[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 11, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO OSSIE DAVIS AND THE FOURTH ANNUAL NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY 
                                CONCERT

                                 ______


                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 11, 1996

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker I rise today to recognize one of our Nation's 
most celebrated and talented actors, writers, and directors and a true 
friend of mine, Ossie Davis who recently hosted the fourth annual 
National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the Capitol in 
Washington, DC.
  Mr. Davis, a veteran who was a surgical technician in North Africa 
during World War II for years avoided Memorial Day celebrations. This 
year's event televised on PBS marked a significant transformation in 
his life.
  As a veteran of the Korean War and ardent supporter of our Nation's 
veterans I want to acknowledge the contributions made by the veterans 
of this Nation and I can think of no one more qualified to host the 
fourth annual National Memorial Day concert than the incomparable Ossie 
Davis.
  For the edification of my colleagues in the House, I would like to 
share the article written by James Zumwalt in Parade Magazine on May 
26, 1996 titled ``We Should Pay Tribute.''

                  [From Parade Magazine, May 26, 1996]

                         We Should Pay Tribute

                           (By James Zumwalt)

       Tonight at 8 p.m. EDT, Ossie Davis will be the host for the 
     fourth year of the National Memorial Day Concert, held on the 
     West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
       The PBS telecast (check local TV listings) will include 
     performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as 
     dramatic readings and archival footage from various wars in 
     American history. A special segment will be dedicated to the 
     women who worked statewide in World War II. And tributes will 
     be made to Desert Storm veterans and to American soldiers now 
     serving in Bosnia.
       Davis, now 78, served as a surgical technician in North 
     Africa in World War II. Yet, until a few years ago, he had 
     never participated in any Memorial Day celebrations. ``I did 
     not want to get involved in anything that glorified war,'' he 
     told me.
       While in Africa, Davis witnessed not only the horrors of 
     battle, he said, but also pronounced racism among fellow 
     American troops. He recalled watching a white soldier choose 
     to die rather than accept care from the only medics 
     available, because they were black. And he watched troop 
     trains in Africa--returning U.S. servicemen home after the 
     war--in which blacks were segregated while whites shared cars 
     with German prisoners who, he said, were granted more dignity 
     than the African-American troops.
       ``I felt betrayed,'' Davis recalled. I had come to feel 
     that I had been not only a patriot but a fool. I left the 
     Army very depressed.''
       On returning home to Georgia, Davis turned briefly to 
     alcohol. But in 1946 he got two lucky breaks: He landed a 
     part in a Broadway play, and he met his future wife, the 
     actress Ruby Dee. They have been married for 47 years. Davis 
     went on to distinguish himself not only as an actor but also 
     as a producer, writer and director. Recently, he appeared in 
     The Client and Grumpy Old Men.
       Through the years, Davis' anti-war sentiments remained 
     strong. Why, then, did he agree to be the host of these 
     concerts? ``I realized that no matter what I thought of war, 
     we should pay tribute to those both living and dead who 
     sacrificed,'' he explained.
       ``The military also has made significant strides,'' he went 
     on. ``Colin Powell who will speak at the concert was no 
     accident--he was an affirmation of what has changed. One of 
     the things I'm proudest of about America is that once she got 
     into it, she came up with a color-blind Army.''
       Davis also believes that the ignobility to warfare 
     shouldn't lessen the tribute we pay to those who served. 
     ``They gave what Lincoln called ``the last full measure of 
     devotion,'' he said. ``They did what was required to defend 
     something greater than they were.''

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