As the war in Vietnam drew to a close. President Ford emphasized Americas duty to rescue those who had helped and assisted us. He called our response to that refugee crisis a reaffirmation of Americas awareness of the roots and ideals of our society. and he personally greeted Vietnamese refugees on their arrival here. But. sadly. there are many Iraqis working with our Armed Forces. our diplomatic mission. and our reconstruction teams in Iraq who have performed valiantly but have been abandoned by our Government in their hour of need. Because of this support. insurgents have threatened and attacked their family members. Many have lost their lives. and many more have lost their houses. property. and livelihood. For some. it will be too dangerous to ever return. America cannot resettle all of Iraqs refugees. but we must show leadership by accepting far greater numbers of refugees closely associated with our military operation. Keeping our troops in Iraq indefinitely. as the President proposes. is simply not the solution to the humanitarian and refugee crisis. The consequences of the decisions we make here in Congress profoundly affect our military. their families. and the communities they have left. We have an obligation to our soldiers to make sensible decisions that will not place them needlessly in harms way.
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refugee refugees