[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 146 (Tuesday, November 14, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11523-S11528]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, last Saturday, I, along with tens of 
thousands of others, gathered along the Mall to observe the 
groundbreaking ceremony for the World War II memorial. It was a most 
moving and inspirational moment for all who attended and, indeed, for 
the untold millions who followed through the medium of television. All 
of the speakers at this ceremony were clearly inspired by the solemnity 
of the occasion.
  I ask unanimous consent that the remarks of all the speakers in 
attendance be printed in today's Record following my statement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See Exhibit 1.)
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I should now like to list those speakers 
in the order in which they took part in this program.
  First, World War II Chaplain and retired Archbishop Phillip M. 
Hannan, who gave a most inspirational invocation. He is a highly 
decorated combat veteran of World War II. What a marvelous spirit he 
has. He set the tone for all others who followed;
  Gen. Fred Woerner, Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission;
  Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who launched the effort in Congress 
to authorize the national World War II memorial. Her initial efforts go 
as far back as 1987;
  Luthur Smith, a World War II Tuskegee Airman;
  I am privileged to have been associated with the men and women of the 
Armed Forces through much of my life, but his rendition of his last 
mission, and how he was shot down, and how the hand of providence 
literally extracted him from a flaming aircraft and brought his wounded 
body to ground--it brought tears to the eyes of all present. That is 
worth the entire statement to be put in the Record today.
  Tom Hanks, actor, who starred in ``Saving Private Ryan,'' has done so 
much work to make this memorial possible.
  Senator Bob Dole, our beloved former colleague and the National 
Chairman, World War II Memorial Campaign, spoke with such moving 
eloquence. He, of course, I believe, deserves most special recognition 
for his efforts.
  Fredrick W. Smith, founder and CEO, FedEx Corporation and National 
Cochairman, World War II Memorial Campaign, also a veteran, not of 
World War II but of subsequent campaigns;
  Ambassador F. Hadyn Williams, Chairman, American Battle Monuments 
Commission, World War II Memorial Committee.
  William Cohen, our former Senate colleague, and current Secretary of 
Defense; and the concluding remarks, again, a very stirring and 
eloquent statement by our President, William Jefferson Clinton.
  In addition to those great Americans who spoke at the ceremonies, 
there were others there. I mention just those in Congress: our 
distinguished President pro tempore, Strom Thurmond; from the House of 
Representatives, Representatives John Dingell, Benjamin Gilman, Ralph 
Regula, Bob Stump, Joe Skeen, and, of course, former Representative 
Sonny Montgomery, who has done so much through the years for the men 
and women of our Armed Forces.
  I again wish to give very special recognition and, indeed, it was by 
all present, to Senator Bob Dole for his inspired, relentless, and 
untiring efforts to make this memorial possible.

[[Page S11524]]

  This memorial will be an educational reminder for future generations 
to the enormous commitment, at home as well as in the uniformed ranks, 
of the people of our great Nation. As Senator Dole often said 
throughout his efforts on behalf of this memorial: What would our world 
be today if freedom had not prevailed, had there not been the enormous 
commitment throughout the United States and, indeed, also, in our 
allies. What if freedom had not prevailed and the war had been lost? 
What would the world be today? That will be the question that those who 
visit for decades to come should ask of themselves as they quietly 
reflect on this magnificent structure and the symbolism of that effort.

                               Exhibit 1

   Addresses Delivered at the National WWII Memorial Groundbreaking 
                      Ceremony, November 11, 2000


 Remarks of General Fred Woerner, Chairman, American Battle Monuments 
                               Commission

