[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 126 (Thursday, July 16, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE SERGEANT BENITO ALANIZ POST 7473 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 Honor 
Guard at Sergeant Benito Alaniz Post 7473 Veterans of Foreign Wars, 
located in Elsa, Texas. The Honor Guard was established in the early 
2000s.
  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 give back to their fellow brothers 
and sisters.
  Since its inception, Post 7473's Honor Guard has performed over 1,800 
services. The majority of volunteers are Vietnam War era veterans, and 
they provide this service in any weather condition to give fellow 
veterans the final honors they earned. On average this post will have 
8-15 members volunteer for a service.
  Madam Speaker, I stand today to acknowledge the decades' long 
achievement of the Sergeant Benito Alaniz Post 7473 Veterans of Foreign 
Wars in volunteering to honor fallen veterans in Texas with a proper 
send-off. Each member of the Sergeant Benito Alaniz Post 7473 Veterans 
of Foreign Wars is an incredible leader in our community, and their 
legacy will no doubt inspire public service and volunteerism in future 
generations.