[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 10, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H578-H583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBER PAOLI
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon)
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this special
order to discuss America's patriots. The patriots of America have been
extremely important in the struggle for this great Nation over the past
220 years, to allow us to enjoy the freedoms and the independence that
oftentimes we take for granted. My discussion today will focus on the
patriots of America of the past and the patriots of America today,
those who are defending our country around the world.
Let me start off by discussing a situation I think requires national
attention.
Over 220 years ago, Mr. Speaker, this Nation was fighting for its
existence. Young patriots, many of whom were undertrained, who were not
properly fed, who were ill-equipped, were fighting against the forces
of England to allow us to have a free independent Nation. There were
some very serious battles in that process. We know those battles from
our history books, the battles of Valley Forge, the battles that took
place in Brandywine.
But, Mr. Speaker, what we have failed to understand is that one key
battle that many historians would argue was the turning point in the
morale of our troops to defeat the British was the battle that resulted
in the outcry of our troops, ``Remember Paoli.'' It occurred in the
spring of 1777 when the British were conducting the Philadelphia
campaign to then take over the capital of our Nation because at that
time Philadelphia was the capital of the United States. There was a
major effort on the part of the British to move to capture
Philadelphia, and in the process a series of battles took place.
The first of two American attempts to stop the British invasion that
fall was the battle of Brandywine, September 11, 1777, and the
unsuccessful Battle of the Clouds, September 16, 1777. There was also a
third attempt to contain the British General Sir William Howe's advance
on Philadelphia, and each of them were unsuccessful.
But a very important history lesson shows us that in the Battle of
Paoli the British troops sought and successfully committed a surprise
attack on our troops that were encamped at Paoli at a cornfield, a
cornfield that still exists today. The British went to do this in the
early morning hours so as to avoid detection, and they did not want to
use their guns because they wanted a surprise attack to wipe out the
patriots for the fight for our independence.
The battle took place, and the British massacred the American
patriots. Their bayonet attacks on the American young men who fought
there, many of whom were 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 years of age, were by
all accounts devastating. Fifty-three young Americans were slaughtered,
slaughtered by the British. They were slaughtered in such a fierce way
that the story of that battle traveled throughout the Revolutionary War
troops and the cry of ``Remember Paoli'' became a rallying cry for the
American patriots in all future battles of the revolution which we all
know we successfully won.
``Remember Paoli'' was about a battle fought on a 40-acre site in
Malvern and Chester County in Pennsylvania, not far from Valley Forge
and not far from Brandywine. Today there are 53 young American patriots
whose bodies lay in rest at that site.
The challenge we have, Mr. Speaker, is that that 40-acre battlefield
adjacent to the burial site of these young American patriots is about
to be sold. It is about to be developed; perhaps another shopping
center, perhaps another housing project, perhaps being paved over by
someone who wants to build some new type of development in the area
that we call the Main Line coming out of Philadelphia, a very affluent
area.
But the owner of the property, a private school right next to the
site, has issued a challenge, that America, the State, the county and
the local community should undertake an effort to preserve that 40-acre
site so that those 53 young American patriots, so that their memory is
never forgotten.
Two and a half years ago when the owner of that property came
forward, the owner of the school, the board of directors said, ``We
challenge the community, we challenge the country to protect this site
and allow us to move on to other things. But if you do not take up that
challenge, we will sell the site to developers.''
Mr. Speaker, that sale is imminent, and if in fact the Paoli site is
sold, it will be one of the last remaining significant sites that was a
part of our Revolutionary War history. It is a site that needs to be
protected. It is a site that needs the Federal Government, the State,
the county and the local government to come together with the private
sector to show those American patriots and all of our war heroes,
including those serving the country today, that we will always remember
and honor their service, and in this case especially because of the
symbolism associated with the battle at Paoli and the massacre that
occurred there.
Two and a half years ago a local group led by citizens in Malvern
Borough, where Paoli is located, joined together to begin to raise the
private money to acquire this site. Now many would argue this site
should be protected by the Federal Government. After all, it was a
major battle, just as Valley Forge was a battle and Brandywine was a
battle and other historical sites were battle grounds. But they decided
they would set the tone, so they set out to raise money. To date they
have raised over $500,000 in actual money and commitments to help
protect this site.