       Mr. President, distinguished guests, honored World War II 
     veterans, ladies and gentlemen: On behalf of the American 
     Battle Monuments Commission, I welcome you to the official 
     groundbreaking ceremony for the National World War II 
     Memorial.
       There are many here today I want to publicly recognize. 
     First and foremost, our special guests, the members of the GI 
     Generation--whose sacrifice and achievement we will 
     commemorate on this magnificent site.
       Mr. President, we are honored by your presence. You, of 
     course, are no stranger to this project, having stood here 
     with us five years ago today to dedicate this sacred ground 
     for the memorial to America's World War II generation.
       Ambassador Haydn Williams, ABMC commissioner and chairman 
     of the World War II Memorial Committee.
       Senator Bob Dole, national chairman of our fund-raising 
     campaign, whose leadership personifies the generation we 
     honor.
       His national co-chairman, Frederick W. Smith, founder and 
     CEO of FedEx Corporation. Together, their energy and 
     commitment to the campaign brought remarkable results.
       Ohio Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who launched the effort to 
     authorize the National World War II Memorial in 1987.
       Members of the President's cabinet: Secretary of Defense 
     William Cohen, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna 
     Shalala, Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater, Acting 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs Hershel Gober, and the White 
     House Chief of Staff, John Podesta.
       Two-time academy award winning actor Tom Hanks donated his 
     time and considerable talent to serve as our national 
     spokesman, taking a simple message to the American people: 
     ``It's Time to Say Thank You.''
       Friedrich St. Florian, design architect of the National 
     World War II Memorial, who has led the creative design 
     effort.
       Pete Wheeler, Commissioner of Veterans Affairs for the 
     State of Georgia and chairman of the Memorial Advisory Board.
       Jess Hay, a member of the Memorial Advisory Board and 
     chairman of the World War II Memorial Finance Committee.
       Luther Smith, who flew with the Armed Tuskegee Airmen, and 
     served as a member of our Architect-Engineer Evaluation 
     Board.
       World War II chaplain and retired Archbishop Philip M. 
     Hannan, who has graced us with his inspirational invocation.
       Joining the official party on stage are the commissioners 
     and secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 
     and members of the Memorial Advisory Board.
       We're delighted to welcome the former Secretary of 
     Transportation, Secretary of Labor and President of the 
     American Red Cross, Elizabeth Dole.
       Members of Congress, without whose bi-partisan support this 
     memorial would not be possible. There are 22 World War II 
     veterans still serving. We are honored to have seven of these 
     vets with us today: Senators Strom Thurmond and John Warner, 
     and Representatives John Dingell, Benjamin Gilman, Ralph 
     Regula, Bob Stump, and Joe Skeen.
       We offer a special welcome to former Representative Sonny 
     Montgomery, whose name will forever be linked to veterans 
     benefits and programs.
       We're also pleased to acknowledge the presence of: The 
     Mayor of the District of Columbia, Anthony Williams, 
     Secretary of the Army, Louis Caldera, Vice Chairman of the 
     Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, Chief of Staff 
     of the Army, General Eric Shinseki, Coast Guard Commandant, 
     Admiral James Loy, and Former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of 
     Staff, Admiral William Crowe and General Colin Powell.
       The organizations that guided our efforts over the past 
     several years; Chairman J. Carter Brown and commissioners of 
     the Commission of Fine Arts, Acting Executive Director Bill 
     Lawson and members of the National Capital Planning 
     Commission, Director Robert Stanton and associates from the 
     National Park Service, Commissioner Bob Peck and associates 
     from the General Services Administration, and Leo Daly, whose 
     international firm serves as the project architect/engineer.
       Finally, I'm pleased to welcome in our audience: Susan 
     Eisenhower, representing her grandfather, President Dwight D. 
     Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in World War II, the 
     grandson of Sir Winston Churchill--Winston S. Churchill, 
     World War II Medal of Honor recipient and former governor of 
     South Dakota--Joe Foss, and baseball greats Bob Feller, 
     Warren Spahn, Tommy Henrich, Bert Shepard and Buck O'Neil--
     all veterans of the Second World War.
       Would all these distinguished guests in the audience please 
     stand to be recognized.
       If I had the time, I would name every one of you with us 
     today, for you are all heroes in the eyes of the nation. It 
     is a privilege for the American Battle Monuments Commission 
     to host this ceremonial groundbreaking in your honor.
                                  ____



                 remarks of the honorable marcy kaptur

       Reverend Clergy, Mr. President, Honored Guests All. We, the 
     children of freedom, on this first Veterans' Day of the new 
     century, gather to offer highest tribute, long overdue, and 
     our everlasting respect, gratitude, and love to the Americans 
     of the 20th century whose valor and sacrifice yielded the 
     modern triumph of liberty over tyranny. This is a memorial 
     not to a man but to a time and a people.
       This is a long-anticipated day. It was 1987 when this 
     Memorial was first conceived. As many have said, it has taken 
     longer to build the Memorial than to fight the war. Today, 
     with the support of Americans from all walks of life, our 
     veterans service organizations and overwhelming, bipartisan 
     support in Congress, the Memorial is a reality.
       I do not have the time to mention all the Members of 
     Congress who deserve thanks for their contributions to this 
     cause, but certain Members in particular must be recognized. 
     Rep. Sonny Montgomery, now retired, a true champion of 
     veterans in the House, and Senator Strom Thurmond, our 
     unfailing advocate in the Senate, as well as Rep. Bill Clay, 
     of Missouri and two retired Members, Rep. Henry Gonzalez and 
     Senator John Glenn.
       At the end of World War I, the French poet Guillaume 
     Apollinaire declaring himself ``against forgetting'' wrote of 
     his fallen comrades: ``You asked neither for glory nor for 
     tears.'' Five years ago, at the close of the 50th anniversary 
     ceremonies for World War II, Americans consecrated this 
     ground with soil from the resting places around the world of 
     those who served and died on all fronts. We, too, declared 
     ourselves against forgetting. We pledged then that America 
     would honor and remember their selfless devotion on this Mall 
     that commemorates democracy's march.
       Apollinaire's words resonated again as E.B. Sledge 
     reflected on the moment the Second World War ended: ``. . . 
     sitting in a stunned silence, we remembered our dead . . . so 
     many dead . . . Except for a few widely scattered shouts of 
     joy, the survivors of the abyss sat hollow-eyed, trying to 
     comprehend a world without war.''
       Yes. Individual acts by ordinary men and women in an 
     extraordinary time--one exhausting skirmish, one determined 
     attack, one valiant act of heroism, one dogged determination 
     to give your all, one heroic act after another--by the 
     thousands--by the millions--bound our country together as it 
     has not been since, bound the living to the dead in common 
     purpose and in service to freedom, and to life.
       As a Marine wrote about his company, ``I cannot say too 
     much for the men . . . I have seen a spirit of brotherhood . 
     . . that goes with one foot here amid the friends we see, and 
     the other foot there amid the friends we see no longer, and 
     one foot is as steady as the other.''
       Today we break ground. It is only fitting that the event 
     that reshaped the modern world in the 20th century and marked 
     our nation's emergency from isolationism to the leader of the 
     free world be commemorated on this site.
       Our work will not be complete until the light from the 
     central sculpture of the Memorial intersects the shadow cast 
     by the Washington Monument across the Lincoln Memorial 
     Reflecting Pool and the struggles of freedom of the 18th, 
     19th, and 20th centuries converge in one moment. Here freedom 
     will shine. She will shine.
       This Memorial honors those still living who served abroad 
     and on the home front and also those lost--the nearly 300,000 
     Americans who died in combat, and those, the millions, who 
     survived the war but who have since passed away.
       Among that number I count my inspired constituent Roger 
     Durbin of Berkey, Ohio, a letter carrier who fought bravely 
     with the Army's 101st Armored Division in the Battle of the 
     Bulge and who, because he could not forget, asked me in 1987 
     why there was no memorial in our nation's Capitol to which he 
     could bring his grandchildren. Roger is with us spiritually 
     today. To help us remember him and his contribution to 
     America, we have with us a delegation from his American 
     Legion Post, the Joseph Diehn Post in Sylvania, Ohio, and his 
     beloved family, his widow, Marian, his granddaughter, 
     Melissa, an art historian and member of the World War II 
     Memorial Advisory Board.
       This is a memorial to heroic sacrifice. It is also a 
     memorial for the living--positioned between the Washington 
     Monument and Lincoln Memorial--to remember how freedom in the 
     20th century was preserved for ensuing generations.
       Poet Keith Douglas died in foreign combat in 1944 at age 
     24. In predicting his own end,

