[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 142 (Wednesday, September 13, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H8893-H8894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                               SACRIFICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bunn of Oregon). Under a previous order 
of the House, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. McIntosh] is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, sacrifice, we all know the word. Our 
Founding Fathers understood the need for sacrifice. They concluded in 
the Declaration of Independence: We mutually pledge to each other our 
lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
  Few members of our society understand the word sacrifice more than 
our beloved veterans. Mr. Speaker, it is our Nation's heroic veterans 
that bring me to the floor of the House tonight. I rise to provide this 
House and this Nation with an update from Indiana on the efforts over 
the summer in my district to honor our veterans.
  I proudly report over the past several months that Hoosiers in 
Indiana have rightly commemorated the sacrifice that our veterans have 
made. I would like to mention their efforts as well as single out a few 
veterans whose sacrifice demonstrates the essence of that word. There 
is a renewal of the American sense of sacrifice, and it is being 
rekindled in my home town of Muncie, IN.
  After a lapse of nearly 20 years, the citizens of my home town of 
Muncie held a Memorial Day parade to honor the veterans. My wife Ruthie 
and I had the honor of joining them in this expression of devotion to 
the men and women who have served our country in the armed services.
  I mean men such as Muncie veterans Jack Reichart who served valiantly 
on the USS Missouri. Jack had the privilege of watching the Japanese 
premier surrender to the United States on VJ Day over 50 years ago.
  In Anderson, where Hoosiers celebrate the 4th of July each year with 
a midnight parade, thousands lined the streets to honor those who have 
served their country, and honor those who gave their lives for our 
freedom.
  Harry Mullins, one of most decorated veterans of the United States, 
was part of that celebration. During the Korean war, Harry's division 
was asked to do the impossible, they were given the task of retaining 
Pork Chop Hill. They did, and they did with the utmost of sacrifice. 
Only nine men survived that mission, and Harry was lucky enough to be 
one of them.
  In July the citizens of Columbus held a parade to celebrate the 
anniversary of the end of World War II and to pay tribute to veterans. 
The city of Richmond held a special celebration for all veterans at the 
Earlham Field of Honor to recognize the special veterans in their 
community.
  Men such as John Connelly, who was decorated for his heroic actions, 
John's aircraft crashed behind enemy lines in World War II. He had to 
hide in the ditches as the German Army platoons marched perilously 
close to his hiding place. Finally, John managed to find his way back 
to safety, back to his colleagues and the American troops who were 
marching through Germany.
  His amazing tale was later retold in the movie ``A Bridge Too Far.''
  Ralph Pyle, of Richmond, served in the Army during both World War II 
and the Korean war. Ralph earned a Bronze Star for flying 35 
reconnaissance missions. Today he is a renowned photographer, and all 
of us cherish his photographs that bring that war so much to life in 
our mind's eye.
  The homage to veterans began in Shelby County where they dedicated a 
new park, Honor Park, in honor of those men who served from their 
country in the defense of this country.
   Mr. Speaker, today we must make a commitment. We must follow in the 
footsteps of Hoosiers in the Second District and remember their 
sacrifice, the sacrifice that more than 1 million Americans made who 
died to protect our inalienable rights. We must not only honor our 
veterans, but we must learn from their example. Now is the time for my 
generation to renew our commitment to this country, to remake a 
commitment that if we are called upon to sacrifice, we will be ready to 
defend the liberties that this Nation stands for.

[[Page H 8894]]

  We must renew that pledge. We must mutually pledge to each other our 
lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor so that, if we are called 
upon to defend America, we will stand ready.
  I am proud to say last week this House took an important step and 
passed the military appropriations bill that will provide the funding 
necessary for those young men and women who are today called upon to be 
the front line of defense of our freedoms.
   Mr. Speaker, I include the following letter for the Record:

