[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 9, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3737-S3738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 304--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
 DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ON VETERANS' CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 
COUNTRY AND THE DESIGNATION OF THE WEEK THAT INCLUDES VETERANS DAY, AS 
  ``NATIONAL VETERANS WEEK'' FOR THE PRESENTATION OF SUCH EDUCATIONAL 
                                PROGRAMS

  Mr. BIDEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 304

       Whereas tens of millions of Americans have served in the 
     Armed Forces of the United States during the past century;
       Whereas hundreds of thousands of Americans have given their 
     lives while serving in the Armed Forces during the past 
     century;
       Whereas the contributions and sacrifices of the men and 
     women who served in the Armed Forces have been vital in 
     maintaining our freedoms and way of life;
       Whereas the advent of the all-volunteer Armed Forces has 
     resulted in a sharp decline in the number of individuals and 
     families who have had any personal connection with the Armed 
     Forces;
       Whereas this reduction in familiarity with the Armed Forces 
     has resulted in a marked decrease in the awareness by young 
     people of the nature and importance of the accomplishments of 
     those who have served in our Armed Forces, despite the 
     current educational efforts of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs and the veterans service organizations; and
       Whereas our system of civilian control of the Armed Forces 
     makes it essential that the country's future leaders 
     understand the history of military action and the 
     contributions and sacrifices of those who conduct such 
     actions: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the Secretary of Education should work with the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Day National 
     Committee, and the veterans service organizations to 
     encourage, prepare, and disseminate educational materials and 
     activities for elementary and secondary school students aimed 
     at increasing awareness of the contributions of veterans to 
     the prosperity and freedoms enjoyed by United States 
     citizens;
       (2) the week that includes Veterans Day be designated as 
     ``National Veterans Awareness Week'' for the purpose of 
     presenting such materials and activities; and
       (3) the President should issue a proclamation calling on 
     the people of the United States to observe such week with 
     appropriate educational activities.

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, today I have the honor of submitting a 
resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Department of 
Education develop and disseminate educational materials and programs 
designed to make students in elementary and secondary schools aware of 
the contributions of veterans and their importance in preserving 
American peace and prosperity. The resolution also designates the week 
that includes Veterans Day as ``National Veterans Awareness Week'' to 
serve as a focus for these educational activities.
  Why do we need such an educational effort? In a sense, this action 
has become necessary because we are victims

[[Page S3738]]

