Rep. Meuser's Floor Speech on Joe Barna

I took to the House Floor to recognize a great American, author, and Marine Corps veteran, Joseph Barna, of Freeland, PA. Joe recently won a national gold medal for his essay in the 2023 VA Creative Arts Contest, a highly competitive veterans writing competition. More important than my recognition of him is Joe’s essay itself, which details actions that exemplify why the United States is the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. I implore you to read his essay below. We thank Joe for his service and for his relentless advocacy of our nation’s veterans through both his writing and work in the community.