[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 139 (Tuesday, October 16, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S10767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                 IN RECOGNITION OF DR. VICTOR WESTPHALL

 Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Dr. Victor 
Westphall. Dr. Westphall has dedicated his life to recognizing and 
celebrating the service and sacrifice of our Nation's veterans. This 
past Saturday, Dr. Westphall celebrated his 88th birthday, and I still 
marvel at how much he has accomplished during his lifetime.
  Dr. Westphall's dedication to veterans is not surprising because he 
is a veteran himself. He entered the United States Navy in 1943 as an 
ensign and served for two years in the South Pacific during World War 
II. During this time, he was responsible for setting up message centers 
to allow front-line communication. After serving three years in the 
Navy and earning two full stripes, Dr. Westphall moved with his wife 
and his two sons to Albuquerque. However, his family had a difficult 
time finding housing because of the large number of returning G.I.s. 
Dr. Westphall realized that many veterans were faced with the same 
situation, so he began a home construction business and built over 
3,000 homes in New Mexico. At the same time, he earned his doctorate in 
history at the University of New Mexico and eventually became a leading 
author and expert on Southwestern American history.
  In 1968, Dr. Westphall received news that his son, David, had been 
killed in Vietnam. David was a platoon leader and was killed with 
twelve of his men in an ambush near Con Thien. However, Dr. Westphall 
was determined to draw some good out of this tragic event. He decided 
to use the life insurance payment from his son's death to build the 
Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel in Angel Fire, NM. 
Although Dr. Westphall struggled to find financial support to help 
build this memorial, he remained dedicated to the project, and in 1971, 
the first monument to Vietnam veterans in the United States was 
formally dedicated.
  The Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel stands as a 
handsome tribute to our veterans who served in Vietnam. Dr. Westphall 
hired a Santa Fe architect to design a beautiful white chapel with 
gentle curves sweeping 50 feet upward towards the sky. This serene 
memorial overlooks the sacred Moreno Valley in northeastern New Mexico. 
It offers visitors the opportunity to remember those who served their 
Nation proudly in the Vietnam War in a peaceful and spiritual setting. 
The Chapel's eternal flame illuminates this ideal place for quiet 
meditation.
  Even today, Dr. Westphall remains deeply involved in this monument, 
which attracts over 120,000 visitors every year. He still greets 
visitors to the Chapel in his wheelchair, while sharing stories of 
loved ones lost during the War. There is a very moving story that Dr. 
Westphall recounts about the Chapel. When the memorial was first 
opened, the Chapel would close every night. However, one morning Dr. 
Westphall found a message left by a young veteran on the door: ``I 
needed to come in and you locked me out.'' Since then, the Chapel 
remained open 24 hours a day.
  Just like the Chapel, Dr. Westphall has always been there for our 
Nation's veterans. From his own service in World War II to his 
construction of houses for returning veterans to the opening of the 
Vietnam Veterans Peace and Brotherhood Chapel, Dr. Westphall has 
remained dedicated to America's veterans. I salute Dr. Westphall's 
lifetime of service to our veterans, and I am proud and honored to have 
him as a friend.

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