On the recordJuly 15, 2010
As you can see, there are untold stories of valor on the front lines of war around the world. We can be very proud as Americans of the resilience of our men and women in the United States military and those valiant animals who stand by them and the support that families have given to them. I stand here as a proud American not out of arrogance, but simply out of recognition that we are the front-liners for peace and democracy. I had the privilege of spending the last week in Afghanistan, not closed in in a small room, but traveling throughout the country, visiting with our commander on the ground, visiting with the international allied forces, being briefed and seeing in action the Afghan National Security Forces, meeting the leadership of the Afghan Government in Kabul, going down to Kandahar and being out on a command post and a check site that was engaged with Afghans on the highway. I got a sense of a country--of which I chair the Afghan Caucus in this Congress. And I want what is best for people who are striving for democracy and freedom. I want to say to my colleagues that I stand here asking us to do what we did not do in Vietnam, which was to recognize the valiant and outstanding service of our men and women, and to understand victory had been achieved. Today we have two Vietnams side by side, North and South, exchanging and working. We may not agree with all that North Vietnam is doing, but they are living in peace.
