Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a very special occasion--the 133rd anniversary of Bright Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Laurinburg, North Carolina. I would like to highlight some moments from the history of the church.

Early in 1878, a small group of men and their families conceived the idea of having a church in their community. They met from one family home to another for a short period of time. They searched the surrounding community and found a place they desired for a church. The land was located on the north side of Dickson Street in Laurinburg, North Carolina, which was a part of Richmond County at this time. On May 1, 1878, the men and their Chairman-Deacon and Trustee Adam Johnson met with the land owner, Mr. William W. McLaurin. An agreement was made to purchase the land for $50. The parcel of land was 100 feet by 125 feet. The agreement stated that the land was to be used for religious purposes, or it would revert to the McLaurin Family. Mr. Adam Johnson sold a bale of cotton to secure the money for the purchase of the parcel.

The men pulled a house upon the lot and the first church was established in May 1878. The land was deeded to Adam Johnson, Trustee of the Laurinburg Colored Baptist Church from William McLaurin and was recorded in deed book DD at page 45. A second deed written on Nov. 30, 1892 records the sale of a portion of land also on Dickson Street. The deeds indicated that Mr. and Mrs. L.A. Monroe sold the land to the trustees of the church. Their names appear on the deed as Adam Johnson, Hugh A. Gilchrist, Edmund Jones, and Riley Wall. The sale was made for $225. This land was secured for a parsonage. The church bought a frame house and moved it on this property and the parsonage was used for many years. The parsonage was torn down in 1964.

In December of 1905, the church asked its Deacons to purchase the lot of land east and north of the church lot. The men purchased the land on December 21, 1905 from the same William W. McLaurin for $200. The lot purchased by this deed was 50 feet of frontage extending 175 feet north, 150 feet west, and 50 feet south to the existing church lot on Dickson Street. The church property now measured 150 feet of frontage by 175 feet in the form of a rectangle. This second deed was recorded on December 23, 1905, in Scotland County.

Church Services were held the first and third Sundays of each month for a number of years. For baptisms, water had to be carried from a well in the church yard to a nearby outdoor pool. The outside frame for this pool could be seen behind the Dickson Street Church. Prior to the building of the outside pool, candidates for baptism were baptized in Roper's Mill Pond.

In 1917, a house east of the church was used as a parsonage. The church, which was rebuilt in 1917, was a wood frame building facing south on Dickson Street.

Prior to its remodeling, the frame building contained a belfry with a huge bell that could be heard from at least a mile away. The residents of Washington Park could distinctly hear the bell ring for Sunday School and eleven o'clock church services. They could also hear its toll when there was a death among its members. Two large sycamore trees were located on both sides of the front yard. The choir loft was located on the right side of the pulpit. During later years a pool was constructed under the floor behind the pulpit and an extension was added to the building on each side. Later, inside the back of the church bathrooms were added. A corner stone which was brick veneered many years ago was placed on the right front of the church to indicate the church was rebuilt in 1917. This cornerstone was installed in 1949 when some repairs were made in the old church.

From 1878 until 1900 the church was part of Richmond County. Scotland County was formed in 1899 and began functioning in late 1900. Around this time the members of the church also decided they wanted to use a name other than Laurinburg Colored Church. After 1900, and in the new Scotland County, they chose the name Bright Hopewell Baptist Church.

In 1938-39 the wood frame church was remodeled inside. The outside of the church was bricked all around by some of the students of bricklaying classes and their teacher from Laurinburg Institute. Most of the students were members and friends of the church.

Bright Hopewell became a stationed church in 1948-49. The parsonage became a meeting place for auxiliaries of the church. Plans were made and several hundred dollars were raised for the building of an education building. The parsonage was soon torn down to make room for an educational building.

In 1978, the church moved to a new location. Bright Hopewell purchased over ten acres of property on March 20, 1978 for $69,000 from the Caldwell Estate. The property was located on North Main Street. A new church building on North Main Street was begun in June of 1983 on the purchased property. The new church was finished, entered, and dedicated on March 25, 1984. The old church on Dickson Street was offered for sale and sold for $60,000 plus $6,500 for the furniture. The payments on the Dickson Street Property began in 1984 and were extended over a period of years. A new educational annex began on the church on North Main Street in early 1986 and was completed in November 1986. The education building annex was not dedicated until over a year later. The dedication program was delayed until 1988. In July 1999, the mortgage was paid in full. A Mortgage Burning Ceremony was held at The Highlands on Plant Road in Laurinburg. The new fellowship hall was completed in 2002. The fellowship hall is equipped with a commercial kitchen and is large enough to accommodate church and community functions.

