[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 157 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11844]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, it is very fitting that I think 
this follows up after the tribute to George Brown, who was a veteran 
here for our country, because Thursday is Veterans Day. And Veterans 
Day is a day to honor great sacrifices, celebrate heroic victories, and 
it serves as a reminder that the daily freedoms many of us too often 
take for granted came at a very painful price.
  It is a day of national respect and reflection that serves as an 
annual remind that we can never forget those who have allowed us to 
enjoy that which we have today. More than ever, we must rededicate 
ourselves to honor the lives and memories of those who served, fought, 
and too often died.
  Quote:

       With malice toward none; with charity for all; with 
     firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let 
     us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the 
     nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the 
     battle, and for his widow, and his orphan, to do all which 
     may achieve and cherish a just, and lasting peace, among 
     ourselves, and with all nations.

  Mr. Speaker, these words were taken from President Abraham Lincoln's 
second inaugural address and sadly read again just two months later 
over this author's grave.
  The excerpt ``to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and 
for his widow, and his orphan,'' are now etched in stone on the plaque 
of the Veterans Administration Building in Washington, D.C., reminding 
us of the debt we owe to those who have defended our Nation in times of 
both war and peace.
  From the smallest Wisconsin communities to the largest cities 
throughout our Nation, we have been blessed by those individuals who 
set aside their own aspirations to serve their country in defense of 
freedom and liberty.
  Our duty is not only to ensure that parades take place, that 
heartfelt words of thanks are offered, nor is it only to fly our 
Nation's flag in honor of their service. It is more. It is our duty to 
care for the soldier and his dependents who continue to bear the 
effects of battle.
  In our history, more than one million American men and women have 
died in defense of our Nation. It is staggering.
  If these now silent patriots have taught us anything, it is that, 
because of the men and women who are willing to sacrifice their last 
blood and breath, the United States remains a symbol of freedom in a 
country whose ideas are still worth defending. Our veterans are the 
national heroes who define our American heritage.
  Yet, in the spirit of our great Nation, they are unassuming heroes. 
They did not seek glory or praise. Their deeds will never be chronicled 
sufficient to their service. In large part, they were not people 
discontinued for military careers or tested in battle. They have 
largely been ordinary men and women who have accomplished extraordinary 
deeds.
  We should ever be thankful that, for over 200 years, individuals of 
each generation, many from my own family, had been willing to put on 
uniforms and answer the call of their country, that they had been 
willing to risk their all to allow their children and grandchildren the 
opportunity to live in peace.
  I would like to take this opportunity to single out just a few of the 
thousands of veterans I am so fortunate enough to represent. Veterans 
and other civic organizations in the district I represent, the First 
District of Wisconsin, recently nominated some of their members to be 
recognized and I am proud to also recognize their contributions here 
today on the floor of the House of Representatives.
  Today, among the thousands I would like to recognize, are these men:
  Frank Onti of Walworth, from the U.S. Navy; John Cameron of 
Mukwonago, from the U.S. Army; James Schmidt of Burlington, from the 
U.S. Navy; Dale Roenneberg of Brodhead, from the U.S. Army; Franklyn 
Condon of Brodhead, from the U.S. Army; Jack Frawley of Whitewater, 
from the U.S. Marine Corps; Edward DeGroot of Racine, from the U.S. 
Army; John Kreidler of East Troy, from the U.S. Army; Raymond Lewis, 
Jr., of Racine, from the U.S. Army; Robert Engstrom of Janesville, from 
the U.S. Army; Everett Shumway of Edgerton, from the U.S. Navy; Dan 
Ponder of Elkhorn, from the U.S. Army; Warren Welkos of Elkhorn, from 
the U.S. Marine Corps; John Tueting of Elkhorn, from the U.S. Marine 
Corps; Mario Maritato, a great guy, I know Mario very well, really a 
true hero in southern Wisconsin, of Somers, from the U.S. Marine Corps; 
Robert Flint of Kenosha, from the Marine Corps; Ted Dvorak, another 
great guy, of Kenosha, from the U.S. Navy; Cloren Meade of Beloit, from 
the U.S. Army Air Corps; and Arthur Gibbs of Beloit, from the U.S. 
Army.
  How might we best recognize these American heroes, these who came 
from southern Wisconsin? We should pause to give them thanks for 
safeguarding our liberties. We should pledge to carry out the civic 
responsibilities of citizens living in a free country. And we should 
exercise those loyalties by demonstrating our respect for both our 
living veterans and those in their final resting places.
  Mr. Speaker, it is so little to ask of us when they have given so 
much.

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