[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 44 (Monday, April 10, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN SUPPORT OF H. CON. RES. 282 AND H. CON. RES. 228

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 10, 2000

  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I am supporting H. Con. 
Res. 282, The GI As Person of the Century Act, and H. Con. Res. 228, 
Honor Vietnam-era Armed Forces Act. These important bills recognize the 
sacrifices endured by our men and women who fought to protect the 
freedom we cherish.
  Throughout our distinguished history, we have been blessed with the 
courage and determination of brave Americans who were willing to 
preserve democratic beliefs with their lives. From the gas-filled 
trenches of World War I to the flaming deserts of the Gulf War, our 
veterans wrote much of the history that transformed the United States 
from a young and naive country into a world leader and global 
superpower. It's a history lesson that makes you proud to be an 
American and respect those who fought for the freedoms we cherish.
  Each regional conflict the United States entered there was always one 
consistent factors--a brave American in the trenches fighting to stop 
aggression. These brave men and women defended the most basic of the 
beliefs on which our Nation was created--that freedom is worth putting 
our lives in harms way to preserve. We owe them a great deal of 
gratitude and respect.
  That is why I support legislation that designated the ``American GI'' 
as the ``Person of the Century''. We honor them because it was their 
blood, their resolution, and their love of country that became 
infectious and spread from one generation to another.
  Lastly, we should never forget those brave men and women who never 
returned home from fighting to protect what our flag symbolizes. Many 
were either captured or killed. In Vietnam there are still over 2,000 
soldiers classified either Prisoners of War or Missing in Action. The 
anguish they suffer, as well as their families, is indescribable.
  The Honor Vietnam-era Armed Forces Act recognizes the service and 
sacrifices by members of the Armed Forces and federal civilian 
employees who, during the Vietnam era, served proudly to protect those 
in need. This measure also honors the sacrifices and hardships endured 
by the families of individuals who lost their lives or remain 
unaccounted during this tumultuous era.
  Vietnam veterans, like their fallen brethren before them, exemplify a 
spirit of nationality and patriotism that continues to thrive today.
  Veterans are the unsung heros who define our American heritage. They 
are ordinary citizens who answered their call to duty and fought for 
something they believed in. They remember the places they were 
stationed, their training, and they certainly remember their days in 
combat. It is an experience the rest of us can only read about and 
marvel at. Although we can never adequately express our thanks to those 
who could not return to us, we remember them by supporting the 
legislation before us today.

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