[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 27 (Thursday, March 4, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            PEACE CORPS WEEK

  (Mr. FARR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because March 1 through March 7 
is National Peace Corps Week. One hundred and seventy thousand 
volunteers have served in 137 countries over the past 43 years to make 
an impact on this world, and I would just like to congratulate all of 
those who are in the field right now, who are in foreign countries all 
over the word, and send a special congratulations to each of them 
during this National Peace Corps Week for their service and 
contribution to the developing countries throughout the world.
  And I would like to also remind them that what we heard yesterday in 
testimony by the leading generals in Iraq was that the military 
understands that until we cross the cultural divide, until the United 
States crosses the cultural divide, we will not have peace in this 
world. And the people that are being able to cross that cultural divide 
and bring the best of what is in America to the best of what is outside 
America together is the National Peace Corps.
  And I would just like to say on this week of anniversary that the 
Peace Corps volunteers do not give handouts. They instead share their 
knowledge, experiences, technical skills with locals who in turn learn 
valuable lessons from them, the host country nationals, as well as the 
host country nationals learning from us. I am especially proud to be a 
return Peace Corps volunteer from Colombia, where I served in the 
1960s, and the friendship and understanding and compassion that 
developed between myself and the Colombians is forever with me and with 
them.
  And there are other Members, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Honda), the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Walsh), and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) 
who are also return Peace Corps volunteers, and I, with them, we extend 
congratulations to all those who are serving and to all those who 
applied to serve in the United States Peace Corps. I thank them very 
much on this week of the anniversary of the Peace Corps.

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