of our own success with regard to the superior performance of our Armed 
Forces. The plain fact is that there are just fewer people around now 
who have had any connection with military service. For example, as a 
result of tremendous advances in military technology and the resultant 
productivity increases, our current Armed Forces now operate 
effectively with a personnel roster that is one-third less in size than 
just 10 years ago. In addition, the success of the all-volunteer 
career-oriented force has led to much lower turnover of personnel in 
today's military than in previous eras when conscription was a place. 
Finally, the number of veterans who served during previous conflicts, 
such as World War II, when our military was many times larger than 
today, is inevitably declining.
  The net result of these changes is that the percentage of the entire 
population that has served in the Armed Forces is dropping rapidly, a 
change that can be seen in all segments of society. Whereas during 
World War II it was extremely uncommon to find a family in America that 
did not have one of its members on active duty, now there are numerous 
families that include no military veterans at all. As a consequence of 
this lack of opportunity for contacts with veterans, many of our young 
people have little or no connection with or knowledge about the 
important historical and ongoing role of men and women who have served 
in the military. This omission seems to have persisted despite ongoing 
educational efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
veterans service organizations.
  This lack of understanding about military veterans' important role in 
our society can have potentially serious repercussions. In our country, 
civilian control of the Armed Forces is the key tenet of military 
governance. A citizenry that is oblivious to the capabilities and 
limitations of the Armed Forces, and to its critical role throughout 
our history, can make decisions that have unexpected and unwanted 
consequences. Even more important, general recognition of the 
importance of those individual character traits that are essential for 
military success, such as patriotism, selflessness, sacrifice, and 
heroism, is vital to maintaining these key aspects of citizenship in 
the Armed Forces and even throughout the population at large.
  Among today's young people, a generation that has grown up largely 
during times of peace and extraordinary prosperity and has embraced a 
``me first'' attitude, it is perhaps even more important to make sure 
that there is solid understanding of what it has taken to attain this 
level of comfort and freedom. The failure of our children to understand 
why a military is important, why our society continues to depend on it 
for ultimate survival, and why a successful military requires integrity 
and sacrifice, will have predictable consequences as these youngsters 
become of voting age. Even though military service is a responsibility 
that is no longer shared by a large segment of the population, as it 
has been in the past, knowledge of the contribution of those who have 
served in the Armed Forces is as important as it has ever been. To the 
extent that many of us will not have the opportunity to serve our 
country in uniform, we must still remain cognizant of our 
responsibility as citizens to fulfill the obligations we owe, both 
tangible and intangible, to those who do serve and who do sacrifice on 
our behalf.
  The importance of this issue was recently brought home to me by 
Samuel I. Cashdollar, a 13-year-old seventh grader at Lewes Middle 
School in Lewes, Delaware, who recently won the Delaware VFW's Youth 
Essay Contest with a powerful presentation titled ``How Should We Honor 
America's Veterans?'' Samuel's essay points out that we have Nurses' 
Week, Secretaries' Week, and Teachers' Week, to rightly emphasize the 
importance of these occupations, but the contributions of those in 
uniform tend to be overlooked and many businesses remain open on 
Veterans Day. In a time when, for some, Veterans Day has simply become 
an excuse for another department store sale, we need to make sure that 
we don't become a nation where more high school seniors recognize the 
name Britney Spears than the name Dwight Eisenhower.
  Now, it is appropriate to ask, ``We already have Veterans Day, why do 
we need National Veterans Awareness Week?'' Historically Veterans Day 
was established to honor those who served in uniform during wartime. 
Although we now customarily honor all veterans on Veterans Day, I see 
it as a holiday that is focused on honoring individuals, the courageous 
and selfless men and women without whose actions our country would not 
exist as it does. National Veterans Awareness Week would complement 
Veterans Day by focusing on education as well as commemoration, on the 
contributions of the many in addition to the heroism and service of the 
individual. National Veterans Awareness Week would also present an 
opportunity to remind ourselves of the contributions and sacrifices of 
those who have served in peacetime as well as in conflict; both groups 
work unending hours and spend long periods away from their families 
under conditions of great discomfort so that we all can live in a land 
of freedom and plenty.
  Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to support this resolution; our 
children and our childrens' children will need to be well informed 
about what veterans have accomplished in order to make appropriate 
decisions as they confront the numerous worldwide challenges that they 
are sure to face in the future. I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of Samuel Cashdollar's essay be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the essay was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                How Should We Honor America's Veterans?

                       (By Samuel I. Cashdollar)

       The 11th of November each year is designated as Veterans 
     Day and is a Federal holiday. Employees of the U.S. 
     Government get the day off and post offices and most banks 
     are closed. The President visits Arlington National Cemetery 
     and lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Parades 
     are held in some places. This isn't adequate recognition of 
     the contribution veterans have made to America.
       Each State is free to decide which Federal Holidays it 
     wants to recognize. In many States, government offices, 
     schools, and businesses remain open on Veterans Day. Even 
     where it's officially observed, Veterans Day comes and goes 
     with most people not even thinking about the tremendous 
     sacrifices made by the men and women who served in Armed 
     Forces and fought for America's freedom.
       Today, people celebrate numerous weeks, such as Nurses 
     Week, Secretaries Week, Teachers Week, etc. These are 
     important events, but are they any more important than 
     honoring brave men and women who gave so much for their 
     country? America is free because of these courageous 
     individuals who should be honored with their own week.
       The U.S. Congress should pass a law establishing a 
     ``Veterans Week''. All schools should be required to spend a 
     portion of each day reminding students that it was ordinary 
     people who fought, were wounded, and even killed in defense 
     of America. This could be done in each grade level so that 
     every student would learn something about the wars that our 
     nation has fought. It could be part of a history class as 
     well as a lesson about the responsibility of each person to 
     protect our country. Teachers could easily find stories to 
     share with students who have no idea what war is like. If 
     teachers needed help, I'm sure organizations like the VFW 
     would be glad to participate and even speak to the students.
       Veterans Week should be given special attention on 
     television, too, just like Black History Month. I've learned 
     a lot about the history of Black Americans from the stories 
     they feature on television. Movies about heroic battles 
     should be broadcast all week long. Veterans could talk about 
     their experiences in those wars.
       In conclusion, it's very sad that many Americans know 
     little or nothing about the great wars our country has fought 
     in. I believe Veterans Week would do a lot to change that.

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