They came to me one year ago, and they said, ``Congressman, can you
assist us? Because there are patriots of the Revolutionary War who are
buried
[[Page H579]]
at this site.'' And I said absolutely unequivocally I would help to
have the Federal Government include this site as a part of the history
of this great Nation.
Throughout last year we worked on a bipartisan piece of legislation
that worked its way out of the Committee on Resources. With the full
support of Jim Hansen and his subcommittee and Don Young on the full
committee the bill was passed in the Senate, but because of a
difficulty in getting the bill under unanimous consent on the floor on
the last day could not be brought up for passage. I have reintroduced
that measure in the House this session.
Yesterday I introduced the Patriot Act, Mr. Speaker, which would, in
fact, allow us to assist the local folks in protecting the site of the
Paoli massacre and the revered site where those 53 young Americans are
buried. The bill has the unanimous support of the entire Pennsylvania
congressional delegation, our neighbor in Delaware, Congressman Castle,
our neighbor in south Jersey, Rob Andrews, because they understand, as
I do, the historical significance of this site.
The legislation, Mr. Speaker, would allow us to authorize up to $2.5
million to show this local school that we want to work with the local
folks to acquire this site. This act would require that a study be done
by the National Park Service as to whether or not the site of the Paoli
massacre should be included as a part of the Valley Forge National Park
right down the road. In the meantime, it would allow the Federal
Government to an appropriate on a dollar-for-dollar basis one-half of
the $2.5 million needed to acquire this site.
Now, Mr. Speaker, the local folks in Chester County have already
raised $500,000. What we would do is then move to provide a matching
dollar-for-dollar basis up to a cap of $1.25 million, so we would have
a combined total of $2.5 million to acquire the 40-acre site.
The Borough of Malvern, where the battlefield is located, has agreed
to maintain the site until the Park Service determines whether or not
it will take the site as a part of Valley Forge National Park. In the
meantime, they will police it, they will oversee it. That site will
remain as it was 222 years ago. It will still be the cornfield that it
was when those soldiers bravely fought for our independence.
To do anything less than protect that site would in my opinion be a
national embarrassment, and I urge my colleagues to sign on, to jointly
support and honor those brave patriots who fought for America's
independence, to allow us to help protect one of those final sites in
our history that is today threatened by developers.
Mr. Speaker, the precedent is clear here. We are not asking for the
Federal Government to go out and buy the land itself. The local
community is raising the funds. The local community is committed.
As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, two days ago I visited one of the
elementary schools right near the Paoli site, the Exton Elementary
School, where the combined students of the fourth grade class of the
Exton elementary school handed me 41,000 and 500 pennies. In their
Pennies for Paoli campaign these young students for the past five
months collected pennies from throughout their neighborhood because
they want to show the Federal, State and county governments that they
think it is important that we take the time to protect this sacred site
where these 53 American heroes are buried.
{time} 1530
They handed me the money and the accompanying check for $415 as a
part of their ongoing commitment to help indicate their support and
their involvement in saving Paoli.
Other schools in the region have taken similar initiatives to help
protect the Paoli site. Mr. Speaker, the Sugartown Elementary School,
the KD Markley Elementary School, the Charlestown Elementary School and
the Exton Elementary School all have conducted letter writing
campaigns.
My office has received thousands of letters from young people, not
just in our region, but because this story was the subject of a
national news story on Good Morning America on July 4th of last year,
thousands of people around America have written to say that we too
think America should protect and preserve this final site that is so
important to understanding the history of America during our struggle
for freedom and independence. I think our students have set the example
for us.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit some of the letters from these
elementary students about what they think about the Paoli site.
From Nick, dated January 4, 1999: ``Dear Mr. Weldon, please save the
Paoli Battlefield. It is very special to us. It helps us learn about
our country's history.'' He drew pictures of the battle.
I have another letter from Myles Neuman from Sugartown School: ``Dear
Curt Weldon, the Paoli Battlefield should be preserved as a national
park because those graves should honor the brave soldiers that fought
for our country. If you were one of the honorable soldiers that fought
on this field, would you like builders to develop something or develop
it for other uses in Paoli? This would be a great honor for us and the
kids that are learning about our history. It would be a wonderful
addition to Valley Forge Park.'' That is from Myles Neuman.
Or Alyssa Jackson, who says: ``I am in Mrs. Weigal's fourth grade
class. I live in Frazer, PA. I am writing to you to do all that you can
to save the Paoli Battlefield. I think the builders are wrong to want
to build homes or businesses where over 50 people are buried. I hope
you can do something about it.''
