[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 43 (Tuesday, April 19, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  KAREN ROSENKOETTER, OF PRINCETON, IL, IS VOICE OF DEMOCRACY CONTEST 
                                HONOREE

                                 ______


                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 19, 1994

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to congratulate a 
constituent, Karen Rosenkoetter of Princeton. Karen won fourth place 
honors in the national Voice of Democracy scriptwriting contest, 
sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its 
ladies auxiliary and was named the Illinois winner.
  Karen's script, entitled ``My Commitment to America,'' is a very 
moving essay about her visit to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, 
DC.
  I was extremely impressed by the script and the important points she 
made about our country and its citizens.
  Karen is the daughter of Robert and Paula Morrow and a student at 
Princeton High School.
  I respectfully submit her script to be printed here in the Record.

                        My Commitment to America

       Each morning, I get up and go through my routine to get 
     ready for the day and then every day, I reach for that 
     special place on my dresser and put on that silver bracelet. 
     It is different from a normal bangle. My bracelet has been 
     clearly engraved with letters spelling: Maj. Robert P. 
     Rosenbach; USAF 05 Mar 70 SVN; MO.
       This means a young man named Robert, a member of the United 
     States Air Force, was declared Missing In Action on 5 March 
     1970 in South Vietnam. He was from Missouri. I never met Maj. 
     Rosenbach, yet I wear his name on my wrist.
       This bracelet is a symbol of my commitment to America.
       When I was in eighth grade, I visited Washington, D.C. with 
     my church choir. The most memorable place for me was the 
     Vietnam War Memorial--a huge black wall with both ends 
     vanishing into the ground. Each name carved on its immense 
     face represents a lost life--a person who made the ultimate 
     commitment to America. So many names! It was a calm, sunny 
     day, yet all around me people were crying. I thought I would 
     never forget.
       I went back home and the memorial's effect on me slowly 
     faded. I ignored the fact that people in uniforms were 
     defending my country while I debated whether to wear the 
     peach sweater or the green sweater to school that day. I 
     forgot about the big black wall.
       Then I met a girl who always wore a metal bracelet, even if 
     it didn't match her shirt. I asked her what was so special 
     about it and she showed it to me. It had a name on it. One 
     name. And I remembered.
       I now wear a MIA bracelet every day so I will not forget 
     again. The wall was too powerful, too overwhelming. It 
     shocked me, but at the same time I just couldn't grasp it. 
     Now, I concentrate on the people. One name is easier to 
     understand. I think about Robert every day. Who was he? Why 
     did he go to Vietnam? What sort of plans did he have for his 
     future?
       When I put on Robert's bracelet, I am renewing my 
     commitment to remember. The American men and women who have 
     died for our country must never be forgotten. And I am making 
     another commitment--a commitment to live for my country. If I 
     actively work toward justice and peace, maybe I will affect 
     just one more person.
       One person can make a difference in another's life. If I 
     see a child playing with a toy gun, I can hand him a book 
     instead. If I see an angry face, I give that person my smile. 
     And I believe it doesn't stop there. I influence one person, 
     who influences another and another and another. Together, we 
     can work for a better America and a better world.
       Every night before I go to sleep, I go through another 
     short routine. I brush my teeth, take out my contacts, and 
     wash my face, just like other people do. Then I take off my 
     silver bracelet, place it on my dresser, and crawl into bed 
     thinking about a poem by Eve Merriam: I dream of giving birth 
     to a child who will ask ``Mother, what was war?''
       Wishful thinking? Not necessarily. If each of us cared 
     enough to influence just one person, this vision could become 
     a reality. The unknown Maj. Rosenbach has made a difference 
     in my life. Now I can make a difference to others. That is my 
     commitment. That is the way to reach out--one step at a time. 
     One name, one person, one action, can make a difference.

                          ____________________