[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MEMORIAL DAY 1998--OUR THANKS AND GRATITUDE TO ALL WHO SACRIFICED FOR 
                               OUR NATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 1998

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for all of us on this 
Memorial Day to commemorate all those who made the ultimate sacrifice 
on the battlefield, on the seas, and in the air, so that we in our 
nation may enjoy the liberty for which they gave their lives.
  Our Memorial Day services which date back to our country's tragic 
conflict, the Civil War period, which tore apart our nation and in 
which brother fought brother, have taught us how fragile our liberty 
is.
  The first National Memorial Day was held on May 30, 1868 in honor of 
those who had given their lives during the Civil War. It was Arlington 
National Cemetery, in the presence of General Ulysses S. Grant, where 
future President James A. Garfield touched upon the solemnness and 
reverence of honoring the dead stating:

       If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the 
     graves of fifteen thousand men whose lives were more 
     significant than speech and whose death was a poem the music 
     of which can never be sung. * * * they summed up and perfect, 
     by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. 
     For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved 
     all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and virtue.

  In the subsequent Spanish American War, the two World Wars, in Korea, 
in Vietnam, in Somalia, Grenada, Panama, and the Persian Gulf, and in 
countless other skirmishes, on lawless frontiers, and in peacekeeping 
efforts throughout the world, our brothers and sisters, our sons and 
daughters, our parents, our friends and loved ones, our fellow 
Americans, have given their lives for a greater cause.
  Franklin Delano Roosevelt summed up the American Spirit when he said: 
``We, too, born to freedom, are willing to fight to maintain freedom. 
We, and all others who believe as deeply as we do, would rather die on 
our feet than live on our knees.'' We are a proud peace loving nation, 
but when alternatives fail, we will fight to maintain liberty and 
freedom. Memorial Day is a solemn day where we honor those who had the 
courage to die on their feet.
  We honor our fallen heroes of those conflicts, not only because they 
are worthy of our honor, but also by recalling their sacrifice, we make 
certain that we keep the peace for our future generations. By honoring 
our tragic heroes, our nation is reminded to avoid the mistakes and 
errors that could lead to any future conflict.
  As we pause today, remembering our loved ones who died in service, 
let us take a moment to also recall all those Americans whose fates are 
still unknown, our POWs and MIAs. There are over two thousand from 
Vietnam, and countless others from other conflicts. Let us remember 
those thousands of service men and women who still remain unaccounted 
for.
  We also honor the millions of other Americans who sacrificed to 
defeat tyranny here and abroad, the women and civilians who worked in 
our defense plants and who served in the auxiliary during both World 
Wars, our workers in business and industry who helped to make our 
nation the ``Arsenal of Democracy'', the Boy and Girl Scouts who 
conducted metal and paper drives, the housewives who learned to make do 
with ration stamps, the workers who learned to car pool, and the senior 
citizens who served as civil defense officers, those who wrote letters 
and spent packages to our troops in Korea, Vietnam, The Persian Gulf 
and Bosnia. All of these Americans have helped make the world safe for 
democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, on this Memorial Day, let us give thanks and praise to 
all the men and the women, who worked together and in many cases died 
together, so that we may remain free.
  Let us also pause today to pray for the safekeeping and safe return 
of our thousands of American service men and women serving in distant 
lands in peacekeeping missions.
  Thank you and God bless.

                          ____________________