[[Page S11525]]

     he wrote about what he called time's wrong-way telescope, and 
     how he thought it might simplify him as people looked back at 
     him over the distance of years. ``Through that lens,'' he 
     demanded, ``see if I seem/substance or nothing: of the world/
     deserving mention, or charitable oblivion . . .'' And then he 
     ended with the request, ``Remember me when I am dead/and 
     simplify me when I'm dead.'' What a strange and striking 
     charge that is!
       And yet here today we pledge that as the World War II 
     Memorial is built, through the simplifying elements of stone, 
     water, and light, there will be no charitable oblivion. 
     America will not forget. The world will not forget. When we 
     as a people can no longer remember the complicated 
     individuals who walked in freedom's march--a husband, a 
     sister, a friend, a brother, an uncle, a father--when those 
     individuals become simplified in histories and in family 
     stories, still when future generations journey to this holy 
     place, America will not forget. Freedom's children will not 
     forget.
                                  ____



         REMARKS OF LUTHER SMITH, world war ii tuskegee airman

       Mr. President, Senator Dole, General Woerner, distinguished 
     guests. It's a thrill to be here this afternoon--to be among 
     so many of my fellow World War II veterans.
       Today's groundbreaking is a long-awaited milestone in the 
     evolution of the National World War II Memorial. For today we 
     celebrate the approval of Friedrich St. Florian's memorial 
     design after a long and spirited public review process.
       I had the privilege to serve as a member of the Architect-
     Engineer Evaluation Board that judged the 403 entries in the 
     national design competition. We and the members of the Design 
     Jury set out to select a design architect whose vision for 
     the memorial matched the scale and significance of the event 
     it commemorates as well as the classic beauty and nobility of 
     the national landmarks that soon will be its neighbors.
       The elegance and sensitivity of the approved design is 
     proof that we selected the right person for this monumental 
     task.
       Fifty-nine years ago I was in my early twenties, as were 
     many of you. Young, eager, wondering what the future held for 
     me is Des Moines, Iowa. Little did I know that soon I would 
     be flying with a group of men that would become known as the 
     Tuskegee Airmen.
       What a proud time for a young man in 1940's America. To be 
     allowed to fly and fight for his country. To be part of an 
     effort that united the nation in a way we hadn't seen before 
     and haven't seen since.
       I flew 133 missions in a combination of fighter aircraft. 
     It was on my final scheduled mission, in October 1944, that 
     my P-51 Mustang was brought down. We were strafing oil tank 
     cars when a ball of fire erupted directly in front of me. I 
     was in and out of the flames in less than a second, but the 
     explosion blew out my cockpit windows, buckled the wing 
     surfaces and destroyed much of the tail assembly. I was 
     uninjured, but 600 miles from home in a crippled aircraft.
       Flames soon enveloped the engine. I wanted to roll into an 
     inverted position and fall free before opening my parachute, 
     but I went into a spin and fell partially out of the cockpit. 
     My right foot became wedged between the rudder pedal and 
     brake, so I couldn't get into the cockpit or out.
       The next thing I recall is looking up at a badly torn 
     parachute. Somehow, I had pulled the ripcord while trapped 
     semi-conscious in the aircraft. The opening parachute pulled 
     me free, saving my life but fracturing my right hip.
       I was falling too fast, head first, connected to the 
     parachute by just one strap attached to my fractured hip. 
     Unconsciousness again, I awoke crashing through trees. My 
     chute caught in the top branches and kept me from smashing 
     into the ground. I spent the last seven months of the war in 
     German hospitals and the Stalag 18A prison camp. My injuries 
     required 18 operations and three years of hospitalization.
       I was lucky. I lived to tell the story. More than 400,000 
     Americans never came home to tell their stories. And more 
     than 10 million of the 16 million that served in uniform are 
     no longer with us to tell their stories.
       I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to serve my 
     country during her time of need, and to have played a small 
     but rewarding role in the effort to establish a memorial to 
     that time.
       I look forward to the day when I can bring my grandchildren 
     here to our National Mall, to walk among the landmarks of our 
     young democracy, to enter one of the great gathering places 
     in this special city--the World War II Memorial plaza--and 
     share with them our nation's newest symbol of freedom.
       The members of my generation hold within them thousands of 
     stories like the one I shared with you today--stories of 
     events that unfolded many years ago. The telling of those 
     stories will end all too soon, but the lessons they teach 
     must be remembered for generations to come.
       The World War II Memorial will keep those lessons alive.
                                  ____



