[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 74 (Wednesday, June 14, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S5088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNITED STATES ARMY

  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I rise today to wish the United States Army 
happy birthday. It was 225 years ago today, in 1775, that the 
Continental Army of the United States was formed. That Continental Army 
of the United States has had a rich, important impact on our country.
  Millions of men and women over the last 225 years have served in the 
senior branch of services of our military forces of the U.S. Army. The 
Army is interwoven into the culture of America. Those who have had the 
great privilege of serving in this country in the U.S. Army understand 
that. It may have been a little difficult during basic training for 
some, but as we progressed through basic training and became Army men 
and women, formed, shaped, and molded from raw recruiting into 
something that America could be proud of, and we could be proud of 
ourselves, that touch, that impact, that molding, that shape, has 
defined our country, has defined our culture, and has, in fact, defined 
the world. The U.S. Army has had an incredible effect on our country 
and the world for the better.
  ``Duty, honor, country'' is the motto of the U.S. Army. It is 
America. It is who we are. Not one generation of Americans who have 
served in the U.S. Army have gone untouched by not only what America is 
about but what the Army is about. It is a shaping and molding that has 
touched lives in ways that are hard to explain, just as the Army has 
touched our national life and made the world more secure, more 
prosperous, and a better world for all mankind.
  On this 225th birthday of the U.S. Army, as an old infantry-man who 
served in the U.S. Army, I say happy birthday to the veterans of this 
country. We recognize and acknowledge and pay tribute to those 
generations who have served before some of us had the opportunity to 
serve a newer Army.
  It is the Army that has laid the foundation for our services today 
and for a stronger America. To that, we say, again, happy birthday and 
thank you, in the great rich tradition of the U.S. Army.
  Mr. President, we say ``hoo-ha.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. SHELBY. I take a few moments to commend the Senator from Nebraska 
for his remarks. I think he speaks for most of us, if not all of us. He 
speaks eloquently in congratulating the Army. That is something we 
shouldn't forget: The role of the Army, what the Army stands for, what 
the Army has done, often at a tremendous price, as we know. We 
shouldn't forget that.
  I commend the Senator from Nebraska for his remarks.

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