[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 26 (Thursday, March 1, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PEACE CORPS ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TONY P. HALL

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 1, 2001

  Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I join 
our colleagues and the tens of thousands of Americans who have served 
with the Peace Corps in celebrating its 40th anniversary.
  I had the honor of working as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand, in 
what was then a small town where I taught English. When I returned to 
my ``village'' a few years ago, I was astonished to see not only how 
much had changed--but also to see how many of the students and former 
colleagues I knew three decades ago still remembered the work done so 
long ago.
  There are few initiatives as successful as this one, and it is with 
tremendous pride that I count myself as one of the people lucky enough 
to have had this experience. In the years since 1967, I have visited 
dozens of countries where Americans are performing Peace Corps 
service--and dozens more where their work is desperately needed.
  I have met countless leaders in business, in charitable 
organizations, in government, in academia, in every walk of life whose 
service in the Peace Corps launched careers that have contributed in 
innumerable ways to the betterment of our country and the countries 
where they worked.
  The Peace Corps does tremendous good overseas. It does wonders for 
the Americans who serve, and the millions more who benefit from the 
goodwill they instill in those who know them. And it does America 
proud. I salute it for its successful first 40 years, and hope it will 
continue a tradition unmatched by any other American initiative.

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