Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, yesterday was the funeral for a great statesman from Arizona, former House Armed Services Chairman Bob Stump. I was reminded of another late Arizona statesman, Senator Barry Goldwater. In fact, next week marks the 40th anniversary of his significant step in the historic presidential campaign he waged in 1964. On July 4, 1963, the National Draft Goldwater Rally was held at the Washington National Guard Armory. I was honored as a young teenager to come on a bus from South Carolina with some of the founders of the modern Republican Party, Drake Edens, Floyd Spence and Rusty DePass. This failed presidential campaign actually was spectacularly successful in launching a political revolution for limited government and expanded freedom. Especially in the South, Republican conservatism has risen from virtual nonexistence to majority status on the local, State and Federal level.

I am grateful for the lasting influence of Barry Goldwater, who inspired victory over communism, achieved by Ronald Reagan, and an emphasis on expanding freedom by reducing taxation, promoted by George W. Bush.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness tonight that I announce that Senator Strom Thurmond passed away at 9:45. I was a former staff member of Senator Thurmond, my wife was a staff person for Senator Thurmond, and our three sons have been pages with his office.

With the death of Strom Thurmond, South Carolina has lost its greatest statesman of the 20th century, just as John Calhoun was the most revered South Carolinian of the 19th century. Strom Thurmond will never be replaced in the countless hearts of those who loved and respected him.

The entire Wilson family mourns this profound loss and we extend our sympathy to the Thurmond family.

Senator Strom Thurmond will endure as the leading example of a public servant due to his love and devotion to all the people of South Carolina regardless of status, race, politics or region.

He was our living legend. Strom's life was dedicated to achieving peace through strength, as shown by his military service in liberating Europe from Nazi fascists, his tireless work in fighting for a strong national defense in Congress which ultimately led to the defeat of Soviet communism.

He pioneered the development of the South Carolina Republican Party from effective nonexistence in the 1960s to majority status by the end of the century. He has been a role model of service to South Carolina's young people and our family has had three generations on his staff: my wife's two uncles were staff attorneys, my wife and I were interns, and our three oldest sons were pages. A distinguished highlight for our family was to host Senator Thurmond on the last Sunday before his last election in 1996 at the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia.

The legacy of Strom Thurmond will always be felt in South Carolina because of his steadfast integrity and the meaningful results of his thoughtful constituent service. He was my personal hero, and I will miss him dearly.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sadness to report the third death that has touched the Second District of South Carolina during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Twenty-one-year-old Specialist Orenthial J. Smith paid the ultimate sacrifice in the war against terrorism when he was killed during an ambush on his convoy south of Baghdad on Sunday. He was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, and lived in nearby Martin in Allendale County.

O.J. joined the United States Army shortly after graduating from high school with the intent on making the military his lifelong career. Stationed in Dexheim, Germany, with the 123rd Maintenance Support Battalion, Specialist Smith was a leader with a great potential. While in Germany, he graduated ninth out of 127 from a leadership development course.

I ask all of my colleagues to join me in extending to O.J.'s family our most sincere thanks for their son's sacrifice and commitment to bringing liberty and freedom to the oppressed people of Iraq while protecting the American public in the war against terrorism.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Robert Lee Stump, former Congressman from Arizona and past chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services and Committee on Veterans' Affairs who died on Friday.

First elected to Congress as a Democrat, he became a Republican after Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency in 1981. It was truly an honor to serve as a member by me on the Committee on Armed Services under Chairman Stump's leadership. He was a man dedicated to the protection of the American people and peace in the world through a powerful military.

Bob Stump knew the only way to keep our forces strong was to take care of the soldier and his family both during service and retirement. He served in the Navy during World War II as a combat medic on Luzon, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

America has lost a great man and a true patriot, one of the finest statesman Arizona has ever produced. In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of President Bush for making positive change in our education system through the landmark No Child Left Behind legislation, which was championed by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the House.

