Supporting the goals and objectives of a National Military Appreciation Month.

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 resolution (H. Res. 937) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the emergency communications services provided by the American Red Cross are vital resources for military servicemembers and their families, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

First let me commend my colleague from Texas, Dr. Michael Burgess, for introducing this important resolution and for his work in support of the American Red Cross. All of us have watched the American Red Cross reform itself, but we have also known that its brand name has represented the aid to help, the anchor in the time of storm.

In times of emergency and other important events, the American Red Cross has the important and at times difficult duty of notifying military servicemembers on behalf of their families about such events. The Red Cross provides critical information to commanding officers to help them decide whether to release a servicemember from duty in order to join with his or her family in time of crisis.

Regardless of whether it is a birth notice or a tragedy, such as the devastating floods in the Midwest, the Red Cross ensures the timely delivery of vitally important messages and ably provides the families of military servicemembers with the support and assistance they need until the servicemember returns home. This resolution recognizes the critical mission that the American Red Cross undertakes in providing information about these events to military servicemembers. We are all thankful to the Red Cross for carrying out this important work.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, let me say that the Red Cross has often been the comforting arm for the United States military families. I want to thank Dr. Burgess and his cosponsors for the great work he has done on this legislation. I would like to also thank the staff of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the chairman, Mr. Berman, and the ranking member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

I would also like to add on H. Con. Res. 334, the global food crisis legislation, that I would also like to thank the staff of the Foreign Affairs Committee and my staff, Johannes Tsehai, for their hard work on that.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to ask for strong support on the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I appreciate the efforts of both of my colleagues from Texas on the Foreign Relations Committee for helping bring this resolution to the floor today so that it could be done in the time we have remaining in the United States Congress this year.

I do ask my colleagues to support House Resolution 937. This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the emergency communications services provided by the American Red Cross are vital resources for military and servicemembers and their families.

For more than a century, the American Red Cross has provided an emergency messaging system free of charge to all military servicemembers and to their families. Through 756 chapters in the United States and on 58 military installations around the world, the American Red Cross serves over 1.4 million active duty personnel and 1.2 million members of the National Guard and Reserves with emergency communication.

Twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, American Red Cross volunteers transmit emergency messages between military servicemembers and their families. This resource provides not only a notification system for the servicemember, but it also offers third- party verification of the emergency. In an emergency, commanders in the field rely on this unbiased third-party verification when deciding whether to release a military servicemember from their duties.

In addition to keeping more than 1,000 military families connected each day, the Red Cross delivers emergency messages regarding serious illness of a loved one or the good news on the birth of a servicemember's child or grandchild. I know this because I had personal service during my career as an obstetrician back in Texas, and I cannot tell you the number of times where the Red Cross provided this vital function.

The Red Cross emergency communications services are also available to the families of civilian personnel working overseas under contract to the Department of Defense. This service to the Armed Forces assists an active duty servicemember or veteran every 3 minutes, receives a call from someone in need every 1\1/2\ minutes, and assists those in need with one phone call placed or received every minute of every day of every year.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the volunteers, the supporters, the military servicemembers and their families who rely on the American Red Cross to communicate messages in a family emergency. This vital service could not happen without the sincere support of the Red Cross and the dedication to our troops and families. I ask you to commend them by voting in support of House Resolution 937.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in support of H. Con. Res. 334, honoring the Armed Forces of the United States of America during ``National Military Appreciation Month.'' During this month, we Americans honor and recognize all the military members who serve and have given their lives in defense of the freedoms we enjoy today. This bill recognizes those on active duty in all branches of service, the National Guard and Reserves, retirees, veterans, and all of their families.

We must continue to impress upon our children and grandchildren the sacrifices that our armed services have provided this country. We must be diligent in reminding all Americans, young and old, that the price of freedom is paid for everyday, through the blood, sweat and tears of our brave men and women of the Armed Forces and the sacrifices made by their family members.

Additionally, our Education System has the duty and the responsibility to continue to highlight the historical impact of the military throughout the last 230 years. Americans must never forget the historical impact of the military in United States history and the role they played in ensuring the American way of life. Events like the American Revolution, the Civil War, Pearl Harbor, Normandy, and World War I and II, must always be remembered for the important role they played in making the United States of America the greatest country in the world.

Finally, while we understand and praise the personal sacrifices our brave men and women make in defending our great Nation, we frequently forget that duty is a 24-7, 365-day commitment for the soldiers and their families. As we continue our Global War on Terror, military members of the Armed Forces will continue to shoulder the burden of freedom and independence. A month-long dedication to their tireless efforts is the cast we can do as Americans.

Americans, during the National Military Appreciation Month, should go out of their way to shake the hand of a military member, say a special thank-you, and continually pray for our soldiers and their families.

The Armed Forces of the United States of America continue to play a vital role in the defense of this country. Their contributions and sacrifices have not gone unnoticed and designating May as National Military Appreciation Month is a perfect opportunity for us as a Nation to pay great tribute to their tremendous sacrifices.

I encourage my colleagues to support this important resolution and am pleased that today the House recognizes the valuable contributions of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

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.