marine sergeant andrew tahmooressi has been in a mexican prison since he was arrested in tijuana on march 31. withd crossed into mexico three loaded firearms in his vehicle, claiming he never intended to cross into mexico. he was unable to turn around at

the border and was arrested. sergeant tahmooressi served two tours of duty in afghanistan. he was honorably discharged in 2012. the house subcommittee is looking into his arrest in mexico. the testimony will include his servedand a soldier who with him in afghanistan. you will also see montel williams, who has been speaking a great deal about the case. the hearing should get underway shortly.

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>> a quorum being present, this subcommittee will come to order. we will limit the opening statements to myself, ranking member, and chairman of the full committee. members will then be given ample time to answer questions. if we have time for a second round of questions, we will do so. i like to start by recognizing myself and present my opening statement. without objection, the members of the subcommittee can set -- submit their opening remarks for the record. now i yield myself as much time as i may consume from opening remarks. welcome, everyone, to this important hearing. korean sergeant andrew tahmooressi, iranian custody in mexico. i want to thank chairman royce and all of my colleagues that

have come back to washington to take away sin this hearing. this is a busy time when members are campaigning in their districts, elections are a few weeks away. in fact, so many members have come back for this hearing the tests to the fact that this is an extremely important issue that we want to resolve as quickly as possible. i want to thank our witnesses, particularly mrs. tahmooressi, who has been steadfast and strong inner advocate for her son. , your work ons behalf of veterans is important and noble and it's a pleasure to have you speaking on behalf of andrew. finally, retired marine sergeant robert buchanan, who served with andrew in afghanistan. from the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate your great service and we appreciate the fact that au are appearing on behalf of good friend. thank you personally for your wonderful service to our nation. not long after the v.a. scandal story broke in my hometown of

, exposing widespread mismanagement of veteran care on the part of the v.a., i first traveled down to tijuana to visit sergeant tim received in prison. i had been following his story, how he observed with distinction in the marine corps on the battlefields of afghanistan, returning home to the united states with physical and psychological scars of war. he made his way to southern california where he was diagnosed with ptsd, living mostly out of his truck where he carried all of his belongings, including his three registered guns. have you got turned around and found himself at the mexican border where it is illegal to have guns. by the time i visited andrew in may and again in june, with chairman royce, he had been through a lot. he attempted to escape and take his own life.

so, he was polite, soft-spoken, a brave american who had defended this country and now needed our help to return home. here is an interesting anecdote. on my way back to visiting andrew the first time, just as i was crossing the border back into the u.s., i heard on the news that the obama administration has negotiated with the taliban for the release of army sergeant bergdahl. sergeant hammer received's circumstances are different and sergeant bergdahl, but it still struck me, as it does now, that sergeant tahmooressi served his country with honor twice in afghanistan and now finds himself in a mexican prison after getting turned around and .rossing the border i am mystified that president obama could not find time

between negotiating with terrorists to call our ally, the mexican president, to appeal to him, on behalf of our marine. we in congress do not have anything in our power to get sergeant hammer received, and injured war hero, back to the states for treatment, and what are we doing here? veteransre our combat are taken care of when they return is one of our most honored and sacred obligations. as chairman of the subcommittee, i have been supportive of our bilateral relationship with mexico, committed to our security partnership, and helping mexico reform and improve its justice system. our commercial relationship with mexico is strong and vital. today i feel the same way. mexico'smistic about energy reforms, the growth of its middle class, and the diplomatic trade that we share. but our significant and growing bilateral cooperation must also

come with the ability to resolve important issues. particularly, along our shared border. i firmly believe that sergeant tahmooressi meant no harm or willfully violated mexican law when he crossed the border. when i talk on several occasions with the ambassador from mexico, who by the way, has been the attorney general of mexico in the past, echoed to me the same thing, that he did not believe that sergeant tahmooressi had any evil intentions with weapons in his car. now, he has spent over six months in prison, what amounts to a wrong turn. couldisappointed and more not be done to address the situation in a far more timely manner. the fact is, mexican citizens violate u.s. law on a regular and continuing basis, illegally crossing our southern border. mexican officials respond by asking the u.s. for compassion

and amnesty or their citizens to remain in the u.s., but frankly, compassion goes both ways. mexico does not have the ability to provide sergeant tahmooressi with the care he needs. our war hero needs to come home. last week, i spoke with the mexican attorney general, who explained that while sergeant tahmooressi had broken mexican law by approaching the border with weapons, his combat related ptsd could not be adequately treated in mexico. the good news is, the attorney general explained to me, and i understand chairman roy separately, that he has the authority within a second lot to dismiss sergeant tahmooressi's case on humanitarian grounds once he has expert testimony that verifies his combat specific ptsd diagnosis. chairman royce and i obtain the appropriate medical reports and forwarded them to the mexican

attorney general's desk this past friday. in addition at the court hearing yesterday, a mexican psychologist submitted his official diagnosis confirming andrew's ptsd. now, with all the information available to him, i'm confident and hopeful that attorney will do the right thing and will soon order the release of andrew so he can begin his treatment and move forward with his life back home with his family and friends. once again, we are asking our men and women in uniform to embark on a mission of fighting on behalf of our nation in a war against the terrorist organization isis. making sure sergeant tahmooressi is brought home and provided the t -- treatment that he so desperately needs will send a message and demonstrate to our military men and women in harms way, that america stands up for our soldiers and our marines. that is how it should be.

i look forward to hearing from all the witnesses, and i thank you for being here. i now yield to the ranking member. [inaudible] most importantly, thank you to our witnesses today for taking your time to come in and allow us the opportunity to hear directly from you and to allow us the opportunity to elevate your story and sergeant tahmooressi's challenges to the american people. , your story,ssi what you and your family have gone through, or importantly, what your son is going through, is incredibly heartbreaking. . i have never met you before, have never met your son, but hearing your story, hearing the story from those of you who served with him, he is our

brother tom a part of our family. part of the family of those who have worn the uniform, from whatever branch of service, and who have gone through that fight to see what he is facing now, one of our own, is unimaginable upon coming home. when we serve overseas, the one bright light that we have is that we can come home, and that we, home to our loved ones and to some sense of normalcy. to see down what he's going through, to not have that bright light, is despicable and unimaginable. there is no question that our government needs to do whatever it takes to support sergeant tahmooressi as he seeks justice and freedom in mexico. there is no question the state department must make this a priority.

while we hope the mexican courts, government will do the right thing and recognize that this case must be dismissed as soon as possible, the reason why we are here is because we know and understand that we cannot let up, that action is necessary, and we need to continue to apply that pressure to force that action and to bring him home. i want to thank each of you for coming today, for your championing sergeant tahmooressi and his freedoms and continuing to push for this action and being his voice in his absence. thank you all for being here and i look forward to hearing from you. >> thank you. the chair now recognizes the chairman of the full committee, mr. royce. you, subcommittee chairman salmon for your work on this issue, for holding this hearing. we had an opportunity to go down and talk to sergeant andrew tahmooressi in his cell.