To promote this Act, we need to help disadvantaged school districts in our country, which are struggling hard to compete for high quality teachers in the basic skills. That is why I have introduced the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2003, which passed the Committee on Education and the Workforce last week.

This bill will attract highly qualified teachers to low income and rural areas by expanding the teacher loan forgiveness program from the current $5,000 to a maximum of $17,500 for teachers who commit to teaching math, science or special-ed in a disadvantaged district for 5 years. The goal is to ensure that America's children are prepared to succeed in a world based on science and technology.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring H.R. 438.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I want to express my deepest sympathies for the family of J. Roy Martin who passed away May 30, 2003.

Roy was a true South Carolinian and will be greatly missed. He was also a great American, a man who served valiantly in World War II. Roy was a jumpmaster during the invasion of Normandy and fought in most major battle areas in Europe.

I believe the memory of Roy is best told by his son, Allen, who gave the following speech at his father's funeral:

First, my thanks to each of you for coming and being a part

of my dad's life. And thanks for your comfort and support to

my dad and my family during these last difficult months. The

caretakers at Anderson Hospital and Hospice of the Upstate

will have our lasting gratitude.

America has lost a brave and courageous patriot. My family

has lost a constant and steadfast anchor. Many of you have

lost a trusted and faithful friend.

Dad was an original member of 101st Airborne Division of

the U. S. Army, better known as the Screaming Eagles. He

volunteered for extended active duty and volunteered to be a

paratrooper. Parachuting was in its infancy. Dad participated

in the first divisional drops and the first night drops, all

in preparation for the invasion of Normandy.

His division was shipped to Liverpool, England on a voyage

that took 43 days, part of which was on the HMS Strathnauer

where 5,800 men were packed on a ship equipped to hold 300.

The months preceding June 6, 1944 were spent in England

preparing for the invasion. Dad and the 101st left England at

10:30 PM June 5th, the night before D-Day. Each man was

required to take six boxes of food, a gas mask, ammunition, a

folding stock, a 30 caliber carbine, knives, a main

parachute, and a reserve parachute. Each man was so heavy he

could not get in the plane without assistance and once in the

plane could not stand up without assistance. It was my

privilege a few years ago to help Dad write his memoirs for

the New Orleans D-Day reunion and the following are some

excerpts.

Dad writes, ``After we were in the plane the motor was

started and I, as a jumpmaster, was standing in the door. As

we taxied up the taxi-way, I saw Gen, Eisenhower, with

several of his staff, in an open touring car parked by the

runway as we were moving out. It was very encouraging to see

that he placed this much interest in our unit and our

mission. I learned later that his air advisor, Marshal

Lee Mallory, had advised him, that he should not use

airborne troops in this operation, that they would suffer

85 percent casualties. It must have been a great burden on

Gen. Eisenhower to see us take off and know that most of

us would not come back.

Dad was the fifth of hundreds of planes to take off. He

writes, ``I was able to look and see that navigation lights

of the many planes behind us. There were so many lights it

looked like a mammoth Christmas tree.

Dad was always a navigator and as he stood in the door, his

confidence was shaken because he could see that his plane was

off course, as they came over the French Coast. The planes

altitude lowered and they could see the Germans running their

guns and begin firing with planes crashing, burning and

exploding in the fights behind him.

He jumped knowing that he would not land in his designated

zone. It seemed to him that almost as soon as his chute

opened he was plunging through the tops of an apple orchard.

He gathered his men and approached a French farmhouse. Dad

had taken French in Boys High School eight years earlier.

Much to his surprise he was able to recall enough French to

convince the farmer to lead his men in the direction of their

mission, which were the gun emplacements that dominated Utah

Beach. They soon came upon several battalion and regimental

officers who were more senior to Dad. Dad then went to the

back of the line. After only another mile or so, the Germans

opened fire with machine guns and the French farmer and most

of his men were killed. Dad was able to crawl to a depression

and meet the first of so many dead Americans that he saw in

the war. One, a lieutenant and a recent graduate of West

Point named Ebberly, had been shot through the head in almost

the exact same position he had previously occupied. He made

his way through dead bodies to a house on the side of the

road completely filled with wounded and dead soldiers. He

proceeded across the bridge and saw the ditches on both sides

filled with dead soldiers. From this point, to the point

where he reached the gun emplacements, he has no memory--not

even the tremendous bombardments that preceded the beach

landings. It was one of many lapses of memory that I can only

conclude was his way of dealing with the horror.

