[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 24, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               VETERANS' CEMETERY PROTECTION ACT OF 1997

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                               speech of

                            HON. RON PACKARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 23, 1997

  Mr. PACKARD. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Military 
Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, I know that our military men 
and women devote years of service to our country. We must honor our 
commitment to our current military, but must not forget about our 
veterans. To do so would be to abandon the very things that our 
veterans have fought so hard to preserve.
  The American Government entered into a compact with the men and women 
who put their lives on the line for our freedom. We must make sure that 
the Government lives up to its end of the bargain. We owe our veterans 
the respect they deserve.
  Mr. Speaker, the men and women buried at national cemeteries across 
the country deserve our deepest respect and thanks. Unfortunately, 
vandals and thieves have made a mockery of their final resting places 
by desecrating Riverside National Cemetery, which is located just 
outside of my district in Riverside County, and most recently, the 
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.
  I applaud my colleague from Riverside for his swift work to introduce 
and bring to the floor H.R. 1532, the Veterans' Cemetery Protection 
Act. Ken Calvert recognized that deliberate acts of vandalism against 
America's fallen comrades must not be tolerated. Demeaning and 
degrading the final resting place of veterans who made the ultimate 
sacrifice for the Nation strikes at all veterans and all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, as a former naval officer, these acts of vandalism touch 
me directly. I firmly believe that criminal penalties for theft and 
vandalism and National Cemeteries must be imposed. The Veterans' 
Cemetery Protection Act will do just that. I strongly encourage all of 
my colleagues to support this important legislation. Our veterans gave 
their all for our country. We must give them nothing less in return.

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