[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 176 (Tuesday, October 31, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8278-H8279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONGRATULATING EISENHOWER MEMORIAL COMMISSION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Marshall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, growing up in Kansas, I had many 
opportunities to visit the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, 
Museum and Boyhood Home.
  Some of my greatest memories go back to visiting Ike: on my 10th 
birthday, my entire family drove up to Abilene, Kansas, to visit the 
museum, and,

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later on, in Rotary, multiple opportunities to go to the museum and to 
his library and honor Ike.
  But, perhaps, the greatest memory I had was when my father was 
allowed to represent Kansas in Ike's color guard during his funeral 
procession from Washington, D.C., to Abilene, Kansas.
  Like many fellow Kansans, I found Ike's devotion to public service, 
his leadership, and his integrity to be inspiring, both in his role as 
Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and during his time as the 
34th President of the United States.
  In October of 1999, this Congress recognized the significance of 
General Eisenhower to the United States and passed legislation 
directing the construction of a national memorial in his honor. This 
week, this very week, this Friday, the Eisenhower Memorial Commission 
will finally break ground on the construction of this memorial to 
commemorate the favorite son of Kansas here in our Nation's Capital.
  I want to congratulate and thank several other Kansan legends who are 
a part of this commission--Senator Bob Dole, Senator Pat Roberts, and 
Senator Nancy Kassebaum--for their work on achieving this milestone, 
and we look forward to sharing Ike's legacy with generations to come.


                      Prematurity Awareness Month

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, November is Prematurity Awareness Month, 
and I rise today to discuss the fight to prevent premature births.
  I remember my very first night alone at Bayfront Medical Center as a 
second year OB/GYN resident when I was summoned to the labor and 
delivery unit at 2 in the morning. There, I found a young lady who 
never had prenatal care, who literally was bleeding to death as her 
placenta was tearing away from her uterus. As we rushed her back to the 
operating room, I did a quick sonogram to figure out if these babies 
were viable. Just glancing at her, she looked like she was 22 or 23 
weeks along. I quickly saw that not only was there one baby in this 
uterus, but there were two babies. Though we got the babies out in less 
than 30 seconds, both of those babies perished from their extreme 
prematurity.

  That has been 25 or 30 years ago, Mr. Speaker, and to this day 
prematurity is still the number one cause of death for infants. One out 
of ten babies are still born premature, and one out of three of those 
still die. Though we have done a great job in treating these premature 
babies, we have done very little to lower the incidence of premature 
births.
  That is why I rise today: to recognize this problem, and to tell 
everyone that the most important step you can do to prevent premature 
birth is early prenatal care. That is why, wherever I have been, 
whether it was a residency in St. Petersburg, Florida, or delivering 
babies in Great Bend, Kansas, I made sure that every patient, 
regardless of their ability to pay, had early access to prenatal care 
early on in their pregnancy that hopefully identified the risk that 
might lead to premature birth.


                 National Veterans Small Business Week

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. Speaker, this week is National Veterans Small 
Business Week, so I rise today to acknowledge the contribution that 
these folks have given not only in their service to our country, but 
also to their communities and businesses.
  Veterans bring a unique perspective to entrepreneurship, taking the 
leadership skills that they developed during their military careers and 
applying it to starting and growing a business. Nearly 1 in every 10 
businesses in this country is owned by a veteran, creating annual sales 
of over $1 trillion each year and employing over 5 million Americans 
across the country.
  Veteran-owned businesses are a pillar of our economy. I applaud the 
success of these veteran entrepreneurs, both in Kansas and across the 
country, and ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating National 
Veterans Small Business Week.
  Mr. Speaker, there are so many veteran businesses I can honor today, 
but here are just a few of them listed from our own Fort Riley area, 
Junction City: Tim's Auto Sales, Godfrey's Shooting Range, Coyotes 
Saloon, Disabled American Veterans Engraving Service, Donnerson Mobile 
Gaming, Mastercut Lawn and Landscape, Rainbow International, The 
Veteran Woman, JC CrossFit, 360 Kayaking, Fitzgerald's Gunsmithing, and 
Studio Pink Candy Boutique.
  Mr. Speaker, those are just but a few of the veteran-led businesses 
in my own district, and we are so proud of them and salute them on this 
week.

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