Since 1878 the church has had more than twenty dynamic pastors and ministers and many trustees and deacons who have served well over the years.

Inspirational choirs have sung praises for Bright Hopewell. Bright Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church has a glorious past of spirituality, perseverance, hard work, and determination. I have enjoyed each time I have worshiped at Bright Hopewell. It is by the Grace of God that it stands firm after all these years. With God's guidance the church looks forward to a brighter future.

I congratulate Bright Hopewell Baptist Church on their 133rd anniversary and wish the pastor, the Reverend Garland E. Pierce, and the congregation the best in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I ask my colleagues to please join me along with the church's pastor, Rev. John D. Fuller, Sr., and his nearly 4,000 parishioners, in celebrating this significant milestone. In honor of the occasion, I would like to submit into the Congressional Record a detailed historical overview provided by Lewis Chapel chronicling the church's incredible growth throughout its many years of spiritual service to families in Fayetteville and throughout the world:

A History of Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church

During the early 1900s, a small group of devout believers

began meeting in a small one-room building located near the

present Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. This one-room

building was used at that time as a school for the training

of Negro children in this area for a period of 6 months

during the year. This group of believers felt a burning

desire for spiritual food at least once a week. They obtained

permission to start a Sunday School class in this building

where they could assemble each week to study God's word.

Foremost in this endeavor were three young men who were

cousins from Pender County--Mr. Seavy Lewis, Mr. Henry

McAllister, and Mr. Andrew ``Jack'' Newkirk.

In the year of our Lord, 1911, these three cousins were

instrumental in organizing the Lewis Chapel Missionary

Baptist Church. The church was named in honor of Mr. Seavy

Lewis. Rev. William McGuire was called to serve as the first

pastor of the church and he served from 1911 to 1913. The

church united with the Middle District Association and

remained with this association for more than sixty years. It

was under the leadership of Rev. McGuire that the first

deacons were ordained. They were Brothers McAllister and

Lewis. Brother Newkirk served as the first superintendent of

the Sunday School with Sister Hattie McAllister and Rev. Dock

Gerald as the first teachers.

Brother Clarence Bridges served as the first sexton

(janitor) and Rev. Dock Gerald was the first Church Clerk.

Working diligently along with this courageous group were

sisters Minnie Lewis, Annie Liza McAllister, and Hattie

McAllister. They were now officially ready to move forward in

the business of saving souls.

Rev. William Rome became pastor in 1913, serving until

1917. During this period, the church purchased some real

estate in the Seventy-First Township on Highway 401 South.

Rev. W.M. Boykin served as pastor from 1917 to 1921. It was

during this period that church members and friends put their

means together and donated materials to erect the first Lewis

Chapel Church building. It was located on the site of the

present church offices.

In 1932, a fire destroyed the church structure and services

were temporarily held at a nearby elementary school. Soon a

second sanctuary was erected on the original site, using the

proceeds from the church's insurance, along with

contributions from members and friends.

In May 1937, the Rev. Robert L. Carr of Rose Hill, North

Carolina was called to pastor Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist

Church, a position he held until September 1973. A father

figure to many and a man of great insight, he encouraged home

ownership and education. With Rev. Carr's guidance, a

vestibule, two classrooms and stained glass windows were

added to the structure. Outdoor bathrooms and heating were

installed.

During Rev. Carr's tenure many organizations were

established, including the Home and Foreign Missionary

Circle, the trustees and several choirs.

On June 29, 1973, the Rev. R.L. Carr resigned so that the

church might secure a full-time pastor. On July 19, 1973, the

deacons and trustees recommended to the church conference

that the Rev. John D. Fuller, Sr. become the church's eighth

pastor. Rev. Fuller assumed that responsibility on the third

Sunday in November 1973.

For 38 years Rev. John D. Fuller, Sr. has shepherded the

congregation and guided the members in understanding the

biblical concepts of tithing and giving offerings. These

sound practices have led to the building of two sanctuaries,

the first in 1975 and the second in 1992. Offices and

educational wings have also been constructed.

The church has built a 47-unit senior citizens complex and

a recreation athletic complex. Both complexes serve the

community. A new ministry site established as Lewis Chapel-

West was planted in Raeford, North Carolina in June 2009.

Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church has been supportive

of young congregations and has undergirded First Spanish

Missionary Baptist Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina and

Manna Fellowship Baptist Church, Spring Lake, North Carolina.

