Walter B. Jones: “I want to start my comments off tonight by reading a poem that I think reminds us of just how important the men and…”

“I want to start my comments off tonight by reading a poem that I think reminds us of just how important the men and women in uniform are to this Nation. And the poem is written by a Father Denis Edward O'Brien, the United States Marine Corps, and it says: It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag. It is the soldier who serves beneath the flag. It is the soldier whose coffin is draped by the flag. It is the soldier who allows the protester to burn the flag. Mr. Speaker, the reason I read that poem is to remind the Members of Congress as well as the American people that we have many men and women in uniform who are willing to die for this country and to die for our freedoms. The reason I come to the floor once a week is to remind my colleagues in the Congress, both Republican and Democrat, that we have between 5,000 and 11,000 men and women in uniform on food stamps.”