Washington, DC – "As we mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war against terror in Iraq, we recognize the great sacrifice of our men and women in uniform as well as their tremendous achievements in recent months. As father of a U.S. Marine who has served in Iraq, I understand on a fundamental level the sacrifices that our service men and women have made.

 "Throughout history our nation has called her sons and daughters to sacrifice for freedom. That type of sacrifice has always been costly and sometimes unpopular. Yet history records the tenacious courage of visionary leaders who have understood the incalculable value of freedom. While many Americans were ready to announce defeat and were planning retreat, more dedicated souls have won a spectacular turnaround in Iraq.

 "As a nation we are heavily invested in Iraq, in both lives and treasure, but we should never forget that it is an investment in representative government and freedom. We also cannot afford the trivialization of that sacrifice by recklessly abandoning our hard fought successes for short term political gain.

 "As stability and security grow in Iraq we need to fully support not detract from the success of our military."