True to the word ``missionary'', Lewis Chapel Missionary

Baptist Church has sent missionaries abroad, including South

Africa and Liberia, Africa.

Over 4,000 persons hold membership in Lewis Chapel

Missionary Baptist Church. Members understand that Salvation

by God's grace should be followed by compassion and good

works. Through the years, God has blessed this church to

engage in diverse ministries that advanced the ``Cause of

Christ'' on local, state, national, and international levels.

Needs of the hungry, thirsty, stranger and naked have been

addressed. For example: Lewis Chapel responded promptly and

generously to those distressed by Hurricane Floyd (Eastern

North Carolina, September, 1999); Tsunami (earthquake in

Indonesia off Sumatra, December 2004); Hurricane Katrina (New

Orleans, Louisiana, Gulf Coast area, August, 2005); and Haiti

(January 2010). Prayer, help, and comfort was provided for

the sick. Visitations and messages of hope were delivered to

the imprisoned. When necessary, mortgages were paid so that

persons may keep their homes. The twenty-six graduating

seniors were eligible for college grants. Support was given

to Fayetteville State University, Morehouse School of

Religion, Shaw University, Shaw Divinity School and Ricks

Institute, Virginia, Liberia.

Realizing that there is strength in unity, Lewis Chapel

joined with other organizations that engaged in missionary

work. They include the Union Baptist Association (56 churches

in Sampson, Cumberland, Hoke, Bladen, Robeson Counties), the

General Baptist State Convention, Inc., Lott Carey Foreign

Missionary Convention, USA, National Baptist Convention, USA,

Inc., American Baptist Churches of the South, North Carolina

Council of Churches and the Baptist World Alliance.

Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Incorporated seeks

to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ in these ways:

--To worship God in Spirit and in Truth and to nurture each

other in Christian faith and love;

--To live a life worthy of our vocation and heritage as

Christians while we strive for justice, peace, and love of

Christ in this community and beyond;

--To follow Jesus Christ and announce the Gospel by means

of preaching, teaching, studying, and witnessing;

--To serve God by meeting human needs in all the forms they

are manifested through our local outreach, state, national,

and global ministries;

--To lead our community into the obedient and abundant life

to all who will follow Christ and walk in the Spirit.

As Lewis Chapel gathers to celebrate its centennial, the Church can truly remember its past, celebrate its present, and focus on the future with great expectations. I would like to congratulate Rev. Fuller, and all of the members of Lewis Chapel on the occasion of their 100th anniversary. I wish them 100 more years of dedicated service to the community.

I would like to thank my colleague from California for yielding the time and also for her strong support for made in America and U.S. manufacturing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3116, the Berry Amendment Extension Act. For over 60 years, the Berry Amendment has served as the law by which the Department of Defense has had to purchase uniforms for our military. It has served its purpose well in protecting the men and women of our services with having the best uniforms and also protecting Americans that make these uniforms in providing for the jobs thereof.

In January of 2009, shortly after I was sworn in as a freshman Congressman, folks came to me and asked me if I would help extend the Berry Act in homeland security to just the TSA part. Now, I could not understand why this had not been done before, but I was assured it had been tried and had been unsuccessful because there was apparently a lot of special interest that was in opposition to this.

Having worked 27 years in textiles myself, I gladly took on this initiative, and with a lot of help, we were able to overcome the special interest, and we were able to get the extension of the Berry Act to the amendment for the Recovery Act applying just to TSA. We immediately went to work to introduce a bill of legislation that would complete this process by making all of Homeland Security very compliant.

I'm glad to say with a lot of support, and a lot of bipartisan support, today we are successful in bringing that bill to the floor. It makes sense. It's only logical for all of the reasons that have been given that we extend to Homeland Security and all the people that work there, whether it be Border Patrol, TSA, ICE, Coast Guard, and Secret Service, in whatever function that they have, the uniforms that are the best, and the best is always made in the United States.

Textiles have suffered a lot through the years. It's estimated that, since December of 2000, the United States has suffered a $575 billion deficit in textiles and apparel, a loss of over 587,000 jobs. In the most recent economic downturn, textiles has lost 60,000 jobs with the closing of over 44 textiles plants.

But textiles has not gone away. Textiles is energetic. It's creative. It represents the American entrepreneurial spirit, and it is surviving. This bill is a logical step to not only protect our Nation's security by having American uniforms on those that protect us in Homeland Security, but also protects American security by protecting American jobs.

