Honoring the members of the United States Air Force who were killed in the June 25, 1996, terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers United States military housing compound near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 188.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume

I rise today in support of this resolution which reminds us that brave American service men and women willingly risk their lives to defend the United States' interests and the freedom and values that we all enjoy as citizens. Such commitment imposes on the rest of us an obligation, an obligation to ensure that we do not break faith with those who serve, and that we respond to such commitment by resolving to provide the necessary resources for our military forces to successfully carry out the missions assigned to them.

Nine years ago this past Saturday, a truck bomb exploded outside the fence around the Khobar Towers compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The bomb, estimated at more than 3,000 pounds, detonated about 85 feet from a residential housing unit that housed U.S. troops, killing 19 U.S. Air Force servicemen, and wounding hundreds of other Americans.

The force of that explosion destroyed or damaged six high-rise apartment buildings and shattered windows throughout the residential compound. Today, we honor the 19 airmen who gave their lives, the supreme sacrifice, at the hands of terrorists 20 miles away from Dhahran. This Congress joins me in paying tribute to those men who are individually recognized in H. Con. Res. 188.

Mr. Speaker, I thought when I was drafting this resolution that it is ironic that just a month ago we celebrated Memorial Day, where we honored the men and women who have died in the pursuit, and subsequently the defense, of freedom in wars, domestic and foreign, since the founding of our country. One week from today, we will be celebrating the founding of America, our birthday, the Declaration of Independence, upon which our Founding Fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

As we celebrate our Fourth of July or Memorial Day on their designated day, they are a constant reminder of the sacrifice of these men. Twelve of the 19 men killed were based at Eglin Air Force Base in my district and several, along with their families, were constituents. It is my hope that all of America will pause and give thanks to their sacrifice.

This week in Washington, D.C., the parents and loved ones of many of those who sacrificed their lives are the guests of the FBI, and some of them are here today in the House gallery as we present this resolution. I want to personally pay a word of deepest appreciation to the families of these heroes.

We can never undo the tragedy that they have lived. We can never alleviate the pain that I know is with each of them every day, but I would hope and I know my colleagues join me in this hope, that with the adoption of this resolution, they will take from our action some solace in the fact that we do not forget the contributions and sacrifices of their loved ones. They are much more than men in uniform to them; they were their lives.

Bridget Brooks, mother of Airman First Class Joseph E. Rimkus, is a constituent of mine and works at Eglin even today. I regret that she is not able to be here today, so, Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues the kind of man who was lost, in his mother's own words.

``When Joseph joined the military, he told me that now he could have a flag on his coffin like his grandfather. He knew I worried about his safety and had not allowed him to join when he was 17, but he was so devoted to the military that in his last letter to me, he told me that I was his hero and he was going to make a career out of serving his country. He was so proud to be in the Air Force.

``As for his youth, he became the man of the house when his father abandoned us while serving a tour in Korea, and Joseph was my biggest supporter as I put myself through college. He called me the day he died, and his last words to me were that he loved me.

``He was the tenth firstborn son to be named Joseph. He did not talk about being a father because that was a done deal. Instead, he talked in great length of what kind of grandfather he would be.

``My family may never recover from this loss. Joseph was one of those rare souls who gave all. Before he left, he made sure that I knew he was a Christian and he would be a Catholic all of his life. Can you imagine how that knowledge has comforted me? There is no amount of money to pay for that. Even to this day, people still tell me how wonderful he was.

``In the court case against Iran, one airman, who I did not know, testified that while they were all huddled in mass after the bombing, and they knew the boys who were killed, it was Joseph's presence that he felt. That does not surprise me. Joseph was there for his friends. That is just what he would do.''

Mr. Speaker, our action on this resolution is a message to those who died, their family members, our Nation and the rest of the world that we honor the sacrifices of these 19 airmen and the families that they left behind. They served with the highest and best military traditions. No one could have served better or given more.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me and the 47 original cosponsors in support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, I have no more speakers and I would suffice to say that we urge passage of this resolution and the fact that these nomads will forever be protecting us.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 188 introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller). I appreciate all the work he has done on the Committee on Armed Services on which we both serve. He has been a valiant supporter of our men and women in uniform, our veterans, and our national security.

