[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 29, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H2525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     THANKING TEXAS WORLD WAR I VETERANS FOR PROTECTING OUR COUNTY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, soldiers from south Texas were 
instrumental in the United States victory during World War I. With the 
100th anniversary of World War I quickly approaching, I would like to 
take a minute to thank our veterans, especially Texas veterans, for 
protecting our country.
  In 1916, thousands of National Guardsmen were stationed along the 
Mexican border. When tensions began to calm, 3,500 soldiers were moved 
to Corpus Christi, where the city prepared a 200-acre site that later 
became Camp Scurry.
  By 1917, the camp was closed after the border remained quiet for 
nearly a year. Once the United States entered World War I, the camp was 
reactivated and became a training base for the 4th Field Artillery 
Regiment and the 5th Engineer Battalion.
  Through the draft, nearly 200,000 Texans served in the military 
during the war, and 450 Texas women worked as nurses. Today, now, we 
must remember the 5,000 Texans who died during the war, including seven 
Gold Star women nurses.
  Also, a special thank you to the Nueces County Historical Society for 
hosting the World War I Centennial Commemoration on April 6. Their work 
helps preserve our south Texas history.


    The Important Relationship Between the United States and Israel

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to highlight how 
important our relationship with Israel is, and how our ally in the 
Middle East is a huge asset to our Nation and the world.
  Israel is a beacon of democracy in a sea of turbulence. It is a 
success story of enterprising spirit and indomitable will. I was 
fortunate enough to visit Israel in 2011 and saw firsthand the high 
level of strategic cooperation between the United States and Israel 
militarily, businesswise, technologywise, and socially.
  Almost 32 years ago, the U.S. signed its first-ever free trade 
agreement with Israel, leading to almost $40 billion in trade annually. 
Israel makes up more than 40 percent of all investment in the United 
States from the Middle East and north Africa, and has companies listed 
on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange, more than any other country other than 
the United States and Canada.
  The ``Start-up Nation'' has given the world the USB flash drive, the 
first PC CPU, voice over IP phone system, and just recently, Intel 
acquired Israeli driver-assistance company, Mobileye, to help develop 
better autonomous vehicles.
  Israel's drip irrigation technology has helped millions around the 
world grow crops on land that otherwise would be barren, and Israeli 
doctors have made medical discoveries improving the lives of millions 
of Americans and hundreds of millions of folks worldwide.
  The U.S. and Israeli militaries also maintain a high level of 
cooperation and support. Our two nations regularly hold joint exercises 
and work side by side in developing new technologies, including missile 
defense systems, weapons technologies, and more.
  Situated in an extremely hostile neighborhood, Israelis share a 
unique understanding of the threats posed by Islamic terror groups. 
Through cooperation, we are constantly monitoring and defeating new 
threats to both nations.
  I have been heartened to see the renewal in U.S.-Israeli relations 
since President Trump took office and hope to see them continue to 
flourish. I encourage my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring H.R. 
1697, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act; H.R. 1698, the Iran Ballistic 
Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act; and H. Res. 218, 
Recognizing the importance of the United States-Israel economic 
relationship and encouraging new areas of cooperation.

  While many around the world are eager to point fingers and attempt to 
delegitimize or destroy the State of Israel, it is important--now more 
than ever--that we stand strong with our allies and the only democracy 
in the Middle East.

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