Mr. Speaker, just two examples of the good that came out of just the TSA amendment. We received a letter shortly after we passed this act that was from Arkansas. Twenty people wrote to thank us for passing that act because it saved their jobs. Now, that's just 20 people, but that's 20 families in an economic downturn that didn't have to worry about jobs. Richmond Yarns, located in a small town near my hometown, credits the TSA amendment for not only their survival but creating 80 additional jobs. We have seen this and heard this time and time again from just the amendment that we passed with TSA. We will see this expand even further when we pass this legislation.

I urge all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense H.R. 3116, the Berry Amendment Extension Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor one of our Nation's greatest military resources, the Special Forces. These brave patriots routinely endure harsh conditions in very austere environments to defend our Nation's freedoms.

I was fortunate to have met Bert Caswell. Bert is a Congressional Visitor Center Tour Guide and has a heart for the military and our wounded warriors. Immediately after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Bert began using his gift of poetry to help comfort those who mourn.

Soon after, Bert decided to write poetry for the military and wounded warriors to commemorate their sacrifices.

I was particularly impressed with a poem he wrote in honor of the United States Special Forces. These quiet professionals live by the motto of ``for, by, and through.'' They proudly serve at the point of the Nation's military operations conducting a wide range of missions in support of the country they love.

Today I ask my colleagues to recognize the tremendous sacrifices of America's Special Forces with Bert Caswell's poem.

The Special Forces

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I would like to thank my colleagues and our chairman, Ike Skelton, for bringing this much-needed legislation to the floor. I would also like to thank my friends and colleagues Howard Coble from North Carolina and Mike Michaud from Maine for helping me sponsor this amendment.

This amendment is very simple in its intent. For over 60 years, Mr. Chairman, the Berry amendment has allowed the Department of Defense to buy clothing and other apparel materials that are made in the United States when available. There has, in recent years, however, been a list of clothing articles that our soldiers and military personnel are required to purchase that are not provided by the Department of Defense. The Department of Defense does provide a clothing cash allowance for this purchase, but these items that are on this list are not necessarily made in the United States.

This amendment would require the GAO to look at this list, to look at the possibilities and potential for making these materials in the United States or is the capacity there to make them there now to meet the demands, get with the Department of Defense, and then the Department of Defense, within 6 months, would be required to get back to the House Armed Services Committee with its findings as to whether or not these materials could be made in the United States under the Berry amendment. So it's a commonsense approach to expanding the Berry amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield 2 minutes to my friend from Maine (Mr. Michaud).

Mr. Chairman, the strength of America is shown in many ways--the strength of our military and its personnel and families that make up our service, but also shown in the strength of a strong economy and as many Americans working as possible. This amendment would help ensure that as many Americans as possible are working to make the clothing articles that our great servicepeople use. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Howard Twiggs, a friend, lawyer, legislator and citizen scholar. Howard was an attorney of the highest caliber and an ambassador of his profession. He had a fierce passion for justice and service to others and

he was an inspiration to those fortunate enough to be near him. Through years of training and perhaps more importantly years of experience, he understood the law inside and out, both arguing cases in the courts and writing laws as a state legislator. When he served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1966-1974 he helped overhaul mental health laws, removed racial references in law, and championed the rights of the handicapped. He truly was a voice for those without a voice themselves.

As an expert trial lawyer, Howard started his own law firm headquartered in his hometown of Raleigh in 1960. He was a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom and colleagues will attest that he was a formidable foe. He pursued justice for its own sake and was a guardian of our nation's sacred individual liberties. His knowledge of the law was vast, and his courtroom success eventually led him to become the President of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America from 1996- 1997.

In addition to serving the people as a state legislator and attorney, he was also extremely dedicated to his alma mater, Wake Forest. During his lifetime Howard served as the President of the Wake Forest University Law Alumni Association and chairperson of the law school's Board of Visitors. As in all of his endeavors, Howard's impact on Wake Forest was substantial, and he was recognized in 2002 with the Wake Forest University Distinguished Alumni Award.

Friends and family will remember a man who brightened the outlook of everyone around him and had an enormous passion for life. I will remember him as an excellent listener and encouraging friend. Howard was the kind of man you could count on to listen when no one else would. His zeal for life, compassion for others, and dedication to service made him a role model to all of us and I am proud to have counted him as a friend.

I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering and honoring the life and work of Howard Twiggs who is survived by his former wife, Betty, and four daughters: Elizabeth Johnson, Mary Catherine Twiggs-Valverde, Jennifer Twiggs-Bilich, and Ashley Twiggs.

Mr. Speaker, a constituent of mine, Michael Lawson, recently told me about the little known role the first all black fighting regiment had during WWI.