                          remarks of tom hanks

       In December of 1943, the Second World War appeared to have 
     no end. The Invasion of Normandy was half a year away. The 
     landing on Guam, the liberation of Paris and naval victories 
     in the Philippine Sea would not happen until the following 
     summer and fall. Americans at home had yet to hear of the 
     Battle of the Bulge or Iwo Jima. American Soldiers had yet to 
     touch the Siegfried Line or come anywhere near crossing the 
     Rhine River.
       The final cost of an allied victory was incalculable. The 
     list of those names to be lost forever, not nearly complete.
       In December of 1943, a war correspondent named Erine Pyle 
     sat in a tent outside of Naples and wrote the following on 
     his typewriter:
       At the front lines in Italy--in this war I have known a lot 
     of officers who were loved and respected by the soldiers 
     under them. But never have I crossed the trail of any man as 
     beloved as Captain Henry T. Waskow, of Belton, Texas.
       Captain Waskow was a company commander in the 36th 
     division. He had been in this company since long before he 
     left the States. He was very young, only in his middle 20s, 
     but he carried in him a sincerity and gentleness that made 
     people want to be guided by him.
       ``After my own father, he comes next,'' a sergeant told me. 
     ``He always looked after us,'' a solder said. ``He'd go to 
     bat for us every time.'' ``I've never known him to do 
     anything unkind,'' another one said. I was at the foot of the 
     mule trail the night they brought Captain Waskow down. The 
     moon was nearly full at the time, and you could see far up 
     the trail, and even part way across the valley. Soldiers made 
     shadows as they walked.
       Dead men had been coming down the mountain all evening, 
     lashed onto the backs of mules. They came lying belly down 
     across the wooden packsaddle, the heads hanging down on the 
     left side of the mule, their stiffened legs sticking 
     awkwardly from the other side, bobbing up and down as the 
     mule walked.
       The Italian mule skinners were afraid to walk beside dead 
     men, so Americans had to lead the mules down that night. Even 
     the Americans were reluctant to unlash and lift off the 
     bodies, when they go to the bottom, so an officer had to do 
     it himself and ask others to help.
       The first one came early in the morning. They slid him down 
     from the mule, and stood him on his feet for a moment. In the 
     half light he might have been merely a sick man standing 
     there leaning on the other. Then they laid him on the ground 
     in the shadow of the stone wall alongside the road.
       I don't know who that first one was. You feel small in the 
     presence of dead men and ashamed of being alive, and you 
     don't ask silly questions.
       We left him there beside the road, that first one, and we 
     all went back into the cowshed and sat on watercans or lay on 
     the straw, waiting for the next batch of mules. Somebody said 
     the dead soldier had been dead for four days, and then nobody 
     said anything more about him. We talked for an hour or more; 
     the dead man lay off alone, outside in the shadow of the 
     wall. Then a soldier came into the cowshed and said there 
     were some more bodies outside. We went out into the road. 
     Four mules stood there in the moonlight, in the road where 
     the trail came down off the mountain. The soldiers who led 
     them stood there waiting.
       ``This one is Captain Waskow,'' one of them said quickly.
       Two men unlashed his body from the mule and lifted it off 
     and laid it in the shadow beside the stone wall. Other men 
     took the other bodies off. Finally, there were five lying end 
     to end in a long row. You don't cover up dead men in the 
     combat zones. They just lie there in the shadows until 
     somebody else comes after them.
       The uncertain mules moved off to their olive orchards. The 
     men in the road seemed reluctant to leave. They stood around, 
     and gradually I could sense them moving, one by one, close to 
     Captain Waskow's body. Not so much to look, I think, as to 
     say something in finality to him and to themselves. I stood 
     close by and I could hear.
       One soldier came and looked down, and he said out loud: 
     ``God damn it!'' That's all he said, and then he walked away. 
     Another one came, and he said, ``God damn it to hell 
     anyway!'' He looked down for a few last moments and then 
     turned and left.
       Another man came. I think he was an officer. It was hard to 
     tell officers from men in the half light, for everybody was 
     grimy and dirty. The man looked down into the dead captain's 
     face and then spoke directly to him, as though he were alive:
       ``I'm sorry, old man.''
       Then a soldier came and stood beside the officer and bent 
     over, and he too spoke to his dead captain, not in a whisper 
     but awfully tenderly, and he said:
       ``I sure am sorry, sir.''
       Then the first man squatted down, and reached down and took 
     the captain's hand, and he sat there for a full five minutes 
     holding the dead hand in his own and looking intently into 
     the dead face. And he never uttered a sound all the time he 
     sat there.
       Finally he put the hand down. He reached up and gently 
     straightened the points of the captain's shirt collar, and 
     then he sort of rearranged the tattered edges of his uniform 
     around the wound and then he got up and walked away down the 
     road in the moonlight, all alone.
       The rest of us went back into the cowshed, leaving the five 
     dead men lying in the line end to end in the shadow of the 
     low stone wall. We lay down on the straw in the cowshed, and 
     pretty soon we were all asleep.--Ernie Pyle. Italy. December 
     1943.

