Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Madam Speaker, for over 225 years the United States has been a beacon of hope and freedom throughout the world. Millions of people from every corner of the world have left their homelands to come to America and start a new life, one based on the rights and liberties enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

That freedom comes at a price, however. Whether it is the original fight for independence during the American Revolution, the drive to defeat communism during the cold war, or the current battle against global Islamic extremists, soldiers throughout our history have fought and given their lives to keep us safe here at home. I salute their sacrifice and dedication to their fellow man, and thank those veterans here today for your great military service.

While our Nation has often had to defend itself from enemies, both foreign and domestic, it has been our shared commitment to faith and belief in a higher power that has given us the strength to soldier on during tough and trying times. America has seen both the good and the bad throughout our Nation's history, but in the end I firmly believe that each of us will heed the call to the better angels of our nature when forced to make decisions that affect our fellow man.

Together we can continue the great success of the United States. Throughout our history, while our ancestors came from all over the globe, the great melting pot that is America meant that we have shared a common language and a common faith. Our Nation is firmly rooted in Christian principles that have made us strong and envied by the rest of the world. Whenever a crisis happens in a faraway land across the seas, it is men and women like you who pull together in the spirit of Christian charity and a desire to help your fellow man. It is our military that brings relief supplies to nations like Burma or Indonesia after their floods, and the United States Armed Forces that meets the challenge of liberating Europe from the Axis superpowers. The can-do spirit of our Nation means we never back away from a challenge, and that by working together we can accomplish anything we set our minds to.

America is the greatest nation in the world. We have a proud history of service, faith and community ties that bind us to the common belief in the goodness of mankind. By working together we can continue that history and ensure that future generations of Americans will share the ideals and values that brought us here today. Thank you and God bless the United States of America.