[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 68 (Tuesday, May 5, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CINCO DE MAYO

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 4, 2009

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to show my support 
for H. Res. 230.
  This resolution recognizes the historical significance of the Mexican 
holiday of Cinco de Mayo.
  On May 5, 1862, untrained, outnumbered, and outgunned Mexican 
forces--determined to protect their land--successfully defended the 
town of Puebla against the French. Against overwhelming odds, they 
managed to drive back the invading French army, achieving a total 
victory over soldiers deemed among the best trained and equipped in the 
world and embarking the end of the European domination in America.
  General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin led the Mexican Army at the Battle of 
Puebla. He was born in la Bahia del Espiritu Santo, in what was then 
the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas, now the city of Goliad, Texas, 
in the United States. A Statue of General Zaragoza now stands in San 
Agustin Plaza in the downtown historic district of Laredo, Texas.
  Although the Mexican army was eventually defeated, the Battle of 
Puebla has come to represent a symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism 
in the history of Mexico.
  I am honored to celebrate this important day in Mexican history and 
to lend my support to this resolution.

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