Charles Skelton

Mr. Speaker, it really depends on where you put the spotlight. The spotlight has, unfortunately, been on some goals or a goal to redeploy troops, when truth in fact the spotlight of this legislation should have been and should be on the…

I am blessed to be a Member of the House of Representatives. Under the Constitution of our country, this is a co-equal branch of government. We are charged here in Congress to raise and maintain the military of the United States. The…

the amendment before us is an excellent one. Those of us who live in the rural part of this country, as well pointed out by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran), will certainly appreciate this. If you look at the statistics, a…

I wish to mention Mr. Buyer and I have had this discussion about there is more work to do. We will do it. We will do our very best I know in the Armed Services Committee as well as in the Veterans' Affairs Committee; and I appreciate your…

Let me support this amendment of my friend and colleague, Mr. Welch. The gentleman from Vermont has done a service in bringing this thoughtful amendment forward. In doing so, it specifies the training and reporting requirements for medical…

I have examined this amendment. I think it is an excellent one, and I compliment you. It is certainly acceptable on our side.

I support it. I think it is an excellent amendment and I wish to move forward and vote for it.

The sad situation of Walter Reed hospital regarding the outpatients has alarmed all of us, whether we be in Congress or not, and this bill has some excellent provisions. It is truly a bipartisan effort. I thank Mr. Hunter and Dr. Snyder…

first let me compliment my friend from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the chairman of the Appropriations Committee; and the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), for the excellent work that they have done. And we…

I first wish to thank the gentleman from California and all the members of the Armed Services Committee that worked on this legislation that recommended its passage by a 53-0 vote, and I was very pleased and proud of that. Of course, it…

My opinion is those in uniform and their families. All one has to do is to go to Walter Reed and the Bethesda hospitals, go to visitation or a funeral, and those are the ones, and the saying good-bye to the National Guard and Reserve…

I oppose the President's plan because it will embroil our troops even more deeply in a sectarian conflict. Some call this conflict a civil war, some call this more complicated than a civil war, and, either way, it is a conflict we cannot…

I had in my office yesterday a constituent, a young man that played football for my brother at home. I introduced him to the chairman. He has spent the last 3 years at Walter Reed. He says he is like one of those dinosaurs that has a big…

Mr. Speaker, I speak today with a heavy heart. I am deeply saddened as I take the floor this afternoon; saddened because we find ourselves embroiled in a conflict in Iraq, a conflict that is involved with insurgents that we failed to…

I find it rather interesting, Mr. Speaker, that those who oppose this simple, straightforward resolution tend to confuse a permissive war with a necessary war. The goals of the insurgents in Iraq are far different from the terrorists that…

Mr. Speaker, during the Presidential debates of 2004, there was one point of consensus between the two candidates that is important for us in our debate today. In answer to the question of what is the single most threat to the national…

I wish to make special mention of Congressman Lane Evans who has been a leader in veterans affairs, the ranking member of that committee, and we will miss him sorely. He has made a great contribution for a good number of years, and I wish…

I fully support Senate bill 3759. It establishes an Armed Forces Readiness Center in Great Falls, Montana, as a memorial to Captain William Wylie Galt. And reading his resume, reading his citation, receiving the Medal of Honor, it is one…

I really want to say a special personal thanks to you for the tremendous work you have done on our committee and in working with me in particular for helping Whiteman Air Force Base, Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, be what it is. I would be…

in closing, let me say that being tough on terrorists not only centers about a conviction, a judgment rendered on what they did, whether it be the death penalty, life imprisonment or a term of years but also centers upon the fact that…

The history of tribunals goes back to during and after the Second World War: The German saboteurs who were captured at Ponte Verde, Florida, and Long Island were tried before a tribunal; the Japanese leaders who carried out such inhumane…

it is our obligation in this body to fix the deficiencies in this system in order to bring terrorists to justice. My motion to recommit with instructions would add two important elements to the bill that address this basic concern. First…

Dear Representative: We are writing to strongly encourage you to reject the ``compromise'' Military Commissions Act of 2006 and to vote no on final passage of the bill. More than anything else, the bill compromises America's commitment to…

in 1926, Sir Gerald Ellison published the book, ``Perils of Amateur Strategy,'' the subject of which was a disastrous British campaign at Gallipoli in 1915. Here we are, in 2006, and we find that the Bush administration is busy writing its…

If you want to be tough on terrorists, pass a statute that will meet the scrutiny of the Supreme Court of our country. If you want to be tough on terrorists, let's not pass something that rushes to judgment and has legal loopholes that…