jill, andto share, observation --an sergeant buchanan was absolutely right. he said this was one of the most impressive young man he has served with. he is a very fine young man. he has been through a lot. i think this committee has played a role historically been trying to make certain that, in foreign policy, we look after the interests of those men and women who have served this country. in this particular case, a young man who made a wrong turn, and has now found himself six months after his diagnosis in this situation. i had approached the

government of mexico on several occasions. one of the things that you had us do was try to get him moved from the prison in tijuana. , and in ain tecate better place, and he expressed that, and we are respectful of our relationship with mexico, but it has been six months. discussions, our which we have had in the past, discussions with the foreign minister, and now last thursday, i had a long discussion with the attorney general. argument that i think we are making here today, the argument that he cannot get ptsd treatment, but less than 10 days before he was taken into custody , he was diagnosed with just that diagnosis. as the attorney general shared with us, it is within his

ability to make a decision, based on humanitarian grounds, if the diagnosis shows that this, in fact, was the case. we sent him that diagnosis, and we sent him subsequently the diagnosis also that we have now from the doctor in mexico. i think -- as matt has raised the point -- it is important to consider, since we have raised this with the state department, our government took steps to have one soldier released in exchange for five senior taliban leaders. five senior taliban leaders who had all committed serious offenses, war crimes. be holed up in front of the hague for crimes

against humanity based on the terror they visited on afghan and u.s. forces. all five were determined to be a serious danger to the united states, and yet, at the end of the day, those five, with close ties to osama bin laden and to mullah omar, and to the haqqani network, have all found their .ay out of custody the question is, what steps is the government taking in order to ensure the release of this young marine? and that brings us to the hearing today. as members of congress, we must see to it that u.s. servicemen and women who are put in harms areto defend our country properly cared for when they return back to the united states

. when they were injured, as andrew was injured by a grenade. mrs. tahmooressi, i am pleased that you are with us today, and i'm equally pleased that we have with us a brave marine who served two tours, combat tours in afghanistan. your son did this, jill. we talked with him about his service. during his time when he was deployed with the second h regiment, he received a meritorious promotion. valor and too his his love of country. and to discuss his service, it's an honor to have robert buchanan with us today. some robert at my office months ago when he came to talk

to me about his comrade and about the effort he was undertaking along with you, jill , in order to secure his release. and he served with your son, as you know, and said, as i indicated, that he was one of the bravest young men he had served with. too, robert here, has been very brave himself and earned the purple heart after sustaining injuries himself from an ied explosion. we want to thank him and others for traveling all the way to washington. as many of you know, these physical injuries as a result of that ied attack that andrew leads, at times, to

psychological difficulties that we call ptsd. the fact that the san diego veterans affairs hospital diagnosed in less than 10 days prior to this event on the that itnd the fact results in hypervigilance and memory and can't issue lapses , the fact that he will not be able to receive -- trayvonn mexico has been prolonged by six months. it is because of this that i, together with congressman salmon, have pressed his case with the attorney general of mexico. last week, after our say, i amon, i must confident that a humanitarian release of andrew will occur very soon so he can start getting better and get the treatment he needs. i believe the case that is being

made here is a compelling one that will result in the right decision, the correct decision, the humane decision from the attorney general. thank you very much. >> pursuant to committee role seven, members of the subcommittee will be permitted to submit written statements to be included in the official hearing record. without objection, the hearing record will remain open for seven days to allow statements, questions and subject related to the length and limitation of the rules. mr. chairman, i request unanimous consent to recognize debbieour colleagues, wasserman schultz, who represents the home district of mrs. tahmooressi in western florida, to join us on the committee today. she has been actively advocating on this issue, working closely with jill and the obama administration and mexican government to try to secure andrew's release. >> without objection. so ordered. >> first i want to introduce the

panel, and thank you again for traveling. i know you have busy schedules. mrs. tahmooressi is a resident of florida and is the mother of marine corps sergeant andrew paul tahmooressi, an active reservist. mrs. tahmooressi is a licensed registered nurse in florida. she has been serving at miami children's hospital since 1980. from everything i have seen, in my conversations from her, one heck of a mom. let to have you here, mrs. tahmooressi. lieutenant commander williams is founder of the montel williams ms foundation. mr. williams is working on ways to improve the treatment for soldiers who have experienced blast related traumatic brain injuries. it is great to have you here and see you again. lieutenant commander williams began his professional career in the u.s. marine corps. he holds a bachelors in engineering and minor in international security affairs from the military academy.

sergeant buchanan is a marine corps veteran and a purple heart recipient who was honorably just charged after six years of service. thank you. mr. buchanan was a machine gun squad leader during the training for his deployment with the battalion and help train andrew as a machine gunner. while on deployment in afghanistan, he fought side-by-side with andrew. in august 2010, sergeant buchanan's vehicle ran over and ied, resulting in him earning his purple heart award. since his exit from the marine corps, he has been active in his community's veterans organizations and has been attending american legion posts. he is currently working on his business degree. -- the ceo fors the mission of concern veterans.

they work to preserve the freedoms and prosperity of veterans and their families. an infantry captain in the army national guard, he served in afghanistan in 2012 where he was the senior counterinsurgency structure of the counterinsurgency training center. iraqously, he served in with the third brigade of the 101st airborne division for their 2005-2006 deployment. he earned two bronze stars and a combat infantry badge for his time in iraq and afghanistan. graduated from princeton university, completed a masters in public policy at harvard university's jfk school of government. jill, even though i will enforce it on everyone else, i will not mess with somebody's mother. the way it works, you are given five minutes for your testimony. after four minutes, the amber light goes on.

when you start speaking, it is green. the amber light means you have one minute to wrap it up. the red light means to stop for everyone except for mrs. tahmooressi. mrs. tahmooressi, you are recognized. mr. chairman, ranking members of the committee and congress, thank you for the invitation to testify today. i am grateful for the committee's interest regarding sergeant tahmooressi, my son, and his ongoing incarceration in mexico. as a mother and a high achieving young man, there are a few horrific memorable quotes i recall and wish to share with you regarding my son. i believe these quotes will not only frame the character of my son, yet will also highlight the current predicament my son is in. in 2006 hundred at the age of 17, he said, mom, i can scheduled for my solo flight today.

i will be getting checked off on my private pilot essence. -- license. at age 18, after graduating from public school, having been afforded the florida bright scholarship, he said, i'm not ready for college and. i'm going to go to alaska. i want to be a commercial fisherman. one of his favorite shows at the time was "deadliest catch." 2008, mom, god just nudged me to join the military. i'm going to enlist in the marines. 2010, he would phone home when he could with battle stories. i and a brave mom, a mob that a marine. in 2010, mom, we just got hit with an ied. in 2012, i blacked out. hit mya top the mrap, head on one part and i was blocked out. they found me. of3, mom, i am dropping out

the aeronautical university where i was enrolled in a bachelors degree for the commercial pilot degree because i cannot concentrate on the academic work. 14 -- march 31, 11:25 this year. i got lost, i made a wrong turn. i'm at the mexican border. you need to know this because i have been surrounded by military . in case anything happens to me, i need you to know where i am. the following morning, april 1, 2014, mom, i've been arrested. we secure me an attorney. -- please secure me an attorney. 5.il mom, i'm not going to make it through the night. whatever you do, do not come down here to investigate.

