[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2392-E2393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO CREDIT UNIONS' ASSISTANCE TO AFFECTED BY FIGHT AGAINST 
                               TERRORISM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 20, 2001

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of the 
September 11 terrorist attacks, many of our financial institutions have 
gone the extra mile to be of assistance to those affected by the 
incidents and their aftermath.
  I rise today to pay particular tribute to the CEOs and volunteer 
board members of North Carolina credit unions.
  Representatives of those credit unions, and of the North Carolina 
Credit Union League and CUNA, recently made the trip to Washington to 
visit my office not long after September 11.
  While they had thought of canceling the trip out of respect for the 
larger issues stemming from the tragedy, they instead came to offer 
their support to this Congress. They also pledged that their credit 
unions will remain committed to serving the changing financial needs of 
their members and the citizens of North Carolina during this period of 
economic uncertainty.
  For example, Mr. Speaker, the 3rd District of North Carolina is home 
to three major military bases--Camp Lejuene, Cherry Point Marine Corps 
Air Station, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base--all of which are 
served by a credit union. These credit union employees help military 
personnel and their families with the money challenges that they face 
during these difficult times, and have committed to safeguarding the 
financial well being of our service men and women deployed overseas.
  For instance, the staff of First Flight Federal Credit Union in 
Havelock, NC, has been working with the base legal department at the 
Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point to ensure that family members 
have the appropriate authority to conduct financial transactions on 
behalf of the service member while they are deployed.
  Another example is the Seymour Johnson Federal Credit Union in 
Goldsboro, NC, which has established a call center hotline to provide

[[Page E2393]]

support and answer questions from family members whose spouses have 
been deployed.
  Mr. Speaker, time does not permit me to list all the great things 
that these credit unions are doing to assist their members--both 
military and civilian during these difficult economic times. But their 
efforts deserve our praise and our thanks.
  I urge my colleagues to speak with the credit unions and other 
financial institutions in their own districts to learn about all the 
ways they are helping their customers during this time of need. Through 
the efforts these financial institutions, and others, we will not only 
weather this storm but we will be economically stronger for it.

                          ____________________