The week after D-Day was another lapse in memory but Dad

writes, ``. . . D-Day was only the beginning. My battalion,

my division and I participated in every single major battle

in the European theater. We were in the airborne operation in

Holland and in Bastogne during the time it was surrendered.

And during it all I was never wounded and never missed a day

of combat. I have always wondered why this happened since it

was almost unique and virtually all of my friends were either

killed or wounded . . .''

He continues, ``We were in France for approximately six

weeks. I wore the same clothes the entire time we were

there.'' Upon return to England, I pulled off my clothes, ``.

. . and when I did so, the floor around me turned white by

the skin I had shed into the clothes. And I took my pants and

literally stood them up in the corner of the room.''

Dad ends his memoirs with this, ``After the initial days

following D-Day, I never really expected to live through the

war.'' ``. . . there was no such thing as a safe job in a

parachute unit.'' ``The following September when we jumped in

Holland, I was a Junior Captain in the battalion, three days

later I was the only Captain left. And the entire battalion

staff except the battalion commander had been killed or

wounded. And the battalion commander was then the regimental

commander because most of the regimental staff, including the

regimental commander, had been killed or wounded. The only

reasons that I am alive today are simply a matter of pure

luck and the grace of God.''

Throughout my life dad spoke very little about WWII. It is

my conclusion that it was too horrific for him to recall. He

was also a man who showed almost no emotion. Prior to the

last few days, the only time I ever saw him cry, and then

only briefly, was when my older brother Jim was killed. I

believe that Dad left most of his emotions on the European

continent and as a result of his experience there became an

individual totally dedicated to the substantive. He did not

tolerate small talk, he had little time for recreation, and

he was totally involved in the serious not the sublime. He

believed it was an honor and a duty to serve his country and

that he owed his country, his country did not owe him.

He was amazingly devoted to his family, not only to Mom and

to us, but also to his brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and

cousins, which was a challenge in the enormous family to

which he belonged. Where his father was one of eleven

children and his mother was one of 21 children. And he made

no distinctions between laws, stepchildren, and adoption.

Once you entered his family, he was totally devoted to you

and would never let you down.

Dad felt the greatest obligation of a parent was to raise

independent children. He never rewarded us for good grades

nor punished us for bad grades. He always told us that the

grades we made affected us not him. He instilled in us a

desire to strive for the best.

He believed in the worth of every individual. He taught us

that we were no better or no worse than anyone else and that

everyone was put on this earth for a purpose. He was very

much a Baptist believing that one's faith walk was an

individual journey, not a corporate journey. He instructed us

from and early age that as much as he might wish he could get

us to heaven, it was a decision for me to make and no one

could make it for me. He was a stern disciplinarian. He

definitely believed in the axiom, `spare the rod, spoil

the child,' except when it came to Louis.

He was a great believer in free markets and encouraged

people to go into business for themselves. Just as his father

before him had encouraged his siblings to form their own

business, so too did Dad try to help his siblings in starting

their own businesses. He, like our President, was a

compassionate conservative.

He believed everyone should contribute to his or her

community. He taught Sunday school for years, played in the

Anderson Symphony Orchestra, was a life-long member of the

Rotary Club, and served for many years in the Chamber of

Commerce and the Anderson Memorial Hospital Board.

My father was blunt and plainly spoken. He had not time for

small talk. He battled depression for years. But he was a

great man. I never stopped learning from him and God should

be prepared for some pointed questions from this guy.

