Congressmen Visit Iraq, Find More Ways to Show Support for Troops

Three Arkansas Congressmen say the morale of American troops is good. The three just returned from a trip to Iraq. This week, U.S. Representatives Vic Snyder, Mike Ross, and Marion Berry met face to face with Arkansas soliders in Iraq. The also toured parts of Baghdad and met with some Iraqi representatives. The trio say they came back with a better understanding of the mission in Iraq and how Arkansas soldiers are living as they carry it out. "These guys have a really hard job to do," said Rep. Snyder, D-AR, 2nd district. "The most important thing we did was to express, by our presence and the conversations we had, the unwaivering support American people and Arkansans have for our troops and what they`re doing," explained Rep. Berry, D-AR, 1st district. The trip raised questions the representatives plan to ask fellow congressmembers--like whether or not more development funds are needed in Iraq. "The military leadership, they were almost begging please get us more development funds," Snyder said. He says those funds not only improve quality of life for the Iraqi people, but keep U.S. soldiers safer. "If you make improvements in sewer, water, electricity and trash in a neighborhood it decreases the risk of violence and threats to the troops," he said. They say many of the Iraqi resistance forces targetting U.S. troops, once did it for religious reasons. Now they do it for the money. About half of the Iraqi population is unemployed. The U.S. Congress has approved $18.4 billion for economic reconstruction. "But I think it`s important that reconstruction money go to hire Iraqis to help rebuild their own nation," said Rep. Mike Ross, D-AR, 4th district. Ross and Berry also say they`re hoping to convice Iraqi trade representatives to purchase more rice from Arkansas. Before the first Gulf War, Iraq was Arkansas` biggest rice buyer. The country buys none from the U.S. now. Arkansas` Republican Congressman, John Boozman was unable to make the trip because of scheduling conflicts.