[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 126 (Thursday, July 16, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY MEMORIAL POST 8788 VETERANS OF FOREIGN 
                                  WARS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VICENTE GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 16, 2020

  Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Rio 
Grande Valley Memorial Post 8788 Veterans of Foreign Wars for their 
incredible 50-year record of serving our veterans and the community of 
McAllen, Texas.
  The Rio Grande Valley Memorial Post 8788 Veterans of Foreign Wars 
celebrated their 50th anniversary in March of this year, but I am here 
to recognize Post 8788's Honor Guard, which was established in the late 
1970's.
  Honor Guards volunteer to give proper ceremonial funerals to veterans 
who die. The term ``Honor guard'' is used because the veterans feel it 
is a great honor to provide their fellow veterans with military funeral 
services and pay their final respects. They feel they have been blessed 
to survive the horrors of war and this is their way of giving back to 
their fellow brothers and sisters.
  Although I do not have the records for all of the services conducted 
since the post's inception, Post 8788 has conducted 367 services since 
2018. Altogether, these services are the compilation of 7,418 volunteer 
hours and 6,035 miles traveled to perform the military funerals. You 
can imagine these numbers are much larger given the fact that this 
represents only 2.5 years out of a 40-year history.
  Madam Speaker, I stand here today to acknowledge the decades' long 
achievements of the Rio Grande Valley Memorial Post 8788 Veterans of 
Foreign Wars. Each member of the Rio Grande Valley Memorial Post 8788 
Veterans of Foreign Wars is an incredible leader in our community, and 
their legacy will no doubt inspire public service and volunteerism of 
future generations.

                          ____________________