NEW YORK, NY – Congressman Charles Rangel released the following statement on President Obama’s announcement today that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year in 2011:

“President Obama’s announcement that we will have all of our troops out of Iraq in two months is a momentous step for our country. I praise President Obama for making true to his promise to bring our brave men and women home. He has reaffirmed his strength as Commander and Chief and as a moral leader by honoring the U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement and the wishes of the American people to end this war by December 31.

We know that the Iraq War, which began under the Bush Administration on March 20, 2003, has been a deadly mistake, and not worth the cost in lives of our young heroes: 4,478 soldiers have paid the ultimate sacrifice; 33,169 have been wounded during; 1.5 million Iraqis lost their lives. In the past eight years, we have spent $800 billion in Iraq when we should have been investing in the future of own country. I am thankful to President Obama that we can now welcome home the remaining 39,000 soldiers in Iraq, putting them back into the arms of their families and loved ones.

Our congressional district in Manhattan has lost five of its sons in Iraq, four from Washington Heights and one from East Harlem. From Washington Heights: Marine Staff Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda, Army Specialist Sergio A. Mercedes Saez, Army Corporal Juan Alcantara, and Army Sergeant Jose E. Ulloa. From East Harlem: Army Specialist Jose L. Ruiz. These men and their families will forever be in our hearts and prayers.

I ask President Obama to continue on this course of great leadership by now bringing home our troops from Afghanistan. To all the men and women in the Armed Forces returning home and still abroad, I thank you for your dedication and patriotism. Our nation is indebted to the 3.3 million military households, representing only one percent of American families, that make the sacrifices on our behalf. I will keep fighting for the veterans to receive all the opportunities and benefits they deserve as they transition into civilian life. We will never forget those we have lost. It is in their memory that we must now work together to overcome the many issues our country still faces.”