[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 59 (Friday, May 10, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E775-E776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF VALLEY BRONZE AND STEWART SPRINGS, 
                                  LTD.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 9, 2002

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my 
congratulations to the men and women of Valley Bronze and Stewart 
Springs, Ltd. for their success in receiving the contract to adorn the 
World War II monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Valley 
Bronze is a foundry located in Joseph, Oregon in Wallowa County in my 
congressional district, a pristine sliver of the United States whose 
citizens live and breathe the heritage of the American West.
  The successful bid award to participate in the construction of the 
World War II memorial

[[Page E776]]

was the product of a creative collaboration between David and Christine 
Jackman, the owners of Valley Bronze, and Janelle Stewart, the owner of 
Stewart Springs, Ltd., a drafting company also located in Joseph.
  When it is complete, the ``Freedom Wall'' of the World War II 
memorial will feature 4,123 gold-plated stars cast by Valley Bronze, 
each of which will represent 100 American lives lost in the service of 
our nation during that terrible conflict. Fifty-six pillars will 
surround the memorial to represent every American state and territory, 
each of which will be decorated with bronze wreaths made in Joseph. 
Anchoring the flagpoles at the ceremonial entrance to the monument will 
be pedestals made by Valley Bronze, and monumental bas relief 
medallions representing the ``victory medallions'' given to World War 
II veterans will be embedded in the floor of the archways at each end 
of the memorial. Finally, four water fountains and 900 feet of 
decorative drainage grate will encircle the monument. I have no doubt, 
Mr. Speaker, that each of the decorations that will adorn the memorial 
will be cast with the care and precision to befit a monument in honor 
of America's patriot dead.
  Mr. Speaker, awarding this bid to Valley Bronze is a reflection of 
the beauty of their work and the quality of their craftsmanship. It is 
fitting that the materials to build this monument to our nation's 
heroes will be brought together from across the American continent, 
just as America's sons and daughters came from cities and towns across 
this great land to answer their nation's call.
  The national monument to the veterans of World War II will stand for 
generations as an enduring testament to the heroism and sacrifice of 
the men and women who have rightly been called the Greatest Generation. 
Visitors from across the United States and indeed the rest of the world 
will journey to our nation's capital to see this monument and pay their 
own private tribute to the legions of American soldiers, sailors, 
airmen and Marines who fought and died to prevent the spread of 
tyranny. They will do so enjoying the freedom won in part by the 
exertions of Oregonians, just as the beauty they admire was crafted by 
Oregonians' hands.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Valley Bronze and Stewart Springs, Ltd. for 
their outstanding success. The first-rate quality of their work was 
chosen as the finest in the land, and I am proud to represent them and 
their patriotic community in the House of Representatives.

                          ____________________