[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 10, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H401-H402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMENDING FN MANUFACTURING, INC.

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, when Americans watch the 
nightly news images of U.S. troops on

[[Page H402]]

duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, they see them carrying out their most 
difficult duties, using the finest small arms in the world. Those 
weapons are proudly made in South Carolina's Second Congressional 
District by FNMI, FN Manufacturing, Incorporated, in Columbia, South 
Carolina.
  Since the mid-1980s, FNMI has been building the M-16 rifle, the M-249 
Squad Automatic Weapon, and the M-240 Medium Machine Gun for the U.S. 
Armed Forces. In other words, FNMI is the principal supplier of small 
arms to the military. These arms are universally recognized as the 
finest infantry weapons in the world, perhaps the finest ever made. 
They are known for their ruggedness, reliability, and effectiveness and 
are on duty everywhere American troops are deployed in the war on 
terror, as I have seen first hand in Iraq.
  Additionally, FNMI is one of the largest defense industries in South 
Carolina, employing approximately 450 dedicated personnel.
  I ask all of my colleagues to join me in thanking the professional 
employees of FNMI Manufacturing, as their work makes it possible for 
our brave men and women to protect us in the war on terrorism.
  In conclusion, may God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September 11.

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