[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9588-9589]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     WEST VIRGINIA'S 150TH BIRTHDAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Rahall) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues from the State of 
West Virginia in celebrating our State's 150th birthday tomorrow. We 
invite the rest of the Nation to join in our revelry and reflection.
  Ours is a proud history of doing our part, and then some, in service 
to this great Nation of ours. West Virginia was born of war, and West 
Virginians understand full well the price of service and sacrifice to 
defend our shores. In times of war, the Mountain State's sons and 
daughters have answered their country's call faithfully, honorably, and 
nobly. And in times of peace, we have continued to serve our Nation 
from our mountains and our hollows.
  Geologists tell us our ancient mountains' sharp peaks, in ages long 
past, were rounded and smoothed through the forces of nature over the 
eons of time. The result satisfies the soul.
  Thanks to the U.S. Postal Service, the world can get a glimpse of our 
majestic mountains on a new stamp commemorating our 150 years. Based on 
a photograph taken in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, that stamp 
stands as a testament that our bragging about being ``Almost Heaven'' 
is every inch legitimate.
  Those same mountains, Mr. Speaker, have honed and hewn a people for 
whom the phrase ``Mountaineers are always free'' is more than a State 
motto; it is a way of life.
  West Virginians may be somewhat stubborn when it comes to asking for 
help for themselves, even if life itself depends on it; but they are 
the first in line to offer help and assistance to their neighbors. And 
in West Virginia, Mr. Speaker, we go a step further. I doubt we have 
ever known a stranger in any of our 55 counties. If you need help, West 
Virginians are there for you.

[[Page 9589]]

  The charitable spirit of West Virginia is built on rock-solid 
principles. First and foremost, you will find an abundance of faith 
among those who dwell in our mountains, faith in the Almighty. Families 
form the core of our lives, with West Virginia parents and grandparents 
putting their children and grandchildren first. You figure in that a 
big dose of loyalty to our hills and hollows, our family traditions, 
our common heritage, and our many unique histories, and you begin to 
see why hard times cannot keep us down.
  Like most of America, West Virginians are in the midst of a 
transitional economy, but a new dawn is breaking. We have harnessed 
positive change while holding on to much that makes West Virginia 
unique, enabling us to attract new and promising ventures.
  Witness the 100-year commitment of the Boy Scouts of America's almost 
half-billion-dollar investment in a Fayette County scouting reserve 
adjacent to the largest federally protected system of rivers east of 
the Mississippi. Recently, Wayne Perry, the Boy Scouts' national 
president, when commenting on our rugged but inviting mountain venue, 
said, ``We think God made West Virginia for the Boy Scouts of 
America.''
  Mr. Speaker, I have news for my colleagues and their constituents: we 
have more room at the inn. This may be our 150th birthday celebration, 
but West Virginia is still wild and even more wonderful than ever 
before. So I say to all, come and visit us soon.
  To my fellow West Virginians, may I say a happy 150th. And be 
assured, as long as there is still one Mountaineer heart beating, there 
will always be a West Virginia.

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