[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10904-S10905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           VETERANS DAY 1997

 Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, as a veteran of the U.S. Marine 
Corps, I rise today to pay tribute to our Nation's veterans, their 
families, and to those who died in defense of our great land.
  On November 11, 1997, we will again pay tribute to our Nation's 
veterans. There will be parades, ceremonies, and in my home State of 
Montana, where I served as Yellowstone County commissioner, a 
dedication of a veterans wall will take place in Billings.
  One must stop and wonder on Veterans Day 1997, if our Government is 
doing all we can for our country's veterans. For the many men and women 
who rely on Uncle Sam to provide the benefits they earned by putting 
their lives on the line, the answer is a resounding ``No.'' We must do 
more to ensure that veterans and their families are looked after and 
afforded every opportunity to receive the health care and the benefits 
they so rightly deserve. The veteran stepped forward when the Nation 
called; it is time the Government stepped up to the plate and delivered 
the benefits the veterans deserve.
  Today, I would like to say ``thank you'' to the veterans for the 
sacrifices you made defending our country. Thank you for the time you 
spent away from your home and families to heed the call of our great 
Nation.
  Mr. President, we must never forget those brave men and women who 
paid

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the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for the United States of 
America.
  As the saying goes, ``If you love your freedom, thank a vet.'' I urge 
our Nation to reach out and shake the hand of a veteran today and say 
``thank you'' for a job well done.

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