Dusty Johnson: “I approach the current Department of Defense appropriations bill and our current status in Iraq and the Middle East from…”

“I approach the current Department of Defense appropriations bill and our current status in Iraq and the Middle East from somewhat of a unique circumstance: as a Senator but also the father of a soldier who has served in Iraq. My oldest son Brooks, a staff sergeant with the 101st Airborne Infantry over the past roughly 5 years, has now served in four wars--in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and most recently Iraq. I appreciate profoundly how much our Nation owes to our military. These young men and women are professional. They are skilled. They are courageous. They are taking on a job few other Americans would want to do for any amount of compensation. We can take great pride in America that our military is the finest in the world. In that context, no one is more supportive of our military personnel and their families than I am. The deployment tempo has been enormous. Many families have seen the absence of their husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters for a great amount of time, and the tension and stress of the families has been great. We owe gratitude to the families of our military as well. I voted for a resolution authorizing force. I think the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein. But that resolution was based on two major pillars.…”