[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 105 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H5659-H5660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AKC PROJECT 7-4
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, on July 8, I had the privilege of visiting
the American Kennel Club in Raleigh, North Carolina, where care
packages were being prepared to be sent to our K-9 units overseas. The
effort is called Project 7-4.
Project 7-4 is an effort to help the United States War Dog
Association collect much-needed supplies for both dogs and their
handlers to send over to our active duty dog teams in Afghanistan and
Iraq. It was very touching for me to see all the boxes being prepared
by people who care so much. I was absolutely amazed by everything I saw
that day at the American Kennel Club in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Last year I had the great opportunity to watch some of these valuable
dogs being trained at Lackland Air Force Base. Lackland is the center
for all the training of all these dogs that help our men and women in
uniform.
Through the years that I have been in Congress, I have had the
pleasure and honor to talk to many military dog handlers, some that go
back to the Vietnam War, some to Desert Storm, and certainly many who
have been in Iraq and Afghanistan. These dogs are so valuable because
they are trained to sniff out the IEDs that kill so many and maim so
many of our wonderful men and women in uniform.
These dogs themselves many times are wounded, and many times killed.
But as I had a soldier tell me one time, Yes, it breaks my heart. This
has become my friend, this has become my buddy. But you know what? My
buddy is willing to give his life for me so that I can continue to
serve this Nation.
I bring that story forward, Madam Speaker, because these dogs are
truly heroes, these dogs are truly valuable to the national security of
our country. And I have beside me a poster that has the dog named Lex.
Lex is looking at the headstone of his master, Marine Corporal Dustin
Lee, who was killed by
[[Page H5660]]
a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq. He was a dog handler, and this was
his friend, his dog Lex. Lex himself has shrapnel in the back. And the
family, the Lee family, wanted so badly to have Lex, since they gave
their son up for this country. And I want to thank Mike Regner, United
States Marine Corps, for helping this become a reality. Madam Speaker,
when Dustin was killed and Lex was wounded, the Marine Corps told me
that they found Lex laying next to the body of his master.
War dogs have been used in every war throughout history. There are
currently between 500 and 700 dog teams stationed in the Middle East.
This is not a new concept, but it is time that these dogs and their
handlers are acknowledged for their sacrifice to this country.
I would like to thank the United States War Dog Association for all
they do and for helping the American Kennel Club with this tremendous
effort. I also encourage anyone who would like to donate to this effort
to contact the American Kennel Club or United States War Dog
Association. Both dogs and handlers are in need of basic daily items
that we all take for granted.
Madam Speaker, as I begin to close I would like to ask God, as I
always do on this floor, to please bless our men and women in uniform,
ask God to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform,
ask God in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child
dying for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ask God to please bless
the House and Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God,
and ask God to give wisdom, strength, and courage to President Obama
that he will do what is right in the eyes of God for the American
people.
And I will close by asking three times, God, please, God, please,
God, please continue to bless America.
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