I am sure Dad and the Lord are having some serious

conversations. A few days ago one of the nurses commented on

what a good job the Lord had done with him. He quickly

corrected her by saying the Lord and me--don't give the Lord

all the credit.

Dad was often difficult and he knew it. He gave Mom a

plaque of appreciation on their 55th anniversary to honor her

for putting up with him for 55 years. He was resentful for

what his cancer had done to him. Many of you, in recent

months, tried unsuccessfully to see him. Your attempts were

appreciated even when unsuccessful.

We thank each one of you here for being a part of his

incredible life. We hope you will find guidance in so many of

the things he stood for and we hope you will go from this

place loving your family and committed to making this world a

better place for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, this Friday I will have the distinct privilege of attending the 13th Annual South Carolina Black Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Columbia, SC. Ten South Carolinians will be inducted this year. Below is a list of the inductees:

The late Ethel Martin Bolden, a pioneer librarian; retired U.S. Army Col. John Theodore Bowden, Jr., a former professor of military science at South Carolina State University; Dr. Agnes Hildebrand Wilson Burgess, a distinguished Sumter educator; Dr. Alma Wallace Byrd, Benedict College professor and former state legislator; Charlie Mae Cromartie, former health care professional and businesswoman; Jim French, editor of The Charleston Chronicle; Lottie Gibson, a Greenville civil rights activist; the late Esau Jenkins, a John's Island civil right's activist; the late Rev. Dr. Westerberry Homer Neal, Sr., pastor of seven Midlands area churches; and Geraldine Pierce Zimmerman, 92- year-old Orangeburg community activist.

Ethel Bolden worked in Richland County public schools for 39 years and established the first black elementary school library at Waverly Elementary School. She also served at W.A. Perry Junior High School, and because of her competence and interpersonal skills, she successfully integrated the faculty at Dreher High School. She was a trustee of Richland County Public Library and worked tirelessly for construction of the modern library downtown, which opened in 1993. She passed away in October 2002.

Col. John Bowden began his military career in 1960 after completing the ROTC program at South Carolina State University. In 1983, he returned to the campus as commanding officer of the ROTC. Under his command, the unit became one of the best in the nation, supplying more commissioned officers to the U.S. Army than any other in the state or nation. He retired from the military in 1986 and since has worked in administrative positions at S.C. State, Voorhees College and Claflin University.

Dr. Agnes Burgess was the first black to be named Teacher of the Year in South Carolina and came out on top as a National Honor Roll Teacher in 1969. She taught French and journalism at Lincoln High School and served as advisor to the newspaper, which won 13 consecutive first- place ratings in the Scholastic Press Association competition. Also, she was the first black ever to be elected president of the South Carolina Education Association. In 1975, she joined the faculty at the University of South Carolina's College of Education and served as director of the Center for Community Education until her retirement in 1979.

Dr. Alma Byrd has served as a member of the Richland District #1 School Board and was a state legislator from 1991-1999. She was instrumental in placing the portraits of several noted black South Carolinians in the State House. She was a founding member of the James R. Clark Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation and long-time president of the Columbia section of the National Council of Negro Women.

Charlie Cromartie was head evening nurse at Columbia Hospital prior to becoming owner/manager of Cromartie Enterprises. Her community service include being an advocate of Richland School District One board of Education, member of the League of Women Voters, poll manager of Ward 9, and past illustrious commandress of Cairo Temple No. 123. For more than 50 years, she has held leadership positions in Bishops Memorial A.M.E. Church.

Jim French established The Charleston Chronicle in 1971, six months after retiring as a U.S. Navy chief journalist with 26 years of service. He was a photo-journalist for the Navy's All Hands magazine. He was the first military reporter assigned to the Mekong Delta of Vietnam with the U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Division, and was station manager for radio and television stations on naval bases in Spain, Cuba and Puerto Rico. His weekly columns in The Chronicle challenge blacks to stand up and demand their rights as American citizens. He and his newspaper have received numerous awards from organizations in the Lowcountry.