Finally, from Emily: ``Please save the Paoli Battlefield. It is very
special to us. It helps us to learn about our country's history. I have
seen the Paoli Battlefield. It is very pretty.''
Mr. Speaker, these are but a few of the thousands of letters that I
have received from young people, not just in my district, but
throughout the region and throughout the country, that are asking this
Congress to do something very small, very simple, yet very historic,
and that is to pass the authorizing legislation that passed the Senate
in the last session, that passed the Interior Committee, to allow us to
work with the local folks to preserve the Paoli Battlefield. Nothing I
think of could be more important for the remembrance of our patriots.
Also in our P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act, Mr. Speaker, we authorize the
continued funding of approximately $6 million for the full definition
of the Brandywine Battlefield. The Brandywine Battlefield, where
another historic battle was fought between our patriots and the
British, has not yet been fully completed in terms of acquiring the
space around it.
We are not talking about money to build buildings. We are talking
about the easements necessary to keep this battle site as it was 222
years ago.
In the case of Brandywine, again, we are saying that the
authorization is for $6 million, but the local folks must raise $3
million, so on a dollar for dollar basis, with state money, with county
money, with private dollars, we will match on a dollar for dollar basis
the funding necessary to complete the full dimensions of the original
site of the Brandywine Battlefield.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, the third provision in my P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act
would allow us to approve an agreement between the National Park
Service and the largest collectors of Revolutionary War artifacts in
America.
For the past 5 years I have been working with the collectors, those
people who have the largest private collections of Revolutionary War
materials. Most of these materials are today being housed within their
own control or they are loaned to museums when they see fit.
The collectors approached me and said, ``Congressman Weldon, we would
like to work with you to privately fund a major new display area and
museum at the site of Valley Forge. We are not asking for Federal
money. We are asking you to work with us in an agreement with the Park
Service that will allow us to have a trade of property that is
currently owned by the Valley Forge historical society to allow us to
raise the money to build this new 21st century learning center about
the Revolutionary War.''
The collectors that I have been working with, Mr. Speaker, have
agreed that they would make their collections available to this site,
that they would be permanently on display for all Americans to see,
artifacts that Americans otherwise would not have access to, to
compliment those artifacts that are already existing at Valley Forge.
[[Page H580]]
All we are asking in this bill is to give the Park Service the
approval to finalize that agreement between the private collectors and
the National Park Service. We are asking for no authorization of
dollars to allow this new museum to go forward.
Mr. Speaker, he think these three initiatives are very logical. I
think they are the kind of thing that Republicans and Democrats can
jointly support. I think there is no better series of actions that we
can take in 1999 to remember the Pennsylvania patriots who fought to
give us the freedoms and liberties and independence of this great
Nation. I urge my colleagues to join with me in supporting the patriots
of the Revolutionary War and to cosponsor the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act of
1999.
Meeting the Needs of America's Patriots of Today
Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in the second half of my
special order I would also like to discuss America's patriots of today,
because we have some major problems that need to be addressed in this
session of the Congress.
We need to address these, Mr. Speaker, because the patriots of today
are finding it extremely difficult to do the job that they voluntarily
signed up to do on behalf of our great Nation.
I am ashamed to tell you, Mr. Speaker, today, as a senior member of
the Committee on Armed Services, as the chairman of one of our key
subcommittees, that we have some of our fighter wings where up to one-
third of our airplanes are not flying because they have had to be
cannibalized to use the parts from those planes to keep the other two-
thirds flying.
I am ashamed to report, Mr. Speaker, that we have ships at sea, our
carriers, where we are hundreds of sailors short, going out to complete
missions and coming back home without the proper staffing that we have
identified as appropriate for these most important vessels of our Navy.
I am embarrassed that we are asking our Marine Corps to fly in CH-46
helicopters that were built during the Vietnam War that we will
continue to fly until they are 55 years old. I am embarrassed that we
will be flying the B-52 bomber when it is 75 years old.
Mr. Speaker, we have problems in our military that we need to
address, and these problems did not happen overnight and these problems
need to be addressed this a bipartisan manner.
First of all, Mr. Speaker, we have to understand why we are where we
are today. Let me take a few moments to inform our constituents and our
colleagues, especially our colleagues who are sitting in their offices
or perhaps back in their homes, about the problems that our military is
suffering today, because the perception in America is that we have
given so much money to our military that they should have the need of
no new dollars. In fact, there are some who say we should cut the
defense budget even more than we have cut it.
