Steve Israel: “I am very proud to stand here as a sponsor of this bill to honor New York's 69th Infantry Regiment, known as the…”

“I am very proud to stand here as a sponsor of this bill to honor New York's 69th Infantry Regiment, known as the Fighting 69th, once fought as part of the Irish Brigade. Soon we will celebrate St. Patrick's day. That is a day when we will commemorate the enduring contributions of Irish Americans to the founding and development of this Nation. In fact, if you read a book by Tom Cahill called 'How the Irish Saved Civilization,' you would know that not only have the Irish made an enduring contribution to the founding and development of our country, but that their contribution transcends our country. When the world was a dark place, when the Roman Empire fell, when barbarians ruled, they tore down libraries, they destroyed all literature. But it was the Irish who built monasteries.”