[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 83 (Thursday, June 14, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S6307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       226TH BIRTHDAY OF THE ARMY

  Mr. HAGEL. Madam President, I rise today to wish the United States 
Army happy birthday. It was 226 years ago today, in 1775, that the 
Continental Army of the United States was formed. The United States 
Army has had a monumental impact on our country.
  Millions of men and women over the past 226 years have served in the 
senior branch of our military forces. The Army is interwoven into the 
culture of America. Those who have had the great privilege of serving 
our country in the U.S. Army understand that.
  Last week, I was in Crawford, Nebraska. I am helping with the 
renovation of the historic barracks at the old Ft. Robinson in western 
Nebraska.
  Ft. Robinson was home to the U.S. Army's ``Buffalo Soldiers''--the 
heroic black soldiers who fought as part of the U.S. Army after the 
Civil War into the early 20th Century.
  The 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers called Ft. Robinson home from 1885 
to 1898. And the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers were stationed at Ft. 
Robinson from 1902 to 1907.
  It is also interesting to note that Nebraska was home to the 25th 
Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers who were stationed at Ft. Niobrara, in the 
north central part of Nebraska, from 1902 to 1907.
  The Buffalo Soldiers made up about twelve percent of the U.S. Army at 
the turn of the Century and they served our country valiantly and with 
great distinction.
  Eighteen Buffalo Soldiers earned the Medal of Honor, our Nation's 
highest award, fighting on the Western frontier. Five more earned the 
Medal of Honor for service during the Spanish American War.
  ``Duty, honor, country'' is the motto of the U.S. Army. It is 
America. Every generation of Americans who have served in the U.S. 
Army--from the Continental Army to the Buffalo Soldiers to today's 
fighting men and women--have been shaped by this motto.
  It has molded lives in ways that are hard to explain, just as the 
Army has touched our national life and history and made the world more 
secure, prosperous, and a better place for all mankind.
  On this 226th birthday of the U.S. Army, as a proud U.S. Army 
veteran, I say happy birthday to the Army veterans of our country. We 
recognize and thank those who served and whose examples inspired those 
of us who have had the opportunity to serve in the U.S. Army.
  It is the Army that has laid the foundation for all of this nation's 
distinguished branches of service and helped build a greater, stronger 
America.
  Mr. President, on this, the 226th birthday of the Army, I say Happy 
Birthday and, in the great rich tradition of the U.S. Army, I proudly 
proclaim my annual Senate floor ``HOOAH!''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Connecticut.

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