Urging all Americans and people of all nationalities to visit the national cemeteries, memorials, and markers on Memorial Day.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 360) urging all Americans and people of all nationalities to visit the national cemeteries, memorials, and markers on Memorial Day.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I yield myself as much time as I may consume

I think it is only appropriate, Mr. Speaker, that we bring this resolution to the floor as we approach Memorial Day. The resolution encourages people to visit the cemeteries, memorials, and markers overseen by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Now, that is a commission that I am sure many people have not heard of.

What is the American Battle Monuments Commission, and what do they

do? Back in 1923, Congress created this commission to control the construction of military cemeteries, monuments, and markers erected to honor American servicemembers killed on foreign soil. Host countries provide the necessary lands for the sites to the United States in perpetuity and free of charge.

The commission cares for 24 military cemeteries, 25 memorials, monuments and markers in 15 countries around the world. These sites serve as the final resting place for almost 125,000 Americans who fought in the Mexican-American War, World War I and World War II. The commission takes special care that all cemeteries under its supervision are maintained to the highest standard attainable. The commission extends an open invitation for all to visit these magnificent shrines and to go beyond the most well known, like Normandy, and venture into others.

Each site has its own sense of history, sacrifice and beauty, and each offers a unique experience. For example, no two have the same guard nor architecture. Perhaps only the spiritual qualities are similar. In less than a month from now, on June 6, the commission will commemorate the 63rd anniversary of the D-day landing by opening a new Normandy-American cemetery visitors center. This center, which has been under construction since 2002, will tell the story of the American soldiers memorialized at Normandy.

I encourage all to visit this new D-day center and any of the sites under the jurisdiction of the commission. Overseas cemeteries are the lasting reminders of America's willingness to come to the defense of others. These tangible symbols of American values endure long after the fighting is over.

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

I continue to reserve.

Does the gentleman have further speakers?

I think this may be the first time in American history that a Roe is followed by a Poe, but that's just the way it is. I would reserve the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on House Resolution 360.

Mr. Speaker, the United States has fought wars throughout our history to restore both freedom and dignity inside of its own borders, as well as around the world. We have shed our blood and spent our national treasure fighting these wars. On Memorial Day, the Nation is reminded of the phrase spoken constantly, that freedom is not free.

These wonderful commemorative sites that we spoke of today inspire patriotism, invoke gratitude, serve as a permanent and lasting reminder of the sacrifices made by the men and women of the United States military. They are reminders of America's willingness to come to the defense of others, to protect the freedom and liberty of its people, and ensure the prosperity of our Republic.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to unanimously support House Resolution 360.

Mr. SALAZAR, Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 360, a bill encouraging all Americans to honor our veterans by visiting national cemeteries and memorials this Memorial Day.

Since 1862, more than three million burials have been made in VA national cemeteries.

National cemeteries are the testimony of a grateful nation to appropriately commemorate the Americans who have served our nation in the armed forces.

My home state of Colorado has a population of over 427,000 veterans.

I am proud to represent a district that is home to almost 70,000 veterans.

As a veteran myself, I know how much of an honor it was to serve my country during the Vietnam era.

My father, Henry Salazar, was a staff sergeant in the Army during World War II.

Two years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, my father came down to breakfast one morning and told us that he wanted to be buried in his uniform.

As I held my father just before he passed away he told me that he loved me and his last word was ``Uniform.''

Throughout the four years that my father lived with Alzheimer's, the two things he never forgot were how much he loved his family and how proud he was to serve his country.

It is this dedication to duty and unyielding commitment that have ensured our freedom and our way of life even in our nation's most troubled times.

The courage and sacrifices of our veterans set a necessary example to our youth and all Americans.

Their stories are important chapters in the history of our nation.

That is why I am working with members of the Colorado delegation to bring a national veterans cemetery to southern Colorado.

Current standards place many VA cemeteries closer to large metropolitan areas.

This is an issue that is faced by veterans in small and rural communities similar to those in the Third Congressional District of Colorado.

I look forward to continue working on issues that improve the lives of our veterans and honor their service.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 360, ``Urging all Americans and people of all nationalities to visit the national cemeteries, memorials, and markers on Memorial Day''. I would like to thank my colleague Representative David Roe for introducing this resolution, as well as the co-sponsors.