do not come down here to ask questions. you will be killed as well. i need you to go underground. i need you to cancel your bank accounts, let the broward sheriffs office now, but i will not make it through the night. do not come down to investigate. april 14. mom, i tried to kill myself because the guards and the inmates were going to rape, torture, and execute me for personal information. i need to protect you. days. mom, it has been 25 i have been in four-point chain restraints, spread eagle in the infirmary. quotes, horrific in varying degrees for a mother, pale in comparison to andrew's statement that my time in mexico has been far worse than my two combat tours in afghanistan.

andrew is under contract with the u.s. marine corps. he is still a marine and will always be, but he is an inactive reservist until august 4 2016. he was discharged active duty october 2012, serving unselfishly in operations multiple tors,m, being meritorious we promoted on the field. andrew felt privileged to serve the war on terror. he thought in an infantry battalion as a section lead and a 50 caliber gunner. he volunteered and was willing to lose his life for freedom, liberty, and the elimination of oppression. he fought not for one political party, yet for the world at large, including mexico, who does not send their military to foreign combat. suffering symptoms suggestive of combat related posttraumatic stress disorder throughout 2013

while attending university, andrew packed up his ford f-150, the same one that he drove to alaska, with all of his possessions, including his three u.s. legally purchased firearms. his purchase test first purchase was in 2007 on the way to kodiak, alaska. that was a shotgun force protection. therrived in san diego at invite of a friend who has a purple heart, 100% disability, who said, come up here we have the best be a system in the country. so we did that. on march 12, he received his crisis intake, positive screens for posttraumatic stress disorder. thehe time he was ordered cognitive therapy group therapy, the veteran group therapy. he attended on march 20. indeed there is a third medical record in his veterans

administration record on the morning of march 31, that famous day when, at 10:30, he pulled theof a parking lot on telephone inside, a very confusing area, lots of construction going on. he had just come off of that ran earlier in the day. as he pulled left and made a sharp left back onto the on ramp, thinking it was headed north to san diego. in a few hundred feet, a blind curve into a barricaded mexican customs lane. there was no way to turn around at that time. in fact, there was no signage at the border at the time. with no visible signage indicating how to turn around and with no u.s. presence at the border, andrew purposefully stopped at the first mexican official and said i got lost, made a wrong turn, and am here by mistake.

i have all of my possessions including three legally purchased firearms. can you bring me back to the border? he thought the customs agent would like to make escort vehicle. but over time the military came aboard. that is when he dialed 911. no one was able to help him including the operator. isse facts are recorded and evidentiary statement in the courts of tijuana. arrested on weapons and ammunition possession now incarcerated in a mexican prison, andrew is despondent and desperate to return to the united states. his ptsd treatment land has been aborted. 1 ass aborted on april mexico did not have the ability to provide combat related ptsd expressive group therapy, as recognized here. he phones home every day. he is very competent entry and appreciative for the actions of the congress, the white house, in responding to the we the

wasle petition that responded to on august 28. at that time, the white house responded that they would ask for emergency. influence urgency to is ineffective, in my opinion. ares six months and we still connecting dots. we still do not have the authenticated 911 call in the record. it is supposedly held up in a department in mexico. today, there is new signage at the border for wayward drivers that make that error that andrew made. i am sure there are hundred each day that do it. there is now a new sign that says return to the usa erected in may, and the graffiti laden sign on the on ramp has also been changed. make the any motorist mistake now, they do have a way to come home. i urge attention and

collaborative action among the united states and mexico for an expedient resolution of andrew's mexican judicial process, expecting wholeheartedly that release to the usa is justified. withouts despondent treatment. he needs to be home. thank you very much and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you, mrs. tahmooressi. lieutenant commander williams. >> [inaudible] chairman salmon, ranking members, chairman royce, members of the subcommittee and full committee. it is extreme the critical that we hold this hearing today and i cannot thank you enough for doing so. also thank you to all the members that made it a point to come back to this hearing today. you have to understand your peers must recognize the fact that veterans are watching today and for those of them who did not come back, this will be remembered. while the scope of this hearing is limited the case of andrew tahmooressi, i would be remiss

to remind us community that his case is merely a symptom of a greater policy error and how we addressed the needs of our returning soldiers. the failure is unfortunately even more pronounced when it comes to ptsd. we throw this term around lightly, but we have to recognize that 30,000 new cases of traumatic brain injury occur every year in our services. and it does not matter whether or not soldiers go into a combat situation or not. the majority are for training exercises. we currently have over 600,000 veterans suffering from residual symptoms from traumatic brain injury right now in the v.a. system. veterans from iraq and afghanistan often feel absolutely abandoned by our government. -- have a reason to feel before i begin, my testimony is more than five minutes. there are some point that have

to be made. we addressed it over and over again, andrew made a wrong turn. we have thrown up a couple of terms related to ptsd with that wesaying hypervigilance, but have to slow down and take a second to understand what that means. say it andll cannot others will not, we know for a tahmooressi'seant time in this prison has been worse than his time in prison. he will come back to the u.s. it will be treated for his combat his incarceration ptsd. to me this is an abomination. six months. he did not hesitate to say, aye, aye , sir. to go off and serve. a nation,e as hesitate to get that young man back? we sit here in the city and discuss sending more young people off to die.

i have a son that is 21 years old who is asking me over and over again, should i serve? right now i am telling him no. that is coming from a guy that did 22 years in the service. our government does not respect you enough. how dare they treat him the way that they do and the way that they will? incident is clearly triggered by his ptsd. the hypervigilance when he made that turn in mexico, he made a decision to leave. when he got in his car, he was probably already triggered. just as some of you understand, i suffer from ms, i have scars in my brain that are said -- synonymous with concussive brain injury. so some of the symptoms are talk about our what i lived through on a daily basis. sometimes depression, sometimes

hypervigilance. i can walk in this hallway and feel protected but be afraid to walk into the bathroom. this is what these young men lived through. it is said that we have one of our own right now being held in a prison while we talk about it. it is clear, everyone understands, he is not going to get the treatment he is due. he has served the time, i believe, for any crime that he could have committed. bring him home and let's treat him appropriately. but his treatment was not be just for combat ptsd. remember, treatment for ptsd from being in prison rests on our shoulders. say, iwant to clearly have the utmost respect for the mexican government and the mexican people. i am not one of those who is going to join into the fray of screening for invasions and all

of those things. what i will scream for is the one part of political diplomacy .hat has not been reached yet congressman salmon, you pointed it out. it is called political compassion. compassion is what is needed right now. we should not let this case go by and then deal with the other hundreds of thousands that are suffering by making the same mistake. my testimony is much longer than five minutes. i would please ask the members to reach the entire thing. i would like to leave you with one other point. . every nation on this planet and all people are judged, no matter what religion, faith you are, we are all judged by what we do for the least of us. andrew is one of the best of us. america's treasure. if we cannot treat the best

better than we treat the worst, how dare you ask another gentleman to put on the uniform? thank you so much. commander, without objection, your full testimony, everybody's full testimony will be entered into the public record. i appreciate your great comments. sergeant buchanan. chairman, ranking member, members of the committee, thank you for the invitation to testify today. i am forever grateful for the committee's interest in the overview of sergeant andrew tahmooressi's dire need to get hospital medical treatment as soon as possible. say, i knew want to andrew -- i was a corporal when he came to our unit. i was the guy that made sure he

had a haircut on monday, a fresh shaved every day. if you have any questions about who andrew truly was, i recommend that you ask sergeant wski, his brother in arms, his best friend. not truly know a man until you have deployed to combat with that individual. i had the pleasure of taking part in training and deploying to afghanistan with sergeant tahmooressi. he was truly one of the best junior marines i have the pleasure of working with. him,ask something out to there was not a second thought, it would get done. he was the kind of guy that his peers looked up to. day ihe get-go, the first met his group, when they came to ki andit, sergeant podlows sergeant tahmooressi stood out among his peers.