Mr. Speaker, over the past 14 to 15 years, the only area of the
Federal budget that we have cut in real terms has been our defense
budget. Fourteen consecutive years of real cuts, not inflationary cuts,
but real cuts, in the level of defense spending.
Now, some would say, well, that was justified because the Cold War
ended. Let me give you a simple comparison, Mr. Speaker. Let me use the
time of John Kennedy, not Ronald Reagan.
When John Kennedy was the President in the 1960's, this country was
spending 52 cents of every Federal tax dollar on our military, on those
brave patriots who serve our country. That was a time of peace. It was
after Korea, yet it was before Vietnam. Yet in those years that John
Kennedy served, 52 cents of every Federal tax dollar sent to Washington
went to support the men and women in the military. Nine percent of our
country's gross national product was used on defense.
In this year's budget, Mr. Speaker, we are spending 15 cents of the
Federal tax dollar on the military. We are spending approximately 2.8
percent of our country's gross national product on the military. By
anyone's calculation, that is a dramatic decline.
Now, some would say that is still enough money. It is more than
others nations spend collectively, and we should be able to handle that
because, after all, the Cold War has ended.
But, Mr. Speaker, things have changed since the 1960's. Let's go
through a few of those changes.
First of all, when John Kennedy was President, we had a draft. We
sucked young people out of high school, we paid them next to nothing,
they served the country for two years, and then they went on to do
their chosen career or their job in the private sector.
We no longer have the draft, Mr. Speaker. Our troops today are well
paid. Our troops today have high school educations, many have college
degrees, many are married, they have children. Therefore, we have
housing costs, health care costs, education costs, travel costs, that
they never had when John Kennedy was the President.
Mr. Speaker, even though we have cut defense spending dramatically,
the portion of our defense budget that we use for the quality of life
for our troops has increased dramatically. This is where the bulk of
our money goes today, to educate the young offspring, to take care of
health care needs, to provide housing for our troops and families and
travel to move them at home and around the world.
But some other things have happened, Mr. Speaker. Back when John
Kennedy was the President, we spent no money in the defense budget on
the environment. In this year's defense budget, Mr. Speaker, we will
spend $12 billion of DOD money on environmental mitigation.
Approximately half of that money goes for our nuclear program, to deal
with our decommissioned nuclear vessels. The other half goes for a
variety of programs, ranging from base cleanups to environmental
cooperation with nations and militaries around the world. But that is
$12 billion more out of our defense budget that wasn't spent during
John Kennedy's era. That is increasing each year.
But perhaps the most dramatic change, Mr. Speaker, since the 1960's,
is best reflected by this chart. From World War II until approximately
7 to 8 years ago, the commanders-in-chief of our country, who were both
Democrats and Republicans, committed our troops to just 10 deployments
at home and abroad. Ten times over 40 years our troops were sent into
harm's way. They were sent into Vietnam, they were sent into Grenada,
they were sent into Chicago and Detroit and Watts, but only 10 times in
40 years.
Mr. Speaker, in the past 7 years, most of them under the current
administration, this commander-in-chief has deployed our troops 32
times. Thirty-two times in 8 years, 10 deployments in 40 years. At a
time where the bulk of our money is going for quality of life, at a
time where we are spending $12 billion a year on the environment, we
have 32 deployments, and the President is talking today about sending
4,000 to 5,000 troops to Kosovo, which would raise this to 33
deployments.
Now, why is that important, Mr. Speaker? Because every time the
commander-in-chief commits our troops, he has not identified the
dollars to pay for those deployments. He simply commits the troops, and
then we are left to pay the price that is required to pay for those
deployments around the world.
The deployment to Bosnia, Mr. Speaker, as of today, has cost the
American taxpayers $9 billion. Where did that money come from, Mr.
Speaker? Because we did not allocate that money in advance, all of that
$9 billion had to come out of an ever-decreasing defense budget.
So what did we do? Instead of building replacement helicopters for
the CH-46, we slid the replacement program out to some other
administration. Instead of building the Army's replacement helicopter
for their existing helicopter, we shipped the Comanche out to the out
years. Instead of taking care of the replacement parts for those
fighter planes, we slipped that out and we have to cannibalize existing
planes. And because we cannot recruit new young people to fill the
slots for the Navy and the other services, we have had to go to
deployments with less than the required slots filled. In fact, Mr.