[[Page S11526]]

     
                                  ____
 remarks of senator bob dole, national chairman, wwii memorial campaign

       Mr. President, Tom, and Fred, and our countless supporters 
     and other guests. I am honored to stand here as a 
     representative of the more than 16 million men and women who 
     served in World War II. God bless you all.
       It has been said that ``to be young is to sit under the 
     shade of trees you did not plant; to be mature is to plant 
     trees under the shade of which you will not sit.'' Our 
     generation has gone from the shade to the shadows so some 
     ask, why now--55 years after the peace treaty ending World 
     War II was signed aboard the USS Missouri. There is a simple 
     answer: because in another 55 years there won't be anyone 
     around to bear witness to our part in history's greatest 
     conflict.
       For some, inevitably, this memorial will be a place to 
     mourn. For millions of others, it will be a place to learn, 
     to reflect, and to draw inspiration for whatever tests 
     confront generations yet unborn. As one of many here today 
     who bears battle scars, I can never forget the losses 
     suffered by the greatest generation. But I prefer to dwell on 
     the victories we gained. For ours was more than a war against 
     hated tyrannies that scarred the Twentieth Century with their 
     crimes against humanity. It was, in a very real sense, a 
     crusade for everything that makes life worth living.
       Over the years I've attended many a reunion, and listened 
     to many a war story--even told a few myself. And we have 
     about reached a time where there are few around to contradict 
     what we say. All the more reason, then, for the war's 
     survivors, and its widows and orphans, to gather here, in 
     democracy's front yard to place the Second World War within 
     the larger story of America. After today it belongs where our 
     dwindling ranks will soon belong--to the history books.
       Some ask why this memorial should rise in the majestic 
     company of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. They 
     remind us that the Mall is hallowed ground. And so it is. But 
     what makes it hallowed? Is it the monuments that sanctify the 
     vista before us--or is it the democratic faith reflected in 
     those monuments? It is a faith older than America, a love of 
     liberty that each generation must define and sometimes defend 
     in its own way.
       It was to justify this idea that Washington donned a 
     soldier's uniform and later reluctantly agreed to serve as 
     first president of the nation he conceived. It was to 
     broadcast this idea that Jefferson wrote the Declaration of 
     Independence, and later as president, doubled the size of the 
     United States so that it might become a true empire of 
     liberty. It was to vindicate this idea that Abraham Lincoln 
     came out of Illinois to wage a bloody yet tragically 
     necessary Civil War, purging the stain of slavery from 
     freedom's soil. And it was to defend this idea around the 
     world that Franklin D. Roosevelt led a coalition of 
     conscience against those who would exterminate whole races 
     and put the soul itself in bondage.
       Today we revere Washington for breathing life into the 
     American experiment--Jefferson for articulating our 
     democratic creed--Lincoln for the high and holy work of 
     abolition--and Roosevelt for upholding popular government at 
     home and abroad. But it isn't only presidents who make 
     history, or help realize the promise of democracy. Unfettered 
     by ancient hatreds, America's founders raised a lofty 
     standard--admittedly too high for their own generation to 
     attain--yet a continuing source of inspiration to their 
     descendants, for whom America is nothing if not a work in 
     progress.
       If the overriding struggle of the 18th century was to 
     establish popular government in an era of divine right; if 
     the moral imperative of the 19th century was to abolish 
     slavery; then in the 20th century it fell to millions of 
     citizen-soldiers--and millions more on the home front, men 
     and women--to preserve democratic freedoms at a time when 
     murderous dictators threatened their very existence. Their 
     service deserves commemoration here, because they wrote an 
     imperishable chapter in the liberation of mankind--even as 
     their nation accepted the responsibilities that came with 
     global leadership.
       So I repeat: what makes this hallowed ground? Not the 
     marble columns and bronze statues that frame the Mall. No--
     what sanctifies this place is the blood of patriots across 
     three centuries, and our own uncompromising insistence that 
     America honor her promises of individual opportunity and 
     universal justice. This is the golden thread that runs 
     throughout the tapestry of our nationhood--the dignity of 
     every life, the possibility of every mind, the divinity of 
     every soul. This is what my generation fought for on distant 
     fields of battle, in the air above and on remote seas. This 
     is the lesson we have to impart. This is the place to impart 
     it. Learn this, and the trees planted by today's old men--
     let's say mature men and women--will bear precious fruit. And 
     we may yet break ground on the last war memorial.
       Thank you all and God bless the United States of America.
                                  ____



  Remarks of Frederick W. Smith, National Co-Chairman, WWII Memorial 
                                Campaign

