[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 159 (Friday, November 16, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H8320-H8322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING CONTINUING SERVICE AND COMMITMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL 
                        GUARD AND RESERVE UNITS

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of the 
resolution (H. Res. 287) honoring the continuing service and commitment 
of the members of the National Guard and Reserve units activated in 
support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I rise in 
support of House Resolution 287 offered by my colleague, the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Forbes). House Resolution 287 honors the National 
Guard and Reserve units that have been called to service in support of 
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle.
  On September 11 Americans were shocked and saddened to learn of the 
deadly terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and 
on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The heroic efforts of those aboard 
a fourth commercial airliner foiled the terrorist attempts to 
potentially destroy another target in the Nation's capital.
  Shock and outrage were quickly replaced with determination, and the 
President declared a national emergency; and on September 14, he 
announced the partial mobilization of nearly 50,000 National Guard and 
Reservists to assist in national security efforts.
  Five days later, units across the country received notice that they 
were being called to duty. Today, over 42,000 Reservists and members of 
the National Guard are on call. They represent all 50 States, the 
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
  Many have been protecting our Nation's airports. Others have brought 
their expertise in medical supply intelligence and other important 
disciplines

[[Page H8321]]

as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle.
  Over 1.2 million citizen soldiers have committed their lives in 
defense to our Nation. These dedicated individuals are our neighbors, 
our friends, and our relatives. In California, teachers, police 
officers, business men and women and individuals from all walks of life 
have put on their uniforms to defend this Nation.
  Next week, while we are with our families and friends giving thanks 
for the founding of this great Nation, Armed Forces personnel will be 
protecting all of these freedoms that we enjoy.

                              {time}  1445

  They will be separated from their families and loved ones, some may 
be patrolling the skies above us, some guarding our Nation's airports 
and seaports, some may be overseas, but they will all be doing what 
they do best. They will be defending the principles of this Nation, 
protecting us all from harm. We owe our Nation's armed forces a debt of 
gratitude. Let us give thanks for those who volunteer to serve our 
country in uniform.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia for the purpose 
of explaining the bill.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today with the gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy) to offer this important resolution 
honoring the greatest citizen soldiers of the greatest armed forces in 
the world, our National Guard and Reserve.
  On September 11 our Nation suffered a great tragedy. Enemies of 
freedom made a deliberate attack on our people, our soil, and our way 
of life. But those enemies were mistaken if they believed that such an 
attack could turn us away from the principles of liberty and freedom 
that we hold so dear. Our Nation will survive and we will emerge even 
stronger for having endured this horror. America's enemies have brought 
the issue of terrorism to the forefront of the American stage, and they 
will pay dearly for it.
  We know this not only because we have the will and spirit to conduct 
this war against terrorism, but also because we have the best-trained, 
most impressive fighting force this world has seen. In the days 
following September 11, it was the National Guard and Reserve who were 
present on our streets and in our skies. They were present in our 
airports and on our waterways. They were deployed overseas in support 
of active duty units. This is not the first time we have seen these 
heroes in action. They are our associates and our neighbors, our 
friends and relatives. Yet, to many of us, their presence means so much 
more than it did before.
  Just this morning, in fact, the National Guard was sworn in to assist 
in protecting the U.S. Capitol. We welcome them to our Capitol Hill 
family and thank them for their steadfast service.
  Furthermore, reports are in that America has tracked down and 
eliminated the number two leader of al Qaeda. We owe this success in 
part to the efforts of our National Guard and Reserves. Without their 
aid, our regular active duty members would not have been able to 
effectively be both the tip of the spear and the shield of America.
  We should honor our modern day Minutemen, or as our citizen soldiers 
stand watch over us, they remind us that since colonial times, long 
before the phrase ``Homeland Security'' was used, they were here to 
preserve liberty on the home front.
  We owe the men and women who have left their families and jobs to 
heed this call a great deal, and I urge my colleagues to join me in 
supporting our National Guard and Reserve. Let every Guardsman and 
Reservist know that the Members of this body hold them in highest 
esteem.
  I would like to thank the Speaker and the majority leader for 
bringing this resolution to the floor so promptly. Additionally, I 
would like to thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy) for his 
strong support of our Guardsmen and Reservists, and I urge my 
colleagues to follow his lead and to reach out to our National Guard 
and Reserve units with a helpful and grateful heart.
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, continuing my reservation, I yield to the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Kennedy).
  Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I also applaud my fellow 
colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes), for bringing forth 
this resolution with me.
  Since September 11, we have seen many heroes in this country. It was 
Napoleon who said that great soldiers are those that run towards the 
sounds of the guns and, indeed, we have many that have followed that 
description in other professions: the firemen, the police, the 
emergency medical professionals, as well as our fighting men and women 
overseas. But we also must remember that our Guardsmen and our Reserves 
do just that when they sign up for duty to defend our freedoms.
  We have over a million National Guard men and women and Reserve units 
around our country. These are citizen-soldiers, those that work with 
us, have children in school with us, that we worship with at church. 
They are people that live side by side with us, but during the weekend 
and when called up, they go and they work to fight for our freedoms. 
They do so many, many things and have done so much since September 11. 
We see them in our airports as we fly, as I do, back and forth, home 
every weekend, and they give us the comfort that they are there 
standing on guard and giving us the security that we seek at these 
times.
  In our State in Minnesota, they were called on to do extra duty when 
we had a recent State workers strike. We had over 30,000 of them called 
up for active duty doing many things that are vital for our war against 
terrorism. I had an opportunity to visit our Camp Ripley in Minnesota 
and be there when our Wilmer Battalion, which has units throughout our 
district in Litchfield and Hutchinson and Redwood Falls as they 
practiced their maneuvers, and I could not have been more proud of the 
professionalism and the commitment that they showed. They really were 
there for us when we needed them.
  As the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes) mentioned, they are also 
here helping to protect us in our Nation's Capital. It is so very 
appropriate that we are here with this resolution today, the day in the 
week that our President, George W. Bush, named National Employers 
Support of Guard and Reserve Week for 2001. As he said, Americans 
understand and appreciate the importance of our National Guard and 
Reserve units, but many do not know the contributions their employers 
make in supporting these civilian soldiers. It is appropriate that we 
also thank those employers that have made this Guard duty possible.
  So I am honored to be here to bring this resolution together, along 
with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Forbes). I encourage all of the 
Members to support it, and I encourage all of our citizens, the next 
time they see a Guardsman, or someone in the Reserves, or someone that 
employs them, please tell them, ``Thank you from a grateful Nation.''
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 287

