[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 157 (Wednesday, October 11, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H9792-H9793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF END OF WORLD WAR II

  (Mr. STUMP asked and was given permission to extend his remarks at 
this point in the Record and to include extraneous matter.)
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be one of 21 current Members of 
the House of Representatives being honored for military service during 
World War II.
  We, along with the millions of other young men and women who served 
our country in uniform during that war, strongly believed we were each 
doing our part for America.
  We all served together, side by side. One people, one war, one 
commitment, and one objective--to restore the peace and the freedom to 
those overwhelmed by tyranny.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans of all religions, of all races, and of diverse 
political philosophies, came together on the battlefield and on the 
homefront, helping to extinguish the flames of oppression and the evil 
that infected mankind throughout the world. America provided a beacon 
of hope in a dark sea of despair.
  On our road to victory in World War II, the names of the battles and 
the campaigns are engraved in the annals of war and history. The blood 
of thousands of brave young Americans consecrate innumerable 
battlefields around the world: Pearl Harbor, Bataan, Coral Sea, 
Corregidor, Midway, Guadalcanal, North Africa, Sicily, Solerno, Anzio, 
Tarawa, Monte Cassino, Normandy, Saipan, The Philippine Sea, Peleliu, 
Leyte, Luzon, the Bulge, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
  Mr. Speaker, although that war brought out the frenzied depravity in 
man--the Holocaust, Manzinar and other Japanese relocation camps, 
racial segregation, ethnic cleansing, criminal mistreatment of allied 
POW's, and the destruction of more than 55 million men and women, 
certain historic events symbolized the benevolence of Americans as 
well. The Red Cross, the Homeguard, Gold Star Mothers and Wives, War 
Bonds, care packages, and the reconstruction of Germany and Japan.
  The Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of World War II will end 
with a closing week of ceremonies in November. Although, this event 
will mark the official end of commemorations, we must never forget to 
honor those brave men and women who served in the war that changed our 
future.

[[Page H 9793]]

  Mr. Speaker, this generation of Americans had a rendezvous with 
destiny. Fifty years ago last month, General MacArthur stood upon the 
deck of the U.S.S. Missouri, in Tokyo Bay, to receive the unconditional 
surrender of the Empire of Japan. In MacArthur's closing remarks, he 
spoke directly to the mothers, the fathers, the wives, and the 
sweethearts of those men and women back home.

       And so my fellow countrymen, today I report to you that 
     your sons and daughters have served you well and faithfully . 
     . . their spiritual strength and power has brought us through 
     to victory. They are homeward bound--take care of them.

  Mr. Speaker, I would say to my fellow Americans, to take care of them 
as well. I speak to the spouses, the children, the grandchildren, and 
the friends of those brave patriots who served this country in war. 
Please continue to care for them. They deserve it, and they have earned 
it.
  In the 50 years since they have returned home, they have faithfully 
served this country with dignity, and with strengthened character. They 
have all helped to create the single greatest country on the face of 
the earth, and have altered, for the better, the future of mankind, 
both at home and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, for those who are no longer with us, there are no words 
to adequately describe the supreme sacrifice each has made in the 
service of their country.
  But words in the context of why we honor their memory, pale in 
comparison to the ultimate deed that these brave Americans have done 
for us now living in a free world. We must all sustain the memories of 
their heroism and their service with respect, with reverence, and with 
our heartfelt affection.
  Our humble words can never repay the debt that we owe these great men 
and women, yet, we can strive to keep their faith and to uphold their 
vision which led them into battle and to their final sacrifice.
  Mr. Speaker, we are, after all, the caretakers of their memory.

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