business of trying to promote one industry over another. that's the job of the free market, the job of private industry, not the role of the government. >> you know, governor ader's approach has the wrong focus -- governor otter's approach has the wrong focus. they've been looking to bring big businesses and hopefully get good jobs. we are competing, with all due respect, and our competition is to offer low taxes or tax incentives. we have over 40,000 small businesses in our state. we need to find ways to help them thrive and grow. if 10% of those businesses would add one employee, that's 4000 new jobs over the state. i was in phoenix spoken with the mayor, and he said the cheese factory wants to expand, but they cannot because jerome's

water trip -- water treatment facility is at capacity. the state has helped find the grants to help that facility expand the water treatment facility and let the cheese factories expand. that's the kind of thing the government can help as this is due. isagain, government's role not to help one business compete against another. government should only be involved in keeping regulation low, keeping taxes low and fair across the board, keeping taxes predictable, and getting out of the way of letting the free market do its job. ofone of the main powers idaho governor is the ability to make appointments, which can really drive the agenda of your administration. how would you go about selecting the agenda for your administration? isi think the good model what they use for appointing judges where they have some

lawyers get together and review the applications for those positions and then make those recommendations to the governor, and i think in the case of judges, they recommend three people. i think it is important to consult with the people in that particular industry or business so that we get the right kind of business we need. the people i a point will be people of integrity, of competence that know their industry and know their business, and they are fair and not there to promote a partisan agenda but to promote and make sure that the state of idaho is being all that we can be. >> i think it's important that the people who are appointed to serve in government are not your best friends. bey are not going to yes-men. if you choose the sites of people, you end up in the governor situation where he has friends that get involved in

scandals and he has to look the other way and avoid the problem. that's what happened over this because thetract federal government no longer pays because the contract was made illegally by the governor's best friend. i would look at people interested in the job, have them apply and use their experience and integrity and their loyalty to my vision, which is giving idaho back to the people. >> all right. i'm going to call this the last question. it will be a little open-ended, about's really -- it's money, but it's about a philosophy as well. what should idaho's relationship we with the federal government? >> i think if i could pick one word to describe idaho's relationship with the federal government, it would be partnership. partnership the between two

equal entities. idaho to needs to recognize and assert its sovereignty. thes not the servant of federal government, so i would look to act in partnership with the federal government, and when you act in partnership, good ink can happen. we can work with congress to get back control of our land. we can work with our delegation to put together an immigration policy that makes sense for idaho. we can work with the federal government on funding issues so that we do not become dependent on federal dollars but can take advantage of federal dollars in a way that makes sense for idaho people and idaho economy. the idaho state and federal government ought to act in partnership. i believe the best decisions are made closest to home, but federalisions the government has taken on itself, and we need to recognize that and work within that framework.

i think the partnership that mr. bujak describes is a good way to look at that, that we work together as partners to work together where idaho has its proper role and where the federal government has its proper role. i'm not in favor of taking over the ownership of federal lands, but i am in favor of having a voice in how that gets managed. also work withld our congressional delegation to help them, encourage them to do what they can to pass the kinds that would be a great benefit for the state of idaho. >> i know state -- i said this was the last question, but this partnership with the federal government, does it involve medicaid expansion? >> want me to take the first shot? i think we should.

i think we should expand medicaid coverage. we have somewhere in excess of 70,000 at helen's -- idahoans who are not insured, and they show up at the emergency room's when they have medical problems. you and i pay for their costs because they can't. each county has an indigent care , and the hospital bill the state has a catastrophic fund. between the county and state, we are spending somewhere between $80 million and $90 million a year to care for uninsured people. the federal government would pick up that cost and free up $80 million to $90 million that we could use for higher priorities here in the state. i see taking those medicaid payments as not much different than taking agricultural orsidies, funding the inl

funding the air force base. >> medicaid expansion is wrong for idaho. one thing people do not recognize is if you expand medicare, you are putting an additional burden on a primary care model that already cannot handle the medicaid patients that are out there currently. that our forget federal government is going to fund under medicaid expansions $.90 of every dollar. idaho still has to come up with $.10 out of every dollar spent, and has to pay for the cost of administering the program. it's a cost idaho simple cannot afford. the answer is not throw money at a model that is broken. the answer is create a new model, and there's one working in the state of washington. privately andider combine that with a wrap around catastrophic model, and it's cheaper and it works better, and you get to see your doctor 24/7

if you want it. doctors are happier. and it works beautifully. patients are happy. doctors are happy. it's more cost effective and does not involve adding additional financial burden to idaho by expanding medicare. working on that proposal should be in the next legislative session. i look forward to that bill being presented because i would sign it into law. >> all right, because of the coin toss, we have two-minute closing remarks, and you start and you conclude. >> thank you. >> latest in tillman, thank you for being her tonight. when november gets here, you have an important choice to make. you will choose idaho's next governor. you can choose governor otter. if you do, you lock yourself into four more years of cronyism and corruption, medicaid expansion because even though he says it's not a guarantee, it's coming down the pike. into a pitdig deeper

