[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 29, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8580-H8583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





  SFC SEAN COOLEY AND SPC CHRISTOPHER HORTON CONGRESSIONAL GOLD STAR 
                     FAMILY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ACT

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 107) establishing the Congressional Gold Star 
Family Fellowship Program for the placement in offices of Members of 
the House of Representatives of children, spouses, and siblings of 
members of the Armed Forces who are hostile casualties or who have died 
from a training-related injury, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 107

       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This resolution may be cited as the ``SFC Sean Cooley and 
     SPC Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family 
     Fellowship Program Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD STAR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established in the House of 
     Representatives the Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship 
     Program (hereafter in this resolution referred to as the 
     ``Program'') under which, under the direction of the Chief 
     Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, an 
     eligible individual may serve a 12-month fellowship in the 
     office of a Member of the House of Representatives (including 
     a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress).
       (b) Exclusion of Appointees for Purposes of Limit on Number 
     of Employees in Member Offices.--Any individual serving a 
     fellowship under the Program in the office of a Member shall 
     not be included in the determination of the number of 
     employees employed by the Member under section 104(a) of the 
     House of Representatives Administrative Reform Technical 
     Corrections Act (2 U.S.C. 5321(a)).
       (c) Placement in Member Offices in District of Columbia or 
     Congressional District of Member.--An individual may serve a 
     fellowship under the Program at the Member's office in the 
     District of Columbia or the Member's office in the 
     congressional district the Member represents.
       (d) Eligible Individual Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``eligible individual'' means the child (including a 
     stepchild), spouse, or sibling of--
       (1) a person who dies in the line of duty while serving as 
     a member of the Armed Forces (including the reserve 
     components and the National Guard), regardless of the duty 
     status of the member while serving, unless such death was the 
     result of the willful misconduct of the member; or
       (2) a veteran who dies from a service-connected disability 
     (as defined in section 101 of title 38, United States Code) 
     during the 4-year period beginning on the date of the last 
     discharge or release of the veteran from the Armed Forces.
       (e) Regulations.--The Program shall be carried out in 
     accordance with regulations promulgated by the Committee on 
     House Administration.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lofgren) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney 
Davis) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This resolution establishes the Congressional Gold Star Family 
Fellowship Program, which will provide fellowships in congressional 
offices for immediate family members of the Armed Forces who have given 
their lives in service to this country.
  Members of the Armed Forces do not serve by themselves. They are 
supported by children, spouses, siblings, and others who often go 
months or longer without seeing their loved one while that loved one is 
deployed.
  It is incumbent on all Americans, but particularly those of us who 
have the privilege of serving in Congress, to support military 
families, and none more so than our Gold Star families.
  Gold Star families have experienced the worst type of heartbreak, 
sacrifice, and loss, and they deserve our unwavering recognition, 
compassion, and support. The Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship 
Program is one small way for us in Congress to provide that support.
  This program will offer an opportunity for members of Gold Star 
families to gain firsthand experience in Congress through a yearlong 
fellowship in a congressional office. These fellowships can take place 
either here in Washington or back home in a district office and will 
allow Gold Star families to both participate in and learn about the 
democracy their loved one gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect.
  Nothing can ever fill the void left by the loss of a loved one who 
was killed serving the Nation, but we in Congress should be doing 
everything we can to help lift up those who have suffered this 
unfathomable loss.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support the establishment of this program. 
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairperson Lofgren for, again, working 
with me on this issue--it is such a very important piece of 
legislation--because I am proud to rise with her today in support of H. 
Res. 107, the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Congressional 
Gold Star Family Fellowship Program Act.
  Since being elected to Congress in 2013, my team has worked over 
1,000 cases on behalf of veteran constituents in central-southwestern 
Illinois, including when the USS John McCain collided with a merchant 
ship off the coast of Singapore in 2017, killing 10 sailors, including 
Petty Officer Logan Palmer from my district. My office was able to help 
this Gold Star family navigate the confusing Department of Defense 
policies relating to next-of-kin travel for noncombat-related deaths 
and other important procedures that follow a tragedy like this.
  Over the years since that tragedy, I have become friends with Petty 
Officer Palmer's parents, Theresa and Sid, and deeply value our 
friendship, which is one of the reasons why I am so honored to be on 
the floor advocating for the passage of this bill.
  I have also worked to change the next-of-kin family travel policies 
at the DOD and am currently working in a bipartisan way with Members 
across the aisle to codify those changes that are already in existence. 
Let's codify them into law so they don't change again when 
administrations change.
  I will continue to use my office to assist those who have given so 
much. That is why I believe in this program that will allow Gold Star 
spouses, children, and siblings the opportunity to work for a 
congressional office in D.C. or a district office.
  We already have a model for success in Congress to shape this program 
after. It is the Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program that lies within 
the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer and has provided many 
opportunities over the years for veterans to serve in the House of 
Representatives.
  Currently, there is a Wounded Warrior fellow who works in my 
Maryville, Illinois, office, Peter Arsenault. He is doing a great job. 
Peter helps veterans in my district every day and understands the 
assistance and the help that they need to navigate the bureaucracy 
within the Federal Government.
  Mr. Speaker, I do want to give a special thank-you and a shout-out to 
our colleague and my very good close friend, Trent Kelly, the gentleman 
from Mississippi, for his work on taking this fellowship program from 
an idea into a reality. Trent did everything to make sure that this 
became law, that this bill passed the House and made it on its way to 
become law.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank the Gold Star families for their 
participation in making this process a reality, too, and for those 
family members who could be here in the gallery to see this important 
program come to fruition.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am glad that the ranking member has mentioned the 
Wounded Warrior Program that, I believe, has been enormously 
successful.
  Practically every week, I am signing little termination letters. And 
why? Because these wounded warriors have gotten jobs, promotions, 
permanent positions, exactly what we wanted.
  So not only will this help the families, Gold Star families, gain 
insight

