[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 77 (Thursday, May 30, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H5735-H5736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REPORT FROM INDIANA: MEMORIAL DAY HEROES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. McIntosh] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give my weekly report from 
Indiana.
  Every weekend, my wife Ruthie and I travel across Indiana.
  So often we are blessed to be included in very, very special 
ceremonies.
  Last Memorial Day weekend we participated in two unforgettable events 
honoring veterans for Memorial Day.
  They reminded me that 220 years ago, the signers of the Declaration 
of Independence took a solemn oath:

       And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm 
     Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually 
     pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred 
     Honor.

  Last weekend as we celebrated Memorial Day, Americans reflected upon 
the grand project to which those men, our Founding Fathers, pledged 
their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
  That grand project was the United States of America.
  It was not merely a territory, was not a treasure, and was not an 
allegiance to a king.
  No, that grand project was an idea. It was the idea of freedom.
  The first event was held last Friday in Indianapolis where awe-
inspiring half-oval limestone memorials were dedicated for Indiana's 
Vietnam and Korean war veterans.
  These memorials were dedicated thanks to George Busirk, president of 
the Indiana War Memorial Commission; and Gerald ``Dutch'' Bole, the 
director of the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs.

[[Page H5736]]

  On the limestone is carved the names of those men and women who died 
in those conflicts.
  In many of our communities veterans of past wars are no longer 
remembered on Memorial Day.
  But in Indianapolis, over 6,000 people came to honor those who 
sacrifice in defense of this country. And it was also a day, to honor 
those who have taken their place.
  My colleague, Mr. Jacobs, who served in Korea, set the tone for the 
event, when he said:

       We gather not in triumph and glory, but in sorrow. We must 
     never forget the young Americans that sacrificed their lives, 
     so that we may live in liberty.

  I saw sorrow and pride in the face of Sgt. Sammy Davis, who received 
a Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry during an enemy attack 
during his tour in the Vietnam war. And Adrian Cronauer shared with us 
the original ``Gooooooood Morning Vietnam.''
  Captain Scott O'Grady joined in the ceremony. He is the soldier who 
captured America's heart, when he was shot down over the skies of 
Bosnia and through his faith in God made his way to freedom, in June of 
last year.
  Captain O'Grady shed a tear at the playing of ``Taps'' to honor those 
who did not come home from Vietnam and Korea.
  The second ceremony that Ruthie and I participated in was a special 
memorial service in Centerville, IN--a small, quite town in Wayne 
County.
  There, folks gathered from miles around at the Crown Hill Cemetery, 
to lay wreaths, place flags and honor our brave men and women who 
served in our Armed Forces.
  Post Adjutant Earl Dingworth and members of the American Legion Post 
287 were on hand to honor those who had made the ultimate sacrifice for 
their country.
  Chaplain Roy Brown, from Richmond's Veterans of Foreign Wars [VFW] 
Post 1108, asked God's blessing for those who serve, and for their 
friends and family.
  It was both an honor and privilege for me to salute those brave 
Americans who sacrificed and will sacrifice their lives on behalf of 
this country.
  I would like to commend our brave servicemen and women, our veterans 
and their families as Hoosier Heros, Hoosier Heros because they have 
taken the ultimate oath in defense of our liberty.
  I would like my colleagues and all Americans listening today to join 
me in taking that same sacred oath our forefathers took over 200 years 
ago.
  To pledge in the defense of America our lives, our fortunes, and our 
sacred honor.
  Those are the kind of American values our Country stands for.
  Because the men and women who take this oath are not only Hoosier 
heros, but America's heros.
  And that Mr. Speaker, is my report from Indiana.


                   report from indiana: tony steward

  Mr. Speaker, I rise today, to give a Report from Indiana.
  In my home State, we gear-up for the Indianapolis 500 during the 
month of May.
  It is a cherished Hoosier tradition celebrated across the State since 
1911.
  Many young children, grow up, dreaming about someday racing in the 
500. Few, have been so lucky.
  But this year, Hoosier racing fans were able to cheer for a home-town 
boy.
  Tony Steward, a 25-year-old of Rushville, IN, and from my district, 
was that young man.
  Tony Steward is to be commended for his courage and dedication to 
reaching one of his life-long goals.
  Tony is a 1989 graduate of Columbus North High School.
  And this year, he participated in ``The Greatest Spectacle on Earth'' 
* * * The Indianapolis 500.
  Race-fans across the State, cheered for the Columbus native and 
Rushville resident.
  He earned one of only 33 slots on race day.
  He qualified with the fastest time and earned the prestigious pole 
position.
  And for the first 31 laps, he led the race.
  He bravely challenged the 2\1/2\ mile oval at speeds of up to 230 
miles-per-hour.
  During the 82d lap, his engine blew and he finished the race in 24th 
place.
  But his performance earned him the `Rookie of the Year Award.'
  His participation in this historic auto racing event made us all very 
proud.

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