[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H1394]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              HONORING PEACE CORPS ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Farr) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary of 
the Peace Corps and the nearly quarter million people who have served 
in the Peace Corps in the name of peace.
  Fifty years ago, John F. Kennedy signed the executive order creating 
the Peace Corps, and the significance of this executive order 
reverberated around the world. At that moment in our history, America 
was in the throes of a Cold War, and the international community viewed 
our great Nation with increasing cynicism.
  Amidst this global tension, the Peace Corps showed the world the 
enduring values of peace, commitment to national service, and an 
optimism that had been eclipsed in the Cold War and World War II.
  Under the masterful direction of Sargent Shriver, the Peace Corps' 
ranks swelled to 15,000 volunteers in 44 developing countries within 
the first 5 years of existence.
  I was one of those early recruits. Right after college, I found 
myself in Peace Corps training and ended up in a poor barrio in 
Medellin, Colombia. I saw the grinding cycles of poverty that left so 
many men, women, and children without hope. I committed then to work to 
end the culture of poverty. It is in no small part because of that 
experience in the Peace Corps that I am standing here today in the well 
of the United States Congress.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. FARR. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DREIER. I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to join in congratulating my friend 
for his extraordinary service in the Peace Corps. He not only served at 
that time, but he continues to share that experience with us today; and 
as we focus on countries that are dealing with difficulty all around 
the world, the expansion of the Peace Corps is something that has been 
very important and recognizing the 50th anniversary is something that I 
am happy to join my colleague in doing.
  Mr. FARR. Thank you, Mr. Dreier, and I appreciate your support as 
well.
  Over the past 50 years, through war and conflict, the Peace Corps has 
shown the world the hopeful, uplifting side of America that reflects 
our fundamental ideas of peace, service and grass-roots development. 
That great legacy continues today. At this moment, 8,655 volunteers are 
serving in 76 developing countries around the world.

                              {time}  1010

  I am proud to say that 25 of those volunteers are from my district. 
Among them is Gabe LaHue, who was the valedictorian at Aptos High 
School. He then went on to study plant sciences at Cornell. Just 4 
months after graduating summa cum laude from college, Gabe entered into 
the Peace Corps in Paraguay to serve in an agricultural role there. 
Right now, Gabe is working shoulder to shoulder with community members 
in eastern Paraguay on rural agricultural development. Like many Peace 
Corps volunteers, Gabe's service ripples out far beyond one single 
project. He also helped to start a composting initiative, teaches 
English, and is working to set a library up and get it running.
  There are others, like Ashley Burke from Marina, who is teaching 
English at an orphanage in Rwanda; and there is James Staples from 
Pacific, who is working on sustainable rural tourism in Guatemala.
  Gabe, Ashley, and James are powerful ambassadors who have committed 2 
years of their lives to serving America's best values abroad. The 
American taxpayers reap a huge return on their investment in this 
remarkable program. To date, more than 20 countries have requested 
Peace Corps volunteers, and other countries want an increase in the 
number of volunteers allocated to them.
  The Peace Corps is able to build this goodwill on a shoestring 
budget. Dollar for dollar, Peace Corps volunteers are one of our most 
effective ambassadors of international development and diplomacy. In 
fact, the Peace Corps amounts to, roughly, 1 percent of our total 
Federal budget. For the cost of sending one soldier to Afghanistan, the 
Peace Corps can send 13 volunteers to developing countries to serve 
U.S. interests in the name of peace. In the midst of our tight budget 
climate, the Peace Corps is one of the most low-cost, high-return tools 
in our foreign policy toolbox.
  In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, I am proud to 
join my fellow returned Peace Corps volunteers, who are Tom Petri, Mike 
Honda and John Garamendi--all Members of Congress--to introduce a 
bipartisan bill to establish a commemorative work in the District of 
Columbia to recognize the founding of the Peace Corps, which will be at 
no expense to the U.S. taxpayer.
  This bill, which passed the House by voice vote last Congress, 
commemorates the creation of a unique form of public service that 
promotes peace through people-to-people diplomacy and cross-cultural 
understanding, and it doesn't cost the taxpayers a single penny. I urge 
my congressional colleagues to honor America's commitment to peace by 
supporting the swift passage of this timely legislation.
  So today, as we mark a significant milestone in America's history, I 
urge each of you to join me in honoring your constituents who have 
served in and who are supporting the Peace Corps funding so that we can 
usher in the next generation of Americans who want to serve this 
country in the name of peace.

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