The 15th New York Infantry, ``The Harlem Hellfighters,'' later federally designated as the 369th Regiment Army. They served valiantly, including 191 days without a replacement and never lost a prisoner or a foot of ground. He said there had been no formal American recognition of the dedication and sacrifice of these young men. The French did recognize them with the Croix de Guerre, their highest military honor as well as a monument dedicated by a grateful French government.

Michael knew all about the Harlem Hellfighters because his grandfather, MAJ Melville T. Miller, served more than 50 years in the U.S. Army through two World Wars and the Korean War. Major Miller began his service as a member of the unit when he was just 16 years old.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I also rise in full support of House Concurrent Resolution 238. I would like to thank Chairman Filner and Representative Brown and others that made this bill possible.

As a son of a World War II veteran and coming from a part of North Carolina that has a high proportion of veterans and as a student of history, we take full honor and pride in any opportunity to talk about our veterans and what they've done for our Nation throughout history. It is with great pride that, during this Black History Month, we have the opportunity to recognize the contributions of African American veterans and what they have done for our Nation.

Throughout history, they have answered the call, from the Revolutionary War on. African Americans have fought for this Nation often as second-class citizens and often coming home as veterans and not enjoying the full benefits and the rights of our Nation. Throughout the years, African Americans have answered the call of Frederick Douglass, who said, every man that could to enlist, to get an eagle on their button, a musket on their shoulder, and a star-spangled banner over their head.

Throughout the years, we have seen great heroic acts from African Americans, whether individually or as part of a unit. And to recognize some of these today, I would like to bring forth the 369th Infantry, the Harlem Hellfighters, who, during World War I, went to Europe and were loaned to the French to fight with them. They fought for 191 straight days without replacements, without giving up any grounds, and without losing any of their members as prisoners. The French so appreciated the 369th, they gave them the Croix de Guerre, the highest honor the French can give any unit of the military.

Individuals such as Dorie Miller, who won great fame while he worked in the

mess in the Battleship West Virginia, on December 7, 1941, he rose to the decks and he fought back in the great epic battle of Pearl Harbor and became a national hero.

Jackie Robinson. He fought for his Nation and he fought against the segregation of the military long before he took on the battle of integrating professional baseball.

The famous Tuskegee Airmen, led by Captain Benjamin Davis, the Tuskegee Airmen, who fought in the airplane designated the P-51, the Mustang. They had the famous red tail. The red tails became famous in the air over Europe during World War II. Our bomber crews always looked for the red tails, because there was not a single bomber lost to enemy fighters while the red tails were protecting them.

In the 92d Infantry, the only all-black infantry to fight in Italy, many members of which won the Congressional Medal of Honor, a military unit that was the direct descendant of the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry that was active from 1866 into the early 1890s.

But all too often these veterans, once again, had to come home and be treated as second-class citizens. Even after Harry Truman issued the Executive order to integrate the military, it was not until many years that we saw equity even begin to be approached.

So many of these veterans came home and took prominent roles in the civil rights movement, and it meant so much to their communities and to this Nation as we move forward.

Mr. Speaker, so often as we look at the big picture of our legislation and of our resolutions, we always know that it comes back to individuals. I would like to take a moment of personal privilege to talk about a family from my hometown in Biscoe, North Carolina. It is a family with a mother who was a lady extraordinaire, Ms. Kagel, with many sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters who contributed so much to our community and still do. She had four sons who served our Nation--Pete, Jimmy, Lee, and Dan--who are my friends.

Jimmy and I are members of the same church.

Let me talk about Dan for just a second. He is a veteran of the Korean war. He was in the Air Force, and he worked at the school that I attended when I was in elementary school. He had the patience to answer many questions from my friends and me about his service. While I grew to know Dan as a friend, as a man, and as many things, I thought of him, first and foremost, as a veteran because he represented, as we are honoring here today, the African Americans who went and served our Nation and who then came back and served our communities.

This resolution recognizes the accomplishments of these veterans. It also recognizes the inequities that have been in the VA system for too long. It calls upon the VA to always try to make sure that the inequities in terms of benefits and in terms of how illnesses are treated are ironed out and are made equal as we move forward.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, this is a simple amendment. It highlights the importance of curriculum in designing secure software. I would like to start out also by commending the chairman and ranking member for bringing this very timely and important piece of legislation to our attention. In North Carolina, we have many institutions, as there are across the United States, that are dependent upon secure software and informing our networks that are used in such a vital part of performing business on a day-to-day basis. Whether it's in our part of the world, it's the military, banking giants of America, education, or just corporations or businesses in general, or whatever, we're dependent upon networks and software for, once again, our day-to-day operations. However, Mr. Chairman, all too often we find that these networks are not as secure as they need to be.

