[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 48 (Thursday, March 22, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               JOEL SHRUM

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, on Sunday in the Yemeni city of Tah-izz, al 
Qaeda terrorists viciously gunned down American Joel Shrum.
  Joel grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in Mount Joy and was 
a football star at Donegal High School.
  He leaves behind a wife and two young sons who lived with him in 
Yemen.
  Joel worked as a teacher at the International Training Development 
Center, which focused on giving vocational training to the poor.
  Joel was a Christian, but he was not in the country to proselytize. 
According to his father, Joel was there to teach and break down 
barriers. The organization he worked for is staffed by both Christians 
and Muslims and has worked in the country for over 40 years.
  The people of Yemen are appalled at this violence. Hundreds of 
activists took to the streets yesterday to demand justice for the 
killers. They carried photos of Joel and chanted: ``Yemen is not a 
place for terrorism'' and ``We love you, Joel.''
  Joel Shrum selflessly served the poor in a country far from home. He 
will be dearly missed by his family and by the people he came to serve.

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