Condemning the murder of Army Private William Long and the wounding of Army Private Quinton Ezeagwula, who were shot outside the Army Navy Career Center in Little Rock, Arkansas on June 1, 2009.

People in America, Mr. Speaker, mourn the loss of any of our troops in combat or not, here or abroad. Andy Long, private, United States Army, was killed in Little Rock, Arkansas in my district 1 week before he was to leave to be with his unit headed to Korea. We mourn his loss today. So, also, do we hope and pray for the rapid recovery of Private Ezeagwula who was wounded.

I attended the funeral yesterday of Andy Long in Conway, Arkansas, and met both families. The Long family is a military family: his great- grandfather served; his grandfather served; his father is a retired marine warrant officer; his mother served and is a veteran--and, in fact, she was in the parking lot waiting to give him a ride home when the shooting began. His brother Triston is in the military today and will be headed to Iraq this summer.

A family tradition for this family is that the father prepares a letter to give to the son when he deploys. Yesterday, Andy's father, Retired Marine CWO4 Daris Long, read the following letter to his son. He had these ideas in mind to give to his son and put them down in writing, and the letter was placed in the casket yesterday at the funeral. And this was the letter that Daris Long wrote to his son:

``Dear Andy, let me start by telling you how proud your mother and I are of you in your choice to serve this country. The profession of arms is not an easy job. It is not 9-5. You won't often get a choice in what you want, when you want to do something, or even voice some of your opinions.

``You took an oath, `I, William Andrew Long, do solemnly swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.' That means a lot. In my mind, it means that whatever your personal feelings are, you may have to put them aside because you don't get to decide who you are going to protect, you protect the rights of all. Oliver Hazard Perry, a War of 1812 Naval hero, once toasted the country with this, `My country, right or wrong, but first my country.' That statement was often quoted out of context by my generation in the end years of the Vietnam War by protestors. In light of your oath, its true meaning is revealed. Always remember, your loyalties are to the principles upon which this country was established. Your duty is to the country, not some cause, not some character, not to some party.''

Mr. Long continues: `` `That I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, the officers and non-commissioned officers appointed over me, acting in accordance with regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me, God.' You are to obey the rightful orders given you. I am sure you were given classes on the laws of warfare, what is right and what is wrong. This part of the oath charges you to do the right thing. This part absolutely absolves you from obeying illegal orders. It reminds you that the old `I was just following orders' routine doesn't excuse you from misconduct that results from following an illegal order. It does not mean you can refuse to follow orders you may disagree with but only those that are clearly illegal. You have to have a moral compass and rigidly follow it.

``You are now on your way to Korea. What we had talked about, filling your off-duty time with constructive pursuits, may have to go on hold with what is going on over there now.''

Mr. Long continues: ``You need to find someone in your unit who is good at what he does professionally and personally and get into his hip pocket. Learn what he knows. Your leaders are going to be pressed to have everything and everybody ready in case things go south. You may not have time to get your newly acquired skills down to an art. You need to support your leaders and fellow soldiers by being a good follower. Remember, as an infantryman, your life support system is the guy next to you. You need to trust him. He needs to know he can trust you. When you are in the thick of things your focus will narrow to your immediate brothers in arms, other things will fade the mere distractions. You need to have your head on a swivel, be aware of your surroundings. Follow your orders quickly and completely. Please, for your own sanity and to ease the burden of your immediate leaders, don't get bogged down with all the whining and back seat driving you may hear from `sea lawyers' in your unit--every outfit has them--they are known, some have more, some have less.''

Mr. Long continues: ``I was once where you are, at the bottom of the food chain. However, after having been promoted up the ladder to Chief Warrant Officer 4, I can tell you that at each level of command, at fire team, squad, platoon, company, and so on, the people in charge are always being pounded on to take care of their people. Your welfare is key to the success of the accomplishment of the mission. There will be times that you will have to be reminded of this and you may think I am full of it, but it is fact.''

