[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 1, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8308-H8309]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  (Mr. BIGGS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BIGGS. Mr. Speaker, every November we commemorate Native American 
Heritage Month. I am honored to share a long-standing partnership with 
Indian Tribes located in Arizona and across the United States. This 
includes our most recent efforts to extend the AMBER Alert program to 
Indian Country, which will ensure that every family in Indian Country 
is afforded the same resources to find a missing child.
  Today I am especially grateful to recognize the valiant service of 
Native American U.S. Marines during the Iwo Jima campaign:
  Ira Hayes, a member of the Gila River Pima Indian community, is most 
notably remembered as one of the servicemen who raised the American 
flag over Mount Suribachi.
  The Navajo Code Talkers were also irreplaceable during World War II. 
The

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Code Talkers effectively transmitted combat messages across enemy lines 
to avoid interception and decryption.
  Major Howard Connor said it best: ``Were it not for the Navajos, the 
Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to highlight their contributions to 
Arizona and the United States.

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