[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           WALTER CAPPS ``IN OUR HEARTS'' MEMORIAL DAY SPEECH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 1997

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, this Monday is Memorial Day. Members of 
Congress will be home in joining with our constituents at many 
important ceremonies honoring the memory of those who sacrificed their 
life in the service of our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, one of our new Members, Walter Capps, of California, 
will be giving the keynote address as a major Memorial Day gathering in 
Los Osos, CA. Congressman Capps is a true friend of those currently 
serving in the military and a staunch advocate on behalf of our 
veterans and their families.
  Representative Capps has shared his planned remarks with me. I am 
pleased to submit a copy of Representative Capps' remarks into the 
Congressional Record moving speech and I urge my colleagues to read and 
reflect on his remarks.

                             In Our Hearts

                           (By Walter Capps)

       Corporal Haley, Father Kozanecki, Master Sergeant Martin, 
     Supervisor Laurent, Reverend Ford, esteemed Veterans, ladies, 
     and gentlemen.
       It is a humbling and awesome task to stand before 1,000 
     people this morning in this breathtaking location to help 
     observe Memorial Day.
       Today, all over this great nation, Americans from every 
     walk of life are taking time to honor the memory and reflect 
     on the sacrifices of those who gave their lives so that we 
     can live our lives in peace and freedom. Today more than any 
     day, they are in our hearts.
       And just as importantly, we pay tribute to those--like the 
     hundreds in this gathering today--who served in our military 
     forces. You may not have given your lives, but you certainly 
     gave of your bodies and souls in defense of your country and 
     the cherished principles which make our nation so great. 
     You too are in our hearts.
       From the first shot fired of the Revolutionary War to the 
     scud missile casualties in the Persian Gulf, nearly 1.2 
     million Americans have been killed at war.
       This statistic is staggering. Simply uttering it and moving 
     on threatens to obscure the individuality of each fallen man 
     or woman, and to dim the historic lessons of each American 
     conflict.
       The first Memorial Day was observed on May 30, 1868, three 
     years after the Civil War set our nation against itself and 
     claimed the lives of half a million people from the Union and 
     the Confederacy.
       Nearly 130 years later, these deaths must remind us of the 
     urgency to settle our own differences under the rule of law 
     and with the decency of a civil society. We must never resort 
     to the internal warfare that has killed countless people 
     across the globe--from Zaire to Chechnya--even this year. And 
     the lesson of the Civil War about the cruelties and 
     degradation of racial bigotry are sadly those that still have 
     not been fully realized by our society.
       Many of you fought in World War II. In fact, some have made 
     their home in this beautiful county because you trained here 
     before shipping out overseas.
       To you, and your 400,000 comrades in arms who perished in 
     Europe and in the Pacific, the world will forever owe a 
     priceless debt of gratitude for vanquishing tyrants who 
     committed unspeakable crimes against innocent people and who 
     threatened the very existence of civilized life on earth. The 
     lessons of World War II, of course, are that we can never 
     tolerate the unchecked genocidal passions of ruthless 
     dictators and expansionist military campaigns which threaten 
     fellow democracies and even our own shores.
       I see many Vietnam vets here today. I have known and worked 
     with some of you since I first came to California 32 years 
     ago and began teaching a university course on the Vietnam 
     War.
       The lessons of the Vietnam war are profound. From this war, 
     we learned that we must never blame the war on the warriors. 
     The sad fact that more Vietnam vets have killed themselves 
     than died on the battlefield teaches us that when we send 
     soldiers to war, we must, as a nation, support them when they 
     return.
       And from the Vietnam war, we must resolve only to send U.S. 
     troops into harm's way when critical American strategic or 
     moral interests demand our engagement, and never make this 
     decision out of a sense of ideological zealotry.
       Those who join us today who served in World War I, Korea, 
     the Gulf War, and other conflicts and peacekeeping missions 
     have, of course, made their own special contributions in 
     defense of American security and values.
       My friends, I have participated in Memorial Day exercises 
     for many years, but this is the first year that I have been 
     honored to do so as your Congressman.
       It is an unparalleled honor and high privilege to represent 
     our communities and its people in our nation's capital. And 
     as your Representative, I have new challenges and 
     responsibilities.
       As a Congressman, I have no higher duty than to preserve 
     the security of our nation by ensuring that our military 
     remains the best trained, best equipped, and most prepared in 
     the world. Yes, even in the age of budget cuts and 
     downsizing, we can and must maintain an efficient and cost-
     effective military skilled not only in conventional warfare, 
     but at combating the new enemies of terrorism, drug 
     trafficking and organized crime.
       As a Congressman, and a Member of the International 
     Relations Committee, I am doing all I can to rid the world of 
     the most horrifying weaponry of past and potential wars. I am 
     active in the efforts to ban antipersonnel land mines and am 
     pushing for swift action on the critical chemical weapons 
     treaty.
       As a Congressman, I am committed to maintaining the highest 
     level of Federal benefits for our veterans and their 
     families. In this effort, I will continue my previous work as 
     a private citizen, when I helped bring the first ever Vet 
     Center to Santa Barbara.
       I am, for example, cosponsoring legislation to ensure that 
     veterans receive substantial health benefits and that they 
     are never shortchanged on retirement pay. And I am proud to 
     say that my office has been able to help a number of veterans 
     secure medals to which they were entitled but never received.
       As a Congressman, I will keep pushing our government and 
     the governments of Vietnam and other former adversaries to 
     leave no stone unturned in our sacred battle to determine the 
     final status of all the brave combatants who are still 
     missing in action.
       And as a Congressman, I will honor the memory of those who 
     died in service of our nation by trying to preserve the 
     unique American values for which they fought. Today is the 
     day when all of us should pledge to redouble our fight to 
     ensure that the basic rights we all enjoy--freedom of speech, 
     freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the freedoms 
     afforded by our democratic political system are never, ever, 
     diminished.
       My friends, some of you know that I was born in Omaha, 
     Nebraska. That's why I'm particularly proud to quote the 
     inscription that many of you have read for yourselves at the 
     Omaha Beach Cemetery in Normandy:
       ``To these we owe our highest resolve, that the cause for 
     which they died shall live.''
       Freedom, peace, justice, dignity, and prosperity. These are 
     the qualities of life all of us here on the Central Coast and 
     across America enjoy. We must never take them for granted. 
     And we must forever remember and honor those who fought and 
     died for the cherished causes that will endure for 
     generations to come.
       Today, and every day, they are in our hearts.

       

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