As U.S. Forces Withdraw from Iraq, Duckworth Calls on Trump to End His Illegal War in Iran

As U.S. Forces Withdraw from Iraq, Duckworth Calls on Trump to End His Illegal War in Iran

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)-a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) who served in the Iraq War-issued the following statement after the Trump Administration announced that the United States has officially withdrawn our military forces from Iraq:

"For an entire generation of combat Veterans, the weight of this moment as our nation withdraws U.S. forces from Iraq is hard to express. As a former Soldier who volunteered to serve in Iraq, I'm remembering the thousands of warfighters who never made it home and thinking of the heroes whose lives were forever changed because of the last time a President rashly sent our men and women into an unjustified war in the Middle East.

"In 2004, I deployed to Iraq to fight in a war I did not support on the orders of a President I did not vote for. I didn't believe our country should be there to begin with. I wanted to take the fight to our enemy harbored in Afghanistan who attacked us on 9/11. I was proud to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom anyway-because that's what Soldiers do. When our nation calls, our servicemembers always answer. They do what's asked of them, no matter the cost to their own lives. That kind of selflessness and commitment to the mission demands the highest level of consideration by our nation. We owe it to those brave enough to serve to ensure each mission is worth it before we ever even ask them to sacrifice. And as we withdraw our forces from Iraq, it is baffling that Donald Trump has learned nothing as he plunges our servicemembers further into another forever war in Iran.

"I urge the President and Pete Hegseth to listen to myself and my fellow Iraq War Veterans who have seen firsthand the devastation of a needless forever war. We cannot repeat the same mistakes we made in Iraq. The stakes are too high to not make any attempt to evaluate the lessons learned before reaching for more conflict and destruction. With at least 22 lives lost and hundreds more wounded, it is as urgent and as prudent as ever that Trump brings an end to this disastrous war with Iran before any more lives are lost."

Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran who served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On November 12, 2004, her helicopter was hit by an RPG and Duckworth lost her legs and partial use of her right arm. She is a Purple Heart recipient and one of the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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