The Middle East: Part I
The Middle East: Part I
August 5, 2005
This is the first of four columns documenting Congressman Marchant?s recent trip to the Middle East.
Greetings residents of Texas District 24. I just returned from traveling in the Middle East with a delegation of Members of Congress. The purpose of the trip was to visit with troops, and tour Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The other members traveling with me included Rep. Geoff Davis (Kentucky), Rep. Mike Conaway (Texas), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (Georgia), Rep. Jim Cooper (Tennessee), and Rep. Madeleine Diaz-Bordallo (Guam). We were accompanied by two army escorts and two staff members from the House Armed Services Committee.
Although the trip got off to a rough start, it turned out to be an incredibly informative and eye-opening five days. We took off for the Middle East on a G-5 plane, but as it flew over Newfoundland, the plane was forced to turn around at 43,000 feet in the air and return to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. because of engine problems. We were all a little discouraged to be back where we started after six hours on a plane, but pressed on with our plans and departed the following day. This time the plane made it all the way to our first destination: Kuwait City.
The next three and a half days were packed with meetings and visits to the troops, tours of military bases, briefings by generals from the coalition forces, and travel to and from Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It was a rigorous journey, but well worth it. I was grateful for the opportunity to see the situation in the Middle East with my own eyes, instead of on TV or in the papers. I came away with several observations from the brief, but rewarding, time I was there.
First of all, morale of the troops is high. They are confident about the progress they have made in the mission to establish democracy and spread freedom in the Middle East. Not one serviceman or woman I interacted with displayed doubts about the reason and importance of his or her presence there. The troops seem positive; and very appreciative of the support they have received from folks like you back in the United States.
It is evident to me that U.S. forces cannot pull out now. We must get Iraq through the writing of the Constitution and their upcoming elections. Also, U.S. forces are training thousands of Iraqi troops every month. This must continue until the Iraqis can sufficiently defend themselves the democracy they are building. In Afghanistan the situation is a bit more complex. Multinational forces in the region are protecting the existing government, dealing with the extensive drug-trafficking problem, and searching for Al-Quada cells in the rough terrain.
The upcoming columns are excerpts from the diary I kept throughout my trip. I hope to provide you with some insight about what we saw, experienced and felt while traveling through the Middle East and meeting with U.S. troops.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/tx24_marchant/august5.html