Supporting the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence with respect to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender name-calling, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this important resolution, and yield myself such time that I may consume.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of National Military Appreciation Month, which was first passed on May 1999. I might note that in May 1999, perhaps the reason for the Congress seeing fit to have a National Appreciation Month for our military was that in fact we were in a time of comparative peace. We were at a time in which we wanted to let our military know that we appreciated them standing guard in peacetime as well as in war.

For the last 7 years, though, we have been at war. Our troops have been deployed in Afghanistan since shortly after the September 11 attack on our Nation. In fact, this last weekend, as part of the Military Appreciation Month, I was in Oceanside in my own district where 44,000 Marines reside at Camp Pendleton. Except they don't get to reside at Camp Pendleton; they are on their third and fourth deployments throughout that region.

I didn't just thank the senior NCOs and the officers, who I appreciate their continued service because they have stayed in and reenlisted during this time of war, but I also thanked the incredible amount of young men and women and their families who showed up and who in fact joined after this war began, and many of them after this war had been going for many, many years.

It is in fact our military that is with us in good times and bad. They stay with us in the worst of times. They also enlist in the hardest of times.

Many people would say I never voted for this war. I wouldn't vote for this war. This war is wrong. Men and women of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard don't say whether the war is right or wrong. They make a statement about whether America is right or wrong. In their eyes, and in my eyes, America is right. We have a process which we observe in order to ensure that we do not easily go into war, we do not easily send our troops into harm's way.

However, our men and women are in harm's way today. And for this month, like every day that we are at war, we should honor our men and women in uniform. We should make that extra effort to try to do what we can for those returning home and for those who remain behind, the families, the children, the husbands, the wives, making sure that every day they are taken care of, that their special needs, because of the absence of the loved one, are observed. And when they come home, they don't come home from the first deployment, the parade is not as easy to recognize; they don't come home from the last deployment. It is not so easy to say, we are coming home for good.

So I urge my colleagues and I urge all of America to think about the appreciation we can show year round to in fact realize that a parade is just as important to a troop who has come home from their third deployment. Recognition, a picnic, or some other way of saying we care about your continued service, is just as important in the sixth and seventh year of a struggle that could in fact go on for many years in order to bring freedom and a way of life that is acceptable to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq and other countries throughout the world.

Today we can recognize where our men and women are fighting, but we don't often recognize where they are standing so that we don't have to fight. And I would like to close by recognizing the men and women who are in the Sudan, who are in fact trying to do what they can in Africa for some very troubled spots in which we don't recognize it as our fighting but we certainly have to recognize that we are trying to make a difference for those people who in their struggles every day realize that they are at war.

I join with the gentlelady from California in urging the support for this resolution. I join with the gentleman from Connecticut in recognizing that every day, every month, should be National Military Recognition Month.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 334) supporting the goals and objectives of a National Military Appreciation Month, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Representing the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I rise to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. Con. Res. 334, as amended, a resolution supporting the goals and objectives of National Military Appreciation Month, which, for the past 10 years, has been recognized in the month of May.

Initially created by an act of Congress back in 1999, the National Military Appreciation Month provides each and every one of us an opportunity to acknowledge and honor the heroic men and women who have served and are now serving in our country's Armed Forces.

The bill before us was introduced on April 24, 2008, by Congressman Christopher Shays of Connecticut. And while cosponsored by only 60 Members of Congress, I am sure that each and every member of this body stands in support and admiration of the thousands of men and women serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform amended and reported the bill favorably by voice vote on May 15, 2008, and today we now have a chance to move the bill one step closer to enactment.

Mr. Speaker, let us join with citizens across America in showing our appreciation for the service and sacrifice these brave men and women display in order to provide for the defense and the protection of our great country. In particular, let us show our gratitude to those currently serving abroad in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other pockets of the world, and to the families that stand by and support their loved ones during deployment in times of war.

The passage of H. Con. Res. 334 will send a strong message to our troops and veterans that we honor, respect, and appreciate their dedication to the liberties and freedoms we as Americans hold so dear.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the goals and the objectives of National Military Appreciation Month by voting in favor of H. Con. Res. 334.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in observance of a National Day of Silence, and in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 328.

This Friday marks the 12th National Day of Silence, a day in which students remain silent for a day to highlight the discrimination some of their peers endure when they speak out about their sexual orientation and their personal gender identity.

Though the United States has made great progress toward ensuring civil rights for all of its citizens, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals still face persecution, often violent, from teachers, school officials, and their classmates in our schools.

This year the National Day of Silence will be held in memory of Lawrence King, an 8th-grade student in California who was shot and killed by one of his classmates because of his sexual orientation.

Our country was founded on the ideal of equality for all, with the self-evident right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We must always be mindful that our Nation's history is a chronicle of the blending of many formerly separate cultures and languages, ideas and lifestyles, into one American identity

that celebrates its diversity. I look forward to a day when we can all be tolerant.

The National Day of Silence recognizes that diversity is a cornerstone of American democracy--that all people are individuals and have a right to be treated with dignity and respect.

I look forward to a time where anti-GLBT harassment is no longer a problem in our schools. But until that happens, I am pleased to celebrate those students who recognize and appreciate the diversity of their classmates. I urge my colleagues to do the same and support H. Con. Res. 328.

Madam Speaker, on April 25, 2008, the 12th annual National Day of Silence will be observed. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 328, which supports the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence.

Despite many misperceptions out there, the reason this day exists is to bring attention to the harassment, bullying, and outright abuse towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) students at schools and campuses across our country.

Four out of five LGBT students experience harassment at schools. Recent studies show that two of the top three reasons students are harassed in school are actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression.

The goal of the National Day of Silence is to make schools safer and supportive for every student, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. It's important to recognize that hundreds of thousands of students of all beliefs, backgrounds, and sexual orientations participate in this day.

Harassment and abuse affects all students, and hopefully through this inclusive, collective effort can this hatred be quieted, and eventually silenced.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 334, which expresses support for National Military Appreciation Month. I introduced this resolution to pay tribute to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces.

This May is the 10th National Military Appreciation Month. As we approach Memorial Day, I believe it is an appropriate time to thank our service men and women for their service to our country. The men and women who serve our country and defend freedom deserve to be treated with nothing less than the highest level of dignity and respect.

Our country is at war and the brave men and women of our military deserve the full support of every American. We need to provide them with every resource they will need in the difficult months and years to come, starting with our gratitude and respect.

I am grateful for this resolution being brought to the floor, and support its adoption.