[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7810-7811]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 LET'S MAKE HISTORY BY SUPPORTING OUR NATION'S MARINES AS THEY SUPPORT 
                                   US

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, last week, the House of Representatives 
passed a suspension bill that was H.R. 24, to redesignate the 
Department of the Navy to be known as the Department of the Navy and 
Marine Corps. That bill had 426 cosponsors, colleagues from both sides 
of the aisle, who believe sincerely that the Marine Corps has earned 
this right to be recognized. All this is about recognition.
  I want tonight to thank Senator Pat Roberts. Senator Pat Roberts last 
January put in a companion bill to H.R. 24, Senate Bill 504. Senator 
Roberts himself served in the United States Marine Corps. He was an 
officer, a retired Marine officer. This Monday, he wrote a letter to 
every Senator, and I want to read just a little part of this, Madam 
Speaker. First, the subtitle of his letter says, ``Let's Make History 
By Supporting Our Nation's Marines As They Support Us: Redesignate the 
Department of Navy as the Department of Navy and the Marine Corps.'' 
And he further states, ``Dear Colleague,''--I'm just going to read 
paragraphs from this letter, Madam Speaker--``it is not possible to 
overstate the service and sacrifice of any man or woman who wears or 
has worn the Marine Corps uniform, whether in Iwo Jima 65 years ago or 
today. The Corps has been `first to fight for right and freedom' for 
over 234 years. That is why I am writing to urge you to cosponsor S. 
504, a bill to redesignate the Department of the Navy as the Department 
of the Navy and Marine Corps.'' He does state, but I am not going to 
repeat this because I just stated this, that he praises the House of 
Representatives because we passed unanimously H.R. 24, and he does 
mention the number of 426 cosponsors.
  He further states in his letter to his colleagues in the Senate, ``I 
hope you

[[Page 7811]]

will join me in recognizing our Nation's force in readiness, our Marine 
Corps, and those who serve in it as equal to our other Armed Forces.'' 
To cosponsor S. 504, please contact his office.
  Madam Speaker, I want to read this as well: ``P.S. One only has to 
watch the current acclaimed special television production ``Pacific'' 
to understand why Marines everywhere are expressing their heartfelt 
support for what they believe is a long overdue oversight. The Marines 
and Marine veterans in your State simply ask you to join them with your 
support.'' Again, this letter is to the Senate, and I know that Senator 
Roberts himself plans to reach out to as many Senators as he can to ask 
them to support this.
  Madam Speaker, with that, I would like to close by asking, as I do on 
the floor of the House many times, I ask God to please bless our men 
and women in uniform. I ask God to please bless the families of our men 
and women in uniform. I ask God in his loving arms to hold the families 
who have given a child dying in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I ask God to 
please bless the House and Senate, that we will do what is right in the 
eyes of God. And I ask God to give strength, wisdom, and courage to 
President Obama, that he will do what is right in the eyes of God. And 
three times I will ask God, please God, please God, please God, 
continue to bless America.

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