[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  COMMEMORATING THE DEDICATION OF THE OAKLAND COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL

                                 ______


                          HON. JOE KNOLLENBERG

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 1994

  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, this Saturday Oakland County, MI, 
salutes their fallen sons and daughters by officially dedicating a 
memorial in their honor.
  All over America this weekend, in our largest cities and smallest 
towns, flags will be placed on cemetery graves, and public officials 
will speak of the sacrifice and valor of those whose memory we honor.
  I have no illusions about what little I can add now to the silent 
testimony of those who gave their lives willingly for their country. 
Words are even more feeble on this Memorial Day, for the sight before 
us is that of a strong and good Nation that stands in silence and 
remembers those who were loved and who, in return, loved their 
countrymen enough to die for them.
  Yet, we must try to honor them--not for their sakes alone, but for 
our own. And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these individuals, 
surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with 
the vision that led them to battle and to their final sacrifice.
  Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough: The 
United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for 
which they died, must endure and prosper.
  Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a 
cost; it imposes a burden. And just as they whom we commemorate here 
today were willing to sacrifice, so too must we--in a less final, less 
heroic way--be willing to give of ourselves.
  It is not just strength or courage that we need, but understanding 
and a measure of wisdom as well. We must understand enough about our 
world to see it clearly.
  This understanding must extend to our potential adversaries. We must 
strive to speak of them not belligerently, but firmly and frankly.
  It is this honesty of mind that can open paths to peace, that can 
lead to sound foundations that our Nation can stand on and prosper.
  As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their 
sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long 
as God gives life to this Nation. And let us pledge to do our utmost to 
carry out what must have been their wish: that no other generation of 
young men will ever have to share their experiences and repeat their 
sacrifices.
  All this is embodied in this memorial which we honor here today. Some 
will cry; still others will quietly applaud, and even more will stand 
solemnly, acknowledging their gift and our obligation. But, I am sure 
no one will ever forget.

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