I do not believe there is a person in this body, or a person in this building, who does not feel a remarkable pride in the presence of the men and women who serve in our Nation's

military. Their incredible sacrifices and courage in the face of innumerable hazards have been critical to the preservation of the freedom, security, and prosperity enjoyed that we as Americans have come to love, enjoy, and even expect.

Likewise, I do not believe there is a person in this body, or a person in this building, who does not feel an intense tragedy in seeing these men and women make the ultimate sacrifice--whether it is seeing the loss of such extraordinary Americans, or the immense pain and sympathy for their families and loved ones.

When the United States has fought in wars outside and inside of its borders to restore freedom and human dignity, they were the ones who made the true sacrifices. The United States has spent its national treasure and shed its blood in fighting those wars.

Our government has sought to do its part in honoring these brave men and women. The National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains 128 national cemeteries that serve as the final resting place for nearly 3,000,000 of these veterans and their dependents. Each year, millions of Americans visit these national cemeteries, memorials, and markers.

Across the globe, we find similar efforts. Overseas sites annually recognize Memorial Day with speeches, a reading of the Memorial Day Proclamation, wreath laying ceremonies, military bands and units, and the decoration of each grave site with the flag of the United States and that of the host country.

Wherever the proud fallen American soldier is honored, these splendid commemorative sites inspire patriotism, evoke gratitude, and teach history.

My residents of my city, Houston, have long honored their veterans. Within city limits stands the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. It was awarded the Robert W. Carey Organizational Excellence Award in 2005, the Robert W. Carey Circle of Excellence Quality Award in 2007, and re-designation for Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Services in 2008.

The MEDVAMC serves as the primary health care provider for more than 120,000 veterans in southeast Texas and over 13,000 from Houston. Veterans from around the country are referred to the MEDVAMC for countless medical services, and their outpatient clinics logged nearly 900,000 outpatient visits in fiscal year 2008 alone. All this in a state with over 1.7 million veterans, 247,000 of which are disabled and over 25,000 buried in her soil.

There is another great example that comes to mind, of how my district has honored those who defend them. In Memorial Plaza, stands a pillar holding a stone globe; written on the pillar are several names of US soldiers, fallen in the Second World War, as well as a quote by Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, chaplain of the U.S. Marines:

``IT'S THE SOLDIER: When the country has been the need, it

has always been the soldier! It's the soldier, not the

newspaper who has given us Freedom of the Press. It's the

soldier, not the poet, who has given us Freedom of Speech.

It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us

the Freedom to Demonstrate. It's the soldier who salutes the

flag, serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped by the

flag who gives the protester the right to burn the flag. And

it's the soldier who is called upon to defend our way of

life!''

That is why I proudly join my colleagues in strongly urging Americans and people of all nationalities to visit national cemeteries, memorials, and markers on Memorial Day. It is so that they may see words like these, even if it is only once a year, and know where the spirit of American generosity, sacrifice, and courage are displayed and commemorated.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it's been said, ``From this day to the ending of the world, we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.'' Shakespeare penned these words in Henry V, describing the commitment of a soldier to his fellow soldiers.

I rise today in support of H. Res. 360 which calls on all Americans to honor our veterans by visiting memorials and national cemeteries on Memorial Day. I am proud to cosponsor this very important legislation.

Since 2004, 26 men and women from the Second Congressional District area of Texas have served honorably and given their lives for the cause of freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every time a brave member of America's military from my area dies for this country, I come down to this House floor, and I talk about their lives, their legacy, their family, and those others that they have left behind.

Every year, millions of Americans visit the national cemeteries and the memorials and the war markers all over the United States to remember the men and women who have so courageously fought to defend America's freedom.

Mr. Speaker, in a land far, far away, there are over 9,000 Americans buried in a place called Normandy in France, most of them young teenage boys that left America and went off to war to defend our country. They shed their blood in 1944 for not only us but for those folks in Europe. My father who served in the great World War II as an 18-year-old never talked about his service in Europe until he and Mom visited Normandy and its cemetery 50 years after that important event. He, like many other veterans, is proud to have

served but keeps saying that the heroes are still buried in places throughout the world.

Each Memorial Day all across America, parades are held, wreaths are laid, grave sites are decorated as a tribute to our fallen warriors. On Veterans Day, we remember those who fought and came home, but on Memorial Day, we remember those who fought and did not come home.