from which it will not be able to emerge. you can vote for mr. beluga, but if you elect a democrat, he would be stonewalled by a republican legislature who would not let him lament -- implement his agenda. a vote for mr. bujak is a vote for stagnation -- a vote for mr. balukoff is a vote for stagnation. before you say that an independent candidate cannot win, let me remind you -- lincoln was a third-party candidate when he ran for president, and he won. just event or a was a third-party candidate when he ran for governor of minnesota, and he won. great moments in history happen when people have had enough and finally stand up and take a stand, and this november, if you stand up, the power to change history rests in your hands. you do not need to take up your guns. it is not going to cost you a dime. you just need to go down to the governor,k bujak for

and i will take it from there. thank you very much. >> again, thank you all for being here. i appreciate the opportunity of introducing myself and telling you where i stand on some of the issues as they are brought up. as you have listened to us, you can see that sometimes mr. bujak and i agree on some issues in their some instances where we disagree, but the one thing we do agree on is it's time for a change in leadership at the top. governor, change the and we need to change him now. if you are satisfied with going downhill and spiraling to the bottom, then vote for governor on her because that's what you are going to get. as i said before, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. i think we need to change. it's time.

it's important that we make the change right now. i can work with the republican legislature. if you elect me as a governor, that will be the first time in 20 years this state has elected a democratic governor, and that will send an important message to the legislature. i have worked with many of those ladies and gentlemen over the years as school board trustees and in other capacities. i'm confident i can work with them. i've been talking with several of them during this campaign, .nd it will not be stagnation we will improve the economy, and we will make sure that we get rid of the cronyism that is currently in our state government. if i'm the governor, i will work hard, tell the truth, and put people first. that's why i'm asking for your vote for me on november 4. thank you very >> thank you.

-- thank you very much. >> thank you. [applause] we want to thank both of these men for coming to the magic valley, for taking my questions for an hour. i want to thank the leaders of the times news who sent in questions, who engaged with this .rocess [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> join us tonight when we will continue our coverage of campaign 2014 with another debate, one of over 100 we will bring you this campaign season. the focus will be on the oklahoma governor's race. we'll have a debate between democrat joe dorman and incumbent republican mary fall

in. on our companion network c-span2 at 8:00, another debate for nebraska's governor. that will be live starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. the c-span city store takes book tv and american history tv on the road. this weekend, we partnered with .omcast >> my book is called "the beast in the garden" because it's a book about a large animal that in ancient times or in american history we would have called the beast, the mountain lion, in and is really a garden, that is boulder, colorado. it's a beautiful, seemingly natural place, but in many ways, it has been altered by human kind, and when you get this wild animal coming into this

artificial landscape, you can cause changes in the behavior of that animal. a mountain lion's favorite food is been is in. they eat about one dear a week. the deer, living on the outskirts of this less city where we have irrigated hardens and lawns -- we had a deer herd living in downtown boulder. when the lions moved back into the area, they ran open space with a were lots of deer, and then they discovered there were deer in town, so the dear lord deer lured lure -- the lions in the town, and then they discovered they could eat dogs and cats. they learned that this is where they could find food. there certainly food here, too, but there's lots in town. >> chautauqua is a retreat, generally in a beautiful place for enrichment, enlightenment, entertainment, and coming together. the people who were intended to be the audience of the

chautauqua were really what we would call the middle class. most of the at chautauqua's were very similar, a combination of speakers of the day, and also a variety of what we might consider highbrow and lowbrow entertainment -- opera, classical music, and probably what would be considered the vaudeville of the day. >> watch all of our events from boulder saturday at noon eastern and sunday afternoon at 2:00. moment, ain just a pentagon update on operations in afghanistan. general john campbell will be briefing reporters from kabul. will beiral john kirby moderating. it should get under way in a few moments. we'll have that for you on c-span.

>> good afternoon, everybody. it is an honor to welcome back to our briefing room the commander of the international security assistance force in u.s. forces afghanistan, general john campbell. most of you already know general campbell, as he most recently served here in the building is the army's vice chief of staff and before that, director of operations in the army staff. general campbell assumed command in afghanistan on august 26, and a lot has happened in just that first month. we've seen a new president inaugurated in kabul. the new afghan government signed a bilateral security agreement,

and a native status forces agreement will make it possible for our allies and partners to solidify their plan to contribute to the resolute support mission next year. of course, our troops and those of our partners in afghanistan continue to put pressure on the enemy while enabling and ensuring that national security forces remain in the lead for defending their people and their country. this is general campbell's third tour in afghanistan. the general will provide us with a brief opening statement and then take your questions. i will moderate the questions from here. when i call on you, please identify who you are with -- your name and who you are with -- because the general will not be able to see us the way we can see him. i would like to remind you because of the satellite connection, there is about a three to i've-second delay, so please just allow for that -- five-second delay, so please allow for that for time for him