[[Page H8581]]

into the workings of the United States Congress, but it will also be a 
platform for them to, if they wish, expand their employment 
opportunities, just as our Wounded Warrior Program has done so.

  Mr. Speaker, I thank the author of the bill. I thank the ranking 
member for moving this forward. I am glad that this is bipartisan, as 
well the prior bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to take this 
opportunity to offer one of our great colleagues from the great State 
of Nebraska the opportunity to speak in favor--like Trent Kelly from 
Mississippi--one of the former generals, or current generals, who 
serves in our Nation's military, but whom we also have the great 
privilege of serving with here in this institution, General   Don 
Bacon.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. 
Bacon).
  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I want to take the time to thank Ms. Lofgren 
and Mr. Davis for guiding this discussion, this debate today, and Trent 
Kelly for submitting a great bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution which honors the 
memory of two great American warriors: Army Sergeant First Class Sean 
Cooley and Army Specialist Chris Horton. These heroes rest in honored 
glory, servants to our great Republic, who answered the call and gave 
their lives fighting for our freedoms and to give hope to others 
fighting for a better future in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  We could never repay the debt we owe, but we can honor them by caring 
for their families. This is why this resolution to establish the Gold 
Star Family Fellowship Program in the House is so important and has my 
full support.
  Since becoming a Member of the House, I have made it my mission to 
work across the aisle to ensure Congress does its part to honor our 
heroes and care for the families who bear the daily burden of their 
loss.
  To our Gold Star and surviving families, I recall President Lincoln's 
words to a grieving mother who lost five sons in the Civil War: ``I 
pray that the Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your 
bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and 
lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a 
sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.''
  As we approach Veterans Day, this action is timely and sends an 
important message of support to our military families and to the 
American people.
  The daring raid this weekend which ended the life of the world's most 
wanted terrorist is a reminder of how much we--indeed, the entire free 
world--owe to our military, our military servicemembers and their 
families.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to personally thank my good friend and wingman on 
the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Kelly, for introducing this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how 
much time remains. I am sure I talked longer than I thought.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Illinois has 14\1/2\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk), my good friend, another 
veteran who serves in this great institution with us. I am honored to 
be able to serve with him on the House Administration Committee.
  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, my friend and 
colleague, the ranking member, for yielding this time.
  This is one of those pieces of legislation that really touches your 
heart.
  As a veteran, I have had the opportunity to serve with some of 
America's finest, and I have also experienced the loss and the families 
that have lost loved ones in defense of this Nation.
  But my story with the Gold Star goes back to even when I was a child. 
You see, my dad was a veteran. He was a medic in World War II. He was 
involved in the D-Day invasion. He went all the way through from 
Normandy, through France, into Belgium, and then on into Germany.
  I remember when I was young, I was going through this photo album 
that my mom had, and as I was flipping through seeing the pictures that 
my dad brought back from World War II, there was this interesting 
picture of a banner hanging inside of a church.
  And I remember when I asked her about this, because my children 
recently, just a few years ago, were going through the album not long 
before my mom and my dad passed away. They saw that same picture and 
they asked the same question I asked: What is this? This banner had 
names, various names of people, and next to the names was a silver star 
or a gold star.
  I remember when my children asked the question: ``What does this 
mean?'' My mom, who was a teenager at the time, said: ``This banner was 
in the entrance of our church, and the names on it were all the boys 
from our church that were serving in the European or the Pacific 
theater. And the silver star at the time indicated that they were 
deployed into the combat area.''
  But then she kind of got teary-eyed, and she said: ``But when it was 
a gold star, it meant that they had been killed in action.''
  I remember her telling about the D-Day invasion, because they knew 
that something was going to happen. They knew we were going to invade, 
but they didn't know exactly when. And the night of the invasion, when 
President Roosevelt took to the airwaves and led the Nation in a prayer 
for the invasion, her father told her to go throughout the town of 
Waha, South Carolina, and gather everyone to come to the church and 
pray.
  She said they stayed and they prayed in the church all night long. 
But she said a couple of days later, when they went back to the church, 
she looked, and several of those names now had gold stars, including 
the pastor, the pastor's son. I remember her telling the impact that it 
had upon those families.
  Many of these families are devastated, not only at the loss of their 
loved one who gave their life for our freedom, but at the life they 
will have to endure, the responsibilities that they will take on solely 
for that family.

