Brian Jones: “Sadly, I come to the floor to remind the Members of the House, as well as the American people, that three Americans were…”

“Sadly, I come to the floor to remind the Members of the House, as well as the American people, that three Americans were killed last week in Afghanistan: Corporal Dillon Baldridge, Sergeant William Bays, Sergeant Eric Houck. They were killed by the Afghans they were training. Afghanistan is the biggest waste of life and money I have ever seen in my life. I have beside me two little girls who, at the time, lived in my district: Eden Baldridge and Stephanie Baldridge. Their daddy, Kevin, was sent from Camp Lejeune, which is in my district, along with Colonel Benjamin Palmer, who serves at Cherry Point, which is also in my district. They were sent to Afghanistan 3 years ago to train Afghanistans how to be policemen. Well, the tragedy of this story is that Corporal Baldridge emailed his wife, Amy, and said: ``Amy, I don't trust them. I don't trust any of them.'' And the very next day, he was shot, along with Colonel Palmer, and killed. Yet we in the Congress have never had a debate since 2001 on the future of America's involvement in Afghanistan. That is why John Garamendi and some on my side and his side--he is a Democrat--have put in a bill, H.R. 1668. All we are asking is that we have a debate. You can be for the bill that Mr. Garamendi and I have put in or you can be against it, but give us a chance to have a debate.…”