Ensuring Military Readiness- Supporting the Troops

There is a lot of frustration with the 110th Congress, as there should be. This country sent a resounding, very loud message to Washington in November of 2006. We wanted a change and in particular,we want to bring our troops home from the misguided, illegal occupation in Iraq. There was much rhetoric, "We hear you", they told us, but amidst all the acrimony and political posturing, not much has been accomplished.

Last week a bill introduced by Ellen Tauscher (CA-D) was passed in the House by roll call vote. H.R. 3159: Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act of 2007. The totals were 229 Ayes, 194 Nays, 9 Present/Not Voting. No surprise that the votes went pretty much by party lines, but fortunately there were enough Republicans who do support the troops (if not the war) who voted for this bill. 98% of Democrats supporting, 97% of Republicans opposing.

HR 3159 says: To mandate minimum periods of rest and recuperation for units and members of the regular and reserve components of the Armed Forces between deployments for Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. (to read the summary from the Congressional Research Service, go here) Basically it says, if you are deployed for 15 months, you would receive 15 months at home and the Reserve, our citizen soldiers, would have at least three times the amount home as that time deployed.

It's really quite simple. The body and mind need to heal after being subjected to war, 24/7/365. We MUST support the troops by giving them time to heal and time to be with their families. We know that troops are serving multiple deployments with little in the way of mental or physical care with their time at home much too short. HR 3159 would go a long way towards providing some time to heal. We owe the soldiers and their families that much.

When Skeleton introduced the bill he said, in part:

Our troops and their families are tired. They are being stressed by the continued and extended deployments. It's time that Congress takes a stand on behalf of our families and states in a clear, unequivocal voice that it is time that servicemembers have a minimum dwell time between deployments.
Servicemembers and their families are entitled to a predictable and stable time between deployments. Congress needs to step up on behalf of the troops, as well as their families, and say enough is enough.
We need to hold the Department accountable to their own policies and protect the readiness of our forces. That's no small thing. We have a moral responsibility to our troops to ensure that their quality of life is reflective of the sacrifices that we ask them to make.

I urge my colleagues to stand with us in support of our troops and in support of our families.

In response, Duncan Hunter (CA-R) the prowar, anti troop representative from southern California said this:

I think that this bill does not accrue to the benefit of the troops. I think it hurts the troops. I think that is a question every Member of the House has to ask themselves: Is this going to be good for the troops, or is it going to be bad for the troops?

I think it will be bad for the troops, for this reason: We are fighting a war in Iraq which requires innovation, flexibility and experience. This bill, which will put a straitjacket on our ability to deploy troops on the basis that their clock has not yet expired back in the United States before they go over, is going to have an incredibly detrimental affect on our ability to project a well-rounded, effective fighting team in the warfighting theater in Iraq.

Americans have no clue what the personal and medical costs of this war will be. The costs won't stop accumulating when the last soldier leaves, or when the helicopters come to evacuate people from the embassy. The medical costs to care for our military for PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), TBI (traumatic brain injury)- the signature, and frequently undiagnosed injury from this war, is unimaginable. I doubt that these costs have been included in the presumed $1 trillion cost that is being thrown around. We owe these soldiers and their families for the rest of their lives. We owe them a debt that however grateful and sincere we are, we will never, ever be able to repay. HR 3159 is a start towards minimizing and understanding the risks and cost of this war.

Thank you to Ellen Tauscher and the 22 co-sponsors of the bill, one of whom is my Congresswoman, Anna Eshoo for your courage in standing up and showing your support for the troops. Thank you to the 229 representatives who voted yes and who support the troops.

If your name is on this list who voted no, do NOT ever say you support the troops or their families. These legislators do not support the troops; they are supporting this war and this president's failed policies. I don't know how any of these people can look into the eyes of any soldier or their family and say that they are doing everything they can to support them. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!

