Watson Coleman: “this year we celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Peace Corps. It is with immense pride that I send my congratulations…”

“this year we celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the Peace Corps. It is with immense pride that I send my congratulations to Peace Corps volunteers as they commemorate this anniversary throughout the year with events across the country and throughout the world. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps to promote world peace and friendship. Since then, more than 182,000 Peace Corps volunteers have made significant contributions to the cause of peace and human progress in 138 countries around the world. Today, we are at a 30-year high in terms of the number of Peace Corps volunteers in the field. In 2005, there were nearly 8,000 volunteers serving 75 countries, in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific Islands. Throughout its illustrious history, the Peace Corps has been committed to helping the people of interested countries train their men and women to work in education, community development, agriculture, health care, and public works. Peace Corps volunteers are also unofficial ambassadors of goodwill, promoting both a better understanding of America throughout the world, and a better understanding here at home of the world around us. Today, the Peace Corps' mission is more important than ever. Peace Corps volunteers are a critical part of the global fight against HIV/ AIDS.…”