Honoring Our Service Men and Women

HONORING OUR SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN

Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise to express my strong hope that we can get agreement today to move ahead with H.R. 3104 and pass that legislation before we adjourn this week. This is legislation which has passed the House unanimously and has come over to the Senate. In my opinion, this should now pass the Senate and go to the President for signature. This is legislation that would honor those service men and women in Iraq and in Afghanistan who have served their country there or continue to serve there.

Obviously, over the last couple of weeks the reputation of our military has been stained by the horrific events at Abu Ghraib prison and every level of our military has been affected by the actions of the few who have been identified. I think all of us are looking to see the extent of the problem. All of us are anxious to ensure the problem does not continue in the future.

At this point, it is important to recognize and honor the thousands of fighting men and women who serve this Nation every day with commitment, courage, integrity, and professionalism both in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

That is the purpose of the legislation I am urging us to bring up and to pass today. We have a Senate version of this same bill that has been introduced. It has 24 cosponsors. I have introduced this legislation with Senators Lugar and Lott, Landrieu, Inhofe, Gregg, Johnson, Rockefeller, Pryor, Reid, Daschle, Lincoln, Boxer, Durbin, Biden, Akaka, Edwards, Kerry, Clinton, Bayh, Feingold, Nelson, Conrad, Kennedy, Stabenow, and Dole. So this is a broadly supported piece of legislation on both sides of the political aisle.

I particularly want to thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Warner, for his support of this important measure.

This has been a dangerous and a brutal period for our troops in Iraq in particular, but also in Afghanistan. There have been nearly 3,000 Americans injured in these 2 conflicts in recent months. More than a year after the initial Iraq invasion, the administration has announced plans to maintain a force of at least 135,000 troops in Iraq through next year, through 2005.

We will have many debates as we proceed with the Defense authorization bill next week and then later with the Defense appropriations bill, on the right level of funding, on how quickly to proceed with funding. President Bush has recently asked for another $25 billion to be included in the defense budget for the operations in Iraq and I know there will be discussion about whether that is the appropriate amount. But clearly the liberation of Iraq is turning out to be the most significant military occupation and reconstruction effort this country has engaged in since World War II. We must not underestimate the importance of the work that is involved here. I think it is important that we recognize those whose lives are on the line to accomplish this very difficult task.

Let me talk a minute about what is at stake in this legislation. The Defense Department has decided in their view what is appropriate is to award to the brave men and women who are serving in those two conflicts the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and no other medal. This is despite the fact the Global War on Terrorism Medal is meant for any individual who served overseas during this war on terror and may have come within a few hundred miles of a combat zone. The dangers of serving in Iraq and in Afghanistan are far greater. Therefore, along with my colleagues, I propose to correct what I considered a mistake by authorizing that we issue the Iraq and Afghanistan Liberation Medals in addition to the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

When the President was defending Secretary Rumsfeld earlier this week, he noted Secretary Rumsfeld was involved in leading the military in "two wars." If the President is willing to acknowledge the fact we are engaged in two wars, then his decision about how to award medals should be consistent with that. The policy we are currently following, that the Pentagon is currently following, is not consistent with that.

While some of us in this body have not shared the administration's view on the wisdom of going to war in Iraq, we are united when it comes to supporting our troops. These young men and women from Active Duty, from National Guard, and from Reserves are all volunteers. They exemplify the very essence of what it means to be a patriot. We believe what they are doing in Iraq and what they are doing in Afghanistan today differs from military expeditionary activity such as peacekeeping operations or enforcement of no-fly zones.

They continue to serve even though they do not know when they will return home to their family, to their friends. They continue to serve despite the constant threat which they face to their own lives and the tremendous hardship many of them face.

There is a difference between an expeditionary medal and a campaign medal and it is a well-recognized difference that goes back throughout our military history. We only need to look at an excerpt from U.S. Army Qualifications for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Kosovo Campaign Medal. In order to receive the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, you did not need to go to war; you only needed to be "placed in such a position that in the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hostile action by foreign Armed Forces was imminent even though it does not materialize."

However, to earn the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the standard was higher. A military member was required to:

Be engaged in actual combat or duty that is equally hazardous as combat duty, during the Operation with armed opposition, regardless of time in the Area of Engagement. Or while participating in the Operation regardless of time [the service member] is wounded or injured or requires medical evacuation from the Area of Engagement.

Many within the military agree there is a difference. According to the Army Times, and let me quote their statement, they say:

Campaign medals help to establish immediate rapport with individuals checking into a unit.

An expeditionary medal like the Global War on Terrorism Medal does not necessarily denote the individual with that medal has ever been involved in combat. A campaign medal is designed to recognize military personnel who have risked their lives in combat.

Campaign medals matter. Let me give another quotation here.

When a marine shows up at a new duty station, commanders look first at his decorations and physical fitness score, the first to see where he has been, the second to see if he can hang [tough]. They know what you have done and how serious you are. . . . If you are a good marine, people are going to award you when it comes time. . . .

That is the statement of a sergeant, as quoted in the Army Times.

In my view it is time we agreed with the rank and file in the military, recognize the sacrifice of our young men and women who are fighting to assist in Iraq, including great Americans such as Army SP Joseph Hudson from my home State, from Alamogordo, NM, who was held as a prisoner of war. The Nation was captivated as we watched Specialist Hudson several months ago being interrogated by the enemy. Asked to divulge his military occupation, Specialist Hudson stared defiantly into the camera and said, "I follow orders."

Those of us whose sons and daughters were united in worrying about Specialist Hudson's family-and the entire Nation rejoiced when he was liberated-that same circumstance has played out with regard to many other men and women who have served and are continuing to serve our Nation in those conflicts.

We have also asked a great deal from the Reserve and National Guard forces in our States. The reconstruction of Iraq would not be possible without the commitment and sacrifice of the 170,000 guard and reservists currently on active duty.

In my view it is absolutely essential we go ahead and act on this legislation. I know there may be some who say this legislation has been incorporated, or the same provisions have been incorporated in the Defense authorization bill which will be considered on the Senate floor next week, and therefore we need not take action today. The problem with dealing with it on the Defense authorization bill as part of the Defense authorization bill is all of us who have been around the Senate know that bill will not get to the President's desk for signature until late this summer or maybe fall. What I am urging is we take the bill the House has passed unanimously, without a dissenting vote, we pass that same legislation, and send it to the President for signature, so these two campaign medals, one for Iraq and one for Afghanistan, can begin to be awarded to these brave men and women.

I hope we can get the needed clearance on the Republican side. All Democratic Senators have agreed to this course of action so we can bring up this legislation and pass it.

I am informed there is objection at this point; at least clearance has not been achieved. I hope that can be remedied and we can act on this bill before we leave town this week.

I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.