Joe Cunningham: “on the eve of the 136th observance of Memorial Day, the House of Representatives paused in a moment of silence to honor…”

“on the eve of the 136th observance of Memorial Day, the House of Representatives paused in a moment of silence to honor all of our fallen heroes. Men and women across the United States and from other countries continue to serve in the defense of our great nation and the ideals we hold most important. These brave heroes are prepared to make this same sacrifice should their duties require it, and that is a grave responsibility we must honor. This year I also want to recognize an unsung group of fallen military heroes, the countless members of our Armed Forces that served and died for our country but were never United States citizens. Many American military heroes, past and present, were born outside of the United States. From the thousands of non-citizens who fought for our independence as a nation, to those who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War, to the more than 36,000 non-citizen members of today's Armed Forces, these men and women have sacrificed for our country and the preservation of our precious freedom. We succeeded today in amending the Fiscal Year 2005 National Defense Authorization Act to authorize creation of a memorial to recognize these fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, our nation's premier military cemetery and shrine honoring the men and women who served in the Armed Forces.”