                              {time}  1645

  I got to know a family when I was in the State legislature whose son 
was killed in Iraq during the war on terror. I was able to name an 
intersection after Justin Johnson. His story went on because his family 
were such patriots, even though his mom was a Gold Star Mother at that 
point.
  His father wanted to complete the mission for which his son started 
and reenlisted back into the National Guard. Unfortunately, his unit 
was not going to be deployed, so he asked to be actually transferred to 
a unit that was going to deploy, which the Army did. He went and 
fulfilled the mission that his son wasn't able to complete.
  I have seen and I have worked with these families and know the tragic 
situations they are in. And, as others have, there is actually a 
wounded warrior on our staff, Chase Sanger, an Army airborne veteran, 
who is one of the finest that our Nation has produced.
  To be able to extend this on to the families of those heroes, I think 
is not only admirable, but it is something that we should have done a 
long time ago. I salute my colleague, General Kelly, for bringing this 
forward. I give it my utmost support, and I think this is well overdue.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, again, this is one of those rare opportunities where we 
get to talk about our heroes.
  The worst vote I think any of us would ever have to take is a vote to 
authorize to send young men and women off to war, off to battle, to 
protect the freedoms and the liberties that many of us in this country 
take for granted every single day. We expect freedom and liberty to 
exist in the United States of America, but it doesn't happen without 
the courage and the sacrifice of so many families throughout our 
Nation's history. I cannot imagine. I have never had the chance to take 
that vote in 6\1/2\ years, and I hope and pray every day that I don't 
personally ever have to take it. But many in this

[[Page H8582]]