AL-4 Aderholt, Robert [R]
MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
LA-5 Alexander, Rodney [R]
MN-6 Bachmann, Michele [R]
AL-6 Bachus, Spencer [R]
WA-3 Baird, Brian [D]
LA-6 Baker, Richard [R]
SC-3 Barrett, James [R]
MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe [R]
TX-6 Barton, Joe [R]
IL-13 Biggert, Judy [R]
CA-50 Bilbray, Brian [R]
FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus [R]
UT-1 Bishop, Rob [R]
TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha [R]
MO-7 Blunt, Roy [R]
OH-8 Boehner, John [R]
AL-1 Bonner, o [R]
CA-45 Bono, Mary [R]
AR-3 Boozman, John [R]
LA-7 Boustany, Charles [R]
TX-8 Brady, Kevin [R]
GA-10 Broun, Paul [R]
SC-1 Brown, Henry [R]
FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia [R]
FL-13 Buchanan, Vern [R]
TX-26 Burgess, Michael [R]
IN-5 Burton Dan [R]
IN-4 Buyer, Stephen [R]
CA-44 Calvert, Ken [R]
MI-4 Camp, David [R]
CA-48 Campbell, John [R]
UT-3 Cannon, Christopher [R]
VA-7 Cantor, Eric [R]
WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]
PA-10 Carney, Christopher [D]
TX-31 Carter, John [R]
OH-1 Chabot, Steven [R]
NC-6 Coble, Howard [R]
OK-4 Cole, Tom [R]
TX-11 Conaway, K. [R]
WY-0 Cubin, Barbara [R]
TX-7 Culberson, John [R]
TN-1 avis, David [R]
VA-11 Davis, Thomas [R]
GA-9 Deal, Nathan [R]
PA-15 Dent, Charles [R]
FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln [R]
FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario [R]
CA-4 Doolittle, John [R]
VA-2 Drake, Thelma [R]
CA-26 Dreier, David [R]
TN-2 Duncan, John [R]
MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon [R]
MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
AL-2 Everett, Terry [R]
OK-5 Fallin, M ry [R]
FL-24 Feeney, Tom [R]
NJ-7 Ferguson, Michael [R]
AZ-6 Flake, Jeff [R]
VA-4 Forbes, James [R]
NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey [R]
NY-13 Fossella, Vito [R]
NC-5 Foxx, Virginia [R]
AZ-2 Franks, Trent [R]
NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney [R]
CA-24 Gallegly, Elton [R]
NJ-5 Garrett, E. [R]
PA-6 Gerlach, Jim [R]
OH-5 Gillmor, Paul [R]
GA-11 Gingrey, John [R]
TX-1 Gohmert, Louis [R]
VA-5 Goode, Virgil [R]
VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert [R]
TX-12 Granger, Kay [R]
MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
TX-4 Hall, Ralph [R]
IL-14 Hastert, J. [R]
WA-4 Hastings, Doc [R]
NC-8 Hayes, Robin [R]
NV-2 Heller, Dean [R]
TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb [R]
CA-2 Herger, Walter [R]
OH-7 Hobson, David [R]
MI-2 Hoekstra, Peter [R]
MO-9 Hulshof, Kenny [R]
CA-52 Hunter, Duncan [R]
SC-4 Inglis, Bob [R]
CA-49 Issa, Darrell [R]
LA-1 Jindal, Bobby [R]
IL-15 Johnson, Timothy [R]
OH-4 Jordan, Jim [R]
FL-8 Keller, Ric [R]
NY-3 King, Peter [R]
IA-5 King, Steve [R]
GA-1 Kingston, Jack [R]
IL-10 Kirk, Mark [R]
MN-2 Kline, John [R]
MI-9 Knollenberg, Joseph [R]
NY-29 Kuhl, John [R]
IL-18 LaHood, Ray [R]
CO-5 Lamborn, Doug [R]
IA-4 Latham, Thomas [R]
OH-14 LaTourette, Steven [R]
CA-41 Lewis, Jerry [R]
KY-2 Lewis, Ron [R]
GA-7 Linder, John [R]
NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank [R]
OK-3 Lucas, Frank [R]
CA-3 Lungren, Daniel [R]
FL-14 Mack, Connie [R]
IL-16 Manzullo, Donald [R]
TX-24 Marchant, Kenny [R]
GA-8 Marshall, James [D]
CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin [R]
TX-10 cCaul, Michael [R]
MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus [R]
LA-4 McCrery, James [R]
NC-10 Mchenry, Patrick [R]
NY-23 McHugh, John [R]
CA-25 McKeon, Howard [R]
WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [R]
LA-3 Melancon, Charles [D]
FL-7 Mica, John [R]
MI-10 Miller, Candice [R]
CA-42 Miller, Gary [R]
FL-1 Miller, Jeff [R]
KS-1 Moran, Jerry [R]
CO-4 Musgrave, Marilyn [R]
NC-9 Myrick, Sue [R]
TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy [R]
CA-21 Nunes, Devin [R]
NM-2 Pearce, Steven [R]
IN-6 Pence, Mike [R]
PA-5 Peterson, John [R]
WI-6 Petri, Thomas [R]
MS-3 Pickering, Charles [R]
PA-16 Pitts, Joseph [R]
PA-19 Platts, Todd [R]
TX-2 Poe, Ted [R]
NV-3 orter, Jon [R]
GA-6 Price, Tom [R]
OH-15 Pryce, Deborah [R]
FL-12 Putnam, Adam [R]
CA-19 Radanovich, George [R]
MN-3 Ramstad, James [R]
OH-16 Regula, Ralph [R]
MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis [R]
WA-8 Reichert, Dave [R]
AZ-1 Renzi, Rick [R]
NY-26 Reynolds, Thomas [R]
KY-5 Rogers, Harold [R]
AL-3 Rogers, Michael [R]
MI-8 Rogers, Michael [R]
CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana [R]
IL-6 Roskam, Peter [R]
FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [R]
CA-40 Royce, Edward [R]
WI-1 Ryan, Paul [R]
ID-1 Sali, Bill [R]
NJ-3 Saxton, H. [R]
OH-2 Schmidt, Jean [R]
WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F. [R]
TX-32 Sessions, Peter [R]
AZ-3 Shadegg, John [R]
IL-19 Shimkus, John [R]
PA-9 Shuster, William [R]
ID-2 Simpson, Michael [R]
NE-3 Smith, Adrian [R]
NJ-4 Smith, Christopher [R]
TX-21 Smith, Lamar [R]
IN-3 Souder, Mark [R]
FL-6 Stearns, Clifford [R]
OK-1 Sullivan, John [R]
CO-6 Tancredo, Thomas [R]
NE-2 erry, Lee [R]
TX-13 Thornberry, William [R]
KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd [R]
OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick [R]
OH-3 Turner, Michael [R]
MI-6 Upton, Frederick [R]
MI-7 Walberg, Timothy [R]
OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
TN-3 Wamp, Zach [R]
FL-15 Weldon, David [R]
IL-11 Weller, Gerald [R]
GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn [R]
KY-1 Whitfield, Edward [R]
MS-1 Wicker, Roger [R]
SC-2 Wilson, Addison [R]
NM-1 Wilson, Heather [R]
VA-10 Wolf, Frank [R]
FL-10 Young, C. W. [R]
AK-0 Young, Donald [R]