A recent study done by Dr. William Chu, who is the department Chair at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, which is a leading institution on secure software issues, Dr. Chu found that 97 percent-- and he did this on a random basis--they looked at corporate Web sites. And on a random basis they looked to see if the security of those networks was sufficient to keep them from being compromised, and they found that they weren't. Ninety-seven percent of the time they weren't sufficiently secure to prevent this ability for hackers to compromise.

This is a wake-up call for us. So many of these amendments and this bill address that we've got issues here, and one of the ways that we can address these issues--it is in broad agreement--is that we need to improve the curriculum of our secure software. Now we would think this would be easily done in our colleges and universities. But, unfortunately, we find that this curriculum is not taught that consistently to a large degree to allow the programmers of tomorrow to learn how to secure software.

So this amendment is very simple. It instructs the director of NSF to put language into the mission statement of Computer and Network Security Capacity Building Grants language that would highlight the importance of curriculum in designing secure software.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, this is a first step towards allowing our universities and colleges to be able to produce, once again, programmers of tomorrow to understand the importance of securing the software and the networks that are so important to us in so many ways. It's a first step; it is not the last step. But I do encourage my colleagues to support this and vote ``yes'' for this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 494) recognizing the exemplary service of the soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division (Old Hickory) of the United States Army during World War II, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I request unanimous consent for Members to have the usual 5 days to extend and revise their comments.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may use.

I rise today with strong and enthusiastic support for House Resolution 494. This resolution honors the history of the 30th Infantry Division of the United States Army, a division that was founded in 1918 during World War I and extends until today with its service in Iraq as we currently speak. I also especially want to point out a particular time during August of 1944 when the 30th Infantry Division was engaged in a battle in Mortain, France, a battle that proved to be pivotal in our securing the invasion of Normandy and a battle which the 30th Division, for whatever reason, has not fully received the credit for their bravery and the dedication they showed.

The infantry division that we call the 30th was originally manned by mostly National Guard folks from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. They took on the nickname of President Andrew Jackson and called themselves the ``Old Hickory'' Division, a nickname which they maintain today.

This division was reactivated prior to World War II and served from the invasion of Normandy in which the 230th Field Artillery of the 30th Division came ashore on Omaha D-day-plus-1. The rest of the division came ashore D-day-plus-2. The units were reunited and fought almost continuously in the days and weeks that followed our invasion of France.

In August of 1944, the much-anticipated German counterattack developed, and the Germans attacked in or near a town, Mortain, France, a place where the 30th Division was at that point protecting our lines.

The generals from Eisenhower on down, the Allied generals, had grown concerned that we were not moving quickly enough to secure the area of Normandy around our invasion beachheads in a way that we could expand throughout France the way that we had anticipated and wanted. The German counterattack thus came with a certain amount of concern: Would we be able to withhold and protect the land that we had already captured? But it also came with a certain amount of opportunity, because if we could hold off this counterattack, then it would create an opportunity for us to outflank the German Army, a maneuver that would eventually be called the St. Lo Breakout. It all depended upon if the 30th Division, the Old Hickory, could hold.

And the 30th Division, taking on the multiple panzer divisions of the German Army, did hold. They scattered into individual units and fought bravely for almost a week. They fought as our American soldiers have fought in the past. They fought bravely and were dedicated against great odds, but they held. And General Bradley was able to send General Patton on the flanking maneuver once again known as the St. Lo Breakout that once and for all secured our beachhead and launched us across France toward the end of World War II.

Eisenhower's chief historian, S.L.A. Marshall, called the 30th the ``most efficient fighting division in Europe.'' The German Army paid the 30th a great compliment in referring to them as ``Roosevelt's

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Virginia for his support and remarks.

The 30th Division, after its historic stand at the battle of Mortain, fought its way into Belgium in the heavy fighting that took place before the Battle of the Bulge. They fought in the Battle of the Bulge. They crossed the bridge at Remagen, and they shook hands with the Russians on the Elbe River at the end of the war.

The 30th Division has returned to its National Guard identification, centered mostly once again in North Carolina. The 30th, as I mentioned before, is currently in Iraq on its second tour of duty of service to this Nation. So the great tradition of the 30th, the Old Hickory Division, that began during World War I continues today as these troops, men and women, serve our Nation.

