Washington– Congress also responds President Donald Trump Attack on Iranlawmakers who served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan are making their voices heard in a debate about the war that has taken on intensely personal meaning.
Many admit to having mixed feelings, and are satisfied when they see revenge taking place Leadership of the Iranian regime Which has targeted American service members for decades, with the fear that another generation of soldiers may soon face the same combat experiences they did.
“Am I feeling good? You know there’s the Navy side of me: Yes, of course,” said Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, whose company suffered some of the heaviest losses on the U.S. side during the Iraq war. “I know they killed a lot of American soldiers and Marines. But do I also understand that I bear the responsibility of not letting my desire for revenge push my country into another war?”
Experiences in the post-9/11 wars also influence the Trump administration’s decisions, given that senior officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were once deployed to Iraq.
Gallego, like others on Capitol Hill, relied heavily on his first-hand experience fighting in the wars that followed September 11, 2001 attacks He also evaluated the Iranian conflict. The legislators wore bracelets engraved with the names of friends killed in battle, told stories of being attacked by Iranian-backed armed groups, and spoke of their life-changing injuries during the fighting.
While the initial votes on Iran witnessed Congress They divided mostly along party linesWith Republicans backing Trump’s actions and Democrats warning of a prolonged conflict, veterans in both parties share deep reservations about entering the conflict.
“As someone who knows a lot of friends who didn’t come home and a lot of Gold Star families, that’s why I was actually one of the people who talked about caution and why we need to avoid getting into another long war in the Middle East at all costs,” said Republican Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona, a former Navy SEAL who left college to enlist in the week after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Crane said his fears were partially allayed Briefings from the Trump administration This made it clear to him that the president was not planning a long-term war. I voted against War Powers Resolution This would have stopped attacks on Iran unless Trump obtained congressional approval.
But Crane said wars are never straightforward. “I have been involved in military operations that did not go as planned many times, so I understand their nature,” he said, adding that he called on the Trump administration to approach the conflict “with humility and caution.”
Gallego and other Democrats have expressed concern that it is too late for this approach. They praised the six American soldiers killed in a drone strike in Kuwait and expressed concern that more American casualties could soon occur.
“War is dirty, and mistakes happen,” Gallego said. He added that the longer the conflict lasts, the greater the chance that US military personnel will be killed. He said he saw it in Iraq when friends were killed by seemingly random bullets from enemy fighters.
However, many Republicans argue that it was necessary to attack Iran to stop a regime that for decades has helped train and arm militant groups throughout the Middle East. Republican Representative Brian Mast, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, led the debate on the House floor against the war powers resolution.
Mast, who served as a bomb disposal expert in the Army, now uses prosthetic legs after suffering catastrophic injuries from an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. “Me in particular, and many of my other colleagues, no one wants to see our army fighting or going to war,” he said.
Then he added: “But Iran’s terrorism, which has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans, must stop.”
Important questions loom For Congress as the conflict with Iran develops and spreads to other parts of the Middle East. The price tag for the operation is already likely to run into the billions of dollars, likely forcing the Trump administration to soon seek billions in funding from Congress. The outbreak of war also disrupted global alliances and the future of US foreign policy.
Overshadowing all of this is the possibility of another protracted conflict. Lawmakers said they owe it to their fallen comrades to ensure that doesn’t happen.
“For me, this is speaking out,” said Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan, moving his hand toward a bracelet engraved with the names of friends killed during two Army combat tours in Iraq. “It means that another generation should not have to fight in an open, ill-considered war for regime change in the Middle East.”
Others recalled how frustrated they had been with Washington during their service, especially as soldiers tried to fight with inadequate armored vehicles and insufficient troops.
“I know what it was like to be on the receiving end of decisions made in Washington,” said Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, who entered the Army as a private before being promoted to captain and deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Crowe said front-line soldiers often suffer “because people stopped asking tough questions. People stopped taking responsibility. Congress stopped voting on it.”
Another veteran, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, said this was one of the reasons she sought a seat in Congress in the first place. As a Black Hawk helicopter pilot with the Illinois National Guard, Duckworth lost both her legs when her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq.
“I am running for Congress so that when the drums of war start beating again, I will be in a position to make sure our elected officials take into account the true cost of war,” she said. “Not just in dollars and cents, but in human lives.”