[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 20, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7976-H7977]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING CELEBRATE COMMUNITY WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Celebrate Community Week.
  Last week, Congressman   Jimmy Panetta from California and I 
introduced a resolution to designate the week of September 11 through 
September 17 as Celebrate Community Week and commemorate the efforts of 
local service organizations across the country.
  Mr. Panetta and I are co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional 
Service Organization Caucus. The resolution recognizes the role of 
service organizations in promoting community humanitarian assistance 
while also instilling the value of giving back in our youth. We 
specifically applauded the Kiwanis International, Lions Clubs 
International, Optimist International, and Rotary International for 
encouraging and promoting community service and humanitarian assistance 
through their local chapters.
  The Celebrate Community Week resolution highlights the critical work 
of our community service organizations. Volunteer service is the 
cornerstone of a successful, strong, and healthy community, and is an 
important staple of American life.
  I commend our community service organizations like the Lions Club 
International, Rotary International, Kiwanis International, and 
Optimist International for everything they do to help our communities 
flourish.


                      Celebrating Constitution Day

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because over 
the weekend, we celebrated Constitution Day. On September 17, we 
commemorate the signing and adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  This day, where we celebrate our Constitution, originated in 1953 
when the Senate passed a resolution designating September 17 to 23 as 
Constitution Week.
  In 2004, Congress officially made Constitution Day and Citizenship 
Day a Federal holiday. Congress also required all publicly funded 
agencies and schools to provide information on the Constitution on this 
day.
  In 2017, President Trump proclaimed September 17 as Constitution Day 
and Citizenship Day. Constitution Day serves as a celebration of our 
American system as well as a reminder that our government exists to 
serve the people and their freedom.
  For 235 years, Congress has been given the responsibility by the 
people to represent their interests. We should behave like every day is 
Constitution Day and remember Congress should always serve the people 
as outlined in the preamble.


                        POW/MIA Recognition Day

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
September 16 as POW/MIA Recognition Day.
  Last Friday, we remembered the men and women our Armed Forces who 
served honorably and have not returned home.
  At this time, almost 82,000 servicemen and -women have not returned 
home from the battlefield. This includes those who served in World War 
II, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, the Cold War, and both wars in 
Iraq.
  Those who serve in uniform have sacrificed greatly to give us the 
opportunity to live our lives in freedom and in peace. We thank those 
who served and returned home, but most importantly we remember those 
who served and never returned.

[[Page H7977]]

  Last May, I introduced the Prisoners of War and Missing in Action 
Trade Agreement Resolution. This resolution would urge our mutually 
beneficial trade agreements to include a commitment from our trade 
partners to continue to search for and recover our missing 
servicemembers.
  Mr. Speaker, on this POW/MIA Recognition Day, I urge my colleagues to 
support this resolution and honor our commitment to bring our 
servicemen and -women home.


                        Remembering September 11

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, Sunday marked the 21st 
anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. I rise today to 
remember the innocent lives we lost.
  At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 flew into Tower 1 of the 
World Trade Center. Not long after, Flight 175 roared over Lower 
Manhattan into Tower 2.
  While Americans around the country were grappling with the events 
that just transpired, a third plane, Flight 77, crashed into the 
Pentagon.
  In southwest Pennsylvania, the fourth flight, United 93, was hijacked 
and made the abrupt turn toward Washington, D.C. But because of the 
brave passengers and crew members, it crashed into a field in 
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
  In the days, weeks, months, and now more than two decades that 
followed September 11, our country joined together to face the very 
evil which attempted to take us down.
  We will forever be indebted to our servicemen and -women who joined 
the fight to protect our freedoms.
  While today's world has grown no less dangerous, we, as Americans, 
are resilient. We will never forget, not 21 years later, not ever.
  May God continue to watch over our first responders, our men and 
women in uniform, and all those who keep us safe.

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