[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 111 (Thursday, August 11, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  JULY FOURTH PARADE BY BERLIN BRIGADE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Hutto] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HUTTO. Mr. Speaker, today I want to address the House briefly to 
pay tribute to a group of service people from our armed services who 
have served us valiantly overseas since the end of World War II. 
Specifically, I want to focus on the Berlin Brigade.
  It was my good fortune to be in Berlin this past Independence Day and 
participate in the final July Fourth Parade for this fine unit of the 
U.S. Army. I was privileged to attend a pre-parade reception at the 
historic McNair Barracks and to meet some of the troops, as well as 
dignitaries from a number of nations.
  Among those present were the Director of the Central Intelligence 
Agency James Woolsey; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. 
William A. Owens; U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard C. Holbrooke; the 
distinguished Mayor of Berlin Eberhard Diepgen; the Commander-in-Chief 
of the U.S. Army--Europe, Gen. David M. Maddox; and the Commanding 
Officer of the Berlin Brigade, Maj. Gen. Walter H. Yates.
  This was a special time and an emotional one for many, including some 
20-plus former commanding officers of the Berlin Brigade. The Fourth of 
July ceremony in Berlin would have made any American proud. As the 
troops marched by the several thousand people in attendance, each of 
the units was treated to great applause.
  The speeches were outstanding and moving as the Berlin Brigade, which 
involved thousands of American officers and soldiers for the last 49 
years, bade farewell to the once divided city.
  The addresses were delivered by the final CO of the Berlin Brigade, 
Maj. Gen. Walter H. Yates; U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard C. 
Holbrooke; the Commander of the U.S. Army-Europe, Gen. David M. Maddox; 
and Berlin Mayor Eberhard Diepgen.
  Mr. Speaker, I insert for the Record the speeches of General Maddox 
and Ambassador Holbrooke.

Remarks of Gen. David M. Maddox at the Berlin Independence Day Parade, 
                              July 4, 1994

       Ambassador Holbrooke, Regierender Burgermeister Diepgen, 
     Herr Minister Ruhe, Congressman Hutto, Mr. Woolsey, Herr Dr. 
     Bergner, Herr Dr. Knoblich, Admiral Owens, General Naumann, 
     former CINC's, distinguished guests, and citizens of Berlin 
     and soldiers of the U.S. Army Berlin, today is an important 
     and significant day for Americans. I am delighted--and 
     humbled--to commemorate this day with you, an Independence 
     Day that is shared by Berliners and its Brigade in a special 
     way.
       As Americans celebrate our Independence toady, I decided to 
     join the Berlin Brigade because of the added significance of 
     today's ceremony in this city with you. I'd like to thank the 
     people of Berlin for joining the Brigade--your Brigade--
     today.
       Let me talk about the significance of today:
       One. Obviously, the 218th anniversary of American 
     independence.
       Two. The 49th anniversary of our entrance into this city.
       Third and lastly, this is the final opportunity we have for 
     the U.S. Army, your Berlin Brigade, to share the celebration 
     of our independence, in Berlin, with the citizens of Berlin.
       In Berlin, today is also a day of reflection on the last 49 
     years, of sadness at the end of a great relationship between 
     the city and the Brigade, but more importantly, a day of 
     fulfillment, of triumph and hope--as we look to a new future 
     together.
       To the citizens of Berlin and friends of the American Army: 
     You are the reason we are here today.
       For nearly half a century, you have been the light of 
     democracy behind the darkness of the Iron Curtain;
       You have kept the faith through the adversity of blockade, 
     of isolation, of confronting face-to-face oppression--and you 
     have held firm; triumphed; and won the greatest of all 
     prizes;
       And in the process, you have been great hosts, great 
     friends, and great supporters of our soldiers, civilians, and 
     their families.
       From teaching your language, culture, and customs to 
     opening your homes and taking care of our families as if they 
     were your families while your brigade was deployed--on behalf 
     of the U.S. Army in Europe, I would like to thank you, the 
     people of Berlin, for your support, the closeness of the 
     relationship that you have built with us for those 49 years.
       To the soldiers of the Berlin Brigade, you have made all of 
     us proud--Americans and Germans--because you have succeeded 
     magnificently in every mission you were given--from your 
     entrance into Berlin as occupiers, to defenders, to 
     providers, to protectors, to great friends.
       You have stood firm against adversaries here in Berlin--and 
     have deterred conflict. You have gained the peace, kept the 
     peace. You have been providers of comfort and able sentries--
     on three continents.
       You have led the way, from standing down threats at 
     Checkpoint Charlie to ensuring the security of Kurdish 
     refugees in northern Iraq. And most recently, preventing the 
     spread of the Balkans conflict into the former Yugoslavian 
     Republic of Macedonia.
       Soon, we will say, ``Mission complete; well done; and take 
     your soldiers home.'' And I want you to know that all of us 
     appreciate your superb work.
       Yet to a great degree, you won't be going home; you'll be 
     leaving home.
       Citizens of Berlin, on behalf of the United States Army in 
     Europe, I thank you for all that you have done for our 
     soldiers, for those you see here today and for their 
     forebears for nearly half a century. Words cannot express all 
     that you have given us or the depth of our gratitude, but I 
     can tell you, as Walt Yates has told you, that you have won 
     their hearts--our hearts--forever. They are not just the 
     Berlin Brigade, they are Berlin Brigade--and you have allowed 
     them the honor to carry your name, a name they will treasure 
     as they, too, will always say, ``I am a Berliner.''
       Berlin Brigade, and Berliners, thank you for your 
     tremendous efforts that allow us to celebrate freedom--
     together. Enjoy a great day. This should not be a day of 
     sadness with the forthcoming departure of your Brigade, but 
     instead a day of joy and hope, recognizing the continued 
     growth and maturity of the relationship between Berlin and 
     America.
       God bless you.
                                  ____