to respond. with that, sir, i will turn it over to you. >> hey, john, thanks very much. i appreciate the opportunity to address everyone at the pentagon press corps. as john said, i cannot see you, so i'm looking at a little screen of myself. i will try to continue to look at the camera. i had a prepared written statement i'm not going to use. i would like to cover some quick notes and open it up for q&a. as john said, i've been on the ground for six weeks from today. i do have to put a shout out to general joe dunford and the great job he did in his 18 months here and the great transition that we had. i've known him for 15-plus years, and he really did set up the team for success here, so i came into a very great team. if i had one word to tell you what i've seen so far in the six , its transition, transition, transition. transition to the resolute support, a political transition vsah a new president, the

signing and this really complete political transition. we are currently with about 40,000 troops on the ground, just less than 40,000. by the endng to 12.5 of the year. the number for the united states was 90 at hundred. we continue to go there. we are on a very good glide path to make that by the end of december, and i think the confidence of the afghan people has been posted, and also our coalition partners provide the notion -- necessary partners for the mission. i have seen huge differences in the attitude since the last week . i have the opportunity to be at the inauguration with ambassador cunningham. there's two things that struck that i did not see prior to that date. one, the appreciation for the coalition forces, and second, the appreciation for the ansf.

the president has embraced the secure divorces, the police, and the army that made an immediate impact on them and their more. again, i think that will be a great window of opportunity for afghanistan as we move forward. i do look forward to continuing to work with nato forces as we move toward this resolution support set. it's a fundamentally different mission as we really work and train and advise and assist at the core level. and then really at the ministerial level. that's different than when i was here last time. my battlefield circulation this time, and a friend from when i was in rc east. i had an opportunity to see the great first cavalry division, .alk to soldiers but i have been focusing on the security institutions, the ministry of interior, the ministry of defense, the national security advisor, and then working with both the president and ceo, so that has

been my focus the first six weeks. i do think there will be challenges as we move forward, working through the national unity government. i look forward to working with both the president and mr. abdullah on that. again, i will take questions on that as we move forward, but i am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to be the isaf commander. we continue to have great success on the ground in many areas, and i think a lot of that has been taken away from the news over the last several weeks with a rack and syria, and i do want to emphasize that you have men in women that continue to be in harms way they do great things for all of our countries, working with the afghan security forces, and i'm proud to be part of that. with that, i will take your questions. >> ok, sir, thank you. first question. >> a recent gao report said that the lack of a bilateral security agreement could delay the .rawdown now that a bilateral security agreement has been signed, are

you still on time to finish things -- start things in october and finish up? >> john, i only got parts of that question. i think the question was because the bsa was signed in late october, could we still make the resolute support set -- is that the question? >> the drawdown, make sure the on time.happens >> yes, it's about the resolution and the timetable. >> we are absolutely on glide path right now. we are -- we have been on glide ofh since probably the first november, and we are on that glide path and in some places, we are ahead of schedule, so i really have no concerns on the retrograde piece. there's been a lot of very hard

work done by all the units here. we are just a little under 30 cops and fobs at this point, and we will make the resolute support set by the end of december. >> and with fox news, i wanted to ask you to deb the picture questions. panetta is in a line of military heavyweights who suggested it would have been a good idea to leave troops in iraq. do you agree with that, and do you believe that 9800 is enough troops for afghanistan, and can you tell us what their new mission will be? >> i appreciate the question, the first part on leaving troops in iraq, i think the last time i

was in iraq was in 2009 with the chairman. 2007, there at the end of first part of 2008 as a one-star. when we left in 2011, i think we left them in the best possible condition militarily. things that were done by the ofernment that did not bring the different factions in iraq together was not something that the military -- the u.s. military could have done or , so i cannot comment on that piece, but i think we left them in his best shape as we could. afghanistan is fundamentally different in iraq, and almost you cannot compare the two. we now have a great window of opportunity after signing me b the entirewhere country of afghanistan launched the coalition, not just united states, but probably 38, 39 countries. he got to remember, we had over 50 countries tied into this isaf mission in the last 13 years. i don't think that is unprecedented. i don't think we've ever had that many country stick together in a time of conflict, so this

is fundamentally different where we are at, and again, the president, by signing me -- the sofa has said they are a sovereign country but they do continue to want the assistance that the coalition provides, and i think we're in a different place than we were with iraq. the afghan secure divorces, completely different than when i left iraq, completely different than when i was here a couple of years ago. they have taken on the security mission from last june. they have a mostly entirely by themselves. i think they've done very well andorting the elections some of the major events. the last couple of weeks, there's been an uptick with the taliban trying to make a statement as they close out the fighting season. what you may be getting in the media probably in the western part of gaza, and a place where you heard about potential beheadings, 250 houses burning -- that's absolutely false. we've worked very hard with the afghans to make sure they get that message out to show that forces cansecurity

hold. there's no where we have afghan security forces that the taliban can get and hold terrain. they may take over a district center or something, but only temporarily. once the nsf understand that piece of it, they go after that in get the terrain back, so i'm confident in their abilities. they do have some shortfalls that we will continue to work on, and that's what part of resolute supporters. tour card in their aviation, intelligence, sustainment, those things that are very hard for any army, especially here in afghanistan, we will continue to work with them on that. >> just follow up, really quickly. do you believe that leaving a force in iraq would have been thatfor the same reasons it's good to leave a force in afghanistan the accra for example, they could have overseen some of the changes that maliki made and urged him not to do so.

