[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 150 (Tuesday, October 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. McCAIN:
  S. 2646. A bill to authorize the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial 
Foundation to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia or its 
environs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.


      to authorize a disabled veterans memorial in washington, dc

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to offer legislation to authorize 
the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation to establish a memorial 
on Federal land in the District of Columbia to honor all disabled 
American veterans. This legislation is not controversial, costs 
nothing, and deserves immediate consideration and passage as the 105th 
Congress prepares to adjourn for the year.
  As a nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to all Americans who have 
worn their country's uniform in the defense of her core ideals and 
interests. We honor their service with holidays, like Veterans Day and 
Memorial Day, and with memorials, including the Vietnam Wall and the 
Iwo Jima Memorial. But nowhere in Washington can be found a material 
tribute to those veterans whose physical or psychological health was 
forever lost to a sniper's bullet, a landmine, a mortar round, or the 
pure terror of modern warfare.
  To these individuals we owe a measure of devotion not accorded those 
who served honorably but without permanent damage to limb or spirit. 
For these individuals, a memorial in Washington, DC, would stand as 
testament to the sum of their sacrifices, and as proof that the country 
they served values their contribution to its cause.
  We cannot restore the health of those Americans who incurred a 
disability as a result of their military service. It is within our 
power, however, to authorize a memorial that would clearly signal the 
nation's gratitude to all whose disabilities serve as a living reminder 
of the toll war takes on its victims.
  Under the terms of this legislation, the Disabled Veterans' LIFE 
Memorial Foundation would be solely responsible for raising the 
necessary funding. Our bill explicitly requires that no Federal funds 
be used to pay any expense for the memorial's establishment.
  I urge my colleagues to join me and Senators Cleland, Coverdell, and 
Kerrey in support of this legislation. America's disabled veterans, of 
whom Senator Cleland himself is one of our most distinguished, deserve 
a lasting tribute to their sacrifice. They honored us with their 
service; let us honor them with our support today.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, I rise as a proud original cosponsor of 
legislation to establish a national Disabled Veterans Memorial here in 
Washington, DC.
  I am honored to join my fellow colleagues, veterans and friends 
Senators McCain and Cleland in establishing a memorial to the brave men 
and women who have served our Nation with honor and dignity, but have 
paid a grave price.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to 
establish and construct a memorial that is not only a tribute to our 
veterans, but will also serve the residents of the District as a place 
of civic and national pride.
  I will insist on an open and fair process as we move forward, and 
will be diligent in representing the best interests of the veterans, 
the District, the Nation, and the American people.
                                 ______