Madam Speaker, on a personal note, I would like to add that my father, Richard Henry Kissell, was a sergeant in the 30th Division. He joined the Army in the early part of 1941, and he was with the 30th all the way through. As a member of the 230th Field Artillery, he stepped ashore on the beaches of the Omaha D-day-plus-1, and all of the battles we talked about, my father was there.

But he was just one of many that served our Nation in the 30th and all

the other forces during World War II that we call the ``Greatest Generation,'' that came back and did so much to make this Nation the great Nation that it continues to be today.

So it is with great pride and enthusiasm in noting the aspect of the 30th Division and its relation to not only my State, to my family, but to the Nation that I encourage all my colleagues to join in voting for House Resolution 494 honoring the 30th Division.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 129) congratulating the Sailors of the United States Submarine Force upon the completion of 1,000 Ohio- class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) deterrent patrols.

Madam Speaker, I request unanimous consent for Members to be able to extend and revise their remarks during the next 5 days.

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

Madam Speaker, it is with great enthusiasm that I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 129, and I want to thank Representative Dicks from Washington for his work in bringing this resolution to the floor. It is an opportunity for us as a House of Representatives to congratulate the Navy and the sailors of our ballistic submarine fleet upon the completion of 1,000 missions, that's 1,000 missions of deterrence and protecting our Nation. This silent service, the Ohio- class submarine, the highest of technology, the greatest of sailors, and the most stealthy of operations, has been in service protecting our Nation since the first cruise of the USS Ohio in 1982.

This is not an easy service. Only 5 percent of all our sailors are qualified to serve in our ballistic submarine fleet. The highest of technologies and the advancements that we have seen as a Nation are represented in this classification of service also.

Oftentimes, our sailors are on duty for 77 or more straight days and they come back then to work 35 days of maintenance. It puts a tremendous burden upon them. But, once again, these are the highest qualified of individuals that you can find, because when they are on their ship, they have to have the knowledge of the technology to the most minute of details to be able to service the ship as needed and to complete the mission. And they have an A-plus rating for these years of service during the 1,000 missions that they have brought to us.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Dicks).

I would like to, at this point in time, thank my colleagues from Virginia (Mr. Wittman) and from Washington (Mr. Dicks) for their words about this resolution, the importance of this resolution.

This branch of service in the Navy, to the crews of the 14, these Ohio-class submarines, we offer our appreciation and thanks to the people that make it work, all of the listings of people that were given, but especially to the friends and the families of these crew members that, without them and their support for these crews, it would make this work extremely much harder than what it is already during the times of separation and trials that exist upon the families.

This branch of service remains strong. It is a clear deterrent to threats that our Nation may incur. We once again congratulate this branch of service on its 1,000th mission of deterrence and 1,000th successful mission.

I reserve my time.

Madam Speaker, at this point in time I would like to encourage all of my colleagues to join in voting ``aye'' on H. Con. Res. 129 to honor the Navy once again and the sailors in the Ohio-class submarines, the silent service, for its great work and successful 1,000 missions.

I yield back my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 861) supporting the goals and ideals of National Military Family Month, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I request unanimous consent for Members to have 5 legislative days in which to extend and modify their remarks.

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

I would first like to recognize Congressman Rooney from Florida for bringing this resolution to the floor. It is a very timely resolution and one that, while we recognize the importance of our military families all the time, we certainly want to have the opportunity to make it official, so to speak, for this Congress, this House of Representatives, to join in that recognition. So I thank Representative Rooney for his efforts.

I also want to commend and thank President Obama for declaring November to be National Military Family Month as we support this resolution that will join in the goals and ideals that are set forth in this proclamation.

Madam Speaker, we know that our military families are dedicated but also face great challenges and difficulties. As our troops have faced repeated deployments and have gone back into the field more often than perhaps we would wish as they serve our country as we need for them to do, so much of the burden of this service falls back to the military family.

But the military families have responded in incredible ways. They unite around each other. They support each other. They help their single-parent families. They come together in a way not only to support themselves but to also support their family members that are deployed. It is not a surprise that this happens, because they are an extension of these men and women that serve our Nation so heroically.

So with this resolution, H. Res. 861, we simply want to recognize once again the work, the dedication, the sacrifice in how our military families come together and acknowledge this in a positive way from the U.S. House of Representatives.

I reserve my time.

Madam Speaker, I once again thank Representative Rooney for bringing this resolution to the floor. And all of the ideals that he expressed, I thank him so much for.