Mr. Long continues: ``This quote has been used many times and I think it was attributed to some anonymous author who wrote on a c-ration box somewhere in the field in Vietnam: `For those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.' I am personally proud of your progression from boy to man. It's been hard, but the end result is my hero. You and your brother serving are a joy to me. You both are foregoing a lot by doing what you are doing especially now when your country is in peril. You both are heroes by having the moral courage to stand up when the country needs you most, when others are not willing to give up their creature comforts. These are times I wish I were still doing what you are. However, the profession of arms is a young man's game. The last recruits I trained are now coming up on 29 years, 3 months in service if any of them are still in.''

Mr. Long continues: ``My heart is with you. My mind is still ticking through the pre-deployment checklists, what the priorities are, where I am going. I know you are in the Army and I'm sure you are tired of hearing how the Marines do it. Marines march to the sound of the guns. You need to do the same. Don't let others do your job,

your duty. I haven't told your mom in words, but all those times I left on a moment's notice and came back long after others were home, I volunteered. I wasn't going to be left behind to let others do my job or what I considered a job I could do better. I'm telling you this because your job is to stand watch on the wall, separating us, from those who would do us harm. Your day only ends when you've done your duty.''

And Mr. Long finishes: ``So you have a lot of long days ahead of you. I've told this to Triston, and now it is your turn. I hope you take this letter as it is meant--from a father who loves you, trying to give you some hard-learned life experience. Even though we have had our ups and downs, I have always loved you. You are in both my thoughts and prayers. You are my son. You are my hero. I love you. Semper Fidelis, Dad.''

Mr. Long put this letter in the casket, and then he reminded me today that he intends to write a similar letter to his son Triston when he deploys to Iraq this summer.

I want to make a brief comment about the resolution.

I was not involved with the writing of this resolution. I think I would have phrased part of it differently. It says, Resolved, that the House of Representatives, number 3, urges swift prosecution to the fullest extent of the law the perpetrator of this senseless shooting.

My own view is that we do not know all of the facts surrounding this shooting. If it turns out that, in fact, the perpetrator, whoever did this, was trained, supported by some overseas group affiliated with al Qaeda or any of the other terrorist groups, the hell with swift prosecution. We need to take him out.

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

Mr. Speaker, on June 1 of 2009, only about a week ago, Private William Long, only 23 years old, was shot and killed as he worked at the Army Navy Career Center, which is a military recruitment center, in Little Rock, Arkansas. Private Quinton I. Ezeagwula, age 18, was also shot in the attack that day. Thankfully, Private Ezeagwula survived; although our latest information is that he remains still in critical condition.

Mr. Speaker, most persons who are listening today are hearing about Private Long's death for the first time. It's likely that most Americans haven't heard of his killing because Private Long's murder forces the issue that the mainstream media does not want to confront or report on, and that is Islamic terrorism within and coming from within the United States.

The man accused of shooting Private Long and Private Ezeagwula was formally known as Carlos Bledsoe. Bledsoe converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad. He later traveled to Yemen where he was there studying under an Islamic scholar. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we have millions of law-abiding Muslims in this country. Acts of terror committed by some members of a religion should never be used to condemn all members of that religion. At the same time, however, we cannot be blind to the jihadist ideology of some Muslims of this country who believe that they have a religious duty to murder the innocent.

The mindset of radical Islamic terrorism which today seems to find fertile ground in the soil of jihad claims that the cause of justice is advanced by killing the innocent and by killing those who seek to protect the innocent. This is the fundamental reality. And when the American media and we, as a people, refuse to call evil by its name, it imperils us all and it dishonors all of those, like these two soldiers who have sacrificed and bled to protect the innocent from that evil.

Mr. Speaker, the American soldier does not fight because he hates what's in front of him. He fights because he loves what is behind him. Private Long's so-called crime was his commitment to defending the innocent against those who would cause them and all of us harm. That commitment is the price required oftentimes to maintain our freedom. That commitment was carried deeply in the heart of Private William Long. He displayed it bravely by wearing the uniform of the United States armed services and dying in it for all of us. That commitment will forever be the legacy of his life on this Earth.

