Hilda L. Solis: “to all those that are going to be celebrating this Memorial Day weekend, my special condolences go to the soldiers and…”

“to all those that are going to be celebrating this Memorial Day weekend, my special condolences go to the soldiers and their families that have given their lives so bravely and courageously. In fact, in my district in Los Angeles, 11 soldiers were killed, the first soldier being Francisco Martinez Flores, who is a green card soldier. He was not a full-fledged citizen, but he honored us by fighting for us and defending our freedom in Iraq. I found out later that his parents were not here legally. But through the work of some of the Members on our side of the aisle, we worked very diligently to secure citizenship for those serving in our country. Why could we not honor these soldiers beforehand, when they enter in and help to define who we are as a country? He was granted posthumous citizenship. When I read about that, I moved quickly to see how we could assure that no other soldier who came home in a coffin or a body bag would be given just that identification on their grave, that they be granted full citizenship, and that their families have every right to the same securities that any other citizen has in this country. Let's remember Francisco Flores and the 10 other soldiers that have given their lives, most of whom were Latinos from my district, proud Latinos, who carried their uniform and their bravery with them. ____________________”