Speaker, our retention rates for pilots in the Navy and the Air Force
is the lowest rate since World War II.
{time} 1545
Mr. Speaker, these deployments have robbed our modernization and our
research for the future. It has caused us, in my opinion, to face the
time when we will look back on these eight years
[[Page H581]]
as the worst period of time for undermining our national security in
the Nation's history.
Now, Mr. Speaker, critics will look at this and say, ``Wait a minute,
wait a minute, what about President Bush?'' Because eight years ago he
was the one who sent our troops into Desert Storm, and after all, that
was a major war. Mr. Speaker, they would be right. President Bush did
send our troops into Desert Storm. He sent 400,000 of our troops over
there. But, Mr. Speaker, when Commander in Chief Bush sent our troops
into Desert Storm, he went to all of our allies and he said, ``You
either send troops, or you pay for the cost of Desert Storm.''
Desert Storm cost the American taxpayers $52 billion, but unlike this
administration, President Bush was able to receive $53 billion in
reimbursements. Those allied nations that did not send troops to Desert
Storm gave us the dollars to pay for that deployment, so the net cost
to us in terms of dollars was zero. And the deployments under this
administration, every one of them, have been paid for by the U.S.
taxpayer by robbing the DOD budget.
When we sent our troops into Haiti, President Clinton said it was
going to be a multinational force, and some would say it is. But what
he did not tell us, Mr. Speaker, is that we are paying for the salary
and the housing costs and in some cases the food costs for foreign
troops to go into Haiti. Bangladesh sent 1,000 troops. It was a good
deal for them because American taxpayers are paying for the costs of
keeping them in Haiti.
Mr. Speaker, unlike Desert Storm, these most recent 31 deployments or
32 deployments have been paid for by the U.S. taxpayer, taking money
out of the defense budget that was already dramatically being
decreased. The irony of all of this, Mr. Speaker, is I have to focus on
two points.
First of all, by deploying American men and women around the world,
this President has created the impression that all of a sudden the
world is safe. There are no more wars in Bosnia, there is no more
conflict in Haiti, there is no more conflict in Macedonia and there
will be no more conflict in Kosovo, because America has our troops
around the world. And the irony is that the American people think by
perception that therefore we must cut the defense budget because the
world is so much safer today, when in fact it is safer because we have
troops on standby and on alert around the world that is costing us
dearly in terms of dollars necessary to modernize our military.
No wonder, Mr. Speaker, the President got a standing ovation when he
went to the U.N. If I were the President and went to the U.N. and all
of those nations out there saw America ready to put our troops on the
spot around the world and not pay for it, I would get a standing
ovation too.
Mr. Speaker, the Pentagon's own numbers show that for these
deployments just in this administration, the American taxpayers have
spent a total of $19 billion, $9 billion for Bosnia alone. Mr. Speaker,
$19 billion, to send our troops to places some of which I support, but
which should have had our allies pay the bill.
When many of our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, both Democrats and
Republicans, objected to deploying our troops into Bosnia, it was not
because we did not think that Bosnia was important or that we did not
think we should be part of a multinational force, because we do. What
we objected to, Mr. Speaker, was the fact that America was going to
send 36,000 troops into Bosnia, both in theater and in the support
around Bosnia, when neighbors like France and Germany were only sending
in token components. In the case of Germany, 4,000 troops; in the case
of the French and the other neighbors of Bosnia, much smaller amounts.
The question we had is, why is the U.S. footing the bill? Why should
not these other nations do what George Bush got nations to do in Desert
Storm? Why should they not chip in and help to pay for these
operations?
That did not happen, Mr. Speaker, and right now we are facing a
situation where the President is saying to the American people, we need
to send 4,000 to 5,000 troops into Kosovo. That may or may not be
justified, but, Mr. Speaker, he is not going to ask for the approval of
the Congress. For the 33rd time in 7 years, he will simply send our
troops, as he can do as the commander in chief. He is not going to tell
us how much it will cost, because we already asked and he said we do
not know. And he is not going to tell us how long they are going to
stay there. He is going to send our troops and the Congress is going to
be left to foot the bill.