Mr. Speaker, today there are approximately 1.2 million Reserve component members of the Armed Forces protecting America; more than 8,000 Army and Army Reserve recruiters; and more than 7,000 Navy recruiters serving at more than 1,500 military recruiting stations and centers in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Europe. This attack could have ended the lives of any one of those noble men and women. Each of them risks his or her life every single day to preserve America's freedom and to defend the right of every American to live free, to be free, and pursue their dreams.

So today, Mr. Speaker, I've introduced House Resolution 515 to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Private William Long on behalf of the United States House of Representatives, to offer our hope of a full and complete recovery for Private Quinton Ezeagwula, and to urge the prosecution of the preparator of this senseless shooting to the fullest extent of the law, and finally, to urge the American people to join together in condemning such horrific acts of violence upon the noble men and women of our Armed Forces.

We pray especially that the hearts of all of those that Private Long knew and loved would find comfort and peace in the knowledge that in dying, because he wore the uniform of the United States military, their loved one laid down his life for the sake of human freedom and on behalf of those who could not defend that freedom for themselves. No legacy could be more noble, Mr. Speaker.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, just a personal thought on my part.

Sometimes a country oftentimes asks itself the question of what really is the source and fundamental essence of our security. And oftentimes, we think that that is the length and breadth of our military might, and I would only remind us all that thousands of years ago, China built the Great Wall to protect China. This was a wall that would have challenged some of our modern day tanks and they thought that they were completely secure, but in that time China was invaded three different times because the enemy simply bribed the guard who opened the gate and let them in.

I would submit today that the greatest and most important factor for the freedom of a people is the commitment in the heart of its people, and especially those who put on the uniform, to be committed enough to stand in the way of the aggressor and their homeland. And that is exactly what Private Long and Private Ezeagwula tried to do.

There is a verse that says, Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends. It is the most noble of all acts that we can accomplish on this Earth. Sometimes I think we forget how much some people give for the freedom that we have. Privates Long and Ezeagwula are good examples.

Mr. Speaker, I think sometimes we also forget the price that families pay. You know, it is easy for us to focus upon only the fallen, but those who remain and the grief that is laid upon their broken shoulders is often sometimes something we cannot identify with.

I was in the Press Club here a few days ago, and I saw a diamond- shaped picture of a cold, icy, windy day out at Arlington National Cemetery. A woman stood alone with her back to the viewer standing at a tombstone. There was no one else in the cemetery and the wind was blowing and her clothes were out to the side. It was the loneliest thing I had ever seen. And the title was simply, ``The Widow.'' Now, I understand that Private Long was not yet married, but I am sure there was someone out there that loved him, and I know that his parents loved him. And the family has faced a loss that none of us can even imagine. So as we salute Private Long, I also think it is in order to salute his family, who have paid such a high price so we can stand here in this Chamber and talk about freedom.

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

I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson) for yielding, and I want to certainly thank Chairman Conyers, Chairman Scott, Mr. Issa, the entire Judiciary Committee, and the House leadership for recognizing the importance of this legislation by bringing it to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, while our soldiers fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, many citizens across our Nation are facing terrorism right here at home, right here in their own neighborhoods. People are being murdered in broad daylight, and their killers are walking free because we do not protect witnesses to crimes from threats against their safety if they cooperate with the police, if they testify in court, or even if they are listed as witnesses to testify in court.

This epidemic of witness intimidation is a menace to our civil society, and it is a plague on our entire justice system. In fact, it was the deaths of Angela and Carnell Dawson and their five children, ages 9 to 14, that first motivated me to address this issue. I can remember very vividly sitting at a funeral with one adult casket and with the caskets of five children. Then, a day later, the husband died, and we went to his funeral.

The entire Dawson family was killed in October 2002 when a gang member firebombed their home in the middle of the night in retaliation for Mrs. Dawson's repeated complaints to the police about the recurring drug trafficking in her east Baltimore neighborhood.

I might add, Mr. Speaker, that Mrs. Dawson literally lived within about a 5-minute drive from my house.

