[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 30 (Thursday, March 4, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E302-E303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING NATIONAL PEACE CORPS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 2010

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize this week as 
National Peace Corp Week.
  In October of 1960, when then-Senator John F. Kennedy was campaigning 
for the Presidency, he visited the University of Michigan. At about 
2:00 AM in front of the University of Michigan Union, he first outlined 
his plan to create a program that would send Americans to countries 
around the globe for 2 years of service. He said that night:
  ``. . . I think Americans are willing to contribute. But the effort 
must be far greater than we have ever made in the past. Therefore, I am 
delighted to come to Michigan, to this university, because unless we 
have those resources in this school, unless you comprehend the nature 
of what is being asked of

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you, this country can't possibly move through the next 10 years in a 
period of relative strength.''
  Since that speech, more than 200,000 Americans have spent 2 years of 
their lives in parts of the world that many of us have never heard of. 
And right now, dozens of Peace Corp volunteers from the Seattle area 
alone are serving in countries as far as Mali, Turkmenistan and 
Cambodia. Participants have worked on everything from helping farmers 
produce more food to stave off hunger to teaching computer skills and 
helping governments bolster their technology infrastructure. While I've 
heard from many Peace Corp volunteers that their years of service are 
far from easy, they also tell me about the tremendous impact those 
years have on their education and how their time abroad helps build 
their character and self-esteem.
  But the program does far more than just provide services to 
communities in other countries and enrich the lives of its volunteers. 
It helps participants come back with a far better understanding of 
other cultures. I have long believed that America's ability to operate 
in the world depends on how well we understand what's going on in other 
nations. President Kennedy understood that our nation's strength 
depended on our level of engagement in the global community, and the 
Peace Corp each year provides thousands of emissaries to places that 
the U.S. might not otherwise touch. In many ways, the Peace Corp is 
like community-based diplomacy.
  And when participants return, many continue their service. Some, like 
my colleagues Senator Chris Dodd, and Representatives Honda, Garamendi, 
Farr, Driehaus and Petri, go on to serve in Congress. Other alums go on 
to serve in Foreign Service, including stints in USAID, the 
Organization of American States and the Department of State. Others 
serve in the non-profit sector in organizations like the Sierra Club 
and Catholic Relief Services. And many others join the National Peace 
Corp Association, an organization of some 30,000 former Peace Corp 
participants that helps keep them engaged in service and advocacy.
  The Peace Corp has done enormous good around the world, so let us 
recognize the thousands of Americans who sacrificed and served. Let us 
reaffirm this week as National Peace Corp Week.

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