>> i think any military guy is going to tell you if you can leave a force, you always leave a force, but again, this conditions in iraq are completely different than in afghanistan. leaving forces in afghanistan. we have at least two years to continue to build on the security for the afghan people, to continue to work with the .inistries you mentioned 9800 -- that's just the u.s. contribution. 12.5, 12 .7bout with the nato contribution, and we'll have forces in the north, south, so, and how -- we are going to really a spoken hub. in the east, we will have forces .n jalalabad, in bagram on fourbe covered down of the six course, and two of the course will continue to advise.

>> thank you for doing this. can you please expand on your point about the ansf? what do they need the most help doing now, and where do you focus with them on your time going forward in afghanistan? >> we are not out on patrol with the afghans. we are focused on the systems and processes that they have at the core level. we are no longer with the brigades. the gaps and scenes that were identified early on, aviation, close air support, intelligence, logistics, how to sustain their wece by the processes that continue to work on. we developed eight essential functions as we move into resolute support that will continue to work with the afghan forces. those include the joint fires piece. it includes working with their force generation, and again, i'm

very confident that the afghan forces have the capability to withstand the fight internally inside afghanistan. they are very confident as, but quite candidly, the last couple of years, there's been some impediments to them based on some political decisions within their own country that prevented them from even going further. now with a new administration who has embraced the military here, it will probably change some of the directives that are out here that may have inhibited the ability of the military. i believe able be able to grow. the afghan military is the most respected institution in afghanistan. every poll taken in the last two years, they are at the top. i feel confident that there are some areas and challenges that we will have to continue to work thatut there's no place once the taliban or any other insurgents takeover that the afghan military cannot take that back from them. and the places that the taliban

and insurgents are going after are going after our very remote locations where we do not have a lot of police or a lot of army, and they are trying to make these very high profile attacks, once welar attacks, and have security forces in those areas, then the to how the ban are quickly defeated. >> i want to go back to what you were talking about with the taliban. they seem to be >> what, if anything, has the us done to help the afghan forces? is it just airstrikes?can you talk a little bit about the forces and rity their casualties?how much of the increased over the past year or so?

thank you, great questions. question t to the about the casualties. there is western part of see which continues to an uptick in activity, but nothing like what the local made it out to be. best forces have

been there. quite candidly they have been afraid to do that. they have been inhibited from telling of the good stories. under

the current president you will see the army leadership come out and tell you about the success they are having. there are casualties on both sides but i think that over the 24 to 48 hours you will see the taliban has not any of the ground and they are very discouraged, and that their leadership continues not even to be in afghanistan and that their be low. ontinues to they have won the information i think that they themselves to be to work on we need that. but i am very confident security t the afghan forces can do. we will continue to build a capabilities but we are not there yet. -- so we will continue

to provide support post 15 and into 16. >> on the casualty piece, and there is a little delay here what i can hear, there has been an uptick in the number of casualties that the afghan security force has taken. a much greater percentage rate on the police because they are not trained as equipped the same level the afghan army and the special operating forces. so they have brunt of those casualties. i think over the next 48 hours you will see reports from the afghans that done very they have well there. but the number of casualties for the afghan security forces for the summer just slightly higher,

actually, than 13. but that is because they have been in the almost completely this summer. >> this is jim michaels of usa question of air support. will the us be in to provide air support, including both close as support and medevac missions under some circumstances? i understand if the question. will he be in a medevac to provide afghans in 2015? the amount of medevac will be -- from diminished for

what we have today. we will continue to work with the can ans in terms of what we and cannot provide on one of -- on 1 i have to january. i have to have that conversation with the president. >> from bloomberg news. i want in government ste spending concerns. concerns have continually been voiced about so-called emerging in bbles the country because his people and us officials cannot go to projects and oversee how well us dollars are being spent. there is still billions of dollars to be allocated as us troop mobiles go down. is that

a genuine concern and are you working with the afghan ministry of the interior and defense to strengthen oversight of us tax dollar expenditures? >> thanks for the question. absolutely, we are working to make sure that it is open and and that we have ability to oversee processes. we are working with the ministry of defense to you move n controls as into 2015 on how we leverage just brought in the new akbar, security advisor. we had him briefed a change in business and how we will tighten those to give us better accountability and oversight how we use the -- i . hypotonic couple of

couple of bullet on a payroll submissions, there is a greater linking payrolls with contracts. we are going to money rather an than dollars. we brought the national security advisor in to give a little oversight. we will start next week working through commitment letters that personally talking to the n.o.i. and mod about how to strengthen those controls. minister akbar was grateful for that. we want to make sure we did in the what we

past, and continue working with m oi and mod. we will not have the touch out in the brigades, we are increasing the numbers we have in the ministries. i think with will really help us planning budget execution. i this is hard for people to understand in the us as working with are the afghans. we also really up the civilian positions. the m oi is a little better than the mod. we bring in young people, can g civilians who continue to grow. i have had

and ussions with the moi they will embrace that. i our k that will help with accountability,transparency, and oversight. up on ant to follow justin's question about the that you have inherited. what would give you pause about the current plan next the course of the year or so, that would make you think that maybe the plan was good one to sustain, and then potentially make a recommendation to change it, in terms of the aviation and intel issues you're talking about? would give you that pause?

