[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16963-16964]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING PUERTO RICO'S MILITARY VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PIERLUISI. Madam Speaker, Monday was Veterans Day, when our 
Nation pays tribute to those who have served honorably in the Armed 
Forces. Today, I rise to express my gratitude to the soldiers, sailors, 
airmen, and marines from Puerto Rico, both those who are living and 
those who have left us.
  Since World War I almost a century ago to Afghanistan today, American 
citizens from Puerto Rico have built a rich record of military service. 
If you visit any U.S. base, you will see warriors from Puerto Rico 
fighting to keep this Nation safe, strong, and free. They serve as 
officers and enlisted personnel; as special operators; in infantry, 
artillery, and armored units; as pilots and aviation technicians; in 
intelligence; on ships and submarines; in combat support positions; and 
in every military specialty.
  In his book, ``Puerto Rico's Future: A Time to Decide,'' former U.S. 
Attorney General Dick Thornburgh observed:

       Historically, Puerto Rico has ranked alongside the top five 
     States in terms of per capita military service.

                              {time}  1015

  In the forward to that book, former President George H.W. Bush noted:

       This patriotic service and sacrifice of Americans from 
     Puerto Rico touched me all the more deeply for the very fact 
     they have served with such devotion, even while denied a vote 
     for the President and Members of Congress who determine when, 
     where, and how they are asked to defend our freedoms.

  As I address this Chamber, men and women from Puerto Rico are serving 
in harm's way in Afghanistan and other locations. Since the attacks of 
9/11, island residents have deployed about 35,000 times in overseas 
contingency operations. Many have deployed on multiple occasions. Each 
time they go, they leave behind spouses, children, and parents. As 
veterans will tell you, military life requires enormous sacrifice from 
their loved ones, those quiet heroes who support our uniformed 
personnel who must live and work in their absence and who pray for 
their safe return. On Veterans Day, we honor not only those who fought, 
but their families, as well.
  There is a frame on my office wall containing photographs of 
servicemembers from Puerto Rico that have fallen in the last 12 years. 
I often look at those photos, row after row of young faces, usually 
posing in their dress uniforms against the backdrop of the American 
flag. Those images make me sad, but they also give me strength. They 
inspire me to keep working for my people. They remind me what courage 
is and what sacrifice means. And

[[Page 16964]]

they help me remember why representing Puerto Rico in Congress is the 
greatest honor I have ever known.
  I have met many veterans from Puerto Rico. I have found that they 
value deeds over words. They expect their elected leaders to produce 
results, or at least to work tirelessly towards that end.
  I am proud of the record we have compiled on behalf of veterans from 
Puerto Rico. We have obtained funding to renovate the VA hospital in 
San Juan, to improve existing clinics and build new clinics throughout 
the island, and to provide vehicles so that residents of our State 
veterans home can visit their families and travel to medical 
appointments. We also achieved Puerto Rico's inclusion in a Federal 
initiative to encourage the hiring of unemployed veterans.
  And I am working to honor a military unit that perhaps best 
exemplifies the service that residents of Puerto Rico have rendered to 
this Nation. Congressman Bill Posey of Florida and I have introduced 
legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the 65th Infantry 
Regiment known as the Borinqueneers, a unit composed mostly of soldiers 
from Puerto Rico that overcame discrimination and won admiration for 
their performance in the Korean war. Our bill has nearly 160 bipartisan 
cosponsors, and there is a companion bill in the Senate that has also 
garnered strong support. I hope all my colleagues will join me in 
honoring this special group of veterans.
  This Veterans Day, I renewed my commitment to fight for the men and 
women who have fought so valiantly for us, and I thank them from the 
bottom of my heart for their service. I do so again today.

                          ____________________