[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 70 (Monday, May 21, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E873-E874]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           AMERICAN PATRIOTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 21, 2001

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, today, we pause in remembrance to honor 
all of America's patriots who gave what Lincoln called ``the last full 
measure of devotion.'' This spirit of remembrance was born out of the 
dark depths of the bloodiest, most divisive conflict in our history--a 
war where more than 620,000 men and women lost their lives.
  On April 25th 1866, a number of women in Columbus, Mississippi went 
to decorate the graves of their fallen. Near the final resting places 
of the Confederate soldiers were other graves--graves holding the 
remains of Union soldiers who had died on the same bloody battlefields.
  Those women wondered who would remember the enemy soldiers buried so 
far from their loved ones. Moved by compassion, kindness and sorrow, 
they decorated all the graves they found--those of their own and those 
of their fallen enemies. Their acts captured the imagination of our 
entire country and became the foundation upon which our current 
observance

[[Page E874]]

of Memorial Day is built. In 197 1, Congress expanded the Memorial Day 
tradition to include all soldiers who have died in service to our 
nation.
  Turning back the clock, the great patriot Thomas Paine once said:
  ``These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and 
the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of 
his country. But he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of 
man and woman.''
  These strong words spoke of a special kind of patriotic devotion and 
love of country that was needed if the colonists were going to win 
their struggle for independence. These words have become timeless and 
have continually rang true in our times of crisis.
  However, I would have to say that true patriotism goes beyond waving 
our country's flag or singing the National Anthem. Don't get me wrong, 
those are important gestures, but true patriotism demands loyalty to 
the ideals that lie behind those gestures.
  Our American patriots were not born with this pride, nor did they 
learn it in books. It's a pride that has taken root in their souls, 
growing greater as they experience the true meaning of freedom, liberty 
and prosperity. Patriotism is more sincere than attitudes of self-
righteousness--it is the guardian of our Constitution. Patriotism is 
why America has prospered and grown to such greatness in a mere two 
centuries.
  When our country's first army gathered under George Washington in the 
summer of 1775, it was truly a citizen's army. Farmers, shopkeepers and 
tradesmen left their loved ones to rid our land of British rule once 
and for all. There were few uniforms and even less weapons, but these 
brave men were willing to battle Britain's best troops and Europe's 
fiercest mercenaries. These first American patriots believed in three 
essential ideals, independence from foreign tyranny, human equality, 
and democracy.
  It is our American patriots that will bear any hardship, will 
overcome any obstacle, and will conquer any foe in the pursuit of 
liberty and justice--for themselves, their children, their countrymen, 
and others who they will never know. It is our American patriots that 
have protected this great nation in the past, and will be the author of 
our bright future. It is our American patriots that we remember today.
  Unfortunately, not every American will take time today to visit the 
graves of those who have been taken by war, but every American should 
take the time to remember those who gave everything on behalf of our 
common good. Today from Omaha Beach to Arlington National Cemetery we 
honor the memory of American veterans whose remains consecrate the soil 
throughout the world. Let us promise that their lives and sacrifices 
shall not have been offered in vain.
  We must uphold the memories of their heroism with our respect, 
reverence, and heartfelt admiration. Those who have died on the field 
of battle deserve our enduring thoughts. It is our duty to make sure 
America remembers the martyrs of freedom's cause. It is our obligation 
to keep alive the great hopes of the American people, as they are 
embodied in the principles outlined in our nation's Constitution.
  We cherish the hope that the ideals of peace, freedom and prosperity 
will light our way through the 2 1 st century. Memorial Day is a 
celebration of that hope. It is the day we remember and honor those who 
lost their lives fighting for our nation. The men and women we remember 
on Memorial Day demonstrated the highest form of faith in the triumph 
of good over evil. Today we pause to remember the 26 million patriots 
living today who have served in the armed forces, and the more than one 
million who have died in America's wars.
  Today we recognize the power and virtue of their sacrifice. We 
remember those who gave their lives to strengthen and preserve the 
invaluable gift of freedom. In the dark hours of war and conflict, 
American patriots have answered the call, and they're the reason that 
the United States is the mightiest, wealthiest, and most secure nation 
on earth today. Should the day come when our American patriots remain 
silent in the face of armed aggression, then the cause of freedom will 
have been lost.
  Today, 179 of the world's 193 sovereign states elect their lawmakers. 
That means the earth is 93 percent covered by democracy--a greater 
proportion than water. Clearly, those who made the ultimate sacrifice 
for freedom did so for a supreme cause.
  However, history teaches us that the world will never run out of 
threats to freedom. Hitler was defeated and we won the Cold War, but we 
must continue to contend with terrorists like Asama Bin Laden and 
tyrants like Milosovic and Hussein. Clearly, future American patriots 
may be called upon again to sacrifice for freedom.
  As you reflect on our nation's past, remember that this great nation 
was not established by cowards.
  America has remained the land of the free through the noble selfless 
acts of our American patriots and those heroes who did not return. 
Today we honor you and today we remember. May your patriotism endure, 
may God continue to bless you, and may God bless America.

                          ____________________