Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

Is the War in Iraq winnable?  Why are we there?  Is it worth the fight?  Why is this war taking so long? 
What have we accomplished over there?  What are the Iraqi people like?  How do they feel about Americans?
What should we be doing, on the home front, to support our troops and their mission?

A law partner, who has put his practice aside each time our Nation has called, Colonel James D. McGinley has only recently returned from Iraq.  Stationed in Ramadi - the worst of the insurgent strongholds - he regularly traveled into harm's way throughout the Al Anbar province.  Colonel McGinley worked directly with Governor al-Awani and his cabinet to create the province's first Emergency Response Center and Disaster Relief Agency - and trained the Iraqis to handle it for themselves.  Although a naval aviator for most of his military career, this assignment made solid use of his legal background, including his deposition and mediation skills, to negotiate and coordinate with the Iraqi army, police, and highway patrol. 

Before heading to Iraq, Colonel McGinley served on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon handling Reserve Mobilization issues.  He remains on active duty and is stationed in Washington, D.C. working for the Office of the Chief of Marine Corps Reserve.  Colonel McGinley has volunteered to return to Ramadi in February 2008 to serve as the Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader working with the U.S. State Department on Iraqi reconstruction efforts. 

Join us as Colonel McGinley shares stories and photographs from his remarkable deployment to the combat zone.