[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2539]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               URGING SUPPORT FOR THE PEACE CORPS PROGRAM

  (Mr. WALSH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 40th anniversary of the Peace 
Corps. Thirty years ago, I left my very comfortable middle-class home 
in Syracuse, New York for a thatched hut with a mud floor in the 
foothills of Nepal. I made a lot of friends. I gained a lot more 
knowledge than I imparted.
  But today, I stand before my colleagues, among other Members of 
Congress, who served in the Peace Corps. Many of us are back home 
providing productive lives and leadership throughout many sectors of 
our country.
  The knowledge of the world that these Peace Corps, former Peace Corps 
volunteers provide becomes more and more valuable as the world gets 
smaller. Congress needs to continue its strong support for this 
program. There are benefits certainly to the world in terms of better 
international relations, and it provides a constant infusion of new 
leaders to our country.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support for the continued Peace Corps 
program.

                          ____________________