he had a humble attitude, always eager to learn and be the best review could be. this was a marine who received a combat meritorious promotion. let me go back. waseant andrew tahmooressi meritorious the promoted to corporal. that alone speak to somebody's character. with combat meritorious promoted in this day and age amongst our field, it is a honor and in honor -- an with our gun club, if you want to call it. this alone speaks to the volumes to what kind of individual andrew is an contest to his .haracter on andrew's last appointment to save the life of a fellow marine by securing tourniquets on him after he stepped on an ied, causing him to lose both of his

limbs, it is in these moments that a man's true character is tested and andrew shined. he did not run away. he ran to help. congressman matt salmon, ed royce, and duncan hunter, i want to personally thank you guys. you have spearheaded our cause in getting andrew home. from the bottom of my heart, i want to thank you personally. they have also taught multiple to the statepport department and the white house. i also had the opportunity to sit down face to face with congressman ed royce. from the get-go, we had his immediate and unflinching ndrew's toward getting a release. the crime that andrew is being chart requires intent here

weapons trafficking is not in the region crime and true intent was proven as being an accident. this combats get veteran home and into the v.a. for much-needed medical care. everyday day he is done there is a day longer that it will take for him to reach us in the civilian life. military member comes back with different luggage from more. we all have -- it take different amounts of times to readjust and so that -- in civilian life. we all have good days and bad but isolation is the last thing that anyone needs. please help us get him home so that he can get the treatment that he needs. thank you. >> thank you, mr. buchanan. mr. hegseth. >> thank you for the opportunity to be here today. i want to thank chairman salmon, duncan hunter, and everyone else who came back to be here for this important hearing.

your forward leaning support for veterans in our military matters and is noticed. want to thank my witnesses who are allowing a soldier to hang out with a bunch of marines. , your courageous this inspires us all. buchanan, thank you for having the back of your fellow marine. lieutenant commander williams, using your platform the way that you are mixing huge difference, thank you. i am the ceo of concern veterans for america. our mission is to fight for the prosperity of all americans and the well-being of veterans. we represent a number of growing american families who refuse to accept the status quo in washington. hell, aggressively and passionately to ensure america's veterans are no longer treated like second-class citizens in their own government . the ongoing situation with sergeant tahmooressi, who has now been held for 184 days by the mexican government, is another example of our government meeting a man behind. in the military we leave no man

behind. we are leaving behind and in active reservist in mexico. andrew tahmooressi is a united states mr. -- marine. he is a machine gun or an infantryman. a decorated combat veteran who deployed twice to afghanistan, meeting the enemy in combat. literallyahmooressi saved the lives of his fellow marines. he was so good, as everyone said, meritorious we promoted, which is unheard of. doubt this guy is an american hero, plain and simple. comes with ace physical and psychological cost. let me assure you, ptsd israel and if left untreated, especially for those that took place in the horrors of war, can become deadly. 22 veterans in america today take their own lives. many more struggle in silence. as has been reported widely already, sergeant tahmooressi

was diagnosed before he crossed the border and attempted to take his own life in a crowded tijuana prison. has only been exacerbated by his treatment there and lack of treatment in the u.s.. he does not think -- phase ptsd because he is weak or a coward or a victim. he faces the invisible wounds of war. right now, he faces them alone, largely alone come with a few advocates fighting for him on the outside. left untreated, these hidden wounds that can lead to the bottle, that can lead to reckless behavior, detachment and societal withdrawal, following my tour in iraq, i know i don't with all three. but much worse, these scars can end in suicide. unless, of course, there is a lifeline. seeking care for post-traumatic stress through peer to peer counseling, alternative therapy, family support, or care at the v.a. saves lives.

they are not ticking time bombs are victims. with the right to be the right place at the right time most soldiers and reams like sergeant tahmooressi comeback back and become leaders and pillars of our communities, which we need so badly today. my bottom line to this committee and the government into the mexican government is this. needs andahmooressi deserves immediate treatment for his post-traumatic stress. shame on anyone at home or abroad that does not move heaven and earth to make that happen. in combat, men like sergeant tahmooressi never have enough troops or ammunition, never have enough time or enough equipment, but they still get the job done. the same should be expected from the united states government. no excuse for inaction is good enough. he should be released immediately. and of story. before leaving home for the testimony, i kissed my two young sons. i am willing, as a soldier and

citizen and father, to someday lend to the cause for the freedom to fight. but in doing so, i only ask that my government do everything possible before, during, and after they serve to stand right beside them and be there for them. ms. tahmooressi expected the very same thing. issue going to receive it is the million-dollar question. in closing, the contrast before this committee, this congress and this white house could not be more stark. it has been mentioned twice but it's worth mentioning again. this administration negotiated with the taliban and exchanged five terrorist killers with american blood on their hands for the release of army sergeant bowe bergdahl, a soldier who deserted his unit on the front lines two months into his first tour of duty. as everyone has heard, sergeant tahmooressi did two tours of duty, highly decorated. sergeant bergdahl cost american lives.

.ergeant tahmooressi save lives does that not matter? it is time to bring our marine home, long overdue, and get him the care he deserves. thank you for the opportunity and i welcome your questions. >> thank you. i will yield myself five minutes for questions. mrs. tahmooressi, i want to start with you. interestingly, mr. hegseth, after the release of bergdahl, there was a lot of media scrutiny about that arrangement, that trade. the president very boldly said on national tv that as commander in chief, heelys no soldier behind. that was his policy. i want to ask you, mrs. tahmooressi, has the president contacted you about this case? >> no, he has not, mr. chairman. your the best of knowledge, has the president made any phone call to the president of mexico to intercede on andrew's behalf?

>> not to my knowledge. >> i had a personal meeting with vice president biden the week before the president was to speak with the president of mexico. vice president biden assured me that they would be on top of it. i was told after the phone call that the president did not bring it up. very disappointed. can i ask you, mrs. tahmooressi, how have the mexican authorities treated you as you search for information regarding your son and his location? have they been forthcoming or have they let you in the dark in the process? process ise judicial one that is done in secrecy, in a sense. i attend all of andrew's hearings. supposedly, it is to be open to the public, but each and every hearing i attend, the presiding judge asked that i set out in the hallway because there is not enough space in the courtroom.

