Thomas Mott Osborne: “today the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ford) and I introduced a bill called the National Call to Service Act. All of us…”

“today the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ford) and I introduced a bill called the National Call to Service Act. All of us are very aware of what happened on September 11; and as terrible as that day was and those events were, we have also seen some very positive things that have happened since. We have seen the resurgence in patriotism. We have seen people who are more cordial and certainly have a greater desire to serve the country. In an attempt to harness this energy, the Call to Service Act would enlist 250,000 people, young people and old people alike, to serve our country. There are three aspects I would like to touch on very briefly here today. First of all, rural and underserved areas often do not get much mention in a bill of this type. However, the National Call to Service Act does make sure that all areas of the country, particularly rural areas, are recognized.”