[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 17, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H1338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SUPPORT OUR SERVICEMEN AND SERVICEWOMEN BY PROVIDING FUNDING

  (Mr. GIBBONS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk about the state of our 
Nation's military, because the readiness of our military is in perilous 
danger.
  This Nation cannot continue to turn a blind eye to underfunding of 
our armed forces while asking our military men and women at the same 
time to keep doing more and doing more with less and less.
  A recently released accident report of the 12 airmen who lost their 
lives in a tragic accident of their rescue helicopters last September 
in Nevada is a reminder of the perilous readiness environment that our 
armed forces are required to operate in.
  It is up to this administration and this Congress to provide our 
service men and women with the right tools, the right training and the 
resources to accomplish their mission, and nothing less.
  For my part as a veteran, I honor these men and their families and 
the 66th Rescue Squadron for their great service to this country. I 
believe we must honor their legacy by ensuring our military men and 
women have the resources to do their jobs. Support our servicemen. 
Support our servicewomen by providing full funding to our military.

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