Yesterday, Congressman Michael Guest (R-Miss) introduced a resolution in honor of Memorial Day. The resolution expresses that the House of Representatives “calls on the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day as a special day of remembrance to honor the men and women of the United States who died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.”
“We can never repay the debt we owe the men and women who gave their lives for our great nation, but we can remain committed to the values they fought and died for – values such as hard-work, determination, and truth. We must always remember that we are blessed to be citizens of this great republic, to live in a nation that was divinely inspired, and to call this land our home.”
Memorial Day has origin roots in Mississippi and other places across the United States. In 1866, four women took flowers to Friendship Cemetery in Columbus, Mississippi. They decorated the graves of those who had fallen in the Battle of Shiloh – both Union and Confederate. This small act grew into an entire day to memorialize those who have died in the fight for freedom from the American War for Independence to the modern-day War on Terrorism.
Congressman Guest expresses his gratitude for all the men and women who have given their lives that our nation might endure. He points to President Ronald Reagan’s words: “Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the splendor of America and those of her children who rest [in cemeteries across our nation].”
The bipartisan resolution was cosponsored by over 70 Members of Congress at the time of introduction:
Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Rep. Randy K. Weber (TX-14), Rep. Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Rep. John R. Carter (TX-31), Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (FL-28), Rep. Andre Carson (IN-07), Rep. Mike Ezell (MS-04), Rep. Stephanie I. Bice (OK-05), Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05), Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Rep. David J. Trone (MD-06), Rep. Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Rep. Neal P. Dunn (FL-02), Rep. Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (TN-03), Rep. James R. Baird (IN-04), Rep. Chuck Edwards (NC-11), Rep. Cory Mills (FL-07), Rep. Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Rep. Thomas H. Kean (NJ-07), Rep. John R. Moolenaar (MI-02), Rep. Zachary Nunn (IA-03), Rep. Jake LaTurner (KS-02), Rep. Richard McCormick (GA-06), Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03), Rep. Rick W. Allen (GA-12), Rep. Robert E. Latta (OH-05), Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Rep. Pete Stauber (MN-08), Rep. Daniel Webster (FL-11), Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01), Rep. Lisa C. McClain (MI-09), Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-01), Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06), Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08), Rep. Max L. Miller (OH-07), Rep. David Kustoff (TN-08), Rep. William R. Timmons (SC-04), Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12), Rep. Barry Moore (AL-02), Rep. Thomas P. Tiffany (WI-07), Rep. John H. Rutherford (FL-05), Rep. Mike Garcia (CA-27), Rep. Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09), Rep. Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy (NY-23), Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05), Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02), Rep. Jim. Costa (CA-21), Rep. Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), Rep. Julia Letlow (LA-05), Rep. Michael T. McCaul (TX-10), Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11), Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-16), Rep. Michael C. Burgess (TX-26), Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Rep. Trent Kelly (MS-01), Rep. Andrew S. Clyde (GA-09), Rep. Carol D. Miller (WV-01), Rep. Brandon Williams (NY-22), Rep. Andy Harris (MD-01), Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (NY-04), Rep. Andrew R. Garbarino (NY-02), Rep. Donald G. Davis (NC-01), Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-18), Rep. Daniel Meuser (PA-09)