Nick Lampson: “I rise today to salute Staff Sergeant Eugene Simon of Beaumont, Texas. It has come to my attention through a number of…”

“I rise today to salute Staff Sergeant Eugene Simon of Beaumont, Texas. It has come to my attention through a number of e-mails and other contacts from families in my district about the concerns that many of them are having about our fighting men and women in Iraq. But Staff Sergeant Eugene Simon of Beaumont wrote to me recently, and I want to bring to our colleagues' attention his e-mail that he sent me from his station there in Iraq. Staff Sergeant Simon and his fellow troops are having a hard time protecting themselves from hostile action, especially in the Humvees they are traveling around in in Iraq. He said that he and the other brave, committed and dedicated troops, and this is his quote, ``cut some metals to put a little something on each door'' of their Humvees. And that is because they do not have the proper armor on their transportation. I inspected an armored Humvee today on Capitol Hill, and it disgusts me that our troops have to weld scrap metal on to their Humvees. Troops need properly armored vehicles. They need to withstand small arms attacks and roadside bombs. Can we really afford to sell our troops short when it comes to providing them what they need to protect their lives?”