The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) outlined well the terrible tragedy that occurred at Khobar Towers. This was really brought home to me several years ago when I had the honor of participating in a Purple Heart ceremony at the Little Rock Air Force Base, a C-130 base in my district, one of those things that all of us Members at some point get the honor of doing.

During this ceremony, previous Purple Heart winners were introduced, and several of them were survivors of Khobar Towers, and it really brought home for me that for many of us Americans we hear these names, they sound exotic, they sound foreign, and yet for the families that are here with us today and the families of these men and women who died and were wounded, those names, those places, mean very much to them and their family.

We are also reminded by the tragedy at Khobar Towers, the attack on Khobar Towers, of the other sacrifices that our men and women in uniform have made at places that are not all that well known to many Americans.

We recall the attack on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the U.S. military headquarters, November 13, 1995, in which we lost five servicemembers.

Then 2 years following the Khobar Towers attack, we had the attack against two of our embassies on August 7, 1998, one in Nairobi, Kenya, and the other in Tanzania. The two truck bombs killed 11 Americans, including three servicemembers, and hundreds of Kenyans and nearly a dozen Tanzanians.

Then we had the attack October 12, 2000, on the USS Cole and finally the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

So this is a very important reminder today of the sacrifice that our men and women in uniform are called on to make, but also the sacrifice that their family and friends and all of us make when we lose such fine, fine Americans.

Once again, I commend the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) for introducing this resolution, and I urge all Members to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 608 which recognizes the 9th anniversary of the terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers United States military housing compound near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

On the evening of June 25th, 1996, a truck bomb exploded in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. This terrorist attack killed 19 servicemen of the U.S. Air Force and wounded 300 other Americans. The bomb tore away an entire wall of a high-rise apartment building, part of the Khobar Towers complex housing U.S. Air Force men and women assigned to nearby Dhahran Air Base.

Although their mission was to patrol the skies of southern Iraq and prevent Iraqi planes from threatening the peace of the Middle East, this terrorist attack was a painful demonstration and reminder of the risks Americans in uniform are faced with every day around the world.

Therefore, it is our duty to recognize the service and sacrifice of these men and women and to extend that duty upon our fellow Americans. We ask that all Americans pause and pay tribute to those 19 brave airmen and airwomen who have given their lives so that others throughout the world may live in a free and democratic society. Together, as Americans, we offer our continued sympathies to the families affected by this tragedy. We know that because their loved ones could never be replaced; we will never forget the values they so valiantly died for, nor will we stop until those who are responsible for such a heinous act are brought to justice. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to assure our servicemen and women that wherever in the world they are--we, the Members of Congress, will make them, the defenders of liberty and justice, our highest priority.

Mr. Speaker, Saturday, June 25th, marked 9 years since the terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers, the U.S. military housing facility in Saudi Arabia where 19 American servicemen were killed and hundreds wounded.

Four years ago, on June 21st, 2001, the United States indicted some of those who were responsible for those murders. While a few of these individuals have been identified, not one has been brought to trial yet. However long it takes, our country must continue to pursue and bring to justice all of those indicted and all those responsible for this murderous, terrorist act against our servicemen and our country. We must not rest until this has been accomplished.

Florida and our Nation lost too many innocent victims for this matter to be brushed aside.

Master Sergeant Michael G. Heiser, of Palm Coast, and Airman First Class Brian W. McVeigh, of DeBary, are 2 of the 19 heroes who left behind loved ones and families in my Congressional District. Their young lives were cut short when they made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The United States must never rest until those responsible for these deaths are brought to justice.

We know that these surviving relatives and all the others who lost their loved ones continue to feel the pain of great loss. We know that they cannot rest--until justice prevails.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 188) honoring the members of the United States Air Force who were killed in the June 25, 1996, terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers United States military housing compound near Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.