[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 120 (Sunday, August 21, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       VOICE OF DEMOCRACY AWARDS

                                 ______


                          HON. GARY A. FRANKS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Sunday, August 21, 1994

  Mr. FRANKS of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, today I want to recognize a 
student in my district who has expressed her commitment to America in 
an especially eloquent and meaningful way. Stacy Havener of Brookfield, 
CT, won 28th place honors in the Voice of Democracy Broadcast Scripting 
Contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I am including her 
speech in the Congressional Record as a permanent testimonial to 
American patriotism.

                        My Commitment to America

       My commitment to America could be described through an 
     overview of my thoughts on wordly issues or through an 
     overview of my thoughts on why I think as highly of America 
     as I do, but oftentimes it is easiest to convey complex and 
     multifaceted concepts through a more simple and focused 
     medium. I could explain my commitment to America by analyzing 
     every single aspect of the word commitment and what that 
     means, but this may not be as effective as simply presenting 
     a metaphor. Through this, my commitment to America will 
     become evident as my words reflect what is inside of me, and 
     my homeroom class gave birth to these words.
       My commitment began in kindergarten, even though then I did 
     not realize it. Since kindergarden I remember standing every 
     morning and reciting a bunch of words I could barely 
     pronounce, never mind understand, as I looked up on the wall 
     at a lifeless fabric embellished with some red lines, blue 
     square and some nice looking white stars. In kindergarten 
     that pledge was little more than routine; I did it because it 
     was mandatory. Little did I know that twelve years down the 
     road those recited words would take on new meaning and that 
     fabric would gain new life, for now they both stand for so 
     much.
       Embarking on senior year my classmates and I have a lot to 
     think about. This is no longer kindergarten, nothing is 
     mandatory, nothing is memorized or written in stone, things 
     change day to day and we have to deal with those changes. No 
     longer do we have eleven more years of public school lying 
     ahead of us . . . we have an array of opportunities and 
     choices. Because of this conglomeration of thoughts, 
     decisions and conflicts, it is easy for one to become self-
     absorbed; to focus only on that which relates to oneself; to 
     lose sight of the true importances in life. Maybe this is the 
     explanation for the true story which follows, but it is not 
     an excuse, and maybe someday the words once learned will not 
     be cast aside and disregarded, but will be said with pride by 
     everyone . . . instead of one solitary voice barely audible 
     in a homeroom class.
       Walking into school the first day was like diving head 
     first into a pool of confusion and mayhem. As always at the 
     culmination of homeroom, we prepared for the familiar sound 
     of the vice principal and the morning announcements. As can 
     be expected, the preparation of 20 teenagers all worked up on 
     the first day of senior year is not the normal type of 
     preparation. It consists of gossip, retelling stories of the 
     summer, comparing schedules, laughing or maybe even arguing, 
     but it is preparation nonetheless. Our teacher interrupted us 
     and said something I had never heard before . . . he gave us 
     a choice. Being seniors he felt we could decide whether or 
     not we should stand and recite the pledge. Imagine the 
     reaction of the class; what a relief. After eleven years the 
     burden had been lifted. So that day the announcements were 
     drowned out by the chatter and excitement of my classmates. 
     The words of the vice principal went unheard and the American 
     flag hung lifeless in the back corner of the class.
       Whether by coincidence or not, my first day of school was 
     not a good day. Nothing went right, and for some reason I 
     could not stop thinking about the morning. I decided then 
     that no matter how alone I would be I would stand and say the 
     Pledge of Allegiance. I was given the choice and I'd made up 
     my mind; senior or not it deserved to be said.
       The next day at the culmination of class the usual thing 
     happened. Gossip, laughter, students frantically completing 
     the homework from the night before. And as always the 
     familiar voice of the vice principal crackled over the 
     speaker on the wall. Straining my ears beyond the laughter 
     and chatter of my classmates I could make out, ``Good 
     morning. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.'' So I 
     stood up, I turned and faced the flag, put my hand over my 
     heart and began . . . and for the first time I actually 
     listened to what I was saying.
       ``I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of 
     America and to the republic for which it stands one nation 
     under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.''
       One by one my classmates grew silent and I could feel their 
     stares . . . but none of that mattered anymore. When I took 
     my seat I smiled because I knew my day would improve.
       It has continued like this since then. Every day I stand 
     alone. My classmates have come to accept it and they no 
     longer look at me in disbelief; but sometimes I wonder if it 
     is really that easy for them to sit there, and I always hope 
     that one day they will listen to the words and not just hear 
     them.
       The flag on the wall is no longer a red and white striped 
     piece of fabric with a blue square and some neat little white 
     stars, and the words I learned in kindergarten have taken on 
     new meaning. My commitment to America is here. The flag and 
     the pledge both stand for a country unlike any other; one 
     that is based on liberty, freedom and love of mankind, and 
     just like the flag and the pledge do so stand, 
     every morning so do I.

                          ____________________