Joe Wilson: “Our thoughts and prayers today are with other sailors, airmen, and soldiers in the Persian Gulf and their families. Our…”

“Our thoughts and prayers today are with other sailors, airmen, and soldiers in the Persian Gulf and their families. Our support of them is unconditional. We wish them success in their missions and pray that every one of them will return home safely to their families, friends and loved ones. We cannot allow Saddam Hussein to have nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons or the means to deliver them. He has shown himself willing to use them, including against his own people. I would also like to say a word about the family who await anxiously at home today wondering if their loved ones will survive, wishing that they were home out of harm's way preparing for the holidays. Operations like this are often hardest on the families, and as a nation we must rally around them. We have an obligation to keep them informed as much as we can and supported by their nation and by their neighbors. As a veteran myself and the only woman veteran to ever serve in the United States Congress, I also want to remind everyone that our obligation does not end when the guns fall silent.”