Text of Ambassador Holbrooke's Remarks July 4, 1994, at the Final U.S. 
                     National Day Parade in Berlin

       Exactly 49 years and 3 days ago, Lt. Col. Frank Howley and 
     a small unit of American soldiers entered Berlin and camped 
     out in pup tents in the Grunewald. They found a city 
     destroyed by war, blasted, blistered, and battered. Berliners 
     were homeless, cigarettes had become the most stable form of 
     currency.
       Forty-nine years ago today--July 4, 1945--Sherman tanks of 
     the Second Armored Division, the famous ``Hell on Wheels'' 
     Division, lined up in front of the old Telefunken electronics 
     factory--now McNair Barracks--opposite two companies of the 
     Soviet army. In the presence of General of the Army Omar 
     Bradley the Stars and Stripes was raised and the Russian flag 
     lowered to begin the American occupation of Berlin.
       What was to follow in the next 49 years could not have been 
     imagined by any Hollywood screenwriter. The U.S. Army, 
     turning from occupying force into defenders of freedom, 
     recommissioned in 1961 by President Kennedy as the Berlin 
     Brigade, would turn into the most powerful and simplest 
     symbol of our nation's commitment to defend freedom, not only 
     in Berlin, but wherever it was threatened.
       Men and women of the Berlin Brigade: for nearly a half 
     century your presence here told the world that America's 
     engagement in Europe is essential to security and prosperity 
     on both sides of the Atlantic. Your determination during the 
     first difficult post-war years created the basis for the 
     German-American partnership, shaped its tone, and defined 
     America's commitment to Europe. In 1948, in the late 1950s, 
     their Brigade gave us our focus. Time and again you have 
     impressed us with your tenacity, with your dedication to 
     freedom and openness.
       Because of your common efforts, we can stand together today 
     in a free and united Berlin. With great pride and great 
     humility, on behalf of President Clinton and the American 
     people, I thank the people of Berlin for their determination 
     and freedom; I thank our British and French allies for their 
     solidarity; I thank especially the men and women of the 
     Berlin Brigade; and I reaffirm the solidarity of Americans 
     with people everywhere who cherish the blessings of liberty, 
     people everywhere who consider themselves Berliners.
       But we still live in a violent and uncertain world. Drawing 
     down our force levels in Europe does not mean we are 
     disengaging from the continent. The U.S. military is leaving 
     Berlin because it has completed its mission. But Americans 
     are not leaving Germany. We have been asked to stay and 
     65,000 American soldiers will remain in Germany, the bulk of 
     100,000 troops we will continue to station in Europe as a 
     whole. We remain committed to the German-American security 
     partnership within the NATO Alliance.
       And so, even though the Berlin Brigade is departing Berlin, 
     we Americans are not saying goodbye to your great city. In 
     fact, over 10,000 civilian Americans now make Berlin their 
     home, and thousands of other Americans from all walks of life 
     are coming to this great city, thousands of Americans were 
     attracted by its vitality, it's energy and its opportunity.
       The fall of the Berlin Wall did more than liberate the 
     people of eastern Germany, eastern Europe, and many former 
     Soviet republics. It also liberated the German-American 
     relationship from the need to focus narrowly on a common 
     external threat.
       The Cold War is over, we have entered a new era. I believe 
     it will be the greatest that Berlin, the greatest that 
     Germany, the greatest that Europe and America have yet known. 
     You are striving to fulfill the dream of the United States of 
     Europe, a Europe united in democracy, a Europe that can serve 
     as our partner in a global challenge to extend peace and 
     prosperity. We share your aspirations for the future, just as 
     we shared your struggles in the past.
       Almost a half century ago Berlin became the birthplace of 
     the modern German-American partnership. The attitude of the 
     Berliners in the first difficult post-cold war years was 
     decisive for the transformation of Germans and Americans from 
     enemies into allies. Today, the signals that come from this 
     great city can again set the tone for our partnership.
       ``People of the World,'' Berlin's courageous mayor Ernst 
     Reuter implored at the height of the Berlin Blockade, ``look 
     unto this city.'' We did, and we stood by your side. We will 
     continue to stand together in the future. Just as we worked 
     to tear down a wall of concrete and barbed wire we can tear 
     down the walls in people's minds--and we must.
       I cannot conclude without thinking of one of our great 
     Supreme Court justices, Thurgood Marshall, who throughout his 
     life worked for peace by fighting for justice. ``We can run 
     from each other,'' he said, ``but we cannot escape each 
     other. Knock down the fences that divide. Tear down the walls 
     that imprison. Reach out: freedom lies just on the other 
     side.''
       Next Tuesday, President Clinton will make a historic visit 
     to this city. He will speak as the first American President 
     to address a united, free and democratic Berlin. He will 
     speak from the eastern side of the Brandenburg Gate. It will 
     be a historic day and it will be concluded by the 
     inactivation ceremonies for this great military unit that has 
     been so important in the history of the cold war.
       To the people of Berlin, let me say this: do not mourn the 
     departure of the Brigade. Rather, celebrate their 
     achievement. Join with celebrating their historic 
     contribution to freedom, a mission now accomplished. And 
     remember: the U.S.-German partnership is just beginning, 
     especially here in this great city.

                          ____________________