       Whereas citizen-soldiers have served the United States with 
     honor and distinction since colonial times;
       Whereas the more than 1,200,000 citizen-soldiers who 
     comprise the National Guard and Reserve components of the 
     Armed Forces nationwide commit significant time and effort to 
     executing their important role in the Armed Forces;
       Whereas on September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked and 
     destroyed 4 civilian aircraft, crashing 2 of them into the 
     towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a 
     third into the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C.;
       Whereas thousands of innocent people from more than 80 
     countries were killed or injured as a result of these 
     attacks;
       Whereas on September 14, 2001, units of the Army Reserve, 
     Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Air 
     Force Reserve, Army National Guard of the United States, and 
     Air National Guard of the United States were authorized to be 
     activated in support of operations in response to the 
     terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on 
     September 11, 2001;
       Whereas 336 of such units from 49 States, the District of 
     Columbia, and Puerto Rico have been activated in support of 
     Operation Enduring Freedom;

[[Page H8322]]

       Whereas on October 29, 2001, 32,686 members of such units 
     were on active duty, including 12,391 members of the Army 
     Reserve and Army National Guard, 4,650 members of the Naval 
     Reserve, 373 members of the Marine Corps Reserve, 2,529 
     members of the Coast Guard Reserve, and 12,743 members of the 
     Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard;
       Whereas these activations represent the largest 
     mobilization of members of the National Guard and Reserve 
     since Operation Desert Storm in 1991;
       Whereas members of the National Guard and Reserve are 
     serving the Nation in almost every conceivable capacity, 
     including providing airport security, medical support, and 
     other logistical support for both civilian and military 
     operations;
       Whereas the members of these units have been ordered to 
     active duty for a period of 365 days and are not expected to 
     return home until October 2002 at the earliest;
       Whereas these National Guard and Reserve citizen-soldiers 
     have selflessly performed their duties during the weeks since 
     the terrorist attacks, sacrificing time at their civilian 
     jobs and with their families during the period of their 
     active duty; and
       Whereas these National Guard and Reserve citizen-soldiers 
     serve a critical role as part of the mission of the Armed 
     Forces to protect the freedom of United States citizens and 
     the American ideals of justice, liberty, and freedom, both at 
     home and abroad: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) honors the continuing service and commitment of the 
     members of the National Guard and Reserve units activated in 
     support of Operation Enduring Freedom;
       (2) honors the sacrifices made by the families and 
     employers of the members of those units during their time 
     away from home;
       (3) recognizes the critical importance of the National 
     Guard and Reserve to the security of the United States; and
       (4) supports providing the necessary resources to ensure 
     the continued readiness of the National Guard and Reserve.

  The resolution was agreed to.


            Amendment to the Preamble Offered By Mr. Forbes

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I offer an amendment to the preamble.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment to the Preamble offered by Mr. Forbes.
       Amend the preamble to read as follows:

       Whereas citizen-soldiers have served the United States with 
     honor and distinction since colonial times;
       Whereas the more than 1,200,000 citizen-soldiers who 
     comprise the National Guard and Reserve components of the 
     Armed Forces nationwide commit significant time and effort to 
     executing their important role in the Armed Forces;
       Whereas on September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked and 
     destroyed 4 civilian aircraft, crashing 2 of them into the 
     towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a 
     third into the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C.;
       Whereas thousands of innocent people from more than 80 
     countries were killed or injured as a result of these 
     attacks;
       Whereas on September 14, 2001, units of the Army Reserve, 
     Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, Air 
     Force Reserve, Army National Guard of the United States, and 
     Air National Guard of the United States were authorized to be 
     activated in support of operations in response to the 
     terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on 
     September 11, 2001;
       Whereas more than 42,000 members of National Guard and 
     Reserve units from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, 
     and Puerto Rico have been ordered to active duty in support 
     of Operation Enduring Freedom;
       Whereas these activations represent the largest 
     mobilization of members of the National Guard and Reserve 
     since Operation Desert Storm in 1991;
       Whereas members of the National Guard and Reserve are 
     serving the Nation in almost every conceivable capacity, 
     including providing airport security, medical support, and 
     other logistical support for both civilian and military 
     operations;
       Whereas the members of these units have been ordered to 
     active duty for a period of 365 days and are not expected to 
     return home until October 2002 at the earliest;
       Whereas these National Guard and Reserve citizen-soldiers 
     have selflessly performed their duties during the weeks since 
     the terrorist attacks, sacrificing time at their civilian 
     jobs and with their families during the period of their 
     active duty; and
       Whereas these National Guard and Reserve citizen-soldiers 
     serve a critical role as part of the mission of the Armed 
     Forces to protect the freedom of United States citizens and 
     the American ideals of justice, liberty, and freedom, both at 
     home and abroad: Now, therefore, be it

  Mr. FORBES (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that the amendment to the preamble be considered as read and printed in 
the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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