Duncan Hunter: “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And this is probably appropriate coming after Mr. Jones speaking about the United States Marine…”

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And this is probably appropriate coming after Mr. Jones speaking about the United States Marine Corps. I come before you today, Mr. Speaker, to talk about a great marine, a marine who was just in charge of Central Command and has retired and resigned after decades of service to this Nation, and let me start at the point where I was able to meet him. Ten years ago today, the war in Iraq was under way. Nineteen days after the invasion, marines and soldiers had dismantled Saddam Hussein's regime. The takedown of Baghdad and Iraq was precise and supremely coordinated, much to the credit of Marine General James Mattis, who led the 1st Marine Division in Baghdad, and just recently completed his tour as the commander of Central Command. On March 20, 2003, Mattis led the 1st Marine Division to the borders of Iraq. The marines' success and effectiveness, sustaining light casualties, was due to the intellect and the skill of one of the most cerebral warfighters of our lifetime, General Mattis. General Mattis is a tough man, exactly what you would expect from a United States Marine. He's practical in combat while laser-focused on securing the objective. Let me give you an example, Mr. Speaker. On the march to Baghdad, General Mattis landed C-130s on the highway to keep vehicles and tanks moving. Mattis' marines outsmarted and overpowered Saddam's forces. In the aftermath, Mattis took a totally different tactic.…”