i have not been given any information forthcoming from mexico officials other than a fact sheet that did come out some time ago. yet, i have some questions about their facts. >> i was mystified when he told me that the judge would not allow you, the mother, to come in and sit in the hearing. have to sit outside? >> correct. and it is interesting, it is always a hero and selected with no windows. all of them have windows except for the one that andrew's court proceedings are going on in. >> how about the folks at the consulate in tijuana? have they been helpful? >> the local department, counsel general andrew erickson, who actually served with andrew in afghanistan 2012. from a personal standpoint, like making sure andrew has a

toothbrush, making sure that i'm escorted in and out safely, because there are travel warnings. in the beginning, they had regular travel warnings to mexico. americans were supposed to keep a low profile because of the high risk of kidnapping. they do escort me in and out, but it is the state department local level, on april 14, that translated the va medical record that i've got in san diego. it is the state department in doctor that flew in the from the u.s. embassy in mexico city. dr. regal did a full evaluation that day. i witnessed it. i received the report from the state department approximately may 1, with the diagnosis of ptsd. it was translated and supposedly given to the judge, but it was never used, as it was never entered into court as evidence to substantiate ptsd. i don't know if it was not

considered legitimate, a u.s. source. that is why, just two days ago, six months into this ordeal, a mexican psychiatrist has come into validate combat related ironic,ich i find because they do not send their military to combat. aremexican psychiatrists considered legitimate but not dr. regal, who did a full evaluation from our u.s. embassy in mexico city on april 14. but those documentations have not seem to be effective or considered important. >> lieutenant commander williams, you mentioned in your testimony that him being imprisoned for six months is extremely counterproductive to his ptsd. could you elaborate on that a little bit? i was afforded an opportunity

to speak to andrew three days ago. this is my first time speaking to him. i tried my best to keep this off knowing that when i enter the fray, the press may take it in the wrong direction. he said to me the other night, we talked in general -- i said, are you doing ok? said, i have ae hard time keeping the bad. out. this is just two days ago. -- bad thoughts out. this is a key statement from somebody suffering. he was sending the message to let me know and let his mom now, it is not going well. but he could not say it any other way. so why am i so concerned? again, this is not about me, but

most of you know i suffer from ms for the last 20 years. diagnosed in 1990. i have scars on my brain that are equivalent of a concussive blast. the symptoms i recognize. i am in a treatment protocol for them now and am doing well. however, i know, one day, two days without treatment, these things come back. unfortunately, andrew being involved in a concussive blast, we have just now determined that he has there may be residual effects that would cause this a little longer to be treated and now for him to sit in a prison -- the rumors are he has been beaten, he has been treated like a pow, not a person incarcerated for making a mistake. he said it to his mother and to his peers, his treatment here is being worse than being in

afghanistan. and for a person suffering to make that statement, he knows it. this is just the beginning, but it's also an example of what we need to make sure we take of four -- take care of for the other guys. >> the chair yields to the gentleman from hawaii. >> thank you all for your very heartfelt testimony. i wish we had more time. i know it's difficult to capture everything you are conveying in such a short time. appreciated and can everything each of you has communicated with regards to posttraumatic stress, with regards to the treatment andrew needs, but i want to take a step back from many people who may be watching or listening who may not have learned the uniform who may -- or who may have not had a family member who has warned the

uniform and has not had that firsthand experience each one of you has related and put us in a position of any one of us going there. any one of us missing that turned, anyone of us not seeing a sign and ending up in a position where you are getting arrested after making an honest mistake. each of us would be ready pissed off. each of us would be not acting in the columnist of matters, understanding the unknown that lay ahead. that, understanding the strong case for his character you have made, the strong case of his service and the commitment he has had throughout his life only adds to that understanding and goes to

the point of what is occurring, there's absolutely no excuse for it. they is unfortunate that bureaucracy is being allowed to be used as an excuse for his continued incarceration and is being blamed for why no action has been taken. whatever it takes, he should be brought home. jill is afterr the september 19 hearing, it has then reported your son's lawyer expressed confidence that a favorable ruling may be close and i'm just wondering if the assessment has changed since then and how you expect things in the near-term to go from the mexican judicial standpoint. >> thank you. andrew's current defense

attorney, we have had to attorneys previous to him who did great service to andrew. i selected off of the department hestate reference she and states a high degree of confidence that there was a where the september 9 video surveillance was watched for eight hours and it definitely corroborated andrew's truthful and forthcoming by the mexican officials and customs agents. so he believes he's very close to resting the case now and expect an action of either dismissal or acquittal within the next couple of weeks,

especially since the two psychiatric events, and one from the prosecutor has been filed yesterday and ratified at 5:30 in the afternoon. i believe we are several weeks away and we are hopeful. know you. williams, i as well as jill and others have talked about specific actions -- president,l from the a petition over 100,000 people have signed, what specific actions do you feel will truly be effected in gaining andrew's release that we can advocate for here? and as a to apologize ranking member, i want to say thank you for your service. 11: -- 11:05.w

the president needs to make the call today. if you are not going to call -- call this woman. father,an's child is a i need to say something else i did not say earlier. the reason why i jumped out and decided to become public -- this is not about me -- i have a daughter right now who is going through cancer treatment four-year. she's in her second round and came back. the worst of it the last couple of days. june has sentnce a prayer to my family every day for my daughter. those who wonder why i'm here, this is a father and a mother who have to ill children and i

know a lot of us who have suffered from posttraumatic stress don't like to use that term. but if we use it appropriately and use of the right way, it can be treated. it is an illness. i would beg the president make that call. if that can't happen, i would beg that maybe this committee, we issue a joint statement to the president in mexico and say the world is watching. it's time for you to act. >> thank you all very much. the chair recognizes the full chairman of the committee. >> i want to go to sergeant buchanan. i think all of us are hopeful your friend andrew will be back here soon, but what advice would you give him and us on how to best approach his ptsd treatment? that questionsk

of mr. heck since he is a veteran and works regularly with those who have gone through what andrew has gone through. >> thank you for your question. he needs to be with his brothers . the guys who trained with them, deployed with them, know what he is going through. it doesn't matter what rent or what your job was, we've all warned the uniform. readjusting, something about him is his humble attitude. he'll always wants to help. willof the problem is he help other people before he helps himself. started though the a treatment, he was just at the beginning getting diagnosed.

that's the first of many steps and it's a long process. we need to get him in there, get him with his friends, and start the healing process. it's the last thing a combat that needs. >> you mentioned the trade the united states made for taliban leaders, including the former director of intelligence for the taliban. senior commanders and one was chief of staff. he was implicated in the death , all ofands of shia

them were involved in coordinating attacks against american coalition forces, and three of the five were directly linked to al qaeda. the united states has taken an action to get them released. one of those five told a senior telegram official and this was nextted on the news, his step would be to return to attackstan to carry out against american and coalition forces there. let me ask you your thoughts on this and what can be done in order to secure the release of ?ergeant tahmooressi >> knee and my those men in

guantánamo for a year. this is personal for those of us who serve in those combat zones. boots orhe number of on the ground who sought those men and locked them up so we don't have to face them again and then to know our government is willing to give them away. a rose garden ceremony with a family of someone who everyone knows who has looked at the case deserted his unit. ms. tahmooressi doesn't get a phone call. your phone ande call the president of mexico and get this done will stop it's not lyrical, it's personal for people who do it. it is peer to peer counseling, it's talking to the menu served with and often times at the ba, .here is alternative therapy you talked about your rocker see

sergeant jones and sergeant smith's are trying to access mental health care at the v.a. at made to wait weeks and months? do you know how many mothers i meet on the road who say i lost my son to suicide as he was waiting for treatment at the department of veterans affairs? another instance where our nation turns its back as lieutenant commander williams tradingbout -- deserters for terrorists and making veterans wait for basic care is unacceptable. you, mr. chairman. the chair recognizes chairman smith, chairman of the subcommittee on human rights. >> thank you. i think this hearing perhaps more than anything else that has happened so far will give additional help to andrew and hopefully he knows the strong

bipartisan support, the concern and prayers that go out for him -- i would just say to mike colleagues that i am not -- to my colleagues that i'm not .urprised and i am not shocked montel williams made a point about pick up the phone is president will stop this at calling -- this is calling friend and ally with whom we have a robust trading relationship. duty ondereliction of the part of the president that he has not made this phone call and put the four -- put the full-court press on the mexican government not to release andrew. i was chairman of the veteran affairs committee and served in the committee for 26 years, including as chairman. -- this argument has