institution, who have been here and have served here, have had to make 
that vote.
  I could not imagine what our Gold Star families go through when they 
get that knock on the door. But to know that the legacy of their young 
sons and daughters is going to live on in a fellowship program here in 
the United States House of Representatives--because General Trent Kelly 
and his team and an idea from his constituents is now moving forward in 
the next step to become law--that is one thing that we can do here in 
the House of Representatives to honor those families who have 
sacrificed so much.
  We often imagine the future of what would have happened if these 
young men and women would have been able to come back home, families 
torn apart by tragedy at a time when their sacrifice gave us the 
freedoms and liberties that we enjoy being able to serve here.
  We have an opportunity today to say thank you again. This is our 
opportunity to show those families that their sons and daughters 
perishing during battle, or noncombat-related deaths, like Petty 
Officer Logan Palmer from Harristown, Illinois, in my district, let's 
say thank you to them. Let's let their memory go on.
  Let's let the next generation of people who, like Chairperson Lofgren 
and I, we started out as congressional staffers. Do you know what, I 
think both of us are here because of that experience. And to have this 
program, this Gold Star Fellowship Program, allow young men and women, 
who have been affected by so much, come into our institution, who 
knows, maybe they will be the next chairperson and ranking member of 
the House Administration Committee, and maybe their constituents, like 
General Kelly's constituents, will give them a great idea like this, 
and maybe they will be able to move it on the next step in becoming 
law.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairperson Lofgren again for allowing us the 
opportunity, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, like Mr. Davis, I do believe that this fellowship will 
provide a rewarding experience for the families who decide to 
participate, whether it is in Washington, to participate and observe in 
the making of legislation, or whether it is in our district offices, 
going to bat for veterans, standing up for people who need help from a 
congressional office. It is very rewarding, but also very educational. 
And I know that it will be a rewarding experience for those families 
who participate.
  I thank the author of the bill, Mr. Kelly, for his persistence in 
getting this done and making adjustments as input came in so that we 
can have consensus and proceed on this.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how 
much time remains?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Illinois has 7 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Baird), my colleague and wounded warrior, a 
hero. I am glad I get the opportunity to serve with heroes like the 
gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program Act sponsored by my 
colleague, Mr. Kelly.
  Mr. Speaker, our men and women in uniform are part of a long line of 
patriots whose unwavering commitment to our Nation has preserved the 
rich legacy of freedom that we each enjoy every day.
  Our military families are the forces behind our Armed Forces, and it 
is our duty to also support and care for them, especially when their 
loved one pays the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation.
  I am proud to support this legislation, named after two fallen 
American soldiers, Sergeant First Class Sean Cooley and Specialist 
Christopher Horton. This resolution will provide fellowships in 
congressional offices to Gold Star family members, giving them the 
opportunity to drive policy change here in Washington and serve our 
country in their own way.

  Our fallen men and women in uniform stepped forward and answered the 
call to serve. It is our turn to do our part to honor their legacy of 
service and sacrifice by keeping the ones that we leave behind in the 
forefront of our minds as we make decisions in this body.
  With passage of this legislation, we will send a message to our Gold 
Star families that they are not forgotten, and the American people 
stand behind them and support them.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk), my good friend.
  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle for bringing this measure forward and giving us an 
opportunity to do something so important for these families.
  I am sure many of you, as you watch the television, see the different 
organizations that have evolved over the past several years to provide 
assistance to those families. One particular organization provides 
assistance in paying off the mortgages for these families.
  I bring that up just as an illustration to the aspects of what these 
Gold Star families go through at the loss of their loved one. Sometimes 
it is the primary income earner from the family because, quite often, 
the spouse is at home taking care of the children and, all of a sudden, 
they are the primary breadwinner, their loved one is gone. They are 
left with these bills. They are left with, a lot of times, situations 
beyond just the grief of what they are feeling at the loss of their 
family member, they have to deal with these unbearable situations.
  Providing them with an opportunity for the spouse or their children 
to find employment in something that they feel is also meaningful, 
because many of them have such a patriotic heart, they want to continue 
to serve.
  One of the things that I have often said to many of my veterans and 
friends who have served is that when we take that oath of office, there 
are a lot of things that we swear to, to uphold and defend the 
Constitution of the United States, up to and including giving our own 
lives, if necessary. But one thing that is not in that oath of office 
is an expiration date.
  Many veterans and their families, even at the end of their regular 
service, still feel that need and that desire to serve. This will give 
an opportunity for those family members to continue to serve their 
country in a meaningful way.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he 
may consume to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Kelly), and I can't 
tell you how proud I am to yield to the sponsor of this legislation, 
somebody who deserves a lot of thanks for moving this bill forward.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, this is one of my most 
momentous occasions here in the House of Representatives. We are 
recognizing the men and women who died in service of this great Nation 
and understanding that when they left here, they left families behind.
  These are two--Sean Cooley and Chris Horton--who died in service of 
this great Nation. I have got their pictures up here to show what 
warriors they were. But they left families behind.
  We are establishing this Gold Star Fellowship Program to honor these 
men, and many other men and women like them, who have given their all 
to defend this Nation.
  Ronald Reagan used the words of Thomas Jefferson when he said, the 
blood of patriots is needed from time to time to refresh the tree of 
liberty--something to that effect. We have to make sure that we always 
honor those who give the ultimate sacrifice for this great Nation.
  We have many Gold Star families here today. My friend Jane Horton 
came up with the idea for this bill. This is her husband who is 
pictured in this bill. Thank God that we have men