Lottie Gibson has been a spokesperson for black and poor people in the Piedmont area for more than three decades. She is a member of Greenville County Council and was in the forefront May 17 when 5,000 supporters of the NAACP held a protest rally against the council for refusing to approve her proposal for an official paid holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Esau Jenkins was a successful farmer and businesswoman who made an indelible mark as a crusader on behalf of poor black citizens of the Sea Islands from the 1940s until his death in 1972. His first project consisted of purchasing a bus to transport island children to public schools in Charleston. In 1948, he organized the Progressive Club to help educate adults who wanted to read the Bible, newspapers and the section of the state constitution required of those who wished to register to vote. In the 1950's, he worked with noted human rights activists Septima Pointstett Clark and Bernice Robinson to establish citizenship schools on John's Island, Wadmalaw Island and Edisto Island. And during the 1960s he continued to develop social, economic and political programs under the umbrella of the Citizens Committee of Charleston.

Rev. Dr. Westerberry Neal, a Hopkins native, was a pastor for nearly 60 years and public school teacher for 35 years. He was affectionately known as ``Mr. Baptist of South Carolina.'' He was a trustee of Morris College in Sumter for 50 years and chairman for 35 years--the longest record of any chairman of an institution of higher learning in the state and nation. Additionally, he served on the board of directors of Victory Saving Bank for 28 years and was chairman for 15 years. Dr. Neal passed away on March 4, 2003 at the age of 94.

Geraldine Zimmerman helped her hometown become a better place by serving as a volunteer with many organizations, including the United Way, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Orangeburg Literacy Association,

the NAACP, and Church Women United. In the 1960's, she worked successfully to get recreational facilities for black youth. She also led a group of concerned citizens in the restoration of a 100-year-old cemetery that is now on the National Register of Historic Places. In recognition of her many achievements, the City of Orangeburg selected her as a Citizen of the Year and has erected a community center in her honor.

I ask all of my colleagues to join me in thanking these ten individuals for their dedicated service to their communities and for their prime examples of leadership to our youth.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of a more unfair and immoral tax than the death tax.

It is fundamentally wrong to tax a person their entire life and then, upon death, have the IRS take up to 60 percent of what they have saved. This is a cruel tax that punishes people for working hard and saving enough to pass something on to their children.

This tax has hit the Palmetto State very hard, as in South Carolina, 1,518 death tax returns were filed in 2001. As a former probate attorney, I have seen firsthand where those who inherit family businesses or farms are forced to lay off workers, cut salaries, liquidate assets, or even take out loans to keep the doors open.

Thanks to President Bush's leadership, we have passed legislation that would end the death tax, but only temporarily. I urge my colleagues to support the bill of the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Dunn), H.R. 8, the Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2003. We must make this repeal permanent and end this unfair tax.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I want to send my personal congratulations to Julie Thurmond Whitmer and Martin Whitmer on the birth of their first son, Martin Taylor Whitmer III. This is a very special young boy, as he is the first grandson of 100-year old Senator Strom Thurmond, South Carolina's living legend.

According to The State's Lee Bandy, ``Martin Taylor Whitmer III was born at 1:59 p.m. Monday (June 16, 2003), at Sibley Hospital in Washington, D.C. He weighed 9 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long . . . Young Taylor already has a nickname--Tate.''

I am so happy for the Whitmer family, grandmother Nancy Thurmond and Senator Thurmond, who's life has been full of milestones. There is no doubt that his grandson will inherit his strength, courage and patriotism.

Mr. Speaker, in my travels over the years promoting democracy, I have visited communist nations, but none have had the anomalies of my visit to the capital of North Korea, Pyongyang, on a congressional delegation last week led by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon).

The government officials tried to show North Korea as if nothing were wrong. Yet empty streets and buildings gave signs of a fragile economy, and the intense communist and anti-American propaganda gave signs of a weak society.

President Bush has praised our troops for getting the world's attention with success in Afghanistan and Iraq. Our invitation was a reflection of this attention, summarized by delegation co-chairman, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), who said, ``The world has either seen the light or felt the heat.''

