Bonnie Watson Coleman

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate Pride Month. What makes America truly great is our diversity. It is the coalescence of our backgrounds, our values, and our ideas that makes this Nation stronger. So, when we celebrate Pride Month, we are celebrating America. However, as we approach America's 250th anniversary, the historic progress we have made together to make our country a better place for all is under threat.

The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are focused more on weaponizing the federal government against America's diversity and the LGBTQ+ community than on addressing the pressing issues facing Americans. LGBTQ+ Americans who serve our country proudly in uniform and are a critical part of our military are being told they are not welcome and are being denied access to medical care. There have been more than 15 anti-LGBTQ+ votes on the floor of the House this Congress, but not one that would actually lower costs for American families.

I am proud to stand up for the New Jersey LGBTQ+ community in Congress as a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus and fight back against the rising tide of homophobia, transphobia, and hatred in all its forms. While Republicans in Congress have attacked our neighbors, I reintroduced the Customer Non-Discrimination Act to ensure fail treatment for Americans in public spaces and commercial services open to the public. Too many LGBTQ+ Americans still risk being fired, refused housing, or even denied healthcare just because of who they are, and this bill would stamp out this legalized discrimination by adding sexual orientation, sex, and gender identity to the prohibitions on discrimination covered by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Celebrating Pride Month cannot be just about attending parades; it must also mean taking action and standing up for the rights to the freedoms we all deserve. America's promise of liberty and justice for all includes the LGBTQ+ community. As we approach our country's 250th anniversary, we must fight to ensure that freedom and equality are expanded, not rolled back, so that America can be a more inclusive and just Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding me time.

Our country was rightly shocked and horrified when over 150 schoolgirls were killed in the opening hours of our strikes on Iran. It will be remembered as one of our darkest hours.

As I stand here, over 253 children have been killed in Lebanon. Are those lives no less a tragedy? Are we so callous as to believe that when we provide intelligence, provide coordination, and green strikes, that our responsibility for the results of that work ends there?

We are not bystanders to the ongoing horror that is the war on Lebanon. We have seen this before. High-ranking members of the Israeli Government are threatening mass extermination of Lebanese civilians. They are broadcasting their intentions just as they did in Gaza.

This Congress did nothing to stop the horror that befell Gaza. This Congress took bipartisan measures to let an ally commit genocide on the Palestinian people in Gaza with our bombs, with our intelligence, and with our tax dollars. We cannot feign ignorance here again.

This resolution offers a very clear moral choice. It offers those who failed to act in Gaza a chance to do something right now.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that we would all support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of D-Day and to honor East Brunswick, New Jersey's native son, Technical Sergeant Philip Streczyk, a distinguished World War II veteran.

Tomorrow marks 82 years since Philip and the men of the 16th Infantry Company, 1st Infantry Division, led the charge up the Easy Red sector of Omaha Beach. Technical Sergeant Streczyk showed incredible courage and tactical skill to guide his men off the beaches despite incredible enemy fire. He also displayed resilience and innovation to find a pathway up the mine-laden bluffs safely.

His company commander, Captain Ed Wozenski stated ``I think that he's the greatest unsung hero of World War II. To the best of my knowledge, he was the first one on the beach and it was the path that he took that I picked up. The rest of our battalion followed, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, and then later on I think almost the whole corps went up that same path.''

That pathway became a leading edge for our troops to storm Normandy, fight amongst the hedgerows deeper inland and ultimately, defeat the Germans. Philip's actions truly began the liberation of France from the grip of tyranny. Captain Wozenski went on to say: ``If [Streczyk] did not earn a Congressional Medal of Honor, no one did.''

Philip's bravery didn't stop at the beachhead. He proceeded to take out a deadly machine gun nest and capture several Polish prisoners of war. General Eisenhower and Field Marshal Montgomery would later present him personally with the Distinguished Service Cross and British Military Medal. All told, Streczyk served nearly 440 days straight in combat from North Africa to Sicily to Normandy through to the Hurtgen Forest.

His combat valor is unmatched and was dubbed by The Central Jersey Home News a ``one-man invasion.'' He was the recipient of a Silver Star with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and several more decorations.

Like many of the Greatest Generation, Philip lived a simple, humble life upon returning home to New Jersey. He raised his 4 kids with his wife, Sophie, and worked as a mason and builder and was active in Veterans organizations, but, sadly, the toll of warfare caught up with him. A gangrenous neck wound suffered during combat led to daily, intolerable pain. Streczyk took his own life in 1958 at just 39 years old. Technical Sergeant Streczyk is buried in a small, hidden family plot in a residential cul-de-sac in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Streczyk was never given true recognition by his hometown and state for his actions that preserved democracy. I rise today on behalf of New Jersey's 12th District to proudly honor this one-of-one military legend and American hero. We can never repay the debt we owe to Philip and his fellow Soldiers, but we can always honor and remember the sacrifices they made so that all of us may live freely today. We are eternally grateful to our Greatest Generation.

Mr. Speaker, please join me today in honoring Technical Sergeant Philip Streczyk and his service to our country.