[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 125 (Monday, September 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE FRIENDS OF CHICKAMAUGA & CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK

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                             HON. ZACH WAMP

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 24, 2001

  Mr. WAMP. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the work of a very 
special group of people, the Friends of Chickamauga & Chattanooga 
National Military Park.
  In September 1863, Union and Confederate soldiers fought over access 
to Chattanooga in what was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil 
War. In 1890, Congress established the Chickamauga & Chattanooga 
National Military Park as the country's first national military 
battlefield park. Those petitioning for its establishment were veterans 
of both sides who came together in a spirit of reunion and brotherhood 
to memorialize the hills and fields where their brothers had fought and 
died.
  What is now known as the Chickamauga Battlefield is bisected by a 
two-lane portion of U.S. Highway 27, a major north-south artery 
extending from Michigan to Florida. Over the years, heavy commercial 
and commuter traffic has created a threat to the cultural, historical 
and abundant natural resources in the national park.
  On December 24, 1987, Public Law 100-211 was enacted to authorize the 
relocation of a 5.7 mile section of U.S. Highway 27. This new section 
of road, on the western perimeter of the Chickamauga Battlefield, will 
be officially dedicated on October 12, 2001. Its successful completion 
is the result of a partnership among the Eastern Federal Lands Highway 
Division of the Federal Highway Administration, Department of 
Transportation; the National Park Service, Department of Interior; and 
the Georgia Department of Transportation.
  In honor of this accomplishment, Friends of the Park is presenting a 
weekend of activities to celebrate the opening of this new road that 
will allow Park visitors to experience this historical Battlefield more 
safely.
  Mr. Speaker, the Friends of the Park was one of the first National 
Park support groups in the nation and has, in its 15 years, raised more 
than $4.6 million for capital projects at the Park while pursuing its 
goals of advocacy, educational programming and fundraising. I applaud 
their effort and hard work to protect and preserve this land. Their 
dedicated membership assures continued support for the protection of 
the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park for years to come.

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