[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 135 (Thursday, October 2, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1917-E1918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         DEDICATION OF KOOTENAI COUNTY VETERANS MEMORIAL PLAZA

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                          HON. HELEN CHENOWETH

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 1, 1997

  Mrs. CHENOWETH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call the Members' 
attention to the dedication today of an important memorial in Kootenai 
County, ID. I am proud to say that the Kootenai County Veterans 
Memorial Plaza being dedicated today represents the gratefulness that 
the people of Idaho have for our Nation's veterans from the 
Revolutionary War up to the Persian Gulf war. The chairman of the 
county commissioners, Dick Compton, and Commissioners Richard Panabaker 
and Ronald D. Rankin echo the sentiments of the great people of 
Kootenai County in their appreciation for the great sacrifices these 
veterans made. The State of Idaho has a proud history of support for 
our Nation's armed services and for our Nation's veterans. Idaho has 
also stood strong for the founding principles that have made this 
country great. The Veterans Memorial Plaza stands as an important 
monument for our Nation's veterans and for these great principles which 
they stood for with such courage, willingness, and sacrifice of life 
and limb. I applaud the people of Kootenai County for the dedication of 
the Veterans Memorial Plaza. I would encourage each of the members to 
read the heartfelt words from Commissioner Rankin's dedication below.

                 Dedication of Veterans Memorial Plaza

                   (By Commissioner Ronald D. Rankin)

       In December of 1776, just five months after the Declaration 
     of Independence had been signed and the thirteen colonies 
     were swept up in the American Revolution, Thomas Paine wrote, 
     ``These are the times that try men's souls. The summer 
     soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink 
     from the service of his country; but he that stands now 
     deserves the love and thanks of all men and women.''

[[Page E1918]]

       That is why we are dedicating this Veterans Memorial Plaza 
     today, to remember all of those who stood fast and held the 
     line against tyranny, from the bridge at Concord to the sands 
     of the Persian Gulf, and to say thank you . . . for without 
     their courage, their dedication and their willingness to die 
     for what was right, we would not be here today.
       Those we honor today died so that we might enjoy life, 
     liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Their legacy carries 
     with it a tremendous burden--the responsibility to live our 
     lives so that we may vouchsafe that for which they gave their 
     lives . . . our freedom.
       Freedoms won on distant battlefields can be lost in an 
     instant here at home if we do not carry on the fight against 
     tyranny.
       No one knows better than a veteran that service to America 
     does not end when you come home from the war. We fought for 
     freedom and we've seen our friends die for freedom, but in 
     spite of the great sacrifices of our fallen patriots of the 
     past, we have become a nation morally adrift--without compass 
     or rudder, sacrificing the generations we fought and died for 
     to an enemy we cannot see.
       In our wars, fought on the fields of battle, the enemy wore 
     uniforms and carried weapons--rifles, bayonets, grenades--he 
     was identifiable and we were armed and trained to recognize 
     and defeat him.
       Today, a far more insidious enemy is already on our shores 
     striking at the very soul of America. Today's enemy does not 
     wear a uniform or fight with bayonets or grenades. He uses 
     our media, he preys on the carnal desires of our 
     communities--he pollutes our childrens' minds with filth and 
     their bodies with drugs--he has taken God out of our 
     institutions and desecrates our flag with the approval of our 
     Government. There are no distant drums of war signaling our 
     peril--no fox holes, trenches, bayonets or grenades in this 
     war. The ammunition is knowledge, which we must all continue 
     to seek . . . and the battle is fought in the city halls, the 
     courthouses, the legislatures, and the Congress.
       I say to you here today, you patriots and protectors of our 
     progeny and their heritage, as Patrick Henry stated, ``the 
     enemy is in the field . . . why stand we here idle? ''
       Thank God the people we honor today lived. Thank God that 
     they cared enough about our country and its future that they 
     laid down their lives to preserve it, and thank God that with 
     His help we may have the strength and determination to carry 
     on and make this again the ``One Nation Under God'' for which 
     they died. It is a tremendous responsibility, but we owe it 
     to them and to future generations.
       The future begins today, the future begins with us. May God 
     continue to bless America and may he bless us all in our 
     righteous endeavors.
       This I say humbly, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

       

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