>> great question, thanks. i'm very comfortable at this point in time about the plan and the ramp and the drawdown. quite frankly the organization was set up to leverage people, give the right people the right in the right ministries, and i'm hopeful path to do the right that. again, some of that will based on the new administration. some of the new president the will affect the goals -- we want to he are just starting this political transition and we have not even started, it's still way too early. we are the new o figure out

who within those ministries. we need to work toward that continuity and work on that base. but really the that new who have are weapon system, the folks engage the right levels to really work gaps and seems that were identified a year and a half with our afghan partners. i feel confident that we have a good plan that has every commander on the ground i reserve the right to provide my assessments to the chain of as we move forward. being with us or "voice of am from america". no now you said that you are longer on patrol, but no us and ps be on the ground taking the lead, or are they only there for support?

>> at a hard time hearing but i think the question was, how long have we not been patrolling, and how long will to attack al qaeda? as part of the us mission to train, advise, and assist at the core minister level, we are the special h operating forces, and we will building the afghan capacity. we have not been at the brigade level since late last summer because they have taken over the lead of security. there are have been ols we partnered with, and that really own force de our protection. but really the best protection is to layer and work

with our afghan partners. but we have not been out there for a year or so. again, at the special operating forces level, forces, we do assist. this will be the last question. -- can you . p just just elaborate on the casualties from last summer to this summer? those id not bring the ers with me. i think overall after casualties,and this is probably both wounded and killed, is slightly higher the summer of 13. the last

or so it spiked, otherwise it would probably have been lower than 13. the number had that has been floating around out there, it based on o measure includes stems, this wounded and killed, is in the 7000 to 9000 of for 2014. the biggest spike in the last of the ks because done in helman and aljeerastan. expected those numbers to be up were in '11 and '12.

be given example of the use of russian-made helicopters? and here are about 84 or so mi17s here. we continue to work both with and the an air force special mission wing, which supports special operating -- i had the a portunity to go on a flight see how these and to k. the ability they have

take afghan soldiers, to fly to an lc, to provide a resupply, it's absolutely incredible. they have been mostly moving forces and providing resupply. i think that continues to in the e confidence afghan people, and i am very have an d. they also rsi capability and video, which they have used quite last few ly in the days in helman. i just looked at his storyboard the other day the insertion of four a very small, tough, dusty lz. those pilots put them down in right ght place at the

time very safely and also for the next couple days were able at provide these supplies very low loom in place is very hard to get to. a few months used i would say anger". absolutely, these boost the confidence to fight. we want to make sure we pilots in the ep pipeline. do it y sir, that will for questions. but i wanted to if you u a last chance -- last pets comments comments before we sign off. we appreciate your time tonight. you ohn, thank you for what

do for the dod, and in getting stories out to the coast guard and everyone. afghanistan is a difficult place and and a tough environment for our soldiers, nato and nd for for the afghan security forces. with the new administration there is a renewed sense of to build a new afghanistan for the future. i want everyone to know that the women ice of our men and who have served, and the sacrifice for their families, not been for nought. they has be proud of what that forces and of what the

continue to do. hopefully we'll get some of you overhears you can see for yourselves really what this new afghanistan looks the new security forces, and the government will embrace them and the international community. thank you ou sir, everyone. that concludes our press conference. >> coming up live this afternoon we will bring you a discussion on the ebola outbreak in west africa. the associated press reports that health officials in texas say they have reached out to 80 had direct or e indirect contact with those affected by ebola. they say one is showing symptoms. posted by the council, eight will -- it will be live

3pm eastern on cspan. and talking about the bombing syria, 5pm eastern for psan. join us tonight the election in 2015. our focus will be on the oklahoma governor's race, where between a race incumbent republican and a democrat. on cpsan 2, another race. on book tv,this weekend we

visited boulder, colorado. animal that large have cient times we would boulder is a t. natural, seemingly beautiful place but in many ways it has been altered by mankind, and have an animal that enters the landscape it can change things as well. this is a beautiful lush city irrigated gardens and lawns. the city affects the living in ad deer downtown humboldt. the lions discovered they could

was dogs and cats, that food for them. the lions were learning, they have learned they will is where certainly there is food up there, but there's lots to eat in town. beautiful reat to a place for enrichment, enlightenment, and coming together. the audience that was intended was really the middle class. it was a combination of speakers of the day and a variety of both what we might highbrow and lowbrow entertainment,opera and classical music, and what would be considered the vaudeville of that day. our events from on book on saturday,

tv and on american history on c-span three. >> yesterday a house looked at the imprisonment of u.s. marine sergeant andrew tahmooressi in a mexican jail. he suffered from posttraumatic after crossing the border. he served two tours of duty and was honorably discharged. witnesses at the hearing included a former talk show host.

