[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 71 (Thursday, June 9, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL AND COINS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the attention of the entire world this past 
weekend was focused on the northern coast of Europe in Normandy as we 
witnessed historic ceremonies and eloquent speeches all in 
commemoration of a day 50 years ago which is still imprinted firmly on 
the collective mind of the world and of America. The depth of feeling 
that these ceremonies tapped in the hearts of our citizens and our 
Nation is a priceless tribute to the heroism and magnitude of the 
events of that day which the world remembers as D-day. We owe our 
freedom to the heroic sacrifices of American men and women as well as 
allies from 13 nations who made that longest day unforgettable and all 
that followed possible.
  As we remember and honor our World War II veterans and the freedoms 
which they preserved, we must also remember to teach our children and 
our grandchildren, about the true price of freedom, and honor those 
heroes and their contributions to liberty. The World War II Memorial 
now authorized by Congress, which we fought so many years to pass here 
in this Chamber, will give us a timeless remembrance of the allied 
victory, and it will be built hopefully before the 21st century here in 
the Nation's Capital along the Mall.
  This memorial will be built without a dollar of taxpayer money being 
used, because proceeds being obtained from the sale of three World War 
II memorial coins, which I brought with me this evening here on the 
floor, currently being sold through June 30, this month, by the U.S. 
Mint will make possible the proceeds for building this memorial. They 
come in a set like I am holding, and they are called the World War II 
50th anniversary coins. Each of these coins symbolizes an important 
story of the allied victory.
  In watching the Normandy ceremonies I wanted to come down here this 
evening and share with the American people and with my colleagues the 
beauty of these coins and what is on them.

                              {time}  1930

  The first one is the gold $5 coin emblematic of the Allied victory 
itself. This is the most expensive of the coins, but it shows one of 
our troops on the front of the coin in a great victory shout, and on 
the back of the coin there is a victory logo. It says ``E Pluribus 
Unum.'' It says ``United States of America'' at the top and then it has 
the Morse code on the back, the symbol for victory there, and that is 
the $5 coin.
  In addition to that, there is a silver dollar coin, and this 
particular coin, even though I like them all, is really my favorite. 
But it commemorates the Battle of Normandy, the D-day invasion that all 
of us heard about over the television, and so many of our young people 
learned about if they have not had history yet. This particular coin 
shows one of our troops scaling the walls at Utah Beach, and it talks 
about the years on here commemorate 1991 to 1995. This period of our 
history is really the 50th anniversary period of our entire World War 
II involvement.
  The coin at the bottom says ``Liberty,'' and here it says ``In God We 
Trust, D-Day, June 6, 1944'' is engraved on the top, and on the back, 
and I am just going to read from this, because it has the ``United 
States of America,'' it says ``E Pluribus Unum, One Out Of Many.'' This 
is the dollar coin. Then it has the quote from General and President 
Dwight David Eisenhower, ``I have full confidence in your courage, 
devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than 
full victory.''
  This is a particularly beautiful coin, and it is part of the three-
coin set.
  The final coin is a clad half-dollar coin, and this coin honors 
members of the five branches of the U.S. armed services, and for each 
of the branches, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, 
there are stars here at the top of this coin. Again it commemorates 
this 50th anniversary period through which we are living, 1991 through 
1995. The side of this coin says ``Liberty.'' But the back of the coin, 
and to our Pacific veterans who watched the ceremonies and wondered if 
anyone remembered, yes, we certainly do, and I know our Government as 
well as the governments of many Allied nations will be celebrating 
through the period of 1995 the Allied victories in the Pacific as well.
  Well, the back of this clad coin, the 50-cent coin, they have the 
``Victory in the Pacific,'' and it shows one of our troops on one of 
the islands there. It shows one of the soldiers being attacked from the 
air, bombardment there in the Pacific, and it is really a beautiful set 
of coins.
  Let me just end by saying that this memorial that will be built here 
in Washington will remind future generations of the true price of our 
liberty and, again, to those Americans who are interested in purchasing 
these beautiful coins, they are on sale through the U.S. Mint through 
the end of this month only, June 30, and they are simply beautiful and 
will help contribute to a lasting memory in our country for those who 
gave their lives and served in the cause of liberty.

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