Walter B. Jones: “let me tell the gentleman as chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Procurement, I say that respectfully for those who…”

“let me tell the gentleman as chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Procurement, I say that respectfully for those who might be watching, the gentleman from Texas does such an outstanding job. I have three bases in my district. I have Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, I have Camp Lejeune Marine Base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and I have Cherry Point Marine Air Station in Havelock, North Carolina. During the Christmas break, I had the occasion to meet with two pilots from Cherry Point off base, out of uniform. I was distressd with what they told me. These are young men in their early thirties, mid thirties and wanting to make a career out of the Marine Corps. Again, they are telling me how they are being restricted as it relates to their flying time, to their combat practices. When you are making all these comments, I want the people that might be watching tonight, the American people, to know that we are talking about readiness. We are telling our pilots, as you were saying, we do not have enough money for you to get up there and do what you need to do to be at a razor sharp edge so that you can defend this Nation.”