[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1042-E1043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE CRISPELL MIDDLE SCHOOL PAYS TRIBUTE AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN 
                                SOLDIER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 1997

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, next week about 50 students from the 
Crispell Middle School in Pine Bush, NY, will be touring our Nation's 
Capital. The high point of their visit will be a wreath-laying at the 
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. The three 
students who will be presenting the wreath were chosen by means of an 
essay contest.
  I found these essays to be so inspirational and informative for all 
of us that I ask that they be inserted in their entirety at this point 
in the Congressional Record.

                    The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

                           (By Cass Bazelow)

       ``My only goal is when you leave for the highschool, you 
     can pat yourself on the back and say your proud to be in the 
     United States'', a teacher said the first day of 8th grade. 
     It totally slipped my mind until The Vietnam War was being 
     discussed and it was said how many men and women gave their 
     lives, for their country. A team. We are all a team and each 
     give our part; some greater then others but all involved, to 
     make us the great nation that we are. Giving one's life is 
     the greatest contribution to any team and it deserves to be 
     honored.
       He was young, 18 to 19 years of age. He just got a girl-
     friend and a car and was planning what to do with the rest of 
     his life. The political parties and situations in Vietnam 
     were of no concern to him. That was the biggest mistake in 
     his life because a few days later, he was drafted to save a 
     country he didn't even live in--South Vietnam. The boy 
     couldn't even vote on righteous things in his

[[Page E1043]]

     own country, let alone stop communism in another but he went 
     willingly because he believed what his country believed. All 
     this came in an insane package at one time and his life was 
     havoc. He went, for his country, and fought, for his country, 
     and died, for his country.
       The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is important to this nation 
     not because of the name or the location but because of the 
     honor and symbolism. Some may think that it is such a 
     trifling way to give thanks to those who gave their lives to 
     this country. It's not the tomb that gives thanks but the 
     people who visit it and the honor one feels as they place a 
     wreath at the foot of the monument because of what it stands 
     for. The people visiting it is more of an honor then any 
     marker could be. Our country is made up of symbols and 
     monuments of freedom and love. The tomb is a symbol of life, 
     not death, because the people who visit it keep the memory, 
     of ones who died, alive.
       I believe I should present the wreath at The Tomb of the 
     Unknown Soldier to honor that young boy 18 to 19 years of 
     age. To honor all the people in situations different or 
     similar as this. They went, for their country, and fought, 
     for their country, and died, for their country. I go, for 
     their honor, and cry, for their honor, and remember, for 
     their honor.
       When June rolls around, I will thank that boy. Who is this 
     boy? It doesn't matter who this boy is, if he is from rural 
     America or Urban America, from mountains or sea. It matters 
     not if he was a farmer or an iron worker; He is our nation's 
     son. That boy made me realize what a great country we live 
     in. The USA is not the country because of the land; the 
     people make the country. When I leave, I will pat myself on 
     the back and be proud because of that boy.
                                                                    ____


                               Tomb Essay

                      (By Athanasia A. Anagnostou)

       Why is it that I'd like to lay a wreath down at the Tomb of 
     the Unknown Soldier? Truthfully, I'm not sure. It may 
     possibly be the chill which runs down my spine when I 
     contemplate about how many citizens of America have lost 
     their lives, fighting for what they believe in. Laying a 
     wreath at the Tomb is an important way to commemorate them, 
     no matter how small it may seem.
       Even though my parents weren't born here, they came to 
     America for the same reasons as everyone else--to live a 
     better life. America, ``The melting pot, land of 
     opportunity'' is what it's called. And why? Because we fought 
     to make America into a symbol for all of these things. From 
     the Revolutionary war to Vietnam, soldiers have all lost 
     their lives for the ``American Dream.'' Since I've had family 
     members fighting in American Wars, I've often wondered how 
     they and others summoned up the courage to risk their lives 
     so that things may be better for everyone. I've imagined how 
     crushing it must have been for parents to bid their beloved 
     children farewell when they went off to battle, never to see 
     them again. However, I've also pondered about the amount of 
     lives that inevitably will be lost in the future wars with 
     people still striving to make this country fit for the 
     ``Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness'' of its citizens.
       So in conclusion, I say that it is not important as to who 
     lays down the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but 
     that deceased soldiers are commemorated by all of us, even if 
     only in our hearts and minds.
                                                                    ____


                               Tomb Essay

                      (By Michael Nickerson, Jr.)

       The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier represents patriots who 
     fought bravely for this country and their bodies were never 
     found. It would be a great honor to place the wreath on the 
     Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This tomb honors the thousands 
     of people, who fought bravely and died to preserve the rights 
     of the next generations, but their bodies were never found or 
     identified.
       My father fought in the Vietnam War. This was never 
     declared a war, and many of the soldiers that returned were 
     shunned by their fellow country men, and even their own 
     country. Many of the Vietnam vets didn't receive the same 
     privileges as other war veterans. My dad doesn't talk a lot 
     about the war. I know the memories bother him. He was one of 
     the lucky ones that made it home with only a leg wound. Every 
     now and then he mentions some of his friends that never made 
     it home. It makes it even harder for friends and families 
     when their loved one's are MIA's, POW's, or their bodies have 
     never been identified or returned. The Vietnam Wall and The 
     Tomb of the Unknown Soldier helped heal some of my father's 
     wounds.
       I would love the opportunity to place the wreath on the 
     tomb site of these brave and unidentified soldiers. I would 
     be saying goodbye and thank you, not only to my dad's 
     friends, but to all the men and women who died from my 
     freedom. I would also be honoring all the men and the women 
     who fought for this country.

     

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