Congressman Johnson Returns from Middle East Tour

Press Release

CONGRESSMAN JOHNSON RETURNS FROM MIDDLE EAST TOUR

Congressman Hank Johnson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, returned stateside on yesterday following a week-long trip to the Middle East. The Congressional delegation, led by Armed Services Sub-Committee Chairman Rep. Gene Taylor, toured Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, and Afghanistan. Save for Rep. Taylor, nearly all Members were freshmen.

"Following the trip I have an even deeper appreciation for our citizenship and the awesome responsibility facing our troops and the families they leave behind," said Rep. Johnson. "My position regarding Iraq is perhaps firmer and I am absolutely certain that we must set limits on funding and establish deadlines to extract our service personnel as soon as possible."

Rep. Johnson visited several Georgians during the tour. "Morale is high, readiness is strong, and they are prepared to meet the challenge wherever they are deployed," he said. Traveling to Baghdad the Congressman said he boarded a C-130 transport plane that had been made at Georgia's own Lockheed plant.

"It is clear that the situation in Iraq is a civil war that we cannot win and the Iraqi people must resolve," he added. "The situation in Afghanistan, however, began as a worthwhile endeavor wherein we can prevail. We need to complete the mission."

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