The Department of Veterans Affairs preserves 128 cemeteries all over the world that are the final resting place for over 3 million Americans. These national cemeteries and memorials remind us of the warriors who have fought and gave all to protect the rest of us. When called, they went.

I am pleased to support this legislation and urge all Members to approve this resolution.

As Toby Keith so eloquently put it in his tribute to the American soldiers, he said about the American soldier: ``I don't do it for money, there's bills that I can't pay. I don't do it for the glory, I just do it anyway. I'm an American soldier, an American beside my brothers and sisters, I will proudly take a stand. When liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right. I'm out here on the front lines, so sleep in peace tonight. I'm an American soldier.''

These warriors, Mr. Speaker, are our sons of liberty and the daughters of democracy. They are our heroes, and they need to be honored and remembered by the rest of us for all time.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 360 urging all Americans and people of all nationalities to visit the national cemeteries, memorials and markers on Memorial Day. This legislation was sponsored by our colleague from Tennessee and a new and very active member of the Veterans Affairs' Committee, Congressman David Roe, on April 23, 2009, and we all appreciate him bringing this forward.

Mr. Speaker, properly honoring a veteran's memory is one of our most solemn obligations. These patriots are due the final tribute of a grateful Nation. Here in the U.S., the National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs cares for 128 national cemeteries that serve as the final resting place for over three million of our Nation's veterans and their dependents. The National Park Service cares for 14 veterans' cemeteries as well.

But it's not just here in the United States that our fallen are honored. The overseas national cemeteries of the American Battle Monuments Commission provide our Nation's heroes an honored repose in national shrines far from the homes they left in order to protect democracy. These overseas cemeteries have become the gold standard in memorializing the precious gift to us by those who fell in our defense.

The commission oversees 24 overseas military cemeteries that serve as resting places for almost 125,000 American war dead. Tablets of the missing memorialize more than 94,000 U.S. servicemen and -women as well as 25 memorials, monuments and markers.

These memorials and cemeteries are mute testimony to the sacrifices of Americans who fought in battles across the globe such as Flanders Field, Belgium; Manila, Philippines; North Africa, Tunisia; Sicily- Rome, Italy; Corozal, Panama; Lorraine, France; Mexico City, Mexico; and Normandy, France.

Mr. Speaker, with Memorial Day less than a week away, this is a most fitting time to consider this resolution. I ask all my colleagues to support it, and I look forward to its passage.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he would require to the author of the resolution, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe).

Yes, I have two more.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. Speaker, that was my last speaker on the subject.

I want to thank Mr. Roe of Tennessee for bringing this forward in a very timely way and such an important message that we remember those that have sacrificed so much for all of us.

I want to thank Committee Chairman Bob Filner and Ranking Member Steve Buyer for allowing us to go forward with the bill, and certainly I want to urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 360.

And with that, having no further speakers, I yield back the balance of my time.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 360, urging all Americans and people of all nationalities to visit the national cemeteries, memorials, and markers this Memorial Day.

Following a tradition begun in 1868, our Nation will pause this Monday in remembrance of those who have sacrificed their lives in defense of our free Republic. Fond mourners and friends will set flowers and flags on the graves of the fallen. Our flag, flown at half staff since sunrise, will at noon be raised high and those gathered will be called to pledge allegiance. A bugle will sound Taps, and we will make another pledge: to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our heroic dead, and our disabled veterans.

There is no central location for this observance. Our servicemembers' final resting places are in all our towns and communities. The National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains 128 national cemeteries in 39 States and Puerto Rico. One of those cemeteries is in my hometown of Johnson City, Tennessee. The Department of the Army maintains Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery.

Americans have died defending liberty around the globe and have been laid to rest far from home. The American Battle Monuments Commission oversees 24 military cemeteries abroad where 125,000 of our war dead remain.

The freedoms we enjoy today, the freedoms enjoyed by a civilized Europe, and those free from despots rising to national power are the proof these men and women did not die in vain. This sacrifice should be celebrated, and never forgotten.

Not all who serve perish fulfilling their duty. They return to us as veterans and deserve our thanks and a commitment to serve them. We erect monuments and markers and make pilgrimages there to honor them.

That is this resolution's call. Congress should urge Americans to visit these cemeteries, these monuments and memorials, and I as a veteran encourage my colleagues to support this resolution.

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