       When Senator Dole asked me to be a part of this campaign, 
     my first thoughts were of my own family heroes--my Uncle Sam, 
     my Uncle Bill, my Uncle Arthur and my father, all of whom 
     served in World War II--two in the Army and two in the Navy.
       Others in my family, including my mother, who is in the 
     audience today, understood the sacrifice necessary to achieve 
     victory and joined the millions of Americans who supported 
     the war effort from the home front. I thought, what a shame 
     that there isn't a memorial to represent the tremendous 
     sacrifice and amazing achievements of their generation.
       I can't imagine what this country or the world would be 
     like had all of those who served so nobly overseas and at 
     home not prevailed. It was the single most significant event 
     of the last century.
       Think back to the pre-war depression years. Factories were 
     under-producing and 10 million Americans were unemployed. 
     Countless more had substandard, low paying jobs.
       Then, between 1941 and 1945, the number of jobless people 
     dropped to one million, the output of manufactured goods 
     increased by more than 300 percent, and average productivity 
     was up 25 percent. America had become the world's arsenal of 
     democracy.
       Once mobilized, U.S. production lines annually turned out 
     20,000 tanks, 50,000 aircraft, 80,000 artillery pieces, and 
     500,000 trucks.
       The enemy collapsed under America's superior capability to 
     manufacture and deliver large quantities of equipment and 
     supplies. Industry made an overwhelming contribution to final 
     victory, and this effort transformed the nation forever.
       But the national war effort extended beyond the factories 
     and shipyards into every home and involved Americans of all 
     ages.
       Scrap drives for tin, iron, rubber and newspapers linked 
     local neighborhoods to those on the front lines.
       Victory gardens were planted, promoting pride in ``doing 
     your part'' while reducing dependence on a system working 
     overtime to supply food for our troops.
       But nothing reflected home front commitment and resolution 
     more than the blue and gold stars hung in the windows of 
     homes across the nation: enduring symbols of service and 
     sacrifice.
       World War II set the stage for business and industrial 
     growth that helped us rebuild the devastated nations of the 
     world, and fueled a national prosperity that we continue to 
     enjoy today.
       Over the past three years, we once again witnessed a coming 
     together of the American people in support of a worthy cause, 
     and a willingness to share some of our great wealth to honor 
     those who kept us free to pursue our individual dreams.
       The funding of the memorial was made possible by 
     corporations, foundations, and veterans organizations; by 
     civic, professional and fraternal groups; by the states; by 
     students in schools across the nation and hundreds of 
     thousands of individual Americans.
       I can't possibly name all of our contributors--many are 
     listed in your program. But I do want to acknowledge a few 
     whose generosity became the foundation of our success: The 
     associates and customers of Wal-Mart and SAM'S Club stores, 
     and the foundation and employees of SBC Communications, Inc., 
     The Veterans of Foreign Wars and The American Legion, The 
     Lilly Endowment and the State of Pennsylvania.
       Their gifts led the way, but every bit as important were 
     the grassroots efforts of Community Action Councils and 
     individual volunteers across the country; and the enthusiasm 
     of our young students, who showed their appreciation for 
     their family heroes through a variety of school recognition 
     and fund-raising activities.
       Senator Dole and I thank all who lent their support to this 
     campaign with their words of encouragement and generous 
     gifts. It has been our pleasure to have played a role in 
     helping America say thank you to our World War II generation.
                                  ____



 remarks of ambassador f. haydn williams, chairman, abmc wwii memorial 
                               committee

       President Clinton, WWII Veterans and Ladies and Gentlemen:
       I am grateful and privileged to have had the opportunity to 
     serve on the American Battle Monuments Commission, and to 
     have been involved in the planning for the World War II 
     Memorial and at the beginning of my remarks, I would like to 
     acknowledge the valuable help I have received from the 
     members of the Battle Monuments Commission and the Memorial 
     Advisory Board, especially the contributions of General 
     Woerner, Dr. Helen Fagin, Rolland Kidder, Jess Hay, and 
     General Pat Foote.
       I would also like to thank General John Herrling, the 
     Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, and 
     his staff for their support.
       Today marks a special moment in the nation's history as we 
     break ground for the National World War II Memorial here at 
     the Rainbow Pool. No other location in America could possibly 
     pay a higher tribute to the event it will commemorate and to 
     those it honors and memorializes than this awe inspiring 
     site--on the National Mall--the nation's village green. As 
     David Shribman, of the Boston Globe, has written, ``the 
     Memorial, lying on the symbolic centerline of our nation's 
     history, is fully deserving of this singular honor because 
     World War II is central to our history, central to our view 
     of our role in the world, and central to our values.''
       We are deeply appreciative to those who have made this site 
     possible: the Congress for authorizing the location of the 
     World War II Memorial in Washington's monumental core area; 
     the Secretary of the Interior for endorsing and making the 
     site available; and, finally, The National Commission

