[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17148-17149]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     A PIECE OF HOME THIS CHRISTMAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the United States has our military all 
over the world, and we have for a good number of years. In fact, the 
United States has been at war for a long, long time.
  This year, as we approach Christmas, families across America will 
gather around to enjoy homemade apple pie and turkey and each other's 
company, but our men and women in uniform, those volunteers, are still 
all over the world, protecting and representing the United States. 
These are America's best. It is the best we have in our country.
  In 2005, I had the opportunity to go over to Iraq and see our 
military during the Christmas season. But before I left, I decided I 
would ask local schoolchildren and their teachers to help make some 
homemade Christmas cards and holiday cards to give to our troops when I 
arrived in Iraq.
  So that year, after I landed, I took about 5,000 handmade Christmas 
cards--made primarily by schoolchildren--to our servicemen and -women 
in Iraq and also in Kosovo. Since that time, children in southeast 
Texas have been making handmade Christmas cards and holiday cards for 
our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and other parts of the world every 
year, and these cards are either taken overseas by me or they are 
shipped.
  This year, the community in southeast Texas and the schools rallied, 
and the result is quite outstanding. I am proud to say that this 
holiday season we will be sending 96,000 handmade Christmas cards and 
holiday cards to our troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other parts of 
the world, primarily made by schoolkids in southeast Texas. Remember, 
Mr. Speaker, these are handmade cards. These are not store-bought 
cards.
  These cards were received from various Texas residents. Just to name 
a few: Kingwood High School, Sterling Middle School, Timberwood Middle 
School, Goose Creek Memorial High School, Alamo Elementary, Horace Mann 
Junior High, the Hi Neighbor Club in Kingwood, Houston Methodist 
Hospital, Baytown Chamber of Commerce, the Baytown school district, the 
Baytown Housing Authority, Victory Hospital, and Boy Scout and Girl 
Scout clubs in southeast Texas.
  Mr. Speaker, 80,000 of these came from the city of Baytown alone. So 
a big ``thank you'' to Rikki Wheeler, the executive vice president of 
the Baytown Chamber of Commerce, as well as to the Baytown schools, 
hospitals, and organizations for their remarkable contribution and 
organizing and managing the collection of these cards.
  The patriotic spirit of those folks in southeast Texas to me is quite 
heartwarming, and the outpouring of support from Texans, primarily 
schoolchildren, is quite exceptional.
  I want to thank all of those who have taken the time to bring joy to 
our troops in lands that are far, far away, those troops who will be 
separated from their families this Christmas. It is because of the 
schools, the teachers, and the schoolchildren that this is all made 
possible every year.
  This is a way that people in southeast Texas show appreciation to our 
troops who are separated from their families this time of the year. 
Remembering to thank them and send them special greetings is very 
important.
  Many of these schoolchildren have family members overseas who are 
serving in the military, and this small gesture brings comfort and 
cheer to all of those involved. A piece of home will mean so much to 
those who are representing us overseas, and it is possible only because 
the community volunteers to do this each year.
  The simple act of making a handmade card shows the connection between 
our warriors and our schoolchildren who are thinking about them this 
time of year. So this Christmas, as Americans celebrate, we remember to 
say a prayer for those who safeguard America's freedoms.

[[Page 17149]]

  We thank our volunteers in uniform, and we thank our volunteers who 
made this season quite special for our military by making these cards.
  And that is just the way it is.
  Mr. Speaker, at this point, I will also include for the Record a list 
of other groups who have made holiday cards for our troops.

       Advanced Aromatics/GCM High/Chevron
       Phillips
       Aramark/Stuart Career Ctr.-Culinary Arts
       Awards & Engraving/St. Joseph's/Byt
       Draft'g/Staff'g
       Bayer/Clark Elementary
       Baytown GMC/Bowie Elem.
       Baytown Sun/GCCISD Public Relations
       Beacon FCU/Ashbel Smith Elem.
       CenterPoint/Gentry Jr.
       Chevron Phillips/Crockett Elem.
       CRCU/Lamar Elem.
       Community Toyota/Highlands Jr.
       Crespo & Jirrels/Peter Hyland (ALP)
       ExxonMobil/RE Lee High
       ExxonMobil/Walker Elem.
       ExxonMobil/Travis Elem.
       ExxonMobil/San Jacinto Elem.
       ExxonMobil/Baytown Jr.
       ExxonMobil/Cedar Bayou Jr.
       Highlands C of C/Hopper Primary
       Highlands Rotary/Highlands Elementary
       Houston Methodist San Jac Hosp/RS
       Sterling High
       Kiwanis Club/Alamo Elem.
       LCY/Harlem Elem.
       Legacy/Point Alternative
       Rotary/DeZavala Elem.
       Shine Dental/Impact Early College High School
       SNC-GDS/Horace Mann Jr.
       Solvay/Carver Elem.
       Texas First/SF Austin Elem.
       GCCISD Special Olympics
       Stuart Career Ctr.
       Woodforest/Banuelos Elem.
       BCA 2nd Grade Class

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