[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       DAY OF HONOR 2000 PROJECT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to share 
my support for the Day of Honor 2000 Project, which will give long 
overdue recognition to the 1.2 million invisible African American World 
War II veterans.
  During the Second World War, these valiant African American soldiers 
were waging a war on two fronts. They fought gallantly beside their 
comrades, saving the world from the evils of fascism while battling the 
bigotry and racism that was still prevalent in the United States 
military. These same African American war veterans continued their 
fight against racism at home by forming the grassroots of the civil 
rights movement.
  In my State of Florida, we have the oldest veteran population in the 
Nation. Unfortunately for these veterans and veterans all across the 
country, the VA budget continues to be underfunded, causing them to be 
denied the health care and services they need and deserve.
  As our aging veterans population declines, we need programs like the 
Day of Honor 2000 to remind us of the sacrifices African Americans made 
to protect their freedom they now enjoy.
  I wish Dr. Smith and the other leaders of the Day of Honor 2000 
Project the greatest success in portraying the honor and dignity 
displayed by our African American World War II veterans. These efforts 
and accomplishments have been ignored for far too long, and I look 
forward to sharing their achievement for the people today and for the 
generations to come.

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