[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 12, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         A POEM OF REMEMBRANCE

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                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 12, 1996

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day has just passed, but 
we should always hold in our hearts the memory of those who came before 
us offering their service to our country. They made many a sacrifice, 
none small, some ultimate, for the greatness of our Nation.
  My constituent, Mr. Curt Perdelwitz, a retired U.S. Air Force Master 
Sergeant, has written a very poignant poem to remind us of our 
obligation to honor their memory. The poem, ``We Remember,'' which I 
will include following my remarks, was selected as the Editor's Choice 
by the National Library of Poetry and published in the ``Path Not 
Taken.'' I commend it to my colleagues and all Americans as a constant 
reminder of the great price we pay to defend freedom throughout the 
world.

                              We Remember

                        (By Curt W. Perdelwitz)

     The guns of the battle are now silent,
     The cries of the wounded no longer are heard
     The fields at Verdun and Bastogne are now peaceful,
     Antietam and the Hue are history remembered.
     Inchon and Desert Storm but memories of conflicts,
     Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal are part of our lore.
     But, for those whose blood turned battlefields red,
     And those who now rest in Valhalla,
     We, on this day, offer this prayer:--
     Oh Father in heaven! Lord of all living things!
     Bestow on Your lowly human mortals
     The wisdom and strength to lay aside
     Our greed, and power, and desire for material things.
     Awake within us, the sights of those crosses en row,
     Remind us of the souls who rest beneath--those
     Who gave their lives for us who now remain.
     It is for us to keep alive their spirits and hopes
     For those freedoms that shall never die.
     Grant us the ability to keep the faith and our promises
     To those who gave so much to us who now survive.

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