WASHINGTON, D.C. - Iowa Congressman Tom Latham met today with Lime Springs native Chris Chilson, aviation ordnanceman, first class with the U.S. Navy, who has recently returned from a tour of duty in the Middle East. Congressman Latham and Chilson sat down to discuss veterans' support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
    Chilson was stationed on the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier and is now a representative of Vets for Freedom. The two spoke at length about the perspective of the troops and whether veterans retain that perspective once they return home.
    When asked to characterize the sentiment of the troops, Chilson said, “There are troops over there with different opinions about the war, but there's one thing that all of them have in common: if America leaves now, they'll leave a job unfinished. The troops don't want that.” 
    Latham and Chilson agreed that if the U.S. pulls out of Iraq too soon, Iraq will devolve into “chaos and slaughter.” Chilson added: “We have to finish it up over there, but people back home cannot be impatient about us finishing the job. As tired as they [the troops] are, and as much as they want to go home, they don't want to leave without finishing the job.”
    Latham spoke about his three visits to Iraq, the first time in 2003 and the most recent in September 2007, and noted that he had seen an improvement in the situation on the ground during the interim. “It's amazing what the troops are doing,” said Congressman Latham. “They're doing a great job.”
    Vets for Freedom, the organization Chilson was representing, is the largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans organization in the country. Seventeen Iowa veterans were visiting various political offices on behalf of the organization, all discussing the importance of not leaving until the job is finished. Vets for Freedom represents over 20,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and is organized to educate Americans about the importance of achieving success in those conflicts.
    Latham's meeting with Chilson and Vets for Freedom occurred on the same day General David Petraeus, commander of the multinational force in Iraq, and Iraq Ambassador Ryan Crocker were giving testimony about the situation in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General Petraeus said “the military surge has achieved progress.” He cited figures supporting decreased religious and sectarian violence over the last 12 months. However, General Petraeus warned the committee by saying “that progress is reversible” if America does not follow a sound action plan. According to the general, withdrawing too many forces too quickly could jeopardize the progress of the past year.
    General Petraeus noted that a number of factors have contributed to the progress that has been made in Iraq. He said, “First, of course, has been the impact of increased numbers of Coalition and Iraqi forces.” He mentioned that while most Americans are aware of the U.S. surge in troops, many are unaware that Iraq has also conducted a large surge, adding “well over 100,000 additional soldiers and police to the ranks of its security forces.”
    The second factor the general noted was the “employment of Coalition and Iraqi forces in the conduct of the counterinsurgency operations across the country, deployed together to safeguard the Iraqi people, to pursue Al Qaeda-Iraq, to combat criminals and militia extremists, to foster local reconciliation, and to enable political and economic progress.”
    General Petraeus noted a third factor, identifying it as the attitudinal shift among certain elements of the Iraqi population. This attitudinal shift has led to Iraq's increasing rejection of Al Qaeda-Iraq's indiscriminate violence and extremist ideology.
    When asked if the general could, in simple language, tell the American people if the effort in Iraq is worth it and if it is making us safer here at home, the general said, “I do believe it is worth it. ... I took on the task, the privilege, of command of Multinational Force-Iraq, because I do believe that it is worth it and I do believe the interests there are of enormous importance, again, to our country, not just to the people of Iraq and the people of that region and the world.”
    “The reality of the situation is that we're making progress,” said Latham in response to General Petraeus' testimony. “Casualties are down, violence is down. The troops have been doing a great job. And while there is concern about the political side of Iraq, we can't deny that the process has made great strides. This is a concern... there is still work to be done, but overall it is clear that progress is being made.”
    At the end of his meeting, Chilson thanked Latham for his support of the troops and for his efforts to understand the perspective of Iowa’s men and women serving on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.