The second irony of this whole thing, Mr. Speaker, is as we in this
Congress, Republicans and Democrats over the past four years have tried
to replenish some of these funds, to reimburse the military for the
extra costs of these deployments, we have been criticized for putting
more money in the Pentagon's budget than what the service chiefs asked
for. In each of the past four years, Democrats and Republicans came
together in both the House and the other body and we said, we want to
replenish some of these funds because they have been taken away for
military operations and the Pentagon was not reimbursed for the cost.
Each year that we did that, this White House that sent our troops on
these deployments and did not ask for our approval publicly criticized
us for putting more money into the defense budget than what the service
chiefs had asked for. Amazing, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, $19 billion to pay for these deployments. This Congress,
in a bipartisan way trying to reimburse the Department of Defense for
those deployments, gets criticized because we are putting pork that was
not asked for back into defense budget.
Because of these shortcomings, Mr. Speaker, we are facing a crisis
today. We have slipped the modernization of our military systems to the
next administration. The service chiefs have now publicly come on the
record, and in a hearing last week before the House and the week before
before the Senate, they said this year they are $19 billion short just
to meet their needs.
Now, the President has given some great speeches over the past 30
days. We heard the Secretary of Defense give a speech where he said the
White House had now agreed with the Congress that the threat of
external missile proliferation is now real and it is here, and
therefore they put hundreds of millions of dollars into the outyears
budget for missile defense, something we have been saying for the past
three years.
The President gave a speech on cyber terrorism. He said we need to
put more money in the budget to protect this country from those who
would threaten to take out our smart systems, both our weapons systems
and our information systems that control our quality of life. He gave
another speech where he said we needed to spend more money against
terrorism and for detection of use of weapons of mass destruction.
But what he did not tell the American people, Mr. Speaker, is that
his budget request for next year actually does not increase funding for
any of those areas. The missile defense budget decreases by a
significant amount over five years. The budget for antiterrorism does
not increase the way it needs to, in spite of this Congress's
leadership in that area; and the budget for cyber terrorism and
information warfare likewise does not increase. In fact it stagnates
and, I would argue, decreases, when the Defense Science Board three
years ago told us we should be spending $3 billion more on the issue of
information warfare to protect America from a cyber attack.
Mr. Speaker, we are in a very unusual situation. We have an
administration that has used our military more than any administration
in this century, in this country's history. Mr. Speaker, 32 and soon to
be 33 deployments in 7 to 8 years, versus 10 in 40 years. Yet, during
that time the administration has continued to decrease the funding for
the services, has paid for none of these deployments, has asked to take
all of that money out of the backbone of our military budget and then
has criticized the Congress for wanting to put more money back in, and
goes around the world saying how nice and calm things are.
Mr. Speaker, we need to be real. This is not an argument between
Republicans and Democrats. In the House and the Senate, the defense
battles have been won by Democrats and Republicans coming together to
tell this administration that they have got it all wrong. And in this
Congress, the single most important debate we will have is about the
future of the support of our patriots.
[[Page H582]]
I started off my talk today by focusing on the patriots of 222 years
ago. I end my talk today in talking about the patriots of 1999, young
people around the world who are being asked to go from Bosnia to Haiti,
from Haiti to Somalia, from Somalia to Macedonia. In the trips I have
taken to meet with our young troops they talk about their pride in
America and their pride in the service and they are the best in the
world, but they also say, ``Mr. Congressman, can you please stop
sending us from one deployment to the next? We need some time off with
our families. We need some time off just to have some rest.''
We need to stop being deployed around the world, because while we
have not done that for them, our morale has declined. That is why our
retention rates are so low. That is why we do not have the staffing
needs that we should have for the military. And that is why, Mr.
Speaker, I maintain that this period of time is going to go down in
history as the worst period of time for undermining our Nation's
security in the history of America.
In spite of the presence of our troops all around the world in all of
these deployments today, I would argue the world is more unstable than
in some cases it was during the Cold War. Russia has many internal
problems: economic instability, massive proliferation that is in many
cases totally uncontrollable. We have instances where China and North
Korea have been caught sending technology to countries like North
Korea. We know that Pakistan and India both got their technology from
Russia and China. We know that Iran and Iraq have developed missile
systems because of cooperation from those nations. And all of this
instability is causing us to face increasing threats in the 21st
century.
Mr. Speaker, we need to be real with the American people. This
administration has not been real with the American people. They have
painted a rosy picture. They have had the photo ops of the commander in
chief walking down the White House lawn with the troops behind him.
