Washington D.C., - On April 21, 2020, Congressman Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who represents and lives in Lexington County in Congress, and Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) released the following statement after sending a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. In that letter, the pair urged the Department of Defense to protect our men and women overseas by rapidly deploying the first two batteries of Iron Dome Missile System. Their letter read:
“As we have seen over the last several months, assaults against our military and coalition members in Iraq by Iranian-sponsored terrorists have increased, putting American lives at greater risk. Our servicemembers need to have countermeasures in place in order to protect against the growing threat of rocket attacks,” Congressman Wilson said. “Iron Dome, one of the world’s most sophisticated missile defense systems, has a proven capability against these threats and is a crucial resource in winning the global war on terror. I am grateful for the leadership of Secretary Esper and will continue working with the Department on this immediate solution to ensure the safety of our men and women in uniform.”
“Over the past two months, attacks on U.S. facilities in Iraq have increased, threatening the lives of American and coalition servicemembers and civilians. These attacks have exposed gaps within our air defense system, which must be addressed urgently,” Congresswoman Meng said. “The Iron Dome system has proven its effectiveness against advanced threats. I urge the army to field Iron Dome batteries as soon as possible to protect our servicemembers. I look forward to working with Secretary Esper to generate ideas on how we can more rapidly integrate this system to meet current threats.”
Wilson is retired from the SC National Guard himself. All of his children have served as well. At various times, many of the Wilsons have been activated as the war on terrorism continues in the Middle East.
