[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 15, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E172-E173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE USO TO OUR ARMED 
                                 FORCES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2006

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. 
Res. 322, expressing the sense of Congress regarding the contribution 
of the USO to the morale and welfare of our service men and women of 
our Armed Forces and their families.
  I commend my colleagues Mr. Miller and Mr. Reyes for giving us this 
opportunity to express our appreciation to the USO for the service they 
provide to our country through their work with our military forces 
throughout the world.
  I believe the United Service Organizations, USO, is best known to the 
public for bringing in diverse celebrity musicians, comedians and 
actors to entertain and to boost the morale of our troops around the 
world, including such familiar names as Wayne Newton, Robin Williams, 
actor Gary Sinise, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, and even including a 
son of my own district, Dwayne Johnson--the Rock.
  What is less widely known is the existence of other important 
programs and services the USO has developed to support our troops, such 
as family crisis counseling; housing assistance; airport service 
centers; libraries and reading rooms; telephone, internet, and e-mail 
capabilities; support groups for families separated by deployments; and 
USO centers--on- and off-base--to provide relaxing and wholesome 
recreational activities to our service members and their families. In 
fact, the USO currently operates more than 120 centers around the 
world, including centers in Germany, Italy, France, Bahrain, Bosnia, 
Japan, Qatar, and Kuwait.
  I note that the USO is a private, nonprofit organization relying on 
donations from private citizens, organizations and corporations to 
support their mission. The USO credits its success in large part to the 
services of more than 12,000 volunteers, who provide some 450,000 hours 
of service annually to support our troops.
  I am a proud supporter of our military troops and a proud member of 
the USO Congressional Caucus. In my opinion, the work the USO has been 
doing for the past 65 years is

[[Page E173]]

vital to the morale and welfare of our men and women in the Armed 
Forces. For this reason, I am honored to have this opportunity to speak 
in support of H. Con. Res. 322 and recognize the USO for their 
invaluable contributions to the success of our U.S. military.
  I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 322.

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