They have had the photo opportunity of the commander in chief on the
decks of the carrier when it was dedicated. But that is not what
supporting our troops is all about. It is about funding them. It is
about asking for the dollars to support these deployments. It is about
giving them the systems to protect their lives.
Mr. Speaker, another example of an attempt to back-door the defense
budget is the administration's backhanded effort to pay for the Wye
River Agreement. The Wye River Agreement, which I applaud the
administration for achieving, is important for security, and we need to
understand the importance of that. But instead of coming to this
Congress and asking us openly to support the funding for the Wye River
Agreement, the administration has proposed and has informed the
Congress that they will take an additional $230 million out of our
defense budget for missile defense purposes to fund the Wye River
Agreement, which has nothing to do with our defense budget.
Mr. Speaker, how much longer will this continue? How much more will
we tolerate the efforts of this administration to undermine the
security of this country? Democrats and Republicans alike have been
working together in this area to do the job that America needs.
I urge my colleagues in this 106th Congress to pay attention, to work
together as we have in the past to convince the administration that
this must stop, that we must support our troops, that we must make sure
that everyone understands that the reason we have a strong military is
not just to deploy our troops around the world but to deter aggression.
No Nation has ever been defeated because it was too strong, and we must
understand that one of most important responsibilities outlined in the
Constitution is the defense of the American people wherever they might
be, at home or abroad.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the students of the
outstanding schools in my Congressional District--Sugartown Elementary
School, KD Markley Elementary School, Charlestown Elementary School,
and East Goshen Elementary School. The fine students of these schools
have contacted me to inform me of an issue which is important to them,
to their schools, to their community and to our nation--they are
fighting to save the Paoli Battlefield.
The Paoli Battlefield, which is located in my Congressional District,
remains one of the only historic sites from the Revolutionary War left
untouched since 1777. This land was the site of the ``Paoli Massacre''
in which British troops led by Major General Grey attacked the American
Army of Pennsylvania Regiments on the wooded hillside and two fields
between what is now Sugartown Road and Warren Avenue. The ensuing
battle resulted in at least 52 American deaths and 7 British
fatalities. The British night-time bayonet charge was aided by the fact
that Americans were silhouetted against the light of their campfires.
Some American troops panicked and fled and general disorder spread
throughout the American line. British dragoons, arriving on the field,
shattered the American column and pursued retreating Americans as far
as Sugartown Road. Only the more disciplined American soldiers escaped
the original onslaught unscathed, but a following British assault
completed the rout.
The Paoli Massacre was part of the Revolutionary War's Philadelphia
Campaign, a chapter of the war that witnessed the occupation of
Philadelphia and the famed American encampment at Valley Forge in the
winter of 1777-78. The first two American attempts to stop the British
invasion that Fall were the Battle of Brandywine, September 11, 1777,
and the unsuccessful Battle of the Clouds, September 16, 1777. The
Paoli Massacre was part of the third effort to contain British General
William Howe's advance on Philadelphia.
In an effort to save the Paoli Battlefield, I will be introducing the
P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act--Preserve America's Treasures of the Revolution for
Independence for Our Tomorrow. Passage of this legislation will forever
insure that the sacrifice made by our nation's first veterans will be
remembered. This legislation will also protect the Brandywine
Battlefield. The Battle at Brandywine was the most significant battle
of the Philadelphia campaign. My bill further memorializes this
campaign by authorizing the Superintendent of Valley Forge National
Historical Park to enter into an agreement with the Valley Forge
Historical Society to build a museum which would house the world's
largest collection of Revolutionary War artifacts and memorabilia,
including the tent in which General Washington slept at Valley Forge.
And so Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to
recognize the outstanding young patriots of my district who have made
their voices heard in the fight to preserve this piece of our nation's
history. The students of these schools sent me almost five hundred
letters, pictures, and banners with their plea for this body to
``Remember Paoli!''--this small piece of land that is so important to
their communities. As a former school teacher and a father of five, I
am heartened by their dedication and commitment to this cause. The
future of America lies with our youth, and with youngsters like these,
I am confident that America's future will be bright.
