[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S5177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Veteran Flagpole Initiative

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I have often said that our veterans have 
sacrificed so much for our Nation, so it is our responsibility to take 
care of them when they come home. We owe a debt of gratitude to these 
brave Americans.
  I have been proud to work alongside my colleagues in the Senate to 
strengthen mental health resources, increase access to healthcare, and 
ensure that the Department of Veterans Affairs is managing Federal 
resources effectively to serve our veterans well.
  While I work in Congress on behalf of our Nation of veterans, many 
organizations work daily to support this selfless group of people. 
There is one Iowa organization that I would like to highlight. It is 
called the Veteran Flagpole Initiative. The Veteran Flagpole Initiative 
started with a group of passionate Iowans who would install flagpoles 
for veterans at no cost to the veteran.
  The group started their work to provide veterans with a permanent, 
visual reminder of their appreciation--our constituents' appreciation 
for the veterans' service and sacrifice. The goal is to ensure at least 
one veteran in all of Iowa's 99 counties has a flagpole by 2028, and I 
am sure that their goal is to go well beyond that.
  Their work continues at a time when the flag and what it stands for 
is continually under attack, both here and abroad. It serves then as a 
reminder that change begins at home, and one individual in America can 
make a difference--some of them making big differences, maybe some 
making smaller differences.
  And we don't know the end result of the Veteran Flagpole Initiative, 
but they are trying to make a big difference. Looking after those 
around us provides a valuable lesson because you never know what 
someone else may be facing, and the very small acts--as well as big 
acts--of service may turn out to have monumental impact. So thank you 
to the Veteran Flagpole Initiative and the many other organizations and 
individuals that support our veterans daily.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.