>> this subcommittee will come to order. we would like limit the opening statements. members will then be given ample time to ask questions and for a second me we will do estions, so. i would like to start by present ing myself and my opening statements. without the ction the members of subcommittee can submit their i now yield record. myself as much time as i need the opening remarks. marine sergeant andrew tahmooressi was in mexico. i would like

to thank everyone who came out, is a busy time during election season, and the fact many members came back this is a extremely important issue that we want to resolve as quickly as possible. tahmooressi has been advocate for ong her son. montel williams, it is a pleasure to have you speaking behalf of andrew. finally, marine sgt. buchanan, the bottom of our hearts we appreciate your service and the fact that you are here of your g on behalf good friend. i would like to thank you personally for your wonderful service to our nation. not long after the v.a. scandal my hometown of phoenix, exposing widespread of veteran care of the va, i travel

tijuana, to visit sgt. tahmooressi in prison. returning home to the united the es after being on battlefield in afghanistan, he had the physical and psychological scars of war. he made his way to southern california where he was diagnosed with ptsd. he lived his truck where he kept most of his belongings including his registered gun. the mexican way to border where it is illegal to the time i by -- andrew, dro hit been through a lot. here take his own and life. even though he was polite

soft-spoken, a brave who defended his now to , heated our help return home. that the obama s administration had negotiated the the taliban for release of sgt. bergdorf. struck me that sgt. served his had country twice with honor and now found himself in a mexican being turned around while crossing the border. i am mystified that pres. obama time between d

negotiating with terrorists, to call our ally to appeal to him behalf of the marine. if we anything ss to not do to get sgt. tahmooressi back to the united states, and injured war hero, what are we making sure that our veterans are taking care of our most sacred obligations. i have been constantly supportive of our bilateral relationship with mexico, and helping its poor and improving its justice system. our commercial is ationship with mexico strong and vital. i'm optimistic about mexico's growth of orms, the its middle-class, and increasingly close trade and relationship that we share. but are significant and growing bilateral cooperation must also, with the ability to resolve important issues, along our shared

firmly believe that sgt. tahmooressi meds no harm or willingly violated mexican he crossed the border, and when i spoke on several ambassador ith the of mexico, who by the way, has mexico e atty. gen. of in the past, he echoed the same not believe e did that sgt. tahmooressi had any he is now tions. spent over six months in prison as a wrong ounts turn. i'm disappointed that could not be done to in a ss the situation timely manner. the fact that mexican citizens violate us law illegally ar basis, crossing our borders, mexican respond by asking for compassion and amnesty, but compassion goes both

ways. mexico does not have the ability to provide sgt.tahmooressi with the care that he needs. our war hero needs to come home. last week i spoke with the mexican atty. who explained that while sgt. tahmooressi had broken mexican law by approaching the weapons, his combat related ptsd could not be adequately treated in mexico. i know that he has the mexican law to the case given sgt. tahmooressi 'sptsd diagnosis. appropriate e

reports to mexico. a psychologist confirmed his ptsd. with all the information available i'm confident and that atty. gen. mario the right thing and allow sgt. tahmooressi to come back home and we start life with his family and friends. those who embark on a mission against ing in the us terrorist organizations like ought to come home and get the treatment he so desperately needs. this will demonstrate to our men and harm's way to t america is willing stand up for those that serve

it. i now yield, thank you. >> thank you chairman for holding the support hearing and most of all thank you to our witnesses to pay for taking the time to for taking the come in, and for allowing us the opportunity to elevate your story and the sgt. to the essi'schallenges american people. >> mrs. tahmooressi, your story and what your family has gone through is incredibly heartbreaking. never met you before, i never met your son, but hearing your story and the story of those who served with he is our brother. he is

one of the family of those who have worn the uniform in whatever branch of service and -- e gone through that site fight together. and to see what one of our own is facing now is upon a coming home. when we serve overseas the one bright light that we have is the fact that we can come home to our loved ones, some sense of normalcy. and to see what he is going to upright light -- light is despicable and unimaginable. there is no doubt that our government should do whatever i can to help him as he seeks freedom in and that the state department should make this a priority. wally hope that the mexican court and government

will do the right thing, that case will be dismissed, because we e understand that we cannot let that action is necessary to bring him home. i would like to thank each of you for coming and for championing sgt. tahmooressi and for being his voice and his absence. i thank --in his absence. i thank you all for being here and i look forward to hearing from you. subcommittee chairman matt salmon for holding this session. with a chance to go down and talk to tahmooressi in his cell, i

with the o share sgt.'s mother and observation that i think that sgt. buchanan was absolutely right whenhe said this was one of the most he has ive young men very fine h. he is a young man. he's been through a lot and i think this committee has played a role historically trying to make certain that foreign policy we look out for the interests of the men and women who serve the country. in this case, a young turn and finds g himself six months after his diagnosis still in mexico. approached the mexican

government trying to get him from the prison in a much . he is now in better place, and she expressed expressed that. we are grateful for our relationship with mexico but it has been six months. i had a long discussion with the atty. and with the argument that are making here today, the argument that he cannot get ptsd treatment, but less than 10 days before he was into custody he was with just that diagnosis. and as the atty. gen. has shared with us it is his ability to make based on humanitarian

