[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 178 (Monday, December 16, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 16, 2013

  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, it's the most wonderful time of the year. 
Families across the fruited plain decorate their houses with red and 
green lights, hang ornaments on their trees, and think about new 
recipes to spice up this year's menu. Holiday party invitations flow 
in, carolers line the neighborhood streets at night, everybody is in 
the holiday spirit. In the midst of all the cheer, we are reminded that 
many families are sitting down this year to a table with an empty 
chair. They are not together because their loved ones (our American 
warriors) are oceans away from their families, fighting for the rest of 
us.
  They say the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten. In our 
community we have a tradition to make sure that our men and women 
overseas know that we will never forget them. For seven straight years, 
Texans from the Second Congressional District and beyond have joined 
forces and collected handmade Christmas cards from the community to 
send overseas to our military. People from young school children to 
community leaders contribute, and this joint effort makes my annual 
Christmas Cards for Troops drive a success. Whether they are students, 
teachers, area Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, churches, and non-profits, 
they have been relentless in their efforts to express how grateful they 
are for our men and women on the front lives of battle by decorating 
and personalizing holiday cards for the troops. In my opinion, there's 
no better way than spreading the joy of the holidays overseas to the 
ones that can't be with their families for Christmas dinner and 
unwrapping gifts from under the tree. Each year is better than the 
last.
  There is no greater sight than watching our troops open up the 
colorful, heartwarming cards. It wasn't until a few years ago that I 
witnessed firsthand what it means to them. One year, I decided to pack 
my bags and visit the Landstuhl Military Base in Germany, a hub for 
wounded Americans who come from Afghanistan and Iraq. With me, I 
carried two suitcases full of 6,000 handmade cards piled high from 
third, fourth, and fifth graders of the Second Congressional District.
  I checked one of my suitcases but decided to carry on the smaller of 
the two. The temptation to read the cards overtook me. I couldn't hold 
back so about half way through the flight, I opened the bag and began 
reading some of the cards. Curiosity sparked the person in the seat 
next to me so I shared a few of the cards with him. Then the person 
next to him wanted to see the cards, too. Before I knew it, the whole 
plane was reading them. The cards were being passed up and down the 
aisles, and some tears were shed. You wouldn't believe the kind words 
written in those cards by these Texas school children.
  When I arrived at the base and hand-delivered these cards, I was 
amazed to see what they meant to our troops. They didn't personally 
know the child who the card was from but every one of them read it and 
smiled proudly at the words of support. Soon, nurses were scrambling to 
tape as many cards as they could to the hospital walls above their 
beds. Red, green, yellow, and blue cards were decorated with snowmen, 
gingerbread men, candy canes, menorahs, or even their favorite football 
team. There is something about a homemade card that doesn't compare to 
anything else, especially when it's from a child.
  This year was our most successful card drive yet with a record-
breaking collection of 113,000 cards. A special thank you City of 
Baytown, Goose Creek CISD, Humble ISD, Spring ISD, Huffman ISD, Klein 
ISD, Cy Fair ISD, Spring Branch ISD, as well as area Boy Scout and Girl 
Scout troops, local churches and non-profits. It could not have been 
done without them.
  In a few weeks, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, 
and marines will open up their packages from Operation Interdependence, 
along with their holiday card from a fellow Texan. Although the 
military member has never met the child or person on the other side of 
the world who took the time to create the card, there is nothing like 
receiving the holiday cheer from the land of the free and home of the 
brave.
  And that's just the way it is.

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