[[Page H8583]]

and women who not only serve this Nation, but families who serve this 
Nation by allowing their family member to serve. Such bravery and such 
patriots. As long as we have them, this Nation will always sustain.
  When we lose these types of patriots who are willing to give 
everything to this beautiful, wonderful Nation, then we no longer will 
have a Nation. Freedom is not free. But the least we can do is allow 
their family members to learn how to get engaged in the congressional 
process on a national and strategic level and to influence our decision 
so that we take care of those great patriots who left this country 
behind.
  We will never forget, and we will never leave behind a fallen comrade 
or their survivor. So for our Gold Star families, thank you and God 
bless you. Their sacrifice was not in vain.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance 
of my time.

                              {time}  1700

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I think this has been an excellent debate 
highlighting the bipartisan support for this fellowship, a bipartisan 
gratitude to those who served and those who gave their lives for this 
country and for the families they left behind. There is no honor big 
enough that we could possibly give to them, but this fellowship is a 
token. It is a token that is important, and it is something that we 
have done in a bipartisan way.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that every Member of this body will be supportive 
of it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 107--the 
SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star 
Family Fellowship Program Act.
  As the Representative of Fort Bragg, NC, the epicenter of the 
universe, and one of the fastest growing veteran populations in the 
country, I am all too familiar with what it means to be a ``Gold Star 
Family''. Our community has many of these families who have lost a 
loved one in the line of duty while serving our country and we remember 
them each and every day.
  This resolution before us today would give a renewed sense of 
optimism to some of these family members by providing them the unique 
opportunity to take part in a 12-month congressional fellowship in a 
Congressional office. This fellowship would be modeled after other 
successful programs to include the wounded warrior fellowship that 
already exists.
  Many of our offices have benefited by adding various types of fellows 
to our staff and I'm sure we would all stand to benefit from having a 
gold star family member as well. Nothing will ever be able to replace 
the loss of a loved one, but today we have the opportunity to provide 
an opportunity to those who have already sacrificed so much. I would 
ask all of my colleagues to support this resolution and look forward to 
its passage and having a gold star family fellow in my office soon.
  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the 
Chairwoman from California, my esteemed colleague from Illinois, and 
their staffs for helping us get this bill to the floor.
  From the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson and Ronald Reagan, ``The 
tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of 
patriots and tyrants.''
  H. Res. 107, The Sergeant First Class Sean Cooley and Specialist 
Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program 
Act takes a monumental and vitally important step toward educating the 
members of this chamber on the true costs of armed conflict.
  Named after two warriors who lost their lives fighting America's 
enemies, this program provides the spouses, the children, and the 
siblings of those who gave their lives in service to our great nation 
in armed conflict or combat-related training, a paid fellowship with 
the Congressperson of their choice, here in Washington, or in their 
home district.
  When our servicemembers make the ultimate sacrifice, there is no 
award, no amount of money or no program that can ever make their 
families whole again. But what this program does do, is it gives the 
families left behind a chance to participate in our great democratic 
process at the national level.
  Their experiences, their trials, and their tribulations will now have 
a voice in these hallowed halls. A voice that will serve as a constant 
reminder that it is the military family that is the backbone of this 
great Republic and when we make the decision to send our nation's best 
to war, we must always be prepared to take care of those left behind.
  General George Patton once said that ``it is foolish and wrong to 
mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men 
lived.''
  I stand here today Mister Speaker and truly thank God for our men and 
women in uniform who are willing to sacrifice their lives for this 
great nation.
  I would like to especially thank Mrs. Jane Horton for her tireless 
effort and dedication to the families of the fallen and all the Gold 
Star families in the Gallery this afternoon.
  Your service and your sacrifice are a true inspiration to us all.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 107, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on 
the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order 
that a quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________