On the recordDecember 6, 2010
I noted last week that President Obama took a surprise trip to Afghanistan and visited with our troops, and it was heartwarming to see the reception our Commander in Chief received in Afghanistan. I looked out at that large crowd of young men and women in uniform who have volunteered--volunteered--to serve our Nation and risk their lives and saw how happy they were that the President acknowledged they were there and what they were doing. I am glad he did it. I am sure it was no fun flying all night, but it is certainly no fun to be under enemy fire, as these young men and women are almost every day. Those of us here in the comfort and security of the Senate Chamber or in our homes in America should never forget the sacrifice of these individuals. I also read over the weekend we have now lost over 1,400 in Afghanistan. I pour through the names each day and, I guess understandably, look first for someone from Illinois. Recently, we have had several. I have attended two funerals in the last 2 or 3 weeks of a soldier and a marine who died in Afghanistan from my home State of Illinois. It is heartbreaking to meet the young wives carrying babies, the moms and dads, and share their grief as they stand by their fallen heroes and acknowledge that they have carried on a great tradition in America of being willing to volunteer to protect our freedoms. But they paid the ultimate price. The lives of those families will never ever be the same because of that loss.