[[Page S11527]]

     of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. 
     After site visits and open public hearings, both of these 
     commissions have approved and subsequently reaffirmed this 
     magnificent location.
       The glory of the Memorial is its setting, surrounded by the 
     visual and historic grandeur of the Mall, and the beauty of 
     it's open vistas--which will remain open thanks to Friedrich 
     St. Florian's visionary design concept. The addition of the 
     World War II Memorial to the Mall's great landmarks will 
     represent a continuation of the American story. It will 
     provide a linkage of the democratic ideals of the past. 
     Joining the company of Washington and Lincoln, and the 
     Capitol, the site will encourage reflection on American 
     democratic core values across the span of three centuries. No 
     other site in the nation's Capitol offers such visual and 
     emotional possibilities.
       At the dedication of this site five years ago today, 
     President Clinton proclaimed that ``from this day forward, 
     this place belongs to the World War II generation and to 
     their families. Let us honor their achievements by upholding 
     always the values they defended and by guarding always the 
     dreams they fought and died for--for our children and our 
     children's children.''
       To this end, the Memorial will be a legacy, a noble gift to 
     the nation from the American people to future generations. It 
     will be a timeless reminder of the moral strength and the 
     awesome power that can flow when a free people are at once 
     united and bonded together in a just and common cause. World 
     War II was indeed a special moment in time, one which changed 
     forever the face of American life and the direction of world 
     history . . . and, I might add, the lives of many, if not 
     most, of those in the audience this afternoon.
       When finished, the Memorial will be a new and important 
     gathering place, a place for the joyous celebration of the 
     American spirit and national unity. It will be a place for 
     open democratic discourse, formal ceremonies, sunset parades, 
     band concerts, and other memorial events. It will, in 
     essence, be a living memorial, as well as a sacred shrine 
     honoring the nation, the homefront, the valor and sacrifice 
     of our Armed Forces, our allies, and the victory won in the 
     Second World War.
       Now is the time to move forward to meet our last and most 
     important goal--the construction of the Memorial and its 
     formal dedication on Memorial Day, 2003, a day that will mark 
     the end of a long and memorable journey.
       Thank you.
                                  ____



    Remarks of The Honorable William S. Cohen, Secretary of Defense

       President Clinton, Senator Dole, Fred Smith, General 
     Woerner, distinguished guests, honored veterans, ladies and 
     gentlemen.
       We are gathering to break ground and to raise a memorial of 
     granite and stone, but--as has been said this afternoon--more 
     deeply to honor the lives of those who saved this nation, and 
     this world, in its darkest hour. From Guadalcanal to Omaha 
     Beach, the millions of Americans who changed the course of 
     civilization itself will have their names etched in the book 
     of history in a far more profound and permanent way than even 
     the words to be inscribed on the arches that will rise around 
     us.
       The great warrior and jurist Justice Oliver Holmes, Jr. 
     once looked into the eyes of his graying fellow veterans and 
     spoke words that ring with vibrancy and relevance to us 
     today, ``The list of ghosts grows long. The roster of men 
     grows short. Only one thing has not changed. As I look into 
     your eyes I feel that a great trial in your youth has made 
     you different. It made you citizens of the world.''
       We, the heirs of your sacrifice, are citizens of the world 
     you made, and the nation you saved. And we can only stand in 
     awe at your silent courage, at your sense of duty, and at the 
     sacred gift that you have offered to all those who came after 
     you. The honor of this day belongs to you.
       A veteran of our great war for freedom at home, General 
     Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who hailed from the great state 
     of Maine, once said of his comrades, ``In great deeds 
     something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms 
     change and pass, bodies disappear, but spirits linger to 
     consecrate ground for the vision place of souls.''
       The men and women of America's armed forces, those who 
     inherited four spirit, who defend the consecrated ground on 
     which you fought, today carry on your noble work, preserving 
     what you have created, defending the victory you achieved, 
     honoring the great deeds and ideals for which you struggled 
     and sacrificed. All of us, all of us, are truly and deeply in 
     your debt forever.
       Now, on the 50th anniversary of D-Day, standing on the 
     bluff that overlooks Omaha Beach, President Clinton observed 
     that it is a ``hallowed place that speaks, more than anything 
     else, in silence.'' So many years after the merciless sound 
     of war had dissipated, the quiet and stillness of peace was 
     hypnotically deep and profound.
       Today, as we break ground on another silent sentry which 
     will stand as a reminder of the long rattle of that now 
     distant war, we are honored to have with us a commander-in-
     chief who has stood tall and strong for American leadership 
     for peace and democracy, who refused to remain indifferent to 
     the slaughter of innocent civilians, to the barbarity that we 
     all thought that Europe would never see again, who refused to 
     see evil re-ignited--the evil that you fought so hard to 
     stamp out. He led our allies to defeat the final echo of the 
     horrors from the 20th Century, preserving the victory you won 
     so long ago.
       For nearly four years now, it has been my honor to serve, 
     and is now my great pleasure to introduce, the President of 
     the United States, Bill Clinton.
                                  ____



