[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 48 (Tuesday, April 16, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ``ANSWERING AMERICA'S CALL'' HAWAII'S WINNING ESSAY IN VOICE OF 
                           DEMOCRACY CONTEST

                                 ______


                           HON. PATSY T. MINK

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                             April 16, 1996

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I submit the winning essay in the 
Hawaii State Veterans of Foreign Wars Voice of Democracy Competition. 
The author, Emily Shumway, resides in my district. She attends Kahuku 
High School and serves as the senior class president. In her script, 
Ms. Shumway explores the theme ``Answering America's Call.'' Her entry 
gained national recognition from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and she 
was recently awarded the Mr. and Mrs. James H. Black Scholarship.
  I join with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Brandon and Carolyn 
Merrill Shumway of Laie, HI, to congratulate Emily Shumway for her 
outstanding performance in the 1996 Voice of Democracy Program. The VFW 
Post 3927 of Waimanalo, HI, sponsored her in this year's contest. Her 
essay is as follows:

                        Answering America's Call

                           (By Emily Shumway)

       A young boy clings to his mother's black dress, his eyes 
     fixed on the bright flag draped over a coffin. The rays from 
     the blazing Arizona sun sparkle and dance on the shining 
     flag, causing it to glitter. The flag lights up the gloomy 
     circle he stands in. His trance is broken by the sound of 
     crying. He looks over at Corporal Far's young widow, her 
     whole body shaking in anguish and sorrow. He moves his 
     attention towards a young marine in a crisp blue uniform. He 
     watches the soldier closely as he removes a shining gold 
     bugle from its case. The bugle boy raises the instrument to 
     his lips and starts to play. The haunting melody of ``Taps'' 
     fills the little boy's ears and goose bumps rise on his skin. 
     Each moving phrase of the melody is echoed by another bugler 
     standing on a hill about a quarter of a mile away. The music 
     penetrates the silence across the lonely Arizona desert. To 
     the small child, the whole desert resonates. So much so, that 
     even the sagebrush and the tumble weeds seem to stand at 
     attention. He senses that he is witnessing one of the most 
     significant of human events. There is a line of military men 
     standing alongside the casket with burnished rifles at their 
     sides. In unison they raise their guns into the air and fire 
     3 shots as the final note of ``Taps'' floats solemnly over 
     the crowd and lingers for a few moments. The feeling in the 
     air is almost tangible. Even the little boy of five 
     recognizes the importance of what he is observing. He is not 
     a spectator, but a participant in the event taking place. His 
     attention returns to the flag in the center. ``What does one 
     do to deserve such honor?'' he thinks.
       If America could speak she would say, ``I need men and 
     women who would give their very lives to protect me and 
     preserve the freedom and justice I stand for. Patriotism in 
     this country, so vital for a nation's survival, has been 
     increasingly replaced by cynicism and mistrust of government. 
     I need men and women who embody the same spirit that 
     possessed George Washington, Paul Revere, Abraham Lincoln, 
     Frederick Douglas, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Theodore 
     Roosevelt, Sergeant York, General MacArthur, and even 
     Corporal Far.''
       America's call is a call to uphold her commitment to peace, 
     freedom, liberty, and justice for all. In an age where 
     discontent and excessive individuality seek to undermine and 
     trivialize patriotic actions, America calls out to each man, 
     woman, and child to remember the sacrifice of thousands, even 
     millions, like Corporal Far. They believe in America's future 
     and they proved it with their very lines. May each one of us 
     of the rising generation know and feel, as did the five year-
     old Arizona boy, the honor of devoted service to our country. 
     Though we may not die for our country, let us live for it by 
     seeking for ways to uphold and strengthen its righteous 
     institutions while constantly focusing on improvement. Each 
     one of us must thus answer America's call.

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