Capito: Servicemen and Women Personify Courage and Dedication
Capito: Servicemen and Women Personify Courage and Dedication
1/31/2005
CHARLESTON, WV (1/31) Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) issued the following statement today regarding the successful Iraqi elections and the progress the U.S. Military is making training Iraqi forces.
"On Sunday, millions of Iraqis went to the polls in Iraq. At over five thousand polling sites across the country, preliminary turnout estimates range from 60 to 70 percent, a percentage that not only surpassed expectations, but one that established democracies would relish. At great personal risk, men and women enthusiastically cast their votes at ballot boxes signaling their personal commitment to the future of their country.
"It is crucial to remember that this election is but one of the first steps toward establishing a democratically-elected form of government in Iraq. The results of this election are expected to be announced within ten days. In the next few months, the victorious candidates will form an interim government and national assembly to draft a new constitution, with another election scheduled for later this year.
"Iraq's road to democracy is rocky. But we can be encouraged that the Iraqis were not intimidated by terrorist thugs and will increasingly be responsible for the security of their country. There are over 130,000 members of the Iraqi Security Force on the job and U.S. Troops are training more every day. Our commitment to this democratic process is strong and will not waver.
"Our troops in Iraq can be proud of the tremendous efforts they took to ensure the success of this election, with some paying the ultimate sacrifice. Our men and women in uniform were instrumental in securing polling sites and providing the security that allowed so many Iraqis the opportunity to vote for the first time ever in a free election. Our gratitude goes toward our servicemen and women who personify courage and dedication."
http://capito.house.gov/press_office/detail-page.aspx?id=48&whichone=pr