[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 75 (Friday, May 24, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MEMORIAL DAY, 1996

                                 ______


                             HON. BOB STUMP

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 1996

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day leaves few hearts unmoved in 
recalling the sacrifices made by brave men and women who died in the 
defense of freedom and democracy. Memorial Day is not about war or 
peace, nor is it about a battle or an armistice. Memorial Day is about 
people--those who have lived, and those who have died.
  There are no words to adequately describe the supreme sacrifice made 
by brave Americans who have died in the defense of our country. Words 
in the context of why we honor their memory, pale in comparison to the 
ultimate deeds that men and women have done for those of us now living 
in a free world.
  What we can do for them, is to sustain the memories of their 
heroism--with respect, with reverence, and with our heartfelt 
admiration. Humble words can never repay the debt we owe these brave 
men and women, yet we can strive to keep faith with them and to uphold 
their vision of righteousness, which led them into battle and to their 
final sacrifice. We are, after all, the caretakers of their memory.
  The determination and courage shown by countless Americans who have 
fought and died in battle, is symbolized in a myriad of monuments and 
memorials, each commemorating the deeds of untold Americans whose 
remains sanctify the soil throughout the world. Those who have died and 
those who are still missing deserve our perpetual contemplation.
  President Lincoln knew this when he dedicated those hallowed grounds 
at Gettysburg on that cold November day in 1863.
  We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting 
place for those who here gave their lives that a nation might live. It 
is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a 
larger sense, we cannot dedicate--we cannot consecrate--we cannot 
hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, 
have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The 
world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but they can 
never forget what they did here.
  In World War I, America made the world safe for democracy and helped 
create a promising new world from the ashes of defeat. In World War II, 
faced with the single greatest threat to civilization the world had 
ever known, magnificent young Americans fought to extinguish the flame 
of tyranny throughout the world. America provided freedom loving people 
mired in a dark sea of despair, a beacon of hope and faith sustaining 
their anticipation of victory over oppression.
  In Korea and Vietnam, Americans helped stem the tide of 
totalitarianism, which directly led to the demise of Communism and our 
ultimately victory in the cold war. Today, America is the guardian of 
democracy. Americans continue to demonstrate our resolve as the 
sentinel of freedom in Lebanon, Grenada, the Persian Gulf, Haiti, 
Somalia and the Balkans.
  It is up to us the living, the beneficiaries of their sacrifice, to 
commemorate the deeds of those whom we confer the epithet of patriot.
  Those who have served in combat understand the unique experience of 
war. Each has seen the devastation of property and the horror of death. 
Each has experienced the sadness of the loss of a friend and 
understands the grief of families who have lost a loved one. To this 
day, many share in the anguish of those who don't know the fate of a 
friend or a loved one missing in action. We all stand together as 
comrades in arms.
  How can we convey our appreciation for the meaning of this day to 
those who have never served?
  Education connects future generations of Americans with the battles 
fought by their parents and their grandparents. Each generation must be 
taught that the willingness of some to sacrifice their lives so that 
others might live in freedom, is the eternal legacy of all who have 
honorably served our country in wars past.
  For it is this history which teaches us that brave Americans who were 
willing to give their lives for freedom and democracy, did so for a 
cause they considered infinitely more important than life. None 
volunteered to die. Each volunteered to defend the values which brave 
men and women have always been willing to die for. Those values passed 
on to each generation of Americans are to advocate honor, to strengthen 
the family, and to defend our country and our flag.
  Memorial Day is a national day of respect. As we honor the memory of 
our Nation's veterans and war heroes who are no longer with us, let us 
pledge that their lives and their sacrifice shall not have been offered 
in vain, but will be remembered by us all forever.

                          ____________________