[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 158 (Tuesday, November 4, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H10317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING OUR VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SOLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and honor the 
courageous men and women that have served our country. It has been over 
2 years since our great Nation was attacked on September 11, 2001. That 
day, and every day since, we are reminded that our freedoms are 
protected by the men and women in the United States Armed Forces. These 
individuals have given their sweat, blood and sometimes their lives to 
protect our freedoms.
  Today, American servicemen and women from the mountains of Tora Bora 
to the deserts of Iraq are, once again, in harm's way protecting and 
defending our freedoms all over the globe. I am standing before Members 
today with a deeply felt sense of gratitude and pride that these men 
and women in uniform are defending our Nation. In 2002, there were 25.6 
million living veterans, and over the course of this country's history, 
more than 12 million servicemen have sacrificed their lives to defend 
our freedoms.
  I want to take a moment to highlight the Latinos and other minorities 
that have contributed to the peace we have enjoyed for so many years in 
our country. According to the latest U.S. Census figures, there are 1.3 
million living Latino veterans, with more than half residing in 
California, Texas and Puerto Rico. Many have fought and defended the 
United States during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the 
first Gulf War, and now in Iraq. There are 41 Latinos that have 
received the highest Congressional Medal of Honor award, 11 were 
awarded for their bravery during World War II, a war in which as many 
as 500,000 Latino soldiers fought bravely for the U.S.
  We honor our Nation's veterans, we must honor our brave men and women 
who are currently serving in Iraq, and as of today, 382 members of our 
U.S. troops have lost their lives.
  In particular, two of my constituents have lost their lives. One is 
Lance Corporal Francisco Martinez Flores, and I display his photo, and 
Private First Class Jose Casanova, Jr., and I want to tell my 
colleagues about these fine young men. Lance Corporal Francisco 
Martinez Flores was not just a brave and self-sacrificing Marine, but 
he was a loving son, a brother, a friend, and someone who lived in my 
district who was outgoing and was the eldest of his four siblings who 
immigrated to this country at a young age. He was not even a U.S. 
citizen. He was one of the first soldiers killed in Iraq. He was 
granted citizenship posthumously. That is great that we can do that, 
but we have so many other soldiers like him who are serving our country 
who are not being granted the opportunity to become citizens. They are 
not asking for U.S. citizenship when they sign up, they are asking to 
be there to support us and defend our country.
  I am asking Members of Congress to help appeal to the Senate and to 
this administration to grant the opportunity for over 37,000 U.S. 
soldiers just like this young man here who died and gave his life, and 
many others that are currently there in the line of battle protecting 
us, asking you to support them to have citizenship within a 2-year 
process. Instead of 3, 2 years, to grant them the opportunity if they 
have siblings or a wife or spouse, to also have an opportunity to 
become fully-fledged participants in our society. We do not ask our own 
kids to go to war, but we ask folks who represent us in our districts. 
We should do something for them as well, especially as Veterans Day 
nears, that we pay are tribute and honor to these young men and women, 
who all they want to do is look for a better life in our country, who 
look for a future, to become law enforcement officers, custodians, 
teachers, and government officials, but their lives are cut short 
defending us in the line of duty, something that they took as an oath 
of office to serve and defend our country. Let us remind ourselves of 
those many soldiers serving us now. I urge the Senate and other Members 
of Congress to support legislation to give citizenship to legal 
permanent residents.

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