Angela Dawson and her family were not affiliated in any way with drugs or gangs. Rather, Mrs. Dawson was just a civic-minded parent, trying to clean up her neighborhood, and trying to make it a safe place for her children and for other families.

While several State and local entities have established witness assistance programs, many of these programs have fallen victim to the tough economic times and have had to be discontinued. Conversely, the U.S. Marshals Service uses $65 million to operate its Federal Witness Security Program, and it has an excellent track record. In all of its years in existence, they have never been known to have lost a witness, and at the same time, the prosecutors in those cases have had an 89 percent success rate.

It is because of this inequity that I call upon my colleagues to give law enforcement the ability to protect the sanctity of our justice system and pass H.R. 1741, the Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act.

H.R. 1741 would help local law enforcement officers strengthen witness assistance and protection units, sending a very loud and clear message to

criminals that our citizens and we in the Congress of the United States of America will not be deterred by fear tactics like intimidation.

Speaking of intimidation, throughout the City of Baltimore, we have a group that put out two trailers entitled ``Stop Snitching.'' In one of those trailers I, along with the State's attorney, were threatened because we were standing up for this legislation and because we were standing up for witnesses. I made it very clear to them that I have no fear because, if you can have a situation where a person can literally be standing on a corner and 20 people know the perpetrator and the perpetrator comes up and blows somebody's brains out and nobody testifies, what happens then is that we have given the criminal more power; we have taken power away from regular citizens. The next thing you know, the criminal feels that there are no consequences to his or her actions.

You cannot have a criminal justice system that is effective and efficient unless you have the cooperation of witnesses. It is up to this Congress to make it very, very clear that we will not, under any circumstances, stand for witnesses to be intimidated, harmed, threatened, killed or in any way deterred from carrying out their duties to assist police and law enforcement.

The bill would provide $150 million in competitive grants over 5 years to enable State and local governments to establish witness assistance programs with priority given to cities or to locales that have had an average of at least 100 homicides per year during the most recent 5-year period. H.R. 1741 would also allow these programs to receive technical assistance from the United States Marshals Service.

By improving the protection for State and local witnesses, we come one step closer to alleviating the fears and the threats of prospective witnesses and to safeguarding our communities from violence.

Again, I want to thank Mr. Conyers. I want to thank Mr. Johnson, Mr. Scott, and the ranking member for their support. I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 515) condemning the murder of Army Private William Long and the wounding of Army Private Quinton Ezeagwula, who were shot outside the Army Navy Career Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 515 rightly condemns the murder of Army Private William Long and the wounding of Army Private Quinton Ezeagwula, who were shot outside the Army Navy Career Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009.

This dastardly attack on two young Americans who were simply standing outside the Armed Forces Recruiting Center where they worked should shock the conscience of all Americans.

Private Long, who was 23, was murdered. Private Ezeagwula, who is 18, was wounded. They had answered their call to service and were willing to lay down their lives for their country, but the deadly attack came here at home, not on a field of battle halfway across the world.

There are more than 1.4 million Active members of the Armed Forces protecting America, and more than 1.2 million Reserve members. There are more than 8,000 Army and Army Reserve recruiters, and more than 7,000 Navy recruiters, serving at more than 1,500 military recruiting stations and centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Europe. Each one of these men and women are courageous patriots who deserve our support, and this deadly attack is nothing short of dastardly.

This resolution offers the condolences of this House to the family of Private Long, expresses our hopes for a full recovery for Private Ezeagwula, and urges that the perpetrator or perpetrators of this senseless shooting be brought to justice.

I want to commend our colleague, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks), for introducing this resolution. It is an appropriate statement of what I note to be the views of every Member of this House. At a time like this, it is important for all of us to stand together to support our men and women in uniform and to speak with one voice against violence directed against them.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder).

How much time do I have remaining, Mr. Speaker?

