Joe Wilson

JULIAN WILSON OUTRAGED DEMOCRAT OPPONENT CALLS FATHER’S TRIP TO AFGHANISTAN A “JUNKET.”

Attacking Joe Wilson for making his 10th trip to visit troops in Afghan war zone is offensive.

(West Columbia, S.C.) – 31-year military veteran Joe Wilson has just returned to U.S. soil from Afghanistan.  Wilson’s priority in visiting U.S. troops is to ensure they have all the tools necessary to be successful.

As a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, Joe Wilson has visited U.S. troops in the Afghanistan war zone for a total of 10 times, in addition to many visits to Iraq.

“I’m grateful my dad returned home safely from his tenth visit to Afghanistan,” Julian Wilson said. “I’m proud he took the time to personally visit a war zone to make sure our troops are getting the tools they need and to deliver care packages from home. I have many friends who dad has visited in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and they have expressed to me their appreciation for him visiting them and seeing what they were doing on the ground.

“When I saw Rob Miller called dad’s trip a ‘junket’, my blood boiled.   Afghanistan is no pleasure trip and Mr. Miller should support any person in Congress who travels thousands of miles to visit our finest who are working in some of the worst conditions in the world.

“Attacking an honorable man for an honorable action is deplorable.  Attacking an honorable man with half truths and by twisting facts is conduct unbecoming of a gentleman.

“As Joe Wilson’s son, and a member of the Army National Guard, I find Mr. Miller’s remark deeply offensive.

“Mr. Miller, you sir owe a personal apology to every man and woman in uniform now serving in Afghanistan. And I’m waiting to hear it.”

As the Hilton Head Island Packet reports, “Hours after six Taliban insurgents attempted to attack a major NATO airfield in Kandahar, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson rode in an armored vehicle through the crowded streets of the same city in southern Afghanistan.”

In addition to being a 31-year veteran of the South Carolina Army National Guard, Joe has four sons in the military, two of whom have served in Iraq.

Joe Wilson has led the fight to protect the TRICARE program, which provides health insurance to military members. Wilson is also a main backer of military pay raises.  According to the Army Times, Wilson is “a key player when it comes to military benefits.”  Wilson introduced legislation demanding a 1.9% pay raise for U.S. troops for 2011, which was higher than what the Obama administration recommended. Joe Wilson is also proud to promote veteran-owned small businesses by co-sponsoring H.R. 2762, the Help Veterans Own Franchises Act, which would help veterans purchase franchise businesses.

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