-- theyugh they care have written the book on how to care for veterans suffering from post-paramedics dress disorder. delay is denial. it also needs to be pointed out to any service connection disability be it physical or psychological causes that condition to fester and worrisome. to appeal to the mexican government today is very simple and very direct. release andrew now so they can procure badly needed treatment for ptsd. he is a hero. he is a man that congress looks up to and he says thank you, yet he languishes in a mexican

prison. fund programswe and to oversight. it is the executive branch that and thatt contact phone has to be raised to his ear and he has to not get off the phone until andrew is released. testimony andul to hear a mother make such an articulate and strong appeal on three of her son and has distinguished americans do so in a way that has to be heard, it has to be heard at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. it has already been heard by members of congress and my colleagues have done yeoman's work. you to duncan hunter and so many others who have done so much for so long that the president has to do his part.

plane has to be on a getting the health care he needs. >> i would like to recognize the former chairman of the full committee and a great american, the gentleman from loretta. >> thank you. to follow-up on a few things we discussed when we met in miami. i am aghast you have still not heard from the white house. do you play golf? >> no. >> i know you are a nurse at miami children's hospital. that's just walks away from the biltmore. should we invite him to play a few rounds of golf?

mysk for a statement from constituent -- they are parents of a marine veteran, john hammer, who similarly was arrested and detained for weeks and weeks in mexico it is an absolute shame, it is a disgrace that we need to be here. it says quite a lot about the priorities of this administration. it should not be up to the wounded warriors come in to the families and the friends and mr. tahmooressi has so many friends to wage this awareness campaign and press government the administration for andrew's relief -- release. i want to ask about the process you have to go through with the lawyers in mexico.

i'm recalling some of the things olivia had to go through because it important we recognize the similarities between the cases. turnoressi took a wrong and ended up in the twilight zone and we must get him back. that conflict is prohibited from advised -- from providing legal advice but does give some help in finding a suitable lawyer. to god olivia have through a number of lawyers before you can find a good and trustworthy one, is that correct? could you describe the process you went through to find your lawyers and the consulate provided you with a list, but was it a list of that at individuals or was it here's an abbreviated version of the old-fashioned yellow pages? finally, i would like to ask about andrew's health and his injuries from afghanistan.

ask the panel for their recommendations on how we can better serve our combat veterans who return home. andrew has suffered at least two separate concussions. they don't get the immediate attention they deserve. the alarming number of veterans who take their lives every day, we need to do more as a society and government to address this today. i will start with you. if you can tell us about the process of finding a lawyer. , iwhen i got the phone call did the responsible thing and reached out to my congresswoman,

debbie wasserman schultz. rivas ande to george he said go to the website will stop there is a website in tijuana mexico. andarted down the list reached out. he answered the phone and he spoke english. 10 miles away from san diego, yet there is a language barrier. this lawyer spoke english and was u.s. trained. he was listed as a criminal defense attorney. i thought ince -- was getting a reputable attorney and he was honorably the most scrupulous and exploitive person i've ever met in my life. he served in the disclosure statement before the judge as andrney and translator

scripted a missed truth. he scripted a missed truth. he perjured my son. he scripted a missed truth and told andrew that this is mexico, forget anything you know about american law -- i believe we sent $100 million to mexico in the past couple of years to help them reform their judicial system. this is an attorney that told andrew he must say that he just ,rrived in san diego that day he was rushing to meet a friend, he's never been to mexico before, and he got lost. when andrew called me that afternoon and said mom, where did you get that attorney? he just lied and he told the judge i've never been to mexico. i stood up twice -- the

prosecutor was there, the defense attorney stood up twice to say no because he must have attorney toldthis him to sit down and when i called up this attorney that night and said you said what? i said my son has been to mexico and my son never lies. my son has some faults, but .ighting has never been he is a man of integrity. he says you have to forget everything about america. we do not press upon the law. we do oral arguments. they are not going to check any evidence. they are not going to pull bank accounts -- i pulled his bank account and i see he's been in tijuana twice. i got validation he walked into mexico with his friend who is a

purple heart who invited him to san diego. within hours, they were already in tijuana. there must be a popular lace for marines to visit. he told me he walked out of mexico that day and when he got in his truck to head back north to san diego because he had stayed in a hotel the night previous, he was headed back because he got triggered in tijuana upon nightfall. he got triggered and thought i need to get out of here. with themy experience first mexican attorney. his original court day that she had to go into court and say judge, i request this attorney no longer represents me. receive with the

lies. that was my experience selecting an attorney. manhe grace of god, a great -- he heardlifornia me on a radio station or tv and he called me and said jill, you don't know how to pick mexican attorneys. we are going to pick an attorney. department,he state we met in their boardroom and we , ad lee's provide us a list rank list as we typically number one, provide is a short interviewing at

least four to five different firms and selected mr. anita is the next day. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. -- the gentleman in california. >> thank you very much to all the leaders who have divided their time and effort to make sure this hearing was an incredibly significant hearing that is happening and let me mr. tahmooressi for sending me a tweet the other day for something i did not even notice was going to happen for we are defining ourselves today. actionne ourselves i our -- andrew defined himself in a time of war. he joined the united states marine corps.

i come from a green family. i know what that means. know andrew did not do anything intentionally wrong stop i went to tijuana and i retraced his steps when i drove out of the parking lot and made a turn to the left, i can testify that it appeared i was going into california. when she make that turn, there was no going back until you were in mexico. any was not caused by intention to in some way not respect the law of mexico. that is very evident. today, mexico is defining itself.

us.co is defining itself to i have a warm spot in my heart for mexico and i think i'm speaking for most of us here mexico we look at as a friend. i hope the people of mexico are listening because if this thing is not cleared up soon, there will be hostility that they do not deserve being heaped upon them because they will be proving themselves to us that they are not our friend and we should not treat them that way. heroey treat an american like that, we can no longer treat mexico as our friend. i would hope in a very short time, we can celebrate together with the people of mexico, with you and re-cement a friendship. and it will all depend on whether they do the right thing we are defining

ourselves, the president is defining himself shame on president obama for not making a 30 second telephone call to the president of mexico. he is the commander-in-chief. that means he's the commander of people who volunteer to fight our wars will stop if they don't think he cares nothing about him to make a phone call, are they going to feel betrayed? they are being betrayed. recommend -- i understand the president is in washington today. that we not wait for the president and we put a conference call into the president or that today, within the next half hour we call the white house and personally request each and every one of us

go and see him and have a meeting to talk about this case. enough. gone on long if the gentleman will yield -- i would just relate myself as , and meetingalmon with the vice president relayed that request that the president to make the phone call and its white appropriate for other members here likewise to contact the white house and make that request stop >> we went to the second guy and not time to go to the guy on top. would ask my colleagues to join us today in a telephone let'sill stop finally, hope and pray -- our thoughts travestyyou, this is a

