Joe Baca: “I rise today as a veteran who served in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Division in support of H.R. 2956, the Responsible…”

“I rise today as a veteran who served in the 101st and 82nd Airborne Division in support of H.R. 2956, the Responsible Redeployment From Iraq Act. This war is a failure, and it's time to bring back our troops. We can no longer stay the course. Mr. Speaker, the President's policy has been a complete failure. We have lost too many lives. There are too many wounded who will never have normal lives. We're proud of our troops and the service they have provided to our country. But our troops are now trapped in the middle of a civil war that we cannot end. This is something that the Iraqi people must do for themselves. Our military presence in Iraq is not making our country safer. Instead, the war has taken the lives of 3,610 soldiers. In my district alone, we have lost 13 brave men and women, and when I see their faces and their families that have to deal with these individuals that have lost their lives, we're proud of them, but they've lost their lives, and the families who continue to suffer.”