[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6174]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING THE AMERICAN LEGION

  (Mr. WALZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to express my appreciation for 
the great work the American Legion does for our Nation's veterans.
  As a proud Legionnaire myself, this morning, I had the great honor of 
addressing the Commander's Call. This afternoon, I will meet with 
fellow Minnesotan Legionnaires Brad Lindsay, Bill Goede and Marie 
Goede, Floyd Kumerow, Robert Hirmer, and Chuck Kruger.
  As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I look to the 
American Legion for guidance on the priorities of our Nation's 
veterans. It is because, every day, the Legion is out there, working 
with our veterans. They understand what is needed.
  I see it as this Congress' responsibility to work with the VA budgets 
that are not just sufficient but timely to make sure that they're 
predictable and that we serve our veterans the way we should. We have 
an absolute responsibility to knock down the backlog of claims that our 
veterans are facing, and we need to ensure that the recently enacted GI 
Bill is put to use as it should be. In all of this, the American Legion 
is a crucial partner.
  There is another side to the Legion that doesn't get mentioned that 
much. It is the daily activities serving our veterans and their 
communities. From their great civic education programs, Boys and Girls 
State, to youth baseball and other programs, this is the truly great 
work the Legion does, and I want to commend them. We are all better for 
it. Our Nation's veterans are better for the work the Legion does.

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