[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 29 (Thursday, February 28, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE 52ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE PEACE CORPS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2013

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise regarding the 52nd anniversary of 
the Peace Corps to recognize the service, sacrifice and commitment of 
the men and women who devote a portion of their lives to the task of 
helping to strengthen the ties of friendship and understanding between 
the people of United States and others around the world. These cultural 
ambassadors embody the legacy of service that is the foundation of this 
nation's image abroad. Since 1961, more than 210,000 volunteers have 
served in 193 countries around the world. Their efforts in Africa, 
Asia, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere 
have made significant and lasting contributions in the areas of 
agriculture, business development, education, health, and youth 
development among others.
  I know firsthand of the long-lasting benefits of the good work of the 
Peace Corps. My father served in the Navy and then went on to become a 
United States Foreign Service officer, proudly representing America in 
places like Turkey and India and Pakistan, where I was born. I learned 
a lot about the world as a child in those places, but I also learned a 
lot about America.
  One memory of those years stands out. It was in the early 1970s, and 
I had just turned 14. One day, I traveled with my parents to a tiny 
remote village in Sri Lanka. There, I walked into a family's small hut 
and as my eyes adjusted to the light, I noticed, hanging on the wall, a 
portrait of President John F. Kennedy. It was 10 years after he had 
been in the White House and half a world away from our country, but for 
these villagers it represented the America that had sent Peace Corps 
volunteers to help them. It represented the America they looked to as a 
land of opportunity and as a force for good and justice around the 
world. That portrait of our president represented an America that was a 
beacon of hope.
  As we celebrate the fifty-second anniversary of the Peace Corps, let 
us salute the men and women who helped bring the best of America to the 
people of the world.