Joe Cunningham: “summon up my courage? I do not think I have to question anybody to summon up my courage. I am a combat veteran, I was…”

“summon up my courage? I do not think I have to question anybody to summon up my courage. I am a combat veteran, I was shot down in Vietnam, I was shot, and you do not tell the enemy what you are going to do, because you put those people at risk. Mr. Chairman, it is interesting that as a combat veteran, I spoke to literally thousands of other combat veterans, and it is amazing the differences of their opinions versus liberal politicians. Our kids over there are proud of what they do. Yes, I want them back. I wanted to get out of Vietnam just like anybody else, but I did not want to leave before the job was done. I do not want the over 1,700 men and women that have died in Iraq to die for nothing. And if we go ahead and tell the enemy what we are going to do, we put those kids at risk. I just think it is wrong. From my experience in the military of 20 years, it is wrong, what the gentlewoman is trying to do. She has good intentions. But I will tell my colleagues that if we let folks know what we are going to do, I say to the gentlewoman, it is going to put those men and women at risk, and I think it is wrong. I urge opposition to this amendment.”