[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H1683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE VETERANS OF THE PERSIAN GULF

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the 
veterans of the Persian Gulf who are from the Mahoning Valley in Ohio. 
Our valley has long been blessed to have local sons and daughters 
willing to volunteer to serve in our country's military, and our most 
recent veterans of the Persian Gulf are cut from the same cloth. When 
they were called on to serve overseas in the Middle East, leaving their 
families and friends for extended periods of time to fight in a foreign 
land, they answered the call. They answered the call, even though they 
faced great physical risk, even death; and I thank them for their 
service, for their patriotism, and for their sacrifice.
  We as a country owe them a tremendous debt and are forever grateful. 
We need to ensure that they are provided the equipment and support they 
need in the field to complete their jobs effectively, that their 
families are taken care of when they are away, that they have jobs to 
come home to when they return, and that they receive the benefits that 
they have earned as veterans.
  We have no higher legislative priority, I know myself and speaking 
for the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland), than fully funding the 
veterans benefits that they have been promised.
  Yesterday, I voted for the supplemental funding bill for the war in 
Iraq and Afghanistan. I believe that we need to finish the job we 
started in the Middle East and bring stability to that region and then 
to immediately bring our troops home.
  God bless the men and women who have served during the war on terror, 
and God bless the men and women who are still serving on the other side 
of the world. These veterans have protected this country for years, 
since its inception; and the highest honor that we could bestow upon 
them is to make sure that we take care of them.
  Mr. Speaker, we have the freedoms we enjoy today because of the 
sacrifices that our soldiers have made throughout history, and I am 
proud today to honor the men and women of the Mahoning Valley who have 
served this country in the Persian Gulf and have served so nobly.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Strickland).
  Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to thank my friend, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), for sharing these moments with me as we 
stand here in the Chamber of the people's House, the House of 
Representatives, to honor those from our region.
  Ohio is a patriotic State, and the great Mahoning Valley is certainly 
a patriotic region of Ohio. Over the years, literally thousands of 
young men and women have left the great Mahoning Valley and have served 
in this country's Armed Forces. They are serving today, so many of 
them, in harm's way, unselfishly giving up of their time and their 
talents, while their loving families wait at home, hoping and praying 
that they will be safe.
  Both the gentleman and I have visited Walter Reed Hospital. We have 
talked with Americans who have lost their legs, many have been blinded, 
so many have sustained brain injuries. I have been to the Bethesda 
Naval Hospital and seen young people walking down the hallways with 
their families walking with them, young people who have been terribly 
disfigured.
  We are paying a great price for the war that is currently under way; 
and the least we can do, the very least we can do as a Nation is to 
make sure that when these honored people come home that they are 
treated with justice and fairness, that they are able to receive the 
health care that they have been promised and that they deserve.
  As we stand here in the safety of this great Chamber, we should never 
forget that many of our friends and the families and loved ones from 
the great Mahoning Valley are in harm's way. So we honor them, and we 
honor their families, because they have joined in the sacrifice as 
well.
  Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the 
gentleman.
  We also want to recognize all our friends in Youngstown at this time, 
where at the Italian-American War Veterans Post 3 the veterans and 
community leaders on April 14 will hold a tribute honoring the Mahoning 
Valley area sons and daughters at war.
  We would like to thank Herman Adams, Ray Ornelas, and Dom Medina for 
all their help in putting this together and organizing it, helping us 
to honor those troops.

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