[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10470]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    BULGARIA'S HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY

  (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, 20 years ago today, I 
served as an election observer in Bulgaria on behalf of the 
International Republican Institute, IRI. It was a life-changing dream 
come true for me to experience firsthand the birth of liberty in a 
captive nation which had been subjected for decades to Nazism and 
Communism. As a lifelong Cold Warrior, I always promoted victory over 
Communism.
  On June 10, 1990, the people of Bulgaria participated in the first 
free elections since the 1930s. It was inspiring to visit polling 
places in the Plovdiv region and witness the young and old 
participating freely. The talented people of Bulgaria were unshackled. 
People did not want to be a slavish Soviet satellite.
  Since then, Bulgaria has evolved from the antiquated, frozen-in-time 
nation of the 1930s to being a vibrant free market democracy of today. 
It is now a valued member of NATO, with troops having served in Iraq 
and Afghanistan. It is a dynamic member of the European Union.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September 11th in the Global War on Terrorism. God bless Bulgaria.

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