name because he asked me not to use his name publicly, but this marine general has been my adviser for 3 years. We exchanged emails last week, and I'd like to share for the House a couple of his thoughts on the email that he sent to me last week: Attempting to find a true military and political answer to the problems in Afghanistan would take decades, not years, and drain our Nation of precious resources--with the most precious being our sons and daughters. Simply put, the United States cannot solve the Afghan problem no matter how brave and determined our troops are. We need to bring our people home and prepare for the real danger that is growing in the Pacific. Again, I have the utmost respect for this man, and I think the American people would if I could say his name. One of our marines who is serving as a Village Stability Operations team leader in Afghanistan--they're known as VSOs--emailed a friend of his recently, and the friend shared the email with me: ``If you ask me if it is worth a single American life to build governance here in Afghanistan, I would have to say no.'' This man is over there trying to help the Afghan people, but obviously he has no faith. He basically said--and I'm paraphrasing now--that he has absolutely no confidence in the Afghans being able to have a functional, successful military or police force. I thank him for his thoughts, and I've shared them with the House today. There is Lieutenant Colonel Danny Davis, who some in both parties have met with. He spent 9 months in Afghanistan, and 3 weeks ago, he came out publicly. He is an active duty Army colonel, saying that it's time to get our troops out and that there is nothing we're going to change in Afghanistan. I want to say that I respect the colonel for trying to tell the American people the truth and for telling Congress the truth, which is that we're spending $10 billion a month to prop up a corrupt leader, and nothing is going to change. That's why I shared the thoughts of the team leader and also of the retired marine general. In a long Wall Street Journal article of February 10, titled, ``Roads to Nowhere: Program to Win over Afghans Fails,'' I will quote one paragraph: Three years and nearly $270 million later, less than 100 miles of gravel road have been completed, according to American officials. More than 125 people were killed and 250 others were wounded in insurgent attacks aimed at derailing the project, USAID said. The agency shut down the road- building effort in December. Mr. Speaker, this is what both parties are trying to say: We keep spending money we don't have. We're cutting programs for children and senior citizens. We can't help with infrastructure, but we can find $10 billion a month to prop up a corrupt leader. Does that make any sense? I think not. The American people have said it makes no sense at all. I have a photograph--well, a poster, actually, Mr. Speaker. This is a beautiful little girl who is 3 years old. Her mother is in tears, and her grandmother is patting the mother on the shoulder. The little girl is looking at a marine officer, who is presenting a folded flag to the mother. All I can think about as to that little girl is, one day, she will say to her mother, Tell me about my father. Her mother will say, Well, your father was a wonderful man, and he gave his life in Afghanistan. Then the little girl will go to school, and she will read the books about the war in Afghanistan. She'll ask, Why did my father die? He died for nothing. He died for a corrupt leader, and history has said Afghanistan will never, never change. So I want to thank my colleagues on the Democratic side who have joined me and the few Republicans who have joined me on the Republican side. Let's bring our troops home. Let's spend the money here in America, and let's save the lives of our soldiers and marines and of all those who serve in the military. Mr. Speaker, I ask God to please bless 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 to please bless the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God. I ask God to please bless the President that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people. And three times, I will say, God please, God please, God please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, I join my friend from California who just spoke, and my friend from Massachusetts who spoke before him, Mr. Garamendi and Mr. McGovern. I joined in that meeting with Lieutenant Colonel Davis. He is a very brave man. In fact, if any of my colleagues would like to read the article in The New York Times on Monday, the title is: ``In Afghan War, Officer Becomes a Whistle-Blower,'' with a subtitle of ``A Solo Campaign to Tell the Truth.'' And as my two friends who have just spoken said, the truth does matter. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ spoke the truth, and it's time that we in Congress demand the truth on this war in Afghanistan. I think Colonel Davis is doing this country a tremendous favor by trying to say: Congress, ask the right questions. Stop listening to those who keep telling you that training the Afghan soldiers and the Afghan to be policemen is going well. I'm on the Armed Services Committee, and I've been hearing that for 10 years. You can teach a monkey to ride a bicycle sooner than 10 years. How many more young men and women have to give their legs and their arms? Last week, I had a Marine general in my office and a Navy admiral. After we talked about the issues impacting eastern North Carolina where we have three bases, we got into this war on Afghanistan. I was telling them that the broken bodies I've seen at Walter Reed and Bethesda-- which now have