that a brave hero has been treated like this. the unitednt of states is not doing his duty. let's act on this. thank you very much. like the gentleman from texas. sergeant tahmooressi, a marine. he exemplifies exactly what i believe ronald reagan said about the marines. there are two groups that understand the marines -- marines and the enemy. i think that's a true statement. hearing to me is more about the way america has handled this situation of your son. it is an example and a symptom of a bigger problem our marines

and soldiers who have testified have talked about. idea that the government release five terrorists who killed americans and are on the battlefield again doing the same , they are in guantánamo. you have been to guantánamo bay prison. people need to see what it is like. it is not a mexican jail, it's a lot better than a mexican jail and we have learned about the mexican cars -- mexican incarceration system. as a judge, i learned a lot about it at the courthouse will stop but a prisoner or marine being threatened and assaulted while incarcerated is wrong. no matter who he is, whether he's a mexican national or american. we know it has occurred, but still, months later, there he is.

during that six months, this is not about president. he has had the opportunity to make a couple of phone calls string that six months. 3 the men's july soccer team to congratulate them. he congratulated the san antonio had -- san antonio spurs had coach, so he can make those congratulatory calls. let's make one more and make a statement to the mexican president. i have sponsored along with the , sponsoredresolution by 81 members of congress that calls on the mexican government to release our sergeant. we hope we can get this by action adopt did before we have to take a vote on.

maybe contacting the mexican president is something we ought to be doing. that is one avenue we are going through legally to try to get something done. been excellent witnesses. you do not hedge on anything. i wonder why there is no witness from the state department, why they are not testifying about what they are doing or not doing about the marine we have been talking about? commentr williams, your going back to about this is bigger -- it is a symptom of other things. our veterans coming back, how they are treated, waiting in i am not very i.t. savvy, but i am getting constant tweets, i think they are called

from citizens in texas complementing you and demanding congress to something about our marines. 37 young men and women killed in iraq and afghanistan from all races and all branches of the service stop their photographs are on my wall here in washington as are many other members. we are not forgetting this marine. we are not forgetting any of whether they were killed whethern or wounded or they come back with the wounds of war as you have talked about all stop the american public stands with our military, all of them because as it has been said, the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten. forget thoseing to who come back and we are not going to forget sergeant

tahmooressi while he is in a mexican jail. it is long past due to come back. i think i am out of time. i have some questions, but i will ask you later. comment i just make one ? i want to thank you for bringing house resolution 620. 80 members of congress have signed on to this, but unfortunately, we need to get this to the floor. it would send an incredible message today to the president if the house and congress would at least call a vote on this. what you stated, the american public knows about sergeant tahmooressi, but i don't understand what's going on at the political level. two governors have set down with the mexican president and neither one has raised this question.

i was in a meeting yesterday with an individual who is a grand funder of a lot of campaigns going on across this country right now. he sat with the president of mexico three or four days ago when i said why didn't you tell me that? i would have called and asked you to do so but they will -- we are holding this hearing today, most of the american public has some weird idea that he must have done something wrong and that's why you are not backing him. when you talk about the fact he made a wrong turn, people have to understand submitted as evidence in the mexican court right now is the video of pulling uphmooressi to the checkpoint and they gave him a green light. he could have entered the tontry, figured out a way get one back every week. he could his hands up and said i made a mistake.

that right there is clear enough for anyone to understand, this is not us -- some people claim he had to do something wrong. this is not getting a soldier back to his done something wrong, this is getting a soldier back. >> the chair recognizes the gentleman from pennsylvania. >> i want to thank you all for being here. , to you and your family from my family, we pray for your family every day. i ask unanimous consent to enter into the you record a letter i dated july 10 of 2014 to the ambassador of mexico to the united states of america respectfully asking for the immediate release of sergeant tahmooressi.

can i have this letter entered into the record? i did not receive a response. assist thed i will chairman in any way needed or anyway they request to continue to work on the release of your son. as lieutenant commander williams son andu and your veterans deserve more and we need to see that is accomplished. i apologize for how inappropriately you have been treated and i apologize for the inappropriate letter of concern -- i am truly disappointed in that.

the president said on numerous occasions that he has a henan the phone and he can do what he wants. to use your pen in your phone to tell the american -- do you keep repeatedly telling the american people you're going to use. i am disappointed you have to be disappointed that vets have not receive the appropriate care they should be receiving in this country. the president needs to step up and show the proper attention. our allies in the mexican government need to step up and do the right thing and do it immediately. >> the other gentlemen from texas, mr. stockman, is recognize. congressman matt

salmon and his efforts through all of this. ahave to say if your son is gun runner, he's one of the worst ones i've ever seen. think he brought enough to make any money. it is so bizarre -- this whole thing is upside down. he is unbelievably over there and i sat with the counsel oferal and gave him a stack papers on your son and i said this is going to grow into something really bad for both of our countries and you continue to hold our hero. compassion. we all the time in texas -- we come across the border -- we have them come across the border

accidentally and they were shooting 50 caliber machine guns at us and we let them go and. friendship i our i ams is so disturbing and puzzled by it. i hope this committee in the future reconsiders the amount of money we are sending down there. i don't think we should keep investing in friends ike this. we have friends like this, we don't need enemies. as i seely frustrated the lack of compassion on their side and i see compassion on our side and we just want talents. there are some other people that have not been announced that have come up on the hill on your appear-- a marine can and spoke on your son's behalf, larry ward from special operations has been appear -- sam bushman has been appear with

his organization on your behalf office hase from my been pushing very hard and anna marie hoffman has been pushing. we tried to struggle and do something but it feels like we are pushing against jell-o sometimes. it seems to fall on deaf years. we talked to the president's people and it falls on deaf ears. we have nobody from the state heretment here -- you are and that's great, but there should be people here that can hearing this powerful testimony and they are not here. that is disappointing to me personally because of a long run, this will do damage to congress and to the institution

of the presidency -- there is so much silence -- the silence is deafening. are heroes from every standpoint and we continue to be silent and it's very disturbing. is there any more we can do outside of what we are doing right now that would move the process forward? i would like to see more than 81 signatures on house resolution 620. if you could reach out to all your colleagues -- i believe mexico would find that if therey intimidating , butore than 81 signatures thank you for all of your oforts and coming in out session to hear about andrew's fight for freedom in the fight of our veterans in america full