grounds if the diagnosis shows fact was the case. we sent him that diagnosis and we sent to the subsequent the doctor in mexico.i think that as matt has is important to consider, as we have raised this with the state department. our government took steps to in e one soldier released five senior taliban leaders. five senior taliban leaders would all committed serious war crimes. all five would be hauled up in front of the hague for crimes against humanity based on the on ror that they visited afghan and us forces. all five were determined to be

to the united er states. and yet the end of the day those five with close ties omar ma bin laden and to and to the hakani terrorist found their all way out of custody. the has the is what steps government taken in order to ensure the release of this young marine. reference as to the hearing aving today. as members of ensure that us t put in harms way are properly cared for when they return to the united injured, hen they are

injured, by a granade. mrs. tahmooressi, i am here with us today. i'm also happy that a -- ine is here with us to served two combat tours. during the time he was deployed received province, he a meritorious promotion,a battlefield promotion under meritorious conditions. this and love of s valor to discuss his service, it is an honor to have -- matt buchanan here with us today.

i met with him in my office with him about his experiences serving with your son. he told me he was one of the he ever ve young men admit here . i must that robert has been very brave himself and earned the purple after sustaining injuries from an ied explosion. i want to thank him and others traveling all the way here from washington. many of you know, these physical injuries as a result that ied attack that andrew sustained, leads at times to that ological difficulties we call ptsd, and the fact that

the san diego victims hospital diagnosed in less than 10 days event on the border and the fact that it results in hypervigilance and memory and cognition lapses and depression. the fact that he will not be receive treatment in mexico. the treatment has been is longed by six months. it because of this that i, together with congressman sammon, pressed his case with atty. gen. in mexico. last after our conversation i must say that i am very confident that humanitarian will occur andrew very soon, so he can start the treatment at he needs. and i believe the is e that is being made here a compelling one and will decision, the right

the correct decision, the from the atty. gen. thank you very much. >> the members of the subcommittee will be permitted to submit written statements the hearing record, which will for seven days to permit statements subject to link limitations and rules. -- length limitations and rules. ask would like to permission to allow a person from the home district of andrew, who has been working the obama th administration and the mexican government to secure andrews release. >> first of all thank you so traveling across the country.i know you all have

busy schedules. mrs. tahmooressi is the mother of andrew. she's a licensed nurse the state of florida. she's children's g in the hospital since 1940. and from everything i've seen from our conversations she is one heck of a mom. >> montel williams is founder of the ms foundation. together u.s. army he is for for to improve treatment soldiers with brain injuries. to see you here. montell williams began his the us ional career in marine corps. he holds a the elor and masters from

us marine academy. he received a purple heart and was six rably discharged after years of service. mr. buchanan gun specialist same battalion as tahmooressi. on august his all terrain vehicle over a 1201 ied, resulting a purple heart award.since then he has been active in his school veteran club and is active attendant of american legion post where he is earning his degree. we also have here the ceo of concerned veterans of america, which looks to improve the veterans in the

in ntry. infantry captain the national guard, he served in afghanistan in 2012 where he was the senior counterinsurgency instructor of training erinsurgency center in kabul. previously he served in iraq in the 2005 and 2006 deployment. a combat infantry badge. he completed his degree and masters at harvard. jill, even though i enforced this with 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 to join 08 he nudged me the military, and said i am to join the marines. he was a o phone home. and i brave mom because i was the mom 2001 he said in mom, i blacked out, something part, head on this one found me. 2013, mom, i am dropping out of the aeronautical university where i was enrolled in a bachelors

the commercial pilot degree because i cannot concentrate on the academic work. 31, 11.25. this year. made a wrong st, i turn. i am at the mexican border and you need to know am surrounded by military. the following morning, mom, i have been arrested. please secure me an attorney. april 5. mom, i'm not going to night. through the whatever you do, do not come down here to investigate or ask be killed you will as well. i need you to go

you to go d. i need you to

underground. i need you to cancel your bank account, let the sheriff's office >> liberty and against oppression. he fought for not the world y but for at large. his symptoms suggested posttraumatic stress disorder through 2013, while he while he iversity and

packed up his whole entire his k with all of possessions including his three us legally purchased firearms. purchase was in 2007 way to kodiak, alaska, which was a shotgun for his arrived in san diego at the invite of a friend who won a purple heart for protection and said we have the system in the so he did that. he received his ptsd diagnosis and treatment d to group which he attended. there is a the morning, from famous day when

at 10.30 he pulled out of a on the california side, san isidro, confusing of construction going on. he made a sharp left on the on ramp but in just a curve ndred feet a blind barricaded mexican customs lane. there was no way to turn around at that time. in fact there was no signage at border at that time. with no visible sign indicating how to turn around and no us presence at the border, he purposely stopped and said i made a wrong turn, i have made said, i have all

and and three military then the board. he called 911 but they could not help him. are these statements in the tijuana records. andrew is despondent to desperate to returned the united states. his ptsd treatment was aborted on april the mexico does not have to provide group treatment. he phones home every and is very complementary to the actions of the congress and white houseresponding to we the people.gov petition