been consolidated to Walter Reed at Bethesda, and I'll be there next Tuesday--I was telling them about seeing four young men that have no body parts below their waist. They're living. They would have died in Vietnam. Medical technology has advanced to the point that a young man or young woman can live with half a body, nothing below their waist. The admiral told me of seeing a young man that he visited that has no arms or legs, no arms or legs and he's living. Uncle Sam, you've got a tremendous responsibility to take care of these heroes for the next 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years; and this Congress can't even balance the budget. No veteran from these two wars should ever be told that your check did not come in this month because Uncle Sam cannot pay his bills. Mr. Speaker, before closing, these two little girls beside me on this poster, their father, Sergeant Balduff from Camp Lejeune, was sent to Afghanistan with Colonel Palmer from Cherry Point Marine Air Station to train Afghans to be policemen. Sergeant Balduff emailed his wife, Amy, the night before he died and said, ``I don't trust them. I don't trust them. I don't trust any of them.'' The next night, a trainee stood up at a dinner and shot and killed the colonel and the sergeant. To my friends who have spoken and my friends who are speaking after me, we must demand that this Congress awaken from its sleep on Afghanistan. The American people are ready to bring our troops home. We don't need to wait till 2013, 2014, or 2015. We need to say to the President, Start the process this fall. It will take a year to bring them home. If you announce that you're going to bring them home this year, it will take a year before they come home. These two little girls are standing at their father's grave at Arlington Cemetery. How many children have cried, and how many children have felt pain, and how many babies will never know their father or their mother? To my colleagues on the other side and my colleagues on this side, let's come together. Let's end the war in Afghanistan. Karzai is a crook. Afghanistan's history said no great nation will ever conquer Afghanistan. So, as I close, Mr. Speaker, as always, 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've given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people. And I ask God to please bless the President, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American people. And I close by asking three times, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much for the time. To the ranking member, thank you for your comments as well. As has already been stated, H.R. 306 would provide for a new public- private management plan for the free roaming Corolla wild horses of North Carolina's Outer Banks--at no cost to our taxpayers. The Corolla wild horses are Colonial Spanish Mustangs that can be traced back to the Spanish explorers on the Outer Banks in the 16th century. They've survived in the wild for over 400 years and roam across 7,500 acres of public and private land in coastal Currituck County, North Carolina. Under the existing management agreement between the Interior Department, the State of North Carolina, Currituck County, and the nonprofit Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the maximum number of horses allowed in the herd is 60. Equine genetic scientists believe the number of 60 threatens the herd's existence due to high levels of inbreeding and low levels of genetic diversity. To address this issue, H.R. 306 would require a new management plan to allow a herd of no less than 110 horses and no more than 130 horses. 110 is the minimum number that leading equine genetic scientist Dr. Gus Cothran of Texas A&M University has found to be necessary to maintain the herd's genetic viability. It is important to note that these numbers are well within the carrying capacity of the land these horses call home. To improve the herd's genetics, the bill would allow for the limited introduction of wild horses from the related herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore. I would like to emphasize that H.R. 306 requires the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, not the Federal Government, to pay for managing the horses. The fund is a thriving nonprofit with an annual budget of over $400,000 that is growing each and every year. They already pay the costs of managing the horses, and they will continue to do so under this bill. Confirming this point, the CBO score on H.R. 306 found ``the Federal Government would incur no significant additional costs to manage or mitigate the effects of horses on the refuge.'' H.R. 306 is similar to another bipartisan bill that was made reference to a while ago that I authored to create a public-private partnership to save the wild horses of Shackleford Banks in Cape Lookout National Seashore. That legislation was passed by the Republican House in 1998 and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. I want to, at this time, acknowledge for the record that his Chief of Staff, Erskine Bowles, was instrumental in that bill's becoming law. Mr. Speaker, the Corolla wild horses are a key part of North Carolina's heritage and an important element of the Outer Banks' economy. In fact, they're the North Carolina State horse. H.R. 306 has broad bipartisan support, and I want to thank both parties for that support. Among others, it is supported by North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue, Currituck County and the local community, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the Humane Society, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the Foundation for Shackleford Horses. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I make reference to these posters. As you can well see, these horses have their own heritage. They are absolutely wonderful, beautiful animals, and many times on the coast of North Carolina, when these horses are standing in the ocean with their foal, you will see those tourists come right up to the horse and to the foal and pet them. These horses are part of our heritage, and I thank both parties for passing this bill as I hope that we will pass this bill today.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, today I've heard Ms. Woolsey and Mr. McClintock talk about the war in Afghanistan, and it kind of reminds me this morning about 8 o'clock I did a call-in show down in my district, Jacksonville, North Carolina, the home of Camp Lejeune Marine base. The topic of the call-in show was proposed budget cuts to our military. The emcee of the show said to me: I'm coming around to your thinking. It is time to get out of Afghanistan. We are spending $10 billion a month in Afghanistan. Let's say that we start bringing them home this year in 2012, at least start the process of bringing them home. The host said: I guess if we did that, we would save at least probably $240 billion in a 2-year period of time. If they are proposing cuts of $490 billion in next year's budget for the Department of Defense and we save $240 billion, then we are almost cutting in half what we are going to require of the military. I said, You're exactly right. Not only did I hear this from a talk-show host, but I hear it throughout the eastern part of the State that I have the privilege to represent. I hope that Mr. Panetta, who I have a lot of respect for, will keep to that 2013 timeframe. I share with Ms. Woolsey that I don't trust it, and it has nothing to do with the person. I want to make that clear. He is an honorable man, but there are too many factors that are planned into this issue of staying in Afghanistan. There are too many people that sadly are making money on war. I won't get into that because I don't have enough time. As the host said to me today, if we would just spend money on the defense of America instead of building empires around the world, we probably would save a lot of money and we would have a strong defense, which we need. That brings me to this poster. I have a book called ``The Three Trillion Dollar War'' that was written by a Nobel Prize winner in economics named Dr. Joe Stiglitz. His coauthor Linda Bilmes is an economics professor at Harvard. They testified a year ago before the Veterans Health Committee. I do not serve on that committee, but Mr. Filner at the time was chairman. Now Mr. Miller is chairman because Republicans are in the majority. As they finished their discussion, they were saying that if they wrote the book today--this was written 5 years ago--the title would go from the ``The Three Trillion Dollar War'' to ``The Five Trillion Dollar War.'' That is what it is going to cost to take care of our young men and women. The poster to my left is a young Army sergeant, who has lost both legs and an arm, with his wife going into a new apartment. I have seen four young men at Walter Reed that have no parts below their waist and they are living. God bless them, and I hope they have a good life. I don't know. I cannot make that judgment. I know one thing: Uncle Sam, you're going to have to spend a lot of money to take care of those young men because they earned it. They earned it because of our failed policies in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is my hope that sometime this spring, in a bipartisan way, we will have an amendment on the floor that the House will pass and it will say: you need to start bringing our troops home beginning the end of 2012 because the process will take a long time. In closing, as I always do, I have signed over 10,000 letters to families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq because I was not strong enough to vote my conscience on the request by the Bush administration to go into Iraq. I have asked God to forgive me by signing these letters, and I think He has forgiven me. God, please continue to bless our men and women in uniform. God, continue to 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. God, please bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in Your eyes for this country. God, please continue to bless the leader of our country. Let him know that he is doing what is right in Your eyes. Three times I ask God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, I read an article by the Associated Press that the French have made a decision to fast-track their withdrawal from Afghanistan and bring troops home by the end of 2013 instead of the end of 2014. If France follows through with this accelerated drawdown, they will join other countries like Canada and the Netherlands, who have also drawn down their forces in recent years. I believe these countries are on the right track. The Department of Defense has recently been asked to find over $490 billion in cuts. We are currently spending $10 billion a month, which equates to $120 billion a year, in Afghanistan. By bringing our troops home now, we would be saving hundreds of billions of dollars, which would prevent the Department of Defense from cutting other military programs. It simply is common sense to bring our troops home now and not wait. Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote from a January 20, 2012, New York Times article by Matthew Rosenberg, titled, ``Afghanistan's Soldiers Step Up Killings of Allied Forces'': ``American and other coalition forces here are being killed in increasing numbers by the very Afghan soldiers they fight alongside and train, in attacks motivated by deep-seated animosity between the supposedly allied forces, according to American and Afghan officers and a classified coalition report obtained by The New York Times.'' Mr. Rosenberg further states in his article, ``A decade into the war in Afghanistan, the report makes clear that these killings have become the most visible symptom of a far deeper ailment plaguing the war effort: the contempt each side holds for the other, never mind the Taliban. The ill will and mistrust run deep among civilians and militaries on both sides, raising questions about what future role the U.S. and its allies can expect to play in Afghanistan.'' Mr. Speaker, more important than the money are the young men and women who are sacrificing their lives, limbs, and families by serving in a corrupt nation led by a corrupt leader. Beside me, Mr. Speaker, is a poster that I have been bringing to the floor from time to time of a young soldier from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who is sitting in a wheelchair with both legs gone and an arm gone, with his lovely wife standing beside his wheelchair showing him their new apartment. How many more young men and women have to die? How many more young men and women have to lose their legs, their arms? And the sad part about it is that, as history has shown, no great nation in the history of the world has ever changed Afghanistan; and we're not going to change it either. History has proven that fact time and time again. It is time to bring our troops home from Afghanistan. Before closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the story of my visit to Walter Reed, which is in Bethesda, Maryland. A young Marine corporal from Camp Lejeune, which I have the privilege to represent, said to me, with his mom in the room: Why don't we come home, Congressman? Why don't we come home? It is time that this administration and this Congress say to the American people: We're not going to wait until 2014 to bring our troops home. We're going to start bringing them home in 2013. And with that, Mr. Speaker, in closing, I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families who have given a loved one dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And I will close by asking God three times: God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, on January 12, CBS Evening News did a segment on just how impossible is the situation in Afghanistan. This is something I have been speaking out on for months and months and months, and I think CBS illustrated beautifully just how dire of a situation it is in Afghanistan. I will read excerpts from the report containing examples of just how inept the Afghan Army is. ``CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward found one reason in the Pech Valley. Americans lost their lives there building a base called Nangalam. When they tried to hand over their gains to the Afghan Army, the base went to ruin. ``Army Major Guillermo Guillen, from southern California, is frustrated. `You're relying on us to do all of your security for you. You need to be participating,' Guillen told an Afghan counterpart. ``On a recent patrol, some Afghan soldiers were not wearing helmets. One chatted on his cell phone. ``The United States military left Nangalam base last February, handing over to Afghan forces. But within weeks, things went badly wrong.'' Remember, Mr. Speaker, this is a CBS national report. ``Enemy forces returned to roam freely through the valley. The Afghan commander deserted. Hundreds of his soldiers followed. ``The Afghan forces that remained ransacked their own base. All the electric wires have been pulled out. Anything of any value was taken. You can see the wire hanging out of the light.'' Mr. Speaker, ``A new Afghan Army unit has been brought in with a new commander, Colonel Turab. U.S. officers have nicknamed him `Honest Abe.' And he was honest to a fault about the prospects of the Afghan Army.'' Mr. Speaker, listen very carefully: `` `It will take about 30 years' for the Afghan Army to be ready, Turab said through a translator. `And if they are reformed and the corruption is removed,' '' it will take about 10 years. How many $10 billion a month do we have to spend? How many young men and women have to die for a failed policy? History has proven you will never, never change Afghanistan no matter what you do. This poster beside me is a wife in tears whose husband was killed in Afghanistan, and the little girl, as you can see, Mr. Speaker, is looking at the flag. She has no idea that her daddy is dead. She will know one day that her father died to prop up a corrupt leader named Karzai and a corrupt government, and then she will learn from the history books as she gets into high school that no nation has ever conquered Afghanistan and no nation will ever conquer Afghanistan. As we listen to the President tonight and he talks about the state of affairs, I hope he will mention that he intends to bring our troops home now, not in 2014. In 2014, I do not know how many young men and women have to lose their legs, their arms, and die. So I hope both parties will come together this spring and talk about bringing our troops home now, not 2014. With that, Mr. Speaker, I will ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform and their families, to bless the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq, and ask God to please continue to bless America. [From cbsnews.com, Jan. 12, 2012] Nangalam: A Symbol of the Afghan War's Troubles (By Clarissa Ward) Most Americans in Afghanistan are doing their best in a war that's now in its 