Well, I won't take that, but I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we ask every member of our armed services--2.6 million men and women in the Active and Reserve forces--to be willing to lay down their lives for our country in defense of our freedom, if need be, and they are willing to do that. And every time, whether in Iraq or Afghanistan or anywhere else around the globe, a member of our armed services is killed in action there is a grieved family, a lover, a wife, a husband, a mother, a father, a son, a daughter for all of these who are grieved and whose loss can never be made up. And we sometimes, except on Memorial Day, forget about that. And this happens all the time, too often, and we don't think about it too much. We ought to think about it because our freedoms are dependent on it; our way of life is dependent on it. And none of us would be here enjoying our freedoms if it weren't for the willingness of our sons and daughters to do what they have to do to keep us safe and free.

This resolution does not address all of that; it simply addresses two members of our armed services, one of whom was killed and one of whom was severely wounded. But the difference is that they weren't in a combat zone; they were murdered and wounded here at home, supposedly in a safe place. And it illustrates that even here at home not everyone is safe.

So this resolution mourns the death of Private Long and the wounding of Private Ezeagwula, and it extends our condolences to the family of Private Long and our wishes for the best recovery to Private Ezeagwula. It is little enough that we can do, but it is really all we can do at this point. It says we are grateful. It reminds us of the sacrifices that are made.

I appreciate Mr. Franks' introduction of this resolution. I urge everyone to support it. And as with the resolution I spoke of earlier today, I cannot believe anyone will not support it. So I urge its adoption.

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

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the motion.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1741, the Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2009. Witness testimony is a critical component of our criminal justice system. Even with sophisticated DNA and other forensic evidence, there is no substitute for an eyewitness testimony.

However, engaging the cooperation of witnesses is frequently a daunting obstacle in many criminal prosecutions. Many witnesses fail to come forward or refuse to testify out of fear of retribution by the defendants or pressure by the community.

It is no surprise that violent criminals will unleash their brutality on witnesses whose testimony could result in years or decades in prison. It is also no surprise that violent gangs and drug organizations are the source of much of this brutality. The Justice Department's National Gang Center reports that ``gang members so frequently engage in witness intimidation that it is considered part of normal gang behavioral dynamics.'' State and local law enforcement officials and prosecutors are in a constant struggle to counteract witness intimidation and to convince witnesses to cooperate. It's vital that we assist in this.

At the Federal level, the U.S. Marshals Service is charged with witness protection and has operated the Witness Security Program since 1970. Under the program, more than 7,500 witnesses and over 9,500 family members have been protected, relocated, or given new identities. Most States and local governments cannot offer that level of protection. Many cannot afford to offer even basic protection services, for instance, during a trial in which the proceedings in a small town might be all too evident to gangs in the area.

H.R. 1741, the Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act, directs the Attorney General to award grants to State and local governments to establish and maintain witness protection programs.

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that this not only is a well-worthwhile program whose time has come, but, in fact, it could be a real cost- saving to the taxpayers from the Federal level. Federal prosecution tends to be more expensive. In the case of gang, drug, and other activities, there is almost always a dual nexus: one in which the State or local courts can try the gang members, one in which the Federal Government can find Federal statutes to try under. Unfortunately, without an effective witness protection program, localities may often choose to move a case to Federal court where witness protection is available rather than providing that protection themselves.

So, Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to support strongly that we find those opportunities in which local government can provide this service rather than removing to Federal court. This is a cost-saving, commonsense initiative, and I support it.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished attorney from the City of New Orleans, the junior Member from Louisiana, Mr. Cao.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, it is my pleasure to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price).

Mr. Speaker, we believe that the precious time on the floor needs to be well spent, and we certainly support that we are well spending it. This is an important piece of legislation. It's important because, in fact, we in the Federal Government need to team with cities and localities around the country to ensure that we not distort where prosecutions are made. I fully support this legislation because, with all due respect to my colleague, it will relieve the cities and the counties from often choosing a Federal venue rather than a local venue if we help with protecting their witnesses, something that the Federal Government and the U.S. Marshals have proven to do very well. So I do support the bill. It's a bipartisan bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would yield back the balance of my time and support the passage of this important legislation.