released on april 8. the white house responded that they would the for urgency but today the influence is ineffective. it is six months are still connecting dots. we still do not have the call in the d 911 record that is supposedly held up in a department in mexico. there is new signage at the border for wayward drivers to make that error that entry and i'm sure that each day do that. a was erected in may. so if any motorist makes that way ake now, they do have a to return home. plead for a expedient

resolution of andrew's process, that g wholeheartedly the us is o justified. my son is his bond without treatment and he needs to come home. tahmooressi. mrs. lieutenant williams. members of the subcommittee, are s critical that we holding this hearing and i enough for k you doing so. i also thank all of the members who came back today this. you have to realize that veterans are watching today and for those not come this will be remembered. while the scope of this hearing case of sgt. the andrew tahmooressi, his case is a symptom of a greater policy

failure regarding how we needs of our soldiers. it's imperative it is it n more pronounced when comes to ptsd. we throw this need around lightly but we to recognize that 30,000 new cases of dramatic brain injury year in our services, it does not matter soldiers r not the into a combat go situation as now. we have thousands of veterans suffering from residual symptoms right in olivier system and -- tell a system, and i can you that our veterans often feel very abandoned by the government, and that they have reason to do so.

reason to do so. i'm going to assume upsize my testimony -- synopsize my

testimony and make sure i yield. >> andrews incident is clearly triggered by his ptsd. while in -- he made a ke just want o leave. i you to know that i suffer from from have scars concussive brain 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. now, i want to clearly say, i 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 that 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.

>> lieutenant commander, without objection, your full testimony, everybody's full testimony will be entered into the public record. i appreciate your great comments. sergeant buchanan. >> mr. 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. first off, i want to say, i knew 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

mark podlowski, his brother in arms, his best friend. you do 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. you task something out to him, there was not a second thought, it would get done. he was the kind of guy that his peers looked up to. from the get-go, the first day i met his group, when they came to our unit, sergeant podlowski and 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. sergeant andrew tahmooressi was meritorious the promoted to corporal. that alone speak to somebody's character. to be combat meritorious with promoted in this day and age amongst our field, it is a rarity and in honor -- an honor 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 character. 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 letters in support to the state 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 support toward getting andrew's 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. fleas help us get this combat 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. every 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. i also want to thank my witnesses who are allowing a soldier to hang out with a bunch of marines. ms. tahmooressi, your courageous this inspires us all.

sergeant 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. we fight like 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. sergeant tahmooressi literally saved the lives of his fellow marines. he was so good, as everyone said, meritorious we promoted, which is unheard of. there is no doubt this guy is an american hero, plain and simple. but his service comes with a 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. the condition 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. sergeant tahmooressi needs and 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. sergeant 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. >> to the best of your 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? >> well, the judicial process is 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 tijuana that flew in the doctor 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 ptsd, which i find ironic, because they do not send their military to combat. the mexican psychiatrists are 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.

i tried my best to keep this off of my -- 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? he paused and he said, i have a hard time keeping the bad thoughts out. this is just two days ago. 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 -- well, ptsd, but they have not looked at his brain yet. 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. i understand and can appreciate 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. on top of 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. the most unfortunate they is 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. my question for jill is after 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 of state reference she and he states a high degree of confidence that there was a hearing on september 9 where the video surveillance was watched for eight hours and it definitely corroborated andrew's truthful and forthcoming statement 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. >> for mr. williams, i know you as well as jill and others have talked about specific actions -- a phone call from the president, 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? >> i want to apologize and as a ranking member, i want to say thank you for your service. it is right now 11: -- 11:05. the president needs to make the call today. if you are not going to call --

call this woman. this woman's child is a father, 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. this woman, since june has sent 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? i would also ask that question 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. when you are readjusting, something about him is his humble attitude. he'll always wants to help. part of the problem is he will help other people before he helps himself. he just 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. one of their senior commanders and one was chief of staff. he was implicated in the death of thousands of shia, all of 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 reported on the news, his next step would be to return to afghanistan to carry out attacks 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 sergeant tahmooressi? >> knee and my those men in guantánamo for a year. this is personal for those of us who serve in those combat zones. to know the number of boots or 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. and then ms. tahmooressi doesn't get a phone call. use the pen, use your phone and 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 and it's talking to the menu served with and often times at the ba, there is alternative a therapy. you talked about your rocker see -- how many sergeant jones and a sergeant smith's are trying to access mental health care at the v.a. at made to wait weeks and and a months?

in a in a in do you know how you many mothers i meet on the and many mothers i meet on the in 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 as a nation turns its back as lieutenant commander williams talked about -- trading in deserters for terrorists and making veterans wait for basic and making veterans wait for basic care is unacceptable. >> thank you, mr. chairman. you are a the chair recognizes and chairman smith, chairman of the subcommittee on human you are rights. you are >> thank you. in his i think this hearing and perhaps more than anything in else that has happened so far will give additional help to andrew and hopefully he knows the strong bipartisan support, and will a the concern and prayers that go out for him -- i would just say to mike is a colleagues that i am not -- is a to my colleagues that i'm