Supporting the goals and purpose of Gold Star Mothers Day, which is observed on the last Sunday in September of each year in remembrance of the supreme sacrifice made by mothers who lose a son or daughter serving in the Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1617) supporting the goals and purpose of Gold Star Mothers Day, which is observed on the last Sunday in September of each year in remembrance of the supreme sacrifice made by mothers who lose a son or daughter serving in the Armed Forces.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1617, a measure supporting the goals and ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day, observed each September in remembrance of the supreme sacrifice made by mothers who lose a son or a daughter serving in the Armed Forces.

H. Res. 1617 was introduced by our colleague gentleman from California, Representative Peter Roskam on September 14, 2010. It was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it reported favorably by unanimous consent on September 23, 2010. The measure enjoys the support of over 50 members of the House.

We here in the House of Representatives regularly take time to honor our brave men and women serving in the armed services, particularly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. With so many putting themselves in harm's way, I'm very pleased that we can make it a priority to keep them and their families in our thoughts and prayers. The American Gold Star Mothers are a group of women who have all lost a son or daughter serving in the Armed Forces, and today we honor their sacrifice. The Gold Star Mothers provide services and comfort to their members, assist veterans in presenting claims to the VA, and host a number of events throughout the year to show support for our military. We thank them for all they do for our troops and our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, the sacrifices of the Gold Star Mothers should never be far from our thoughts and prayers, and so I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Gold Star Mothers through the passage of H. Res. 1617.

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I think that as we were talking about many different items today, I think that as a culture, and especially as a Congress, we always talk about the men and women who serve and those who pay the ultimate sacrifice.

But I think anyone who is a parent, especially those who are mothers, recognize that the only thing worse than running into harm's way is to watch your child run into harm's way. And the greatest loss is not the loss of one's life, but a loss of a child's life. And I think this is quite appropriate that we finally start focusing on the fact that the great sacrifice made on the battlefield is not by the men and women who are fighting, but the mothers who are left behind and must live with whatever results occur on that battlefield, something that they will live with for the rest of their lives. And I think it is quite appropriate that we do this today.

I am sad that we haven't done it before, to really recognize that those greatest heroes in America are the mothers who have raised the children that do the fighting that protect the freedoms and the prosperity, and those mothers who pay the ultimate sacrifice should be recognized, not just here, but much more often.

And so I thank the majority for allowing this to be brought forward. And, hopefully, as a nation, as a culture, we will recognize the contribution mothers make in this great effort.

The military couldn't be the military if it wasn't for the mothers who were willing to raise the children that we put in harm's way. And they are willing and, sadly, forced many times as the Gold Star Mothers are, to live with the repercussions for the rest of their lives of the great loss that they witness and this Nation has ignored for too long. I ask for passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, 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 rise today in support of H. Res. 1617, which supports the goals and ideals of Gold Star Mothers Day. Gold Star Mothers Day is observed on the last Sunday of September each year. I am proud to cosponsor H. Res. 1617, and I thank my colleague, Congressman Roskam for introducing this resolution.

Gold Star Mothers Day reminds us all of the ultimate sacrifice made by our men and women in uniform who gave their lives for our country. We also remember the mothers of our fallen soldiers who have to deal with the pain of losing their child.

On June 4, 1928, the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. was established when twenty-five mothers who lost a child in World War I met in Washington, DC. Membership was later opened to mothers who lost children in other armed conflicts. Congress then designated the last Sunday as Gold Star Mothers Day on June 23, 1936.

These remarkable women have turned their grief into service to others. Gold Star Mothers provides a mutual bond of sympathy and support. They also assist veterans and their dependents with VA claims, and provide aid to service members and their families who have died or were wounded during active duty.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to recognize the 11 service members from Long Beach, California, which is in my district, who lost their lives during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. They are: Pfc. Sephen Castellano, Sgt. Anthony Davis, Jr., Pvt. Ernesto Guerra, Spec. Roberto Martinez Salazar, Pfc. David T. Toomalatai, Staff Sgt. Joshua Whitaker, Sgt. 1st Class Randy Collins, Sgt. Israel Garcia, Pfc. Lyndon Marcus, Jr., Spec. Astor Sunsin-Pineda, Pfc. George Torres. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking and remembering these individuals for their service to our country, and to keep their families and especially their mothers in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1617 and I yield back the remainder of my time.