     remarks of william j. clinton, president of the united states

       Senator Thurmond once told me that he was the oldest man 
     who took a glider into Normandy. I don't know what that 
     means, 56 years later, but I'm grateful for all of the 
     members of Congress, beginning with Senator Thurmond and all 
     the others who are here, who never stopped serving their 
     country.
       But most of all I want to say a thank you to Bob Dole, and 
     to Elizabeth, for their service to America. As my tenure as 
     president draws to a close, I have had, as you might imagine, 
     and up-and-down relationship with Senator Dole. But I liked 
     even the bad days. I always admired him. I was always 
     profoundly grateful for his courage and heroism in war, and 
     50 years of service in peace.
       After a rich and long life, he could well have done 
     something else with his time in these last few years, but he 
     has passionately worked for this day, and I am profoundly 
     grateful.
       I also want to thank the men and women and boys and girls 
     all across our country who participated in this fund-raising 
     drive, taking this memorial from dream to reality. Their 
     stories are eloquent testimony to its meaning.
       Senator Dole and I were sitting up here watching the 
     program unfold today. He told me an amazing story. He said, 
     ``You know, one day a man from Easton, Pennsylvania, called 
     our office. He was a 73-year-old Armenian-American named 
     Sarkus Acopious.'' And he said, ``You know, I'd like to make 
     a contribution to this memorial. Where do I mail my 
     check?''--this caller.
       So he was given the address, and shortly after, this man 
     who was grateful for the opportunities America had given him, 
     a check arrived in the office, a check for $1 million.
       But there were all the other checks as well, amounting to 
     over $140 million in private contributions. There were 
     contributions from those still too young to serve, indeed, 
     far too young to remember the war. More than 1,100 schools 
     across our nation have raised money for the memorial by 
     collecting cans, holding bake sales, putting on dances.
       Let me just tell you about one of them: Milwaukie High 
     School in Milwaukie, Oregon. Five years ago, a teacher named 
     Ken Buckles wanted to pay tribute to the World War II 
     veterans. He and his students searched out local veterans and 
     invited them to school for a living history day.
       Earlier this week, Living History Day 2000 honored more 
     than 3,000 veterans with a retreated USO show that filled a 
     pro basketball arena. Last year's event raised $10,000 for 
     the memorial, and students think that this year they'll raise 
     even more.
       Now what makes those kids fund raise and organize and 
     practice for weeks on end? Well, many have grandparents and 
     other relatives who fought in the war, but there must be more 
     to it than that. They learned from their families and 
     teachers that the good life they enjoy as Americans was made 
     possible by the sacrifices of others more than a half century 
     ago.
       And maybe most important, they want us to know something 
     positive about their own generation as well, and their desire 
     to stand for something greater than themselves. They didn't 
     have the money to fly out here today, but let's all of us 
     send a loud thank you to the kids at Milwaukie High School 
     and their teacher, Ken Buckles, and all the other young 
     people who have supported this cause.
       The ground we break today is not only a timeless tribute to 
     the bravery and honor of one generation, but a challenge to 
     every generation that follows. This memorial is built not 
     only for the children whose grandparents served in the war, 
     but for the children who will visit this place a century from 
     now, asking questions about America's great victory for 
     freedom.
       With this memorial, we secure the memory of 16 million 
     Americans, men and women who took up arms in the greatest 
     struggle humanity has ever known.
       We hallow the ground for more than 400,000 who never came 
     home. We acknowledge a debt that can never be repaid. We 
     acknowledge as well the men and women and children of the 
     home front, who tended the factories and nourished the faith 
     that made victory possible; remember those who fought 
     faithfully and bravely for freedom, even as their own full 
     humanity was under assault: African-Americans who had to 
     fight for the right to fight for our country, Japanese-
     Americans who served bravely under a cloud of unjust 
     suspicion, Native American code-talkers who helped to win the 
     war in the Pacific, women who took on new roles in the 
     military and at home.
       Remember how, in the heat of battle and the necessity of 
     the moment, all of these folks moved closer to being simply 
     American.
       And we remember how after World War II, those who won the 
     war on foreign battlefields dug deep and gave even more to 
     win the peace here at home, to give us a new era of 
     prosperity, to lay the foundation for a new

[[Page S11528]]

     global society and economy by turning old adversaries into 
     new allies, by launching a movement for social justice that 
     still lifts millions of Americans into dignity and 
     opportunity.
       I would like to say once more, before I go, to the veterans 
     here today what I said in Normandy in 1994: Because of you, 
     my generation and those who have followed live at a time of 
     unequaled peace and prosperity. We are the children of your 
     sacrifice and we thank you forever.
       But now, as then, progress is not inevitable. It requires 
     eternal vigilance and sacrifice. Earlier today, at the 
     Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, we paid 
     tribute to the fallen heroes of the United States Ship Cole, 
     three of whom have recently been buried at Arlington. The 
     captain of the ship and 20 of the crew members were there 
     today. We honor them.
       Next week I will go to Vietnam to honor the men and women 
     America lost there, to stand with those still seeking a full 
     accounting of the missing.
       But at the same time, I want to give support to Vietnamese 
     and Americans who are working together to build a better 
     future, in Vietnam, under the leadership of former 
     congressman and former Vietnam POW, Pete Peterson, who has 
     reminded us that we can do nothing about the past but we can 
     always change the future.
       That's what all of you did after the war with Germans, 
     Italians and Japanese. You've built the world we love and 
     enjoy today.
       The wisdom this monument will give us is to learn from the 
     past and look to the future. May the light of freedom that 
     will stand at the center of this memorial inspire every 
     person who sees it to keep the flame of freedom forever 
     burning in the eyes of our children, and to keep the memory 
     of the greatest generation warm in the hearts of every new 
     generation of Americans.
       Thank you and God bless America.

       

                          ____________________