Louie Gohmert: “it was truly great to have the 56th Brigade home this past weekend from Iraq. Commanded by Colonel James ``Red'' Brown…”

“it was truly great to have the 56th Brigade home this past weekend from Iraq. Commanded by Colonel James ``Red'' Brown of Lindale, Texas, they did a great thing this past year. It was the largest deployment of troops from the Texas reserve unit since World War II. This was not just a difficult year in their own and their families' lives, it was a historical year for the ages. Many believe that the area Iraq occupies was where mankind had its beginning. There, in the cradle of mankind, Iraq, had an historic election of representatives to write a constitution. It drafted and approved its constitution, and now today, because of the efforts of so many military members, including the 56th, that area elected its first true representatives to lead a democratic form of government. There are those who have said it is a quagmire in Iraq and it is a mistake for us to be there. Some made these statements because of personal heartache. Some, on the other hand, were made from partisan political motivation, and some from disdain for our president and a desire to see his efforts fail, even though it risked world stability and national security. But our soldiers were there. They know they have done a great thing. They have seen the admiring faces of Iraqi children that were never present in Vietnam. They have heard gratitude from many there in Iraq, our soldiers have. We have not heard as much here.…”