Hilda L. Solis: “good evening. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago I had the privilege to visit our service men and women serving in Iraq, and I saw…”

“good evening. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago I had the privilege to visit our service men and women serving in Iraq, and I saw for myself what is really happening on the ground. I met with several service men and women from cities that I represent, the city of Azusa, East Los Angeles and West Covina in California. I spoke with troop commanders, Iraqi women representing NGOs, and two parliamentarian women. My trip to Iraq confirmed my belief that we must supply better support for our troops, including redeployment out of Iraq. But supporting our troops means securing our troops and making sure we minimize the risks they really face. Our troops, as you know, are overextended. The length of time they are spending in Iraq is not only demanding, but exhausting. For many of them, it is not their first tour either, this is their second, third and maybe even fourth. While our troops remain committed to their work, they are concerned about the impact their duty is having on them and their families. The time they spend with their families is shorter with each tour of duty. Our troops are concerned about the lack of adequate equipment. Some troops lack the basic equipment needed to do their job, like body armor. In fact, one soldier told me they don't have light bulbs. I said light bulbs for what? They said well, Congresswoman, for our vehicles. When we are asked to go into the communities, if we don't have light bulbs on our vehicles we can't see.…”