[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 159 (Thursday, November 11, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H11960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, I wish I was in my district in the State of 
Washington today to help celebrate Veterans Day with my fellow 
veterans, my veterans that I represent. I did not serve and I am not a 
veteran. I wish I were with them, but our schedule did not allow us to 
do that. But I have come to the floor of the House to express a 
personal sentiment, if I may, and it is inspired in some degree. This 
morning I attended the ceremony at Arlington Cemetery where the 
President spoke, laid the wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 
and something the President said inspired me to come to the well today 
to say something personal. What he said is that freedom is not free. 
That is very true.
  I got to thinking about some of the things I get to do as a Member of 
the U.S. House. I get the opportunity, and it is a splendid 
opportunity, to get to vote in this Chamber, to try to preserve some of 
our freedoms, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to 
petition your government for redress. And I get that opportunity, Mr. 
Speaker, to vote to try to preserve those freedoms because of some of 
the work some people did before me. I have a very personal expression 
of gratitude I want to give them from the floor. And even though it is 
personal, I think it is appropriate to do it on the floor.
  I want to thank the late Phillip Tindall, who is my wife's great 
uncle who served in World War I and during an infantry charge was 
wounded and reported actually dead in the Seattle newspapers. It turned 
out he survived and he went on to be a great leader in the City of 
Seattle, helped build Ross Dam and helped a family that I was lucky 
enough to marry into. I want to thank him.
  I want to thank my father Frank Inslee, who served in the Navy in 
World War II. I want to thank my father. I want to thank my Uncle Bob 
Brown, who served in the Navy during the Korean conflict, and as boy I 
remember hearing tales of him knocking a bomb overboard on an aircraft 
carrier, something that I remember growing up.
  I want to thank my Uncle Evan Inslee, who served in the Air Force 
during the Cold War, a war that you sort of forget some of the 
sacrifices veterans made during the Cold War, maybe not so many movies 
were made about them, but they sacrificed indeed.
  And I want to give special tribute to a man none of you have probably 
heard of, whose name is Bob Grimm. Bob is the fellow who lives on 
Bainbridge Island, where I live. Bob now builds houses. My son works 
with him. But the reason I want to pay special tribute to him is that 
he served and saw intense combat in Vietnam, in the jungles of Vietnam, 
where he was wounded. I want to pay special tribute to Bob because when 
Bob and his fellow veterans came home from the Vietnam conflict, they 
did not come home to real loud parades. They did not come home to a 
grateful Nation showing its gratitude, frankly, that we should have. I 
want to pay special personal thanks to Bob and his fellow veterans of 
the Vietnam War for the service they provided and the continued help so 
that we could vote in this Chamber for the freedoms that we treasure.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Phillip, my father, Bob, Evan and 
especially Bob and all of their colleagues who made these freedoms 
dear.

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