[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 7, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1212]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1010
                          HONORING OUR TROOPS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, about 3 years ago I initiated a House 
resolution, and I was joined by many of my colleagues on the Democratic 
side as well as my friends on the Republican side. The resolution 
called on the Speaker of the House one time a month, at that time, Ms. 
Pelosi, that she would stand at the Speaker's stand and ask the Members 
of Congress to remember our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. I want to 
give her credit and thanks that she did it for the whole time that she 
was Speaker of the House.
  After my party, the Republican Party became the majority, I wrote 
Speaker Boehner and asked him if he would continue that moment of 
remembrance of all of our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, their 
families, and those who gave their life and those who were wounded.
  I regret that I must say the last time we did this was December 16 of 
2011. I intend to prepare a letter to Mr. Boehner and ask him, himself, 
not one time do I remember, maybe one time that he was in the Speaker's 
chair and he said the words of I thank you, those who have served and 
those who have given so much.
  I don't know if it is just because the war is not on the front page, 
but last week two Army captains from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who 
were trying to train the Afghans, were shot point-blank in their 
forehead and killed. We have lost 40 Americans who have been in 
Afghanistan trying to train Afghans to be police and soldiers; 40 have 
been killed by the trainees. And when you factor in the coalition 
troops trying to train the Afghans, 70 have been killed, including the 
40 Americans.
  We need to continue this process of remembering those who have given 
so much to our country because too many times we get so wrapped up with 
major issues like the debt, the deficit and jobs, and so many important 
things, but there is nothing more important than those young men and 
women over there in Afghanistan who are giving their limbs and their 
life.
  I went to Walter Reed about 3 weeks ago and saw three Marines from my 
district, Camp Lejeune Marine Base. All three have lost both legs.
  So I hope when we get back from the next break next week, again I 
intend to hand deliver a letter to the Speaker of the House, as I did a 
year ago, and I want the Speaker, himself, to stand at the Speaker's 
stand and read the words thanking our men and women in uniform for 
their service to our Nation and remembering the families who have given 
a child dying for freedom. I intend to follow through on this, and I 
hope friends on both sides of the aisle will join me in asking the 
Speaker to continue this recognition of those who have given so much.
  With that, I will ask God to please bless our men and women in 
uniform, to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform; 
God, in His loving arms, hold the families who have given a child dying 
for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I ask God to bless the House and 
Senate that we will do what is right in the eyes of God for His people 
here in the United States of America. I will ask God to please bless 
the President of the United States that he will do what is right in the 
eyes of God for God's people here in the United States. And three times 
I will ask, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless 
America.

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