[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 75 (Friday, May 24, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E929-E930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MEMORIAL DAY 1996

                                 ______


                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 1996

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the observance 
of Memorial Day. This day we pause from our busy schedules to honor 
those who have given their lives defending our freedom in the line of 
duty. A small stone market at Omaha Beach Cemetery echoes our gratitude 
with this simple but powerful acknowledgement. ``To these we owe our 
highest resolve, that the cause for which they died, we shall live.''
  The efforts of the men and women who valiantly served our country 
here and abroad to preserve peace and liberty deserve our highest 
recognition. Whether we observe this occasion through ceremony or 
prayer, Memorial Day leaves few hearts unmoved. From the remote places 
of Argonne, Normandy, Inchon, Da Nang, and Kuwait City, Americans have 
shed their blood so that others might live in peace, without fear of 
tyranny and aggression. We have an obligation to remember the names and 
the deeds of the Americans who paid the price for our freedom.
  The courage and valor shown by the men and women who have served our 
country is symbolized by the plethora of monuments and memorials, each 
commemorating the deeds of untold numbers of Americans who made the 
ultimate sacrifice for their country. For those

[[Page E930]]

who have died and for those who are still missing, we pause to reflect 
and hopefully to learn.
  For us, the living, the beneficiaries of their sacrifices, the 
responsibility rests in our hands. History teaches us that those who 
were willing to give their lives for freedom and democracy, do so for a 
cause more important than life.
  We are proud of those who have served our Nation. Today we remember 
so that future generations will never forget.

                          ____________________