IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 706 

Honoring all members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel serving 

in harm’s way and pledging to debate policy decisions regarding the 

war in Iraq without attacking the integrity of any person, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 2, 2007 

Mr. HALL of New York (for himself, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. 

MCGOVERN, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, 

Mr. ENGEL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. 

MCDERMOTT, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. STARK, Mr. FARR, and Mrs. 

LOWEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring all members of the Armed Forces and civilian 

personnel serving in harm’s way and pledging to debate 

policy decisions regarding the war in Iraq without attacking the integrity of any person, and for other purposes. 

Whereas on September 26, 2007, right wing radio commentator Rush Limbaugh referred to former soldiers who return home and speak in opposition to the war in Iraq as 

‘‘phony soldiers’’; 

Whereas Major General John Batiste (Ret.), a 31-year Army 

veteran, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, and former Commanding General of 


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•HRES 706 IH 

the First Infantry Division in Iraq, is a strong critic of 

the management of the Iraq war and has stated that the 

President has ‘‘pursued a failed strategy that is breaking 

our great Army and that the President’s actions in Iraq 

have placed our nation in great peril’’; 

Whereas Major General Paul Eaton (Ret.), a 33-year Army 

veteran, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point, and former Commanding General of 

the command assigned with reestablishing the Iraqi Security Forces, stated that because of the war in Iraq that 

‘‘our military is overcommitted and America is less secure’’; 

Whereas seven members of the 82nd Airborne, Army specialist Buddhika Jayamaha, Sergeant Wesley D. Smith, 

Sergeant Jeremy Roebuck, Sergeant Omar Mora, Sergeant Edward Sandmeier, Staff Sergeant Yance T. Gray, 

and Staff Sergeant Jeremy A. Murphy, said in an opinion article in the New York Times that ‘‘reports that a 

majority of Iraqi Army commanders are now reliable 

partners can be considered only misleading rhetoric’’; 

Whereas these men further said ‘‘to believe that Americans, 

with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population 

and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched’’ and ‘‘we 

see that a vast majority of Iraqis feel increasingly insecure and view us as an occupation force that has failed 

to produce normalcy after four years and is increasingly 

unlikely to do so as we continue to arm each warring 

side’’; and 

Whereas on August 12, 2007, Staff Sergeant Murphy was seriously wounded in the line of duty and on September 10, 

2007, Staff Sergeant Yance Gray and Sergeant Omar 


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•HRES 706 IH 

Mora were killed in the line of duty in Iraq: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the service of General John Ba3 tiste, General Paul Eaton, Army specialist Buddhika 

4 Jayamaha, Sergeant Wesley D. Smith, Sergeant 

5 Jeremy Roebuck, Sergeant Edward Sandmeier, as 

6 well as all other members of the Armed Forces serv7 ing in good standing, in the defense of the United 

8 States and honors the personal sacrifices made by 

9 these men and their families, and other members of 

10 the Armed Forces and their families, to serve with 

11 distinction; 

12 (2) recognizes the service and mourns the loss 

13 of Sergeant Omar Mora, Staff Sergeant Yance T. 

14 Gray, and the 3,784 members of the Armed Forces 

15 who have died in Iraq as of September 27, 2007, 

16 and extends its sympathies to their families; 

17 (3) recognizes the service and sacrifice of Staff 

18 Sergeant Jeremy A. Murphy, and the more than 

19 24,000 members of the Armed Forces wounded in 

20 Iraq; 

21 (4) rejects conservative commentator Rush 

22 Limbaugh’s opinion that any of the individuals listed 

23 above are ‘‘phony soldiers’’; 


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•HRES 706 IH 

1 (5) condemns in the strongest possible terms 

2 the personal attacks made by Rush Limbaugh im3 pugning the integrity and professionalism of any 

4 members of the Nation’s Armed Forces; 

5 (6) honors all members of the Armed Forces 

6 and civilian personnel serving in harm’s way, as well 

7 as their families; and 

8 (7) pledges to debate policy decisions regarding 

9 the war in Iraq without attacking the integrity of 

10 any person, regardless of his or her position on the 

11 war. 

Æ 


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