[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 10, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
     LT. GEN. CLAUDE M. KICKLIGHTER'S SPEECH DURING THE ``DAYS OF 
                         REMEMBRANCE CEREMONY''

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, in a little less than 1 month, the world 
will commemorate the 50th anniversary of ``D-day,'' the invasion of 
Europe that signaled the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. As a 
veteran of the invasion, I remember how excited we were with our 
progress as we quickly pushed the enemy back into Germany. As we got 
closer to Germany, though, our enthusiasm was severely and depressingly 
dampened as Allied units began to liberate concentration camps.
  I will never forget how shocked and sickened I was by what I found at 
Buchenwald. It was a place filled with people who were starved, 
diseased, and barely alive. How anyone could survive such an 
environment was amazing, and how anyone could create such a Hell was 
incomprehensive. For the loss of better words, I, and my fellow 
liberators, were aghast and infuriated at what we discovered at that 
camp and its gruesome horror was permanently burned into our memories.
  As time marches on, and the bizarre era of German history known as 
nazism grows distant, younger generations run the danger of forgetting, 
or worse yet, never knowing the atrocities of the madmen of the Third 
Reich. It is for that reason that events, such as the commemorative 
ceremony that was held last month, down the hall and in the rotunda, is 
so important. By gathering camp survivors; camp liberators; government, 
business, and religious leaders, we can ensure that those who died in 
the camps or fighting the evils of Hitler's twisted ideology are 
remembered, and; most importantly, that the Holocaust is never 
forgotten.
  Mr. President, as you know, last month's ceremony was a very 
emotional one. I was especially moved by the remarks of Lt. Gen. Claude 
M. Kicklighter and would like to share them with my friends in the 
Senate and ask unanimous consent that they be placed in the Record 
following my remarks.
  There being no objection, the remarks were ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

      Remarks by Lt. Gen. Claude M. Kicklighter, U.S. Army Retired

       Mr. Vice President, Members of the Senate and House, Mr. 
     Ambassadors, Mr. Secretary and so many other distinguished 
     guests, especially survivors, liberators and rescuers, ladies 
     and gentlemen.
       It is with pride, humility and gratitude that I accept the 
     General Eisenhower Liberation Medal on behalf of millions of 
     brave men and women who liberated Europe; freed the captives 
     from the death camps; attained victory as they brought the 
     most destructive war in history to an end. A grateful nation 
     does not remember, especially the courage of all those who 
     gave all their tomorrows so that this tyranny could be 
     destroyed and free men and women could once again walk in the 
     Sun, at peace. Today, I am honored to be in the presence of 
     so many patriots and heroes in this special place and on this 
     special occasion.
       Fifty years ago, we were engaged in a life and death 
     struggle against the worst tyranny in the history of mankind. 
     A dark period in which civilization as we know it was almost 
     lost. A war in which 15 million men and women of all nations 
     were killed in battle. Another 38 million men, women, and 
     children lost their lives as this war swept across their 
     homelands. Of these, 8 to 10 million were murdered in the 
     concentration camps--only God knows how many. Today, it is 
     impossible to comprehend the magnitude of that tragedy, any 
     more than we can understand the loss of one precious child--a 
     child like Anne Frank.
       Early one morning in June of 1944, the liberators jumped 
     from the sky, and stormed across the beaches into Normandy. 
     They won that crucial battle and kept on winning, as they 
     charged across Europe, changing history as they went. In that 
     march, they discovered the concentration camps and their 
     unspeakable horrors. There began a new battle, one fought 
     with a different kind of courage and with a special 
     compassion, as the liberators sought to save the lives of 
     thousands of survivors, who were broken physically and 
     emotionally and most were at the brink of death.
       Amid the suffering and dying in the death camps had been 
     whispered a common prayer: ``God, let there be survivors who 
     can bear witness to this horrible nightmare.'' The God who is 
     the Father of us all, heard those prayers and made the 
     survivors and their liberators and rescuers the conscience of 
     this Nation and this world. The fact that we are gathered 
     here this morning is an answer to those prayers.
       As I look around this audience, I see many friends with 
     whom I was privileged to take a very moving journey just 16 
     months ago, which Mr. Lerman talked about earlier. A journey 
     with the survivors and liberators of the death camps. 
     That journey began in those camps and ended on the beaches 
     of Normandy. We walked together, we wept together, we 
     prayed together, as we visited those monuments of man's 
     inhumanity to man, and the military cemeteries, where lie 
     the liberators of Europe. We gathered soil and sand that 
     was stained with the precious and innocent blood of so 
     many, and we returned home, forever changed. That soil and 
     sand rests today in a place of honor in the Hall of 
     Remembrance, under the eternal flame in the Holocaust 
     Memorial Museum.
       A few days ago, I again visited the Hall of Remembrance. As 
     I looked at the container holding that soil, silent voices 
     reminded me, that we must never forget. The silent voices 
     charge those of us who know the truth about this evil to join 
     the ranks of the survivors and liberators, and become 
     messengers, teachers, and sentries so the world will never 
     forget what happened in those dark and depraved days.
       We must work and pray for peace--but not peace at any price 
     and not just the absence of war, but a peace that celebrates 
     the triumph of freedom and human dignity. If we remember, if 
     we learn from this history, if we prepare, World War II and 
     all its tragedies may become known as the last world war.
       Sadly, the awful history of the 1930's and 1940's is today, 
     unknown by many. The young of today and future generations 
     must be warned and protected. We must teach our children, and 
     they their children. The Holocaust Memorial Museum is a 
     living, teaching, speaking witness that is making a 
     difference in the world, through all those who visit. My 
     visit recalled to mind the adage that the only thing good men 
     must do to let evil men succeed is to do nothing.
       Even as this soul and flame reminds us of the suffering of 
     just 50 short years ago, they also signify hope. Hope for the 
     future. Hope that comes from the knowledge that good men and 
     women were willing to sacrifice their all to destroy evil. 
     This strong, free, and beautiful America in which we live 
     today was given to us by those brave men and women who had 
     the courage to confront and conquer evil, as they have done 
     throughout our history and as they will continue to do.
       The voices from beyond the grave and the voices of those 
     who died in the concentration camps and the voices of those 
     who built this Hall of Remembrance all cry out that their 
     sacrifices must not have been in vain. They say to us: ``You 
     must never be guilty of doing nothing. You must never again 
     let this terrible thing happen.''
       Never again.
       Never again.
       I am humbled and honored to receive this award--God bless 
     America.

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