I've had the opportunity to speak with many of our soldiers; and to a person, they tell me that if they just know their families are being taken care of, what a relief that is for them to concentrate on the duty that we're asking for them to perform in wherever the mission might be.

So once again, I ask for support for the resolution for a National Military Family Month, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I join with my colleague from Virginia in recognizing that the service and dedication of our military families is not just a 1 month deal; it is something that occurs every day, and we should recognize that every day. I ask my colleagues to support the resolution, H. Res. 861.

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

I would like to thank the gentleman from Oregon for recognizing me.

Mr. Chair, I would just like to add to what Mr. Schrader has said. This bill is straight, simple--straightforward.

In the agricultural community, farm supply wholesalers and agriculture end users very much want to protect homeland security. They very much want to protect the safety of the facilities of whose products end up in our food supply. Also, they are concerned about what possible ramifications the bill may have.

This is just simply calling for a study to see what impacts may be had. It strengthens the language that is already in the bill. It strengthens that language so that we can see what the results may be in terms of ranchers and farmers and the agricultural community all together.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, this amendment is very simple and is directed directly at the construction segment of our small business economy.

Madam Chair, the Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that since our economy has entered this downturn, we have lost nationwide almost 1.5 million jobs. In my State of North Carolina, almost 20 percent of the jobs in construction have been lost during this time period. Clearly, the construction segment of our economy has suffered.

Madam Chair, the SBA's 7(a) loans are the loans that are most commonly used by those small businesses engaged in construction. They are being used for many things. They can be used for day-to-day capital, for purchasing new equipment that is needed to do the job, construction itself, renovation or refinancing. Many things, many aspects of maintaining a business are used in these SBA 7(a) loans.

The amendment that we offer is quite simple. Currently if a business takes out a loan, then payments are due back immediately. The amendment would offer that these payments be deferred for 1 year, that the small businesses engaged in construction have 1 year to start their payments back. This would help these businesses have just a little bit more help towards being successful.

We oftentimes, Madam Chair, have relied upon construction to lead us out of recessions. This opportunity will help small businesses that are engaged in construction help lead us out of this recession.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I would like to thank the chairman and her committee for their fine work here in helping us on this amendment, and I urge all my colleagues to support this.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I would like to thank my colleague from California for yielding time to me.

Mr. Speaker, as we look at the Laurinburg Institute, or its official name, Laurinburg Normal Industrial Institute, there is a story to be told here that goes beyond some of the information that we have already received.

If you can imagine back prior to September 15, 1904, when the Laurinburg Institute was officially founded, if you could imagine the conversations that took place when Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute came to the McDuffies, Emmanuel and Tinny Etheridge, and said, I have got an opportunity for you. They weren't talking about how they could become millionaires or how they could invest moneys.

No, it was something much more important than that. They were talking about education. They were talking about educating African American youth at a time before Brown v. Board of Education, a time when we did not talk about equality of education. In some cases we didn't talk about education of African American youth at all.

This was a time in the early 1900s only 40 years after the Civil War. We know our Nation was going through some tough times, and these people were talking about education.

There must be something that runs strong in the McDuffie family in terms of their genetics, because not only is this one of only four such schools that have survived till today; it is still run by the same family that started it. Four generations later of McDuffies, they are still running the same school. They are still concerned about education.

We know that the opportunity of education is to influence young people for generation upon generation because that influence never stops. Teachers know, and one of the great rewards of teaching is that they know that who they affect may not be the person who is in their classroom; it may be someone two or three generations down that is affected directly by someone that they had taught and inspired.

This is what the McDuffie family has offered to us, Mr. Speaker: 50,000 graduates. Think of all of the families and all of the people that were affected by these 50,000 that would not have been if Booker T. Washington had not convinced the McDuffies that the best investment they could make is in education.

Now, we have heard a couple of the graduates mentioned. I would like to add a couple more names to that list. Sir John Swan was a premier of Bermuda, one of the first people of color that was a head of state in the Western Hemisphere. We mentioned Charlie Scott, who was the first African American ever to be awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of North Carolina. Now, as a Wake Forest graduate, I also have to mention another basketball player, Charlie Davis, who was the first African American Player of the Year in ACC history in basketball in 1971.

Once again, we are talking about thousands of people that came through this institute, thousands of people that were affected. Once again, the great joy of education is that its influence never ends.

I congratulate the McDuffie family. I congratulate the faculty and alumni and students of this great institution because they have survived, and they have made a difference in the lives of not only the people of Scotland County, which I am fortunate enough to represent as part of North Carolina's Eighth District, but they have also influenced the State of North Carolina and this great Nation of ours.