Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee - The Situation in Iraq and Progress by the Government of Iraq in Meeting Benchmarks and Achieving Reconciliation

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SEN. ROGER WICKER (R-MS): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

And thank you, gentlemen, for your testimony. It's been pointed out, by previous questioners, the dramatic difference that has occurred in Iraq since the surge began and since you last made your presentation to the Congress.

There is no question that the situation is better now. It's better than when the surge began and it's better than in September. It would take a major suspension of disbelief to conclude otherwise, to conclude that things are not much improved.

Your testimony has been very measured and honest. According to what we're told, progress is fragile but it is undeniable and in large part, I would say, to the efforts of you two gentlemen who have testified today.

The question now before this Congress and this country is, do we proceed on with this proven strategy of success? Or on the other hand, in the face of this demonstrated progress, do we leave with our goals still not yet attained and secured?

I think history would view this Congress as very foolish if we leave now and refuse to embrace the success that we've seen. I appreciate, General Petraeus, that you emphatically said that our efforts in Iraq are worth it. I think the American people need to be told that.

Senator Warner put the question in a different -- in a somewhat different nuance: Is our effort in Iraq helping to provide security for Americans where we live today? And I understood your answer to be yes, yes it is. I would simply point out that depriving al Qaeda of a major victory indeed does promote the security of Americans here at home. And protecting American credibility also protects American security here at home. It is very much in our national security interest to show that America stands behind its friends and that America stands behind its word.

So we're unanimous, also, in our appreciation and thanks for the troops. And I appreciate the chairman and the ranking member starting off in that vein. And I think that's been echoed by every member of the committee. I was told that the average age of a combat soldier in Iraq is about 20 years old. General, is that pretty much correct?

GEN. PETRAEUS: That sounds about right to me. Yes, Senator.

SEN. WICKER: You know, when I was given that fact, it struck me that -- what that means. And that means that basically most of these 20-year-olds made the decision to participate in this war around 2006. That was at a time when our prospects in Iraq were at their lowest. That was at a time when public opinion and public support for our involvement in this effort were at their lowest. And so it makes it all the more remarkable that these young people would step forward and volunteer during that time frame.

And it just makes me consider them actually in the tradition of Abraham Lincoln, who persevered with the war effort at a time when public opinion was against him, or in the tradition of George Washington, who never really had more support than one-third of the colonists during our effort for American independence. And it makes me really proud of the sense of history that these young Americans must have if they're willing at a time when public opinion is really against it to step forward and say, we believe in this effort.

So if you could -- and this will be, I think, the only question I'll have time to ask you in light of the time I've taken as a preface, could you give us a profile of these troops, General? What motivates them to enlist?

After they've been over there and they have an opportunity to get out, what motivates them to reenlist? And are they watching us today? Do some of them have an opportunity to listen to this telecast? And what do they want to hear from us? What do they want to hear from the elected representatives of the American people?

GEN. PETRAEUS: Well, Senator, first, I've mentioned on a number of occasions that I believe Tom Brokaw had it right when he was with us one day in the early part of Iraq, when after spending some time out seeing the myriad tasks that our troopers were performing, he said that this is surely the new greatest generation. And I think that subsequent deployments and deployments and deployments have underscored the validity of that assessment.

I think the members of this force enlist for the usual reasons that soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen have raised their right hand as civilians to become service members. They enlist to do something that's sort of bigger than self, certainly a sense of patriotism, a desire to better themselves, to seek opportunities that are possible to them serving in uniform.

In combat I think that they serve most of all for the trooper on their left and right and feel very privileged that that individual is a fellow American soldier, a coalition soldier, in some cases an Iraqi soldier. But as I mentioned earlier, this concept of the brotherhood of the close fight is a very, very special -- special feeling. It's a very unique fraternity, if you will. And it is something that all who have experienced I think are changed, in a way, for it.

And it is one of the reasons that they have raised their right hand again; as I mentioned, the 3rd Infantry Division, there right now on its third tour in Iraq, having already achieved its reenlistment goal for the entire fiscal year.

So for all of those reasons, I think, you find the explanations of why someone originally raises his or her hand -- right hand and why they do it again.

Knowing the sacrifice, knowing, again, the idea that you enlist, the soldier reenlists, the families do sacrifice very, very much. And it's not just our troopers who are watching, and they do have an opportunity to watch -- and they do, by the way, watch this, I guess, more than I thought they would, because, you know, in an e-mail world, you'd be amazed at the number of e-mails that you get. You probably would not. But I get e-mails from a number of members of the Multinational Force Iraq of all ranks. And there's feedback, oftentimes, from these kinds of sessions.

And you asked, what do they want? They just want the American people to appreciate what they're doing, to support their service, and to ensure that they and their families will be looked after in a -- in an adequate fashion.

As I mentioned in my opening statement, the support of the American public has been absolutely wonderful and we are all very grateful to all the American citizens, to Congress, to the executive branch and others for, in fact, repeatedly showing how much they do appreciate the great service of these young men and women of what, again, I think really is the new greatest generation.

Thank you.

SEN. WICKER: Please convey to them our heartfelt appreciation and also to their families.

GEN. PETRAEUS: I will, sir.

SEN. WICKER: Thank you, Chairman.

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