16 Jan 2005 Inside the Green Zone, Baghdad Iraq - Briefing by General David Petraeus General Petraeus, whom I had met some 18 months ago when in Mosul, Iraq, is now in charge of the Iraqi Security Force. It was with obvious enthusiasm that he related that they graduated their first class on January 6 of this year. Throughout the presentation he continued to emphasize that Iraqi leadership was key to this process. He stated that in some areas of the southern part of the country the entire spectru... Read more

14 Jan 2005 Camp Falluja, Iraq - Briefing from General Hejik General Hejik relayed to me the five phase operation to free the city of Falluja, Iraq. One of the keys to this impressive victory was the direct injection of real-time data and the delivery of this data to the commanders in the field during the “active” phase of the battle. As a result of situational awareness that permeated all levels of the operation, there were no "friendly fire" incidents during this closely fought operation. Duri... Read more

14 January 2005 Today began with an early morning flight, in a C-130 Aircraft, from Islamabad, Pakistan into the airport at Kabul, Afghanistan. With all the problems we encountered with the weather and mechanical difficulties the day before, this flight was entirely uneventful. Following our landing at the Kabul airport we were taken to Task Force Phoenix headquarters. There, we were given a briefing by General Moorehead. Task Force Phoenix is charged with training and equipping the Afghan Natio... Read more

12 January 2005 After arriving in Pakistan, we were met by the United States Ambassador to Pakistan. Mr. Ryan Crocker gave us a briefing enroute to our hotel. It was his opinion that the Pakistani-Afghanistan relationship was currently better than it had ever been in years past. He credited it to a large measure of the Pakistani efforts on the border with Afghanistan, particularly in the Northeast provinces. He stated that there had never before been a Pakistani military presence in this area, a... Read more

11 Jan 2005 We are currently aboard the 757 enroute to Islamabad, Pakistan for the start of my third Codel to Iraq and Afghanistan. A lot has changed in the country of Iraq in the 11 months since my last visit there. It is now less than three weeks until that country holds elections. Since my last visit in February 2004, they have approved their Constitution, started their own sovereign government, and are on the threshold of having their first democratic elections in a generation. There has bee... Read more

Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) will depart on a congressional delegation mission to the Middle East and beyond beginning Tuesday, January 11, 2005. The bipartisan team will review reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as visit with U.S. troops stationed in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Congressman Michael Burgess went to the Middle East last February to see first-hand the progress made by coalition forces. On his return mission, Congressman Burgess will assess ... Read more

Texas’ Twenty-sixth Congressional District Representative Michael C. Burgess is pleased to announce that he has been appointed to the influential Energy and Commerce Committee for the 109th Congress. The U.S. House of Representatives Republican Steering Committee, which includes Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) and Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), made the official announcement today. “This is indeed a great honor for me to have been selected for this prestigious committee, “stated Congre... Read more

North Texans wanting to make financial contributions are urged to call: 1-800-HELP-NOW 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or visit American Red Cross Donations can be made to the American Red Cross International Response Fund. You can help those affected by this crisis and countless others around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance, and other su... Read more

For more information about the history of the Inauguration and an update on event preparations, please visit the official website of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies. The Texas State Society Black Tie & Boots Ball is scheduled for January 19, 2004. For more information about this event please visit the Texas State Society. Tickets for the Inauguration ceremony will be made available to constituents in January 2005 by both Senators and Representatives of the 109th Congre... Read more

U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess is pleased to announce that thirty-eight young men and women from the 26th District of Texas have been selected as his Class of 2009 nominees to the United States Service Academies. If selected, the nominees will enter during the summer of 2005. "I am very impressed by the high caliber of candidates that applied to my office; the selection process was very competitive," said Rep. Michael Burgess (TX-26). "Each of these students has a strong record of academic ... Read more