North Korea is a tipping point, struggling to hold up a crumbling society that was neglected in the pursuit of nuclear weapons. I support the efforts of President Bush to seek a peaceful solution with North Korea so they will be disarmed by the nuclear threat and that innocent North Korean civilian can be saved from tragedy.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here tonight to join my friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), who has authored H.R. 548, the Military Survivors Benefit Improvement Act of 2003. The gentleman is a champion of veterans and veterans' spouses because his Pensacola community has some of the highest concentrations of veterans in America. I am particularly happy to see his efforts, because I am a veteran myself.

Under the current plan, thousands of retirees and spouses who enrolled in the original survivors benefit plan have come to receive approximately 23 percent less coverage than they had initially anticipated. Since its inception, the government's cost share has steadily dwindled from 40 percent to 17 percent. It is our intention to revise the plan in order to reinstate the original coverage offered by the 1972 version of the survivor benefits plan.

I believe there is no better way to convey the importance of this legislative revision than to examine the hardships felt by a South Carolina family who put their trust and their money in the original version of the 1972 survivors benefit plan.

Donna Fleming of Mt. Pleasant in Charleston County, South Carolina, became a widow in 1998. Her husband had served in the United States Army and upon retirement had sought the benefits of SBP. Like many Americans enrolled in the plan, the couple was unaware of the age 62 offset benefit reduction provision, and were subsequently confronted with the news of the offset years later.

Donna's husband has since passed, and she has managed to meet her daily expenses through SBP, occasionally dipping into her savings for major bills. However, Donna will soon be 62, and still has not received notification as to the exact amount of the offset. She expects that it may be more than $6,000 a year, $500 a month. She then will be forced to draw from her savings more and more.

Mr. Speaker, this is not the intent of the original legislation. It is every family's fear that their loved ones may face financial hardship following their death, and in Donna's case, that fear has become reality. In her words, ``This country owes military families, for which they have dedicated their entire lives.''

Please join us in supporting H.R. 548, the Military Survivors Benefit Improvement Act of 2003. Join us in restoring justice for those enrolled in this plan for our Nation's military personnel, their devoted spouses, and their loving families.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall numbers 229, 228, and 227, on June 2, 2003, and on numbers 232, 231, and 230 on June 3, 2003, I was unable to cast my vote because I was part of a Congressional Delegation to North Korea.

Had I been present, I would have voted the following:

Rollcall number 232--S. 763--Birch Bayh Federal Building, I would have voted nay.

Rollcall number 231--S. 273--Grand Teton National Park Land Exchange Act, I would have voted yea.

Rollcall number 230--S. 222--Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act, I would have voted yea.

Rollcall number 229--H.R. 1465--General Charles Gabriel Post Office, I would have voted yea.

Rollcall number 228--H. Res. 195--Congratulating Sammy Sosa, I would have voted yea.

Rollcall number 227--H. Res. 159--Expressing Profound Sorrow on the Occasion of the death of Irma Rangel, I would have voted yea.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the people of St. Petersburg, Russia, on the 300th Anniversary of the founding of their grand city.

St. Petersburg was founded by Peter the Great on May 27, 1703, and boasts an illustrious history, impressive architectural achievements, and a rich culture. Under the leadership of Catherine the Great, St. Petersburg became one of the cultural capitals of Europe.

The people of St. Petersburg suffered greatly under the brutal regimes led by Lenin and Stalin. Following the death of Vladimir Lenin and under the iron fist of communism, the city was renamed Leningrad. The city suffered further when during World War II the German Army led the Siege of Leningrad on September 8, 1941. During this 900-day siege, over 600,000 Russian citizens died, but Hitler never prevailed to take over the city due to the valiant defense by its residents.

Indeed, despite the devastation of war and the cruelty of communism, the spirit of the St. Petersburg people persevered. With the crumbling of communism, in 1991 the city reclaimed the name of St. Petersburg.