I would like to congratulate these young patriots of my district, and
thank them for taking part in this campaign to preserve the history of
the Revolutionary War. I would also like to thank their teachers and
parents who also sent me letters, and taught these students that their
involvement could make a difference. I would like to include the
letters of Melissa Clark, who is in the first grade at KDMarkley;
Bonnie Hughes-Sobbi, mother of a fourth grader at KDMarkley; Bess
McCadden who is in the fourth grade at Charlestown Elementary; and
Catherine Wahl who is in the fourth grade at the Sugartown School for
the record so that my colleagues can also appreciate them.
January 6, 1999.
Dear Sir: I am writing to you to ask you to save the Paoli
Battlefield. We need to remember the men who who fought to
make our country free. Please do not build houses on the
Paoli Battlefield.
Sincerely,
Melissa Clark.
____
January 5, 1999.
Dear Representative Weldon: It has come to my attention,
through my daughter's fourth grade class, that a part of our
local history is being threatened by ``progress''. The site
to which I refer is the Paoli Battlefield, located in
Malvern, PA.
Our children are being taught the importance of this site
in their local history lessons and are also being taught to
respect sites such as this for their intrinsic and
irreplaceable value. We should be willing to support our
lessons to our children by protecting the Paoli Battlefield
from development.
Thank you for your efforts in support of protecting this
site, hopefully with permanent registry as an historic
landmark. I will be happy to lend any assistance, as I am
able, to further this cause.
Very Truly Yours,
Bonnie Hughes-Sabbi.
____
December 22, 1998.
Dear Representative Weldon: People know that it is wrong to
build something on historical land. Valley Forge Park is part
of our history, so we should also save the site of the Paoli
Massacre Battlefield. My classmates and I have been studying
it, and I
[[Page H583]]
think that building things on historical land is destructive.
If General Anthony Wayne were here, he would do all he could
to stop people from building something on the ground of our
past.
Don't let people build on the site of the Paoli Massacre
Battlefield! Please save it!
Sincerely,
Bess McCadden.
____
December 11, 1998.
Dear Mr. Weldon: I think that you should stop this
craziness because it should remain a burial ground. Paoli
isn't very popular except for the Paoli Battlefield. That
puts us in the battlefield book. It is a historical sight
[sic]. It's disrespectful to knock down a memorial
battlefield. One of my ancestors was buried at that
battlefield there so I care very deeply about this
battlefield.
Catherine Wahl.
____
January 4, 1999.
Dear Mr. Weldon, please save the Paoli Battlefield! It is
very special to us. It helps us learn about our country's
history.
____
Sugartown School,
Malvern, PA,
December 15, 1998.
Hon. Curt Weldon,
Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Honorable Curt Weldon: The Paoli Battlefield should be
preserved as a national park because these graves should
honor the brave soldiers that fought for our country.
If you were one of the honorable soldiers that fought on
this field would you like developers to build something over
you? We have enough developments built in Paoli. This would
be great for us kids that are learning about history. This
would be a wonderful addition to Valley Forge Park.
Sincerely,
Myles Newman.
P.S. Thank you for reading my letter.
____
December 22, 1998.
Dear Rep. Weldon, I am in Mrs. Weigal's 4th grade class. I
live in Frazer, PA.
I'm writing to you to ask you to do all you can to save the
Paoli Battlefield. I think that the builders are wrong to
want to build houses there when 50 people are buried there. I
hope you can do something about it.
Sincerely,
Alyssa Jackson.
____
January 4, 1999.
Dear Mr. Weldon, please save the Paoli Battlefield! It is
very special to us. It helps us to learn about our country's
history. I have seen the Paoli Battlefield it is very pretty.
Sincerely,
Emily.
____
Chester County, PA,
December 22, 1998.
Dear Rep. Weldon, you should strongly support saving the
Paoli Battlefield because many people lost their lives
fighting for freedom and if you didn't it would be
dishonorable to the soldiers. But really what would you
rather have more population or more historical sites? Have a
good time in Washington, D.C. with that legislation (I hope
it will be positive.)
Sincerely,
Trey Morris.
____
Dear Rep. Weldon, my name is Steven Binstein. I am in
fourth grade at Charlestown. I live in Malvern. I would
appreciate it if you don't let the developers make houses on
the Paoli Battlefield because that is a very nice peace of
land. Soldiers fought their and some died and some didn't.
The real reason I think the developers shouldn't build houses
there is because people were buried there, and they cant just
build over them.
That's why I think you shouldn't let the developers build
there.
Sincerely,
Steven Binstein.
____________________