[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 120 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 120

 Commending the outstanding efforts by members of the Armed Forces and 
  civilian employees of the Department of State and the United States 
Agency for International Development in response to the earthquake and 
                     tsunami of December 26, 2004.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2005

  Mr. Blumenauer (for himself and Mr. Leach) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
 Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commending the outstanding efforts by members of the Armed Forces and 
  civilian employees of the Department of State and the United States 
Agency for International Development in response to the earthquake and 
                     tsunami of December 26, 2004.

Whereas on December 26, 2004, an earthquake and tsunami struck the Indian Ocean 
        basin, killing over 250,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, 
        Thailand, Somalia, Burma, Maldives, Malaysia, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and 
        Kenya;
Whereas the response by members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of 
        the Department of State and the United States Agency for International 
        Development (USAID) was immediate, invaluable, and courageous;
Whereas civilian employees of the Department of State and USAID showed great 
        leadership in helping to coordinate relief efforts among donors, United 
        Nations agencies, international organizations, aid agencies, and host 
        governments;
Whereas civilian employees of the Department of State and USAID who were on 
        vacation in some of the hardest hit areas used their expertise and 
        specialized skills to provide immediate assistance to victims and 
        survivors of the tsunami;
Whereas civilian employees of the Department of State and USAID set up remote 
        assistance operations in the affected areas in order to best provide 
        service to United States citizens and citizens of other countries who 
        were affected by the tsunami;
Whereas United States consular officers worked around the clock to locate and 
        identify United States citizens affected by the tsunami, reconnect them 
        with their loved ones, and facilitate their return to the United States, 
        despite the loss of their passports, other identification, and 
        belongings as a result of the tsunami;
Whereas members of the Armed Forces volunteered their unique resources to assess 
        the situation and deliver aid when and where other relief efforts could 
        not;
Whereas the sight of members of the Armed Forces providing aid to tsunami 
        victims and survivors has provided an important boost to the image 
        abroad of the United States;
Whereas members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of USAID worked 
        together to bring clean water from Navy ships to victims and survivors 
        in need; and
Whereas the coordinated effort by members of the Armed Forces and civilian 
        employees of the Department of State and USAID saved lives, made a 
        crucial contribution to recovery, and set the stage for a long-term 
        United States commitment to increased peace and security across South 
        and Southeast Asia: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the outstanding efforts in response to the 
        earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004, by members of the 
        Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of State 
        and the United States Agency for International Development;
            (2) recognizes that the actions of these individuals went 
        above and beyond the call of duty; and
            (3) thanks them for their service.
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