mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time .  i rise in strong support of the emergency war supplemental , and i commend in particular the new chairman of the committee on appropriations , the gentleman from california ( mr. lewis )  , and all the members of his committee , for masterful and disciplined work on this important legislation .  mr. speaker , last year i traveled to iraq and afghanistan to meet with troops and local leaders .  i witnessed firsthand the challenges and opportunities they face , and i can tell my colleagues with conviction that heroes and a future of freedom are being forged every day in iraq and afghanistan .  and while much work remains , i am more confident than ever in the justice and the ultimate success of our cause .  and , mr. speaker , i remain confident that we here in congress must do our duty , demonstrating the idealism and the perseverance of the american people , stand with the men and women serving in our armed forces , and speed the passage of this emergency supplemental bill without rancor or without delay .  the men and women who liberated iraq and afghanistan deserve our very best .  they deserve the resources they need to get the job done and come home safe .  it was just this morning i received an e-mail from dawn heister , the courageous widow of master sergeant mike heister , who fell in afghanistan along with four other hoosiers just the day before easter .  the courage in her e-mail inspired and moved my wife and i to such an extent that i rise today and dedicate my humble efforts and my vote today in favor of this emergency war supplemental in the memory of master sergeant mike heister and his brave wife .  but just like our troops , the american people deserve the very best protection , and the gentleman from california ( chairman lewis ) and the members of his committee , have succeeded in adding $ 635 million in budgetary resources for increased border security and enforcement , and this also is a critical advance in the war on terror .  the money , just like what we will invest in iraq and afghanistan , will help hire , train , and equip and support an additional complement of over 500 border patrol agents and relieve current facility overcrowding .  we also will provide resources for training .  it will provide the department of homeland security with additional resources to train and hire criminal investigators and immigration enforcement agents , recognizing that the 9/11 commission concluded that for the terrorists , travel documents are every bit as powerful and important as weapons .  this legislation will require all states to prove lawful presence in the united states if their driver 's licenses are to be accepted as a form of identification as a travel document to a federal official , including federal officials working at airports for the transportation security administration .  so i say , we are doing our part to provide for the common defense .  we are standing with our soldiers abroad as they fight on the front lines of the war on terror .  but this legislation also importantly and urgently speeds additional resources to the fight here at home , with its increased complement of support for border security and travel security .  i applaud , again , the gentleman from california ( chairman lewis ) and the house committee on appropriations for their disciplined and principled manner of approaching this legislation .  i urge my colleagues to affirm their leadership with a yea vote , and i urge the passage of the emergency war supplemental .  