I commend my colleague for being at that ceremony and reflecting on the impact this one individual made, this young woman, in service of our country. As a very young boy of 12 or 13 years of age, I listened to the president excite a generation to get involved in things larger than ourselves. I was so motivated by his remarks, as were millions of others, that a few years later when I finished college, I joined the Peace Corps. I traveled to the Dominican Republic, not far from the Haitian border, where I spent two years in the mountains of that country working with the people in the small village of Benito Moncion in the province of Santiago Rodriguez. It was a life-changing experience. I came back from that experience a very different person than when I had left.
Senator Chris Dodd speaks on the Senate Floor about Catherine Puzey and the Peace Corps
Mr. DODD … I thank (Sen. Isakson) for his gracious comments about this young woman. My nephew graduated from college a few years ago and was in Africa for approximately a year and a half. He spent six months in Guyana working with the people there, increasing awareness on issues such as HIV/AIDS. These are wonderful examples, like the young woman the senator described, of people who make a difference.
The great thing about the Peace Corps is not just helping people in a struggling country get back on their feet, but it is the experience of returning home from service. It is the lessons learned that we bring back to our communities. There are 180,000 of us who are returned Volunteers since the first group left from the south lawn of the White House to go to Ethiopia, and how blessed we are with the richness of opportunities here and the lessons learned.
I commend my colleague for being at that ceremony and reflecting on the impact this one individual made, this young woman, in service of our country. I can't think of a more compelling argument on why this bill being offered by our colleagues deserves our unanimous support. Again, I thank the senator for his comments.
…As a very young boy of 12 or 13 years of age, I listened to the president excite a generation to get involved in things larger than ourselves. I was so motivated by his remarks, as were millions of others, that a few years later when I finished college, I joined the Peace Corps. I traveled to the Dominican Republic, not far from the Haitian border, where I spent two years in the mountains of that country working with the people in the small village of Benito Moncion in the province of Santiago Rodriguez. It was a life-changing experience. I came back from that experience a very different person than when I had left.
