HCON 207 IH

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the victory of the United States in The Cold War and the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

November 3, 2009

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. INGLIS, Mr. COBLE, Ms. FOXX, Mr. CALVERT, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Ms. JENKINS, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. LATTA, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. WAMP, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mrs. MYRICK, and Mr. WOLF) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the victory of the United States in The Cold War and the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

Whereas The Cold War was an enduring struggle between totalitarian communism and democratic capitalism throughout the second half of the 20th century;

Whereas an estimated 24,000,000 members of the United States Armed Forces served during The Cold War;

Whereas 400,000,000 people were freed from the bondage of communism during The Cold War in the countries then known as the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria;

Whereas 139,000,000 people were freed from the bondage of communism during The Cold War in the former Soviet Republics, in countries now known as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan;

Whereas the events surrounding the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of The Cold War ignited the political transition to democracy in Yugoslavia, Albania, Mongolia, Thailand, Cambodia, Mozambique, Benin, Ethiopia, Angola, and the Congo;

Whereas the victory of the United States in The Cold War signifies freedom and security and opportunity for the formerly oppressed, and will continue to do so for decades to come;

Whereas the Fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the most significant events of the 20th century, symbolized the triumph of democratic capitalism over totalitarian communism; and

Whereas, November 9, 2009, will mark the 20th anniversary of this historic event: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that the Nation should celebrate the victory of the United States in The Cold War and the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall by--

(1) promoting education about The Cold War and its historical significance;

(2) celebrating peace, freedom, and the principles of democratic government;

(3) honoring and reflecting upon the role of the United States in the international struggle for individual human rights and the evolution of the free enterprise system; and

(4) recognizing the veterans who served during The Cold War.