[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 39 (Thursday, March 11, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S2535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  Almighty God, like the signers of the Declaration of Independence, we 
pledge to You and to our Nation our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred 
honor. We confess that it is a lot easier for us to say that than for 
the 56 men who placed their signatures on that historic liberating 
document. We reflect thoughtfully that few were long to survive. Five 
were captured, tortured, and later died. Twelve had their homes 
ransacked, looted, occupied by enemy soldiers, or burned. Two lost sons 
in the Army. One had two sons captured. Nine died of hardships. Thomas 
McKean of Delaware was so harassed that he had to move his family five 
times and yet served in Congress without pay, his family living in 
poverty and hiding. Thomas Nelson, Jr. of Virginia committed his own 
estate to pay back loans of the Government for $2 million and was never 
paid back. And we remember John Hancock's courage was as large in 
commitment of his funds as his signature was on the Declaration.
  Father, remind us that freedom is not free. May we do our work today 
with profound gratitude, but it is You we give the praise. Thank You 
for women and men in every period of our history who really had to give 
up their lives, offer up their fortunes, and keep their sacred honor 
with costly patriotism. God, bless America with women and men like that 
today and start with each of us now. In Your holy name. Amen.

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