Ben Cardin: “2\1/2\ hours ago, along with Senator Mikulski, I attended a mobilization ceremony for members of the Maryland National…”

“2\1/2\ hours ago, along with Senator Mikulski, I attended a mobilization ceremony for members of the Maryland National Guard who are being deployed to Iraq. All Marylanders are proud of the service of our members of the National Guard who have been called up and have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and are now being called up. It was an emotional morning as these soldiers said goodbye to their families. I can tell you, they are ready. They are ready to serve our country. They will serve with great distinction. I told our soldiers and their families I would do everything I could as a Senator to make sure they had all of the resources so they can carry out the mission that has been assigned to them as safely and as effectively as possible. That is one reason I will vote for this conference report. I told their families I would do everything I could to help support their needs and to support the needs of military families around this Nation and to support the needs of veterans around this Nation, to take care of their support services, including their health care needs. That is another reason I will be voting for this conference report. We need a change in our mission in Iraq so our soldiers can achieve a mission that is in the best interest of this country. That is another reason I am supporting this conference report. It spells out a mission that is in the best interest of this Nation and can be achieved. We need to change our role in Iraq.…”