[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 1516-1517]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMENDING FN MANUFACTURING, INC.

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, when Americans watch the 
nightly news images of U.S. troops on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
they see them carrying out their most difficult duties, using the 
finest small arms in the world. Those weapons are proudly made in South 
Carolina's Second Congressional District by FNMI, FN Manufacturing, 
Incorporated, in Columbia, South Carolina.
  Since the mid-1980s, FNMI has been building the M-16 rifle, the M-249 
Squad Automatic Weapon, and the M-240 Medium Machine Gun for the U.S.

[[Page 1517]]

Armed Forces. In other words, FNMI is the principal supplier of small 
arms to the military. These arms are universally recognized as the 
finest infantry weapons in the world, perhaps the finest ever made. 
They are known for their ruggedness, reliability, and effectiveness and 
are on duty everywhere American troops are deployed in the war on 
terror, as I have seen first hand in Iraq.
  Additionally, FNMI is one of the largest defense industries in South 
Carolina, employing approximately 450 dedicated personnel.
  I ask all of my colleagues to join me in thanking the professional 
employees of FNMI Manufacturing, as their work makes it possible for 
our brave men and women to protect us in the war on terrorism.
  In conclusion, may God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September 11.

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