[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 22712]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS OF GERMAN HERITAGE

  (Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
millions of Americans of German heritage and their ancestors who 
emigrated from their native lands to come to the shores of this 
country.
  The first German American Day was declared by Ronald Reagan back in 
1983 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the first group of German-
speaking settlers who arrived in the American colonies. German settlers 
and immigrants have played a vital role in our Nation's history since 
its very beginning. Great American icons, too, people like Babe Ruth, 
Lou Gehrig, and Casey Stengel in sports, and John Steinbeck, Kurt 
Vonnegut, and the inimitable Doctor Seuss in literature claim German 
heritage.
  Madam Speaker, I urge the House to pay tribute to this Great German 
American Heritage Month, to the many Americans of German descent who 
continue to contribute to the vitality of my State of New Jersey and to 
these United States of America.

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