Charles K. Djou

Madam Speaker, I rise to address this House for what will likely be my last formal address from this floor.

While my term has been short, it has been an honor and privilege representing the people of Hawaii. It is testimony to the greatness of our Nation that a child of immigrants from China and Thailand can call himself a maker of laws in the United States.

I want to first thank the voters of Hawaii for giving me this opportunity to serve them, but I also want to thank all the volunteers who worked so hard to get me here. But most of all, I want to thank my family for giving me everything that I have.

I believe that a limited government is better at establishing prosperity than an expansive government. I believe that a vibrant two- party democracy is better at preserving liberty than one-party monolithic rule. And I believe that open and responsive public officials are better at ensuring an accountable government than an old boy network.

But I also believe one of the beauties of our Nation is that the voters always have the final say. And while I may be disappointed in my results, I recognize that my views are in the minority in my congressional district. Yielding to the final word of the voters is something that I always will respect.

May God bless this House and may God bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, my congressional district potentially lies in the flight arc of North Korea's ballistic missiles. Should anything happen in the Korean Peninsula and deteriorate to war, it is the soldiers, sailors, and airmen in my congressional district at Pearl Harbor, Hickam Air Force Base, and Schofield Barracks who will be the first ones called into action on the Korean Peninsula.

The United States must make a firm and clear commitment not only to condemn these belligerent acts by North Korea, but also firmly commit our Nation to unifying the Korean Peninsula under a free, democratic, and capitalist regime. Our Nation must make a commitment to a unified, free, and capitalist Korea in the same fashion that we committed to a united, free, and capitalist Germany during the Cold War.

During this past year, the North Korean Government has shown its unwarranted, unprovoked attacks on South Korea by illegally seizing a South Korean fishing vessel and illegally sinking a South Korean naval vessel. And now the shelling of a South Korean island, unprovoked, shows that the North Korean regime cannot be trusted and must be changed.

This is why it is so important the United States commit to a quick and prompt passage of a free trade agreement between the United States and South Korea, and through the passage of this resolution. We must strengthen our bonds between the United States and South Korea to stand as a bulwark against the aggressive and repressive North Korean Government.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to speak and urge passage of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the heroism and sacrifices of Dr. Pete Tatsuo Okumoto and other Japanese-American veterans of World War II.

Dr. Okumoto served as a frontline combat surgeon with the United States Army's 10th Mountain Division in Northern Italy during World War II and participated in two major campaigns including North Apennine and Po Valley. Dr. Okumoto received numerous military decorations for his honorable service. I commend Dr. Okumoto for his dedication and commitment to the field of medicine and honorable service to the United States. It is with great pleasure to formally recognize Dr. Okumoto on the floor of the House of Representatives.

As a Captain in the Army Reserve, I understand the demands placed on our servicemen and women. I thank Dr. Okumoto and all other Japanese- American veterans for their heroism and for their service to the state of Hawai'i and the United States. Aloha.