>> the chair recognizes a former veteran and congressman from florida. friend.ar >> thank you for holding this hearing. sergeant tahmooressi is an american era who fought for us with honor and distinction with accordance to the finest distinction of the united states marine corps. himself languishing in a mexican prison for six months. his imprisonment is unjust and his length of detention is a disgrace. beenitnesses here have phenomenal. i've sat through a lot of congressional hearings and i want to apply this to you because you have all brought tremendous insight into this issue and i think it will help educate the american people about andrew's plight. me -- is inexplicable to

this should have been resolved long ago. people have mentioned we would like to see help from the white house -- this is the law of the land right now -- whenever it is made known that any citizen of the united states has been unjustly deprived of his liberty by or under the authority of any foreign government, it shall be the duty of the president forth with to demand that government the reason of such imprisonment and it appears to be wrongful, in violation of the rights of american citizenship, the resident sat -- the president shall forthwith demand the release of such prisoner. the president shall use such means not amounting to acts of war or otherwise prohibited by law, as he thinks is necessary and proper to obtain or effectuate the release will stop all the facts and proceedings relative thereto shall as soon as practicable be relegated by

the president will stop i am not aware of the president taking any action to bring our marine back and i don't think we have received any information in congress about actions that have been taken. president, we have a man down. pick up the phone and do your job on behalf of our marine. [applause] i think it could be solved very quickly, but i do think even though it is the president duty ended all on him, we do need to not justcongress and in press releases but in actual votes. means we call up house resolution 620 and we voted out of the house of representatives say to mexico we send you hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign assistance.

that money stops until our marine is brought back to the united states. [applause] we need to stop talking in this town and start acting. i am glad you called this hearing. like to see more action and there are more things the president could do. we have a lot of leverage we can use to secure our marines release and needs to happen as expeditiously as possible. >> i would like to say for the record that when we go back into session, if our man is not back him we will be moving that bill and we will be moving it out of the subcommittee. to workvery intention with leadership to get it expedited on the floor as quickly as possible. i have a sneaking suspicion and an optimistic view that good things are going to happen very fromand, congressman

florida, i know we have heard that before, but i have reason to believe maybe some optimism might the in vogue right now. i recognize the jarman from florida, mr. young. but i want to thank you, chairman and mr. hunter for the stellar work you have done. thank you all for showing up -- i agree with everybody appear that you guys have done a great job. -- the storyssi you are telling exemplifies only the love and concern a mother or parent can have for a child will the things you have shared with us are great. i did this, mom i scheduled my solo flight, and you went through this whole list of stop the last one i cannot read because it's too disturbing, but to hear the excitement of our

kids, mom or dad, i did this and then to have this turnout, to me it is unconscionable we have gotten to this point. throughng we've gone with our relationship to mexico and it has been brought up, they get $300 million a year in foreign aid. they are a trading partner and ally and eight don't send their young to defend freedom as we do. interesting how you s and turns the path we make in life often lead us to the wrong direction. how many of us have may wrong term that has had this consequence in our life? had thisturn that has consequence in our life? i see a young man that went down

there who made a wrong turn, realized he made a wrong turn, goes to the security guard and says i've made a wrong turn, i want to go back to america and, by the way, i have three guns. i'm telling you what i did stop if you were doing that to smuggle them in there, you would not say that. was a mistake and a wrong turn. i need to let him go and for our up, tont not to stand heand his release, negotiated and released -- i of the illegally, five all-star players in the taliban and team for one of armoring. i'm always happy to get one of our soldiers home of a but if we can do that and he can do that,

he can do this. just ask for him to be returned. we do not want to make an international incident out of this. we want our son, your comrade home. i as a u.s. congressman apologize that one of our citizens came into your country and made a wrong turn i apologize he made a mistake and i hope you find in your heart the ability to forgive him and .elease them i just want to thank all of you that have served. we are well aware of the suicides that happen every day in this entry and we need to get them back and get them treated all stop i thought it was

statedting that it was it was a medical emergency. if it is true then, it is true now. the president should use his pattern and bring this man home. we are with you and we will do whatever we can. >> i recognize the john from california who is a veteran who has worked tirelessly on behalf of sergeant tahmooressi, a great guy and good colleague, duncan hunter. >> thank you, everybody for coming out. we don't call it the marine corps, we call it america's graincorp. marine who fought for .very single person

they say it is your marine corps, america's marine corps. frankly, i'm tired of the lip service. i watch the president give speeches. is just lip service. he does not care. secretary kerry does not care. the state department, for all the little things they have done, they do not care. people in this room care. when they trust or lives to the u.s. military, you gave your son up for your country and he did it illegally and probably -- he is a stud. he is a young killer and that's

why he joined the country. see what they have reduced him to in mexico and read the excerpt where he was tied red eagle and beaten and threatened, that is appalling. this is not yemen or somalia, this is supposed to be one of our number one neighbors, mexico. i would advise everybody we don't allow our marines to go to mexico. in san diego, not allowed to go to mexico. ,exico is more than rosa rita cozumel, and it's not a. in mexico, they make five dollars a day. that is their new minimum wage. it is not a first world country and there's a reason we do not allow our marines and sailors to san diego.o from they do not get leaves therefrom and pendleton. andrew does not just deserve

this. he has earned it. 1% of the u.s. population who has served in the .ilitary he has earned this attention today. he has earned this. this is what we are here for. this is why we are in congress, to represent people like him some -- to represent people like him so we can fight for him when the president won't. what kind of low margin we have to set for this president when we have to ask them to make a phone call? he ought to go to those mexican golf courses and get him out in person. a commander-in-chief should go to hell and back for one of their men or women who has been left behind.

i have a question for the panel. would you allow your marines or soldiers to go to mexico today? no, congressman. >> negative, congressman. >> would you allow your son or any of your friends or kids to go to mexico? >> it is too dangerous. i would not stop fax in 2011, when afghanistan was raging, you likely to bes more killed in mexico than afghanistan. afghanistan was safer than mexico was. this does not sound like a good neighbor. it doesn't sound like a neighbor with all of our corporation so they can have i've dollars a day laborer in mexico.

still am -- still andrews chance and i think montel that that right on the head. they stole his chance. by getting rid of this case and they at least, set him on a slow uphill path to being healed. montel, you are dead on. this is much worse than half of the stem. you probably want to serve two or three tours in the most horrible, dirty combat face onerous than sit in a third world country jail. thank you for what you are doing. god help us if we cannot get one of our own back out of the clutches of a not so great government like mexico. [applause] i like to recognize the german from florida, mr. jolly.

i think each of you for your service. myself withsociate the comments of mr. hunter. we are elected to work and actually get things done. panel haser of this run against the dysfunction of washington. when we are elected, we don't have the luxury of resigning ourselves to dysfunction. we have to work. that means putting your name on important pieces of legislation like house resolution 624th. the issue is leadership and the facts are as clear as they can be. we have established we have to get andrew homan the president has not enough. israel.tly, pts about getting andrew home, but we've talked about a very important

condition, and that is pts. walk us through very briefly because i have a couple what youons, as a mom, noticed in andrew as pts began to progress in him? >> he got out of active duty in october of 2012. he pretty much immediately enrolled in emery riddle and was accepted in gender -- accepted in january. it is hard to acclimate from the battlefield into a college environment, especially when you have a difficult time relating to your peer group. having a difficult time relating to the peer group, he would see a classroom full of people his age will stop they were disrespectful and got up and left. as a marine, you definitely bow down to authority. he started getting aggravated and frustrated and was having flash backs, having a difficult

time sleeping and would wake up screaming. we would hear him wake up screaming. restless nights and agitation ansys mission. and progressed he did cap hypervigilance of self-defense. called ahad what i hunter, pray system -- syndrome. to me, he was always .ypervigilant 13 is when he purchased his concealed weapon. wenthotgun in 2011 when we to alaska but then felt the need to have himself armed with a handgun. being a marine, he carried a rifle and was responsible for the biggest gotten on the battlefield, the fifth he caliber. so when he made his third -- second purchase which