       Sacrifice. It's a word we all know. Our Founding Fathers 
     understood the need for sacrifice--they concluded the 
     declaration of independence with the words: ``We mutually 
     pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred 
     honor.'' I, myself, grew up with the notion that sacrifice 
     was part of the American experience. I can recall my 
     grandmother, Lilian Slyle, telling me stories of her 
     experiences in world war I. She was an army nurse during the 
     war, and she told me countless tales of the hardships of that 
     terrible conflict, marching across Europe with General 
     Pershing. She was profoundly affected by these experiences. 
     And so was I. All of us have made some sacrifices in our 
     lives. We make sacrifices for our family, for our close 
     friends, even for our neighbors and co-workers. Members in 
     the armed forces make many sacrifices great and small, and 
     over one million Americans have given their lives, the 
     ultimate sacrifice, while serving to defend our country. Many 
     of us here today can remember the long, lonely hours of 
     sacrifice that service in the army, navy, air force, or 
     marine corps requires--standing watch on the bridge of a 
     warship through the night, patrolling alone in a dark forest, 
     or working into the night on an aircraft in preparation for 
     the next flight. Some of those sacrifices go unseen, but 
     never unrecognized by those who depend on them. Americans 
     across the country gather each year on this day to honor such 
     sacrifices, and remember the contributions of American 
     servicemen. Throughout history, members of the armed forces 
     have risked their lives not merely for their family or their 
     co-workers, but for a cause represented by the American flag 
     and the liberty to succeed or fail which it embodies. Some 
     Americans are too young to remember, others have too quickly 
     forgotten. How important, therefore, that we honor our 
     veterans, that we learn from them, and that we teach others 
     about history, about war, about sacrifice. We are still 
     reminded about the great World Wars, about Korea, Vietnam, 
     and more recent conflicts. We should not, however, allow the 
     memory, the lessons, and the sacrifices of our tragic wars to 
     fade. Proud veterans of those wars are among us today. Their 
     presence bears witness to sacrifice. Battlefields and 
     cemeteries remind us of the terrible sacrifices and loss of 
     life in war. Many of us remember all too directly the 
     experience of war. The United States asked the sacrifice of 
     our citizens, a sacrifice that was necessary to fight Nazism 
     in Europe, Japan, and Asia, it was a sacrifice offered in the 
     cause of freedom. To protect our God-given liberties for both 
     this country, and for our fellow men and women abroad. 
     Americans today would do well to remember that throughout 
     history the freedom that we now enjoy was created and 
     maintained by blood and iron, and many tears. The lives and 
     dreams of thousands of men and women who fought for 
     democratic ideals were sacrificed because those men and women 
     believed that these ideals were worth fighting for and dying 
     for. It is fitting that today we honor those men and women 
     who made that sacrifice. It is the duty of our generation to 
     preserve the freedom that earlier generations fought to 
     secure. Unhappily, many now call for America to disarm. I, 
     however, am reminded of what George Washington said over 200 
     years ago: ``To be prepared for war is on of the most 
     effectual means of preserving peace.'' The cost of freedom is 
     eternal vigilance. Conflicts rage around the globe. Dictators 
     with pernicious designs are at this moment committed to 
     building their military power. Let us think twice about 
     downsizing our military forces too quickly in the wake of the 
     end of the Cold War--those before us here today understand 
     all too well that there is no substitute for military 
     preparedness. And they know that military preparedness does 
     not come cheap, does not come without sacrifice. Remembering 
     what memorial day is for, and what gives it meaning is how 
     each of us remembers the great sacrifices which have made 
     possible the blessings we share as Americans today. But when 
     we consider those blessings, we must remember that men and 
     women do not give their lives in the field of battle so that 
     their loved ones who they leave behind live in a society that 
     no longer respects their freedoms. The courageous veterans 
     that are here with us today understand exactly how precious 
     those freedoms are. You understand what is meant by civic 
     duty, and the responsibilities of citizenship in a world 
     desperate for heroes. I wish to salute you and honor you for 
     that sacrifice. Your courage is an inspiration to me and to 
     my generation, because courage in the face of danger and in 
     the face of an uncertain future is going to be the key 
     difference between what makes this country great and what 
     could lead to failure as we struggle with the difficulties 
     that we have today in our communities. To all of you who are 
     veterans, I am deeply honored to recognize your sacrifices in 
     the cause of freedom. Our country thanks you for your 
     patriotism. We will not forget. And when we are called upon a 
     defend liberty, we will rise to the challenge in the noble 
     American tradition of our forbears. And on behalf of my 
     generation, let me renew the pledge of Jefferson, Madison, 
     Hamilton, and John Jay: ``We stand ready, if our nation, and 
     the freedoms we stand for, are attacked--we will make the 
     sacrifice to preserve our cherished liberty for our children. 
     This we pledge: our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred 
     honor. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States 
     of America!
     

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