11th year. Why has it taken this long? CBS News correspondent Clarissa Ward found one reason in the Pech Valley. Americans lost their lives there building a base called Nangalam. When they tried to hand over their gains to the Afghan army, the base went to ruin. This is one part of Afghanistan that America thought it could finally leave. But U.S. troops are back, trying once again to train their Afghan allies. Army Major Guillermo Guillen, from Southern California, is frustrated. ``You're relying on us to do all your security for you. You need to be participating,'' Guillen told an Afghan counterpart. On a recent patrol, some Afghan soldiers were not wearing helmets. One chatted on his cell phone. ``We're not going to be here forever, you need to take care of yourself,'' Guillen said. The U.S. military left Nangalam base last February, handing over to Afghan forces. But within weeks, things went badly wrong. Enemy forces returned to roam freely through the valley. The Afghan commander deserted. Hundreds of his soldiers followed. ``I believe there was some of (feeling of abandonment) amongst the (Afghan) soldiers. It's probably what led to some of their leadership leaving,'' Guillen said. The Afghan forces that remained ransacked their own base. All the electric wires have been pulled out. Anything of any value was taken. You can see the wiring hanging out of the light. Just about everything else that could be moved was sold for cash. Without American support, the Afghan army refused to resupply the base. The soldiers were living in filth. For the U.S. military, it was an embarrassing example of what might happen when security is handed over to Afghan forces across the country, and so four months after leaving, a small group of U.S. troops was sent back in. Today, American contractors are back on the base repairing the damage, with U.S. taxpayers footing the bill, again. A new Afghan army unit has been brought in, with a new commander, Colonel Turab. U.S. officers have nicknamed him ``Honest Abe.'' And he was honest to a fault about the prospects for the Afghan army. ``It will take about 30 years'' for the Afghan army to be ready, Turab said through a translator. ``And if they are reformed and the corruption is removed, ten years.'' ``They understand what they're doing. They understand what's required. It's just getting them to do it without coalition support,'' Guillen said. The U.S. exit strategy depends on them doing it without support. Not in 30 years, and not in ten. They have just two years before the vast majority of American forces are scheduled to leave the Pech Valley--and all of Afghanistan-- for good.

Mr. JONES

Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. During the Christmas break, I wrote a letter to President Obama expressing outrage over the fact that Afghan President Karzai again snubbed our country and our men and women in uniform by signing an oil contract with China. How much more do the American people have to sacrifice with their young men and women? How many more young men and women have to walk the countryside of Afghanistan and have a leg or arm blown off, or killed, so Mr. Karzai can continue to say to Uncle Sam: We don't need you, but you've got to stay here so I can cut all these deals with these foreign countries. In a December 8, 2010, Washington Post article, while meeting with General Petraeus and former Ambassador Eikenberry, President Karzai said: I have three main enemies--the Taliban, the United States, and the international community. Karzai further stated: If I had to choose sides today, I'd choose the Taliban. Yes, young men and women in uniform, thank you for what you're doing; but it's time to bring you home. In a November 14, 2010, interview with the Washington Post, Karzai said that he wanted American troops off the roads and out of Afghan homes and that the long-term presence of so many foreign soldiers would only worsen the war. Very seldom do I say: Thank you, Mr. Karzai, you're exactly right. March 12, 2011, New York Times: ``I request that NATO and American soldiers should stop these operations on our soil. This war is not on our soil. If this war is against terror, then this war is not here. Terror is not here.'' Mr. Karzai, president of Afghanistan. In October of 2011 during a television interview, President Karzai stated: `` If ever there is a war between Pakistan and America, Afghanistan will side with the Pakistanis.'' Why are we still there spending $10 billion a month and saying to the American people: We're going to cut your school programs; we're going to cut your bridge programs; we're going to cut your road programs? American people, we don't have the money, but somehow, we have $10 billion a month to send to Mr. Karzai. This little boy beside me is named Tyler Jordan. In 2003, his father, Gunny Sergeant Phillip Jordan, was killed in Iraq. I've spoken to his mom, Amanda. She lives in Connecticut. I've asked her about Tyler. I've had this picture since 2003. She says he still misses his daddy. He will always miss his father. Bin Laden is dead. Al Qaeda has been dispersed all over the world. I hope the American people will call their Members of Congress in both parties and say: Get our troops out of Afghanistan. Do not wait until 2014, 2015. I don't know how many more will have to die for a corrupt leader named Karzai. We have won. Bin Laden is dead. We have won. Declare victory and bring them home. God, continue to bless our men and women in uniform. Bless the families who've given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And God, please continue to bless America. We're in great need of Your guidance, dear God. God bless America.