Hilda L. Solis: “It has been one year since the brave men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces were ordered into Iraq. On a daily…”

“It has been one year since the brave men and women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces were ordered into Iraq. On a daily basis, these brave servicemembers are displaying tremendous patriotism and courage. They and their families have made enormous sacrifices, many even the ultimate sacrifice, to serve our Nation. I continue to strongly support our troops serving us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world. My own district has seen the loss of four fallen heroes who gave their lives in defense of our Nation: Jorge Casanova, Atanacio Haro Marin, Francisco Martinez Flores, and Kelly Bolor. Many more from my district have been injured. One of my constituents, Eugene Serrano, was part of the unit that captured Saddam Hussein. Last month, I hosted a ceremony in my district to honor these fallen heroes and all of our Nation's veterans--those who have lost their lives, those who have put their lives on the line, and those who continue to risk their lives in order to defend our Nation. We should honor our troops and our veterans. However, I cannot support the particular resolution before us today. I oppose this resolution not because of what it says, but because of what it does not say. It fails to express sorrow and condolences to the families of the more than 550 servicemembers that have died in Iraq, over 415 of whom were killed after President Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq. It also lacks mention of the more than 3,500 who have been wounded in Iraq.”