In 1995 I saw firsthand the beautiful city reflecting the extraordinary culture of the ``Venice of the North.'' I was hosted by the parents of Maxim Kidalov, who in 1993 as a student at the University of South Carolina was the first Russian page to serve in the Senate of South Carolina. He is now a respected attorney in Washington, DC. Dr. Vladimir Nikolayevick Kidalov and Mrs. Lyudmila Mikhailovna Kidalova were gracious hosts, and they brought to life warm Russian hospitality.

It is fitting now for all Americans to salute the achievements of the people of St. Petersburg and wish Godspeed for its bright future as a valued participant in the democratic family of nations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 177 commending the men and women of our Armed Forces, our leaders and our allies for the courage and dedication displayed during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Since that fateful day in September 2001 we have been a Nation at war. In one of the few instances in our history when our homeland was directly attacked, our President responded decisively by declaring a global war on terrorism.

That September night while the world watch in horror, the President directed the full power and might of the United States to bring the terrorists to justice and asked for our friends and allies to join us in the war against terrorists. Over 70 nations responded to his call to arms and one, the Republic of Bulgaria, has stood with us since that fateful day, sharing in the dangers and the determination to fight the global war on terrorism.

Since September 11, 2001 the Republic of Bulgaria has acted firmly and convincingly as a friend and a de facto ally of the United States. In the world councils, Bulgaria has supported the NATO decisions to help patrol our skies after the September 11, 2001, and backed the European Union's Plan of Action in support of the United States. As an important non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, the Republic of Bulgaria has contributed constructively to all of the resolutions to bring the terrorist networks to justice. With Bulgaria's help, UN Resolutions 1386 and 1390 to bring pressure on the Al Qaeda and Taliban networks were quickly passed, thereby cutting off any material aid to the Taliban regime that was providing safe haven for Osama Bin Laden's terrorists and their training camps.

But the Republic of Bulgaria has done more than just support us in international councils. It has come to our assistance both at home and in the theaters of war. Within days of our warning to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, Bulgaria granted our air forces blanket overflight rights for any United States aircraft participating in Operation Enduring Freedom. As the tempo of air operations increased, Bulgaria expanded its support to provide a base for our aircraft at Sarafovo. To assist other NATO nations which were providing troops to Operations in Afghanistan, Bulgaria volunteered a security company to the peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. And Bulgaria came to our direct assistance in Operation Enduring Freedom by providing a Decontamination Company to the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. That force has been in place constructively working with U.S. and other allied forces since January 2002.

When the issue of Iraqi arose Bulgaria again stood with us both at the United Nations and at the battle front. Bulgaria took an active part in the passage of United Nations Resolution 1441 and has remained committed to the disarming of Iraq. When it became clear that Iraq had no intention of abiding by the United Nations Constraints, Bulgaria acted quickly to once again provide unfettered overflight, temporary basing and transit rights over its territory. Once again U.S. air forces soon found themselves a friendly base at Sarafovo. When the moment of decision arrived, Bulgaria stood steadfast with our determined President and sent a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Company to join our forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom and help protect them against Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

I wish to point out that the Republic of Bulgaria has conducted itself as a staunch and committed ally to the United States and its support should not go unnoticed by this great deliberative body. So I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing that the Republic of Bulgaria is one of the handful of nations that we are here today commending for having stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us in these two campaigns in the global war on terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the vital work of emergency medical service professionals. These highly trained specialists are able to respond at a moment's notice, knowing that a matter of seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

There are over 750,000 EMS providers throughout the United States providing invaluable community service daily. Today, with the ever- present threat of terrorism, their job is more needed than ever. They stand on the front lines, trained and ready to respond to possible chemical and biological attacks to give us the best chance of survival in the case of a tragedy.

This week, we recognize the dedicated work of paramedics and emergency medical technicians through Emergency Medical Services Week. I ask all of my colleagues to join me in saying thank you to these men and women who work day and night all through the year to save lives.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.