[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 73 (Thursday, June 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E979-E980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SERVICE AND SACRIFICE: AN ENDURING LEGACY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 5, 2002

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the poignant words of 
Major Joal Wolf (USAR) delivered as part of a speech on Memorial Day, 
May 27, 2002.
  Our nation has changed significantly since last September. Indeed, 
the world has changed since then.
  Even our Memorial Day celebrations have acquired a deeper meaning. As 
a nation, we have now spent many months solemnly recollecting the lives 
of more than 3,000 American service members and civilians who died last 
summer during the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Now more than 
ever, we recognize what it means to honor the lives of those who die in 
service to our great nation.
  Today we honor all those who died defending America--those who were 
active duty and those who served in our reserve components; those who 
were short-term volunteers, those who were drafted and those who made 
the military a career. We honor the veterans of every service: Army, 
Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard.
  On this day last year, our thoughts were focused on sacrifices made 
during previous wars. We were mindful, as well, of the daily peril of 
troops stationed around the world, and of those training here at home 
to keep us safe.
  Today our concerns are more immediate than reflective. Instead of 
focusing solely on past sacrifices, we must also face the reality of 
ongoing losses from our eight-month war on terrorism.
  It seems appropriate that today we should single out the casualties 
of our war against terrorism. Regrettably, the deaths of September 11 
have been followed by the deaths of soldiers sent abroad to prevent 
other such disasters. As our commander in chief explained in plain 
terms at the very beginning of this war, our primary defense is to take 
the fight right to the doorsteps of those who spread terror.
  After almost a month of nonmilitary response to the attacks, U.S. 
military forces responded with measured force. While executed with 
great care and precision, we feared it was only a matter of time before 
America suffered more casualties.
  As in previous wars, our losses came in a variety of ways. Military 
personnel died in accidents and they were lost to hostile and friendly 
fire. This first war of the 21st century is being fought differently 
than our previous wars. Our first casualty by enemy fire was not a 
soldier or airman, but a CIA agent. The first soldier to fall to 
hostile fire--a full three months after our introduction of military 
forces into the region--was Sergeant Nathan Chapman of San Antonio, 
Texas.
  The recent public display of support is welcomed and not lost on 
those of us who served in Vietnam. Ultimately, it is the confidence of 
the American people--the public will to sustain the fight--that serves 
as the foundation for victory in any war, including the war on terror.
  The war on terrorism is a different war from any other our nation has 
ever faced, a war on many fronts against terrorists who operate in more 
than 60 different countries. And this is war that must be fought not 
only overseas, but also here at home.
  This war is more personal than our previous wars. Here we have an 
enemy not representing an entire nation, but representing evil. Instead 
of trying to occupy land mass or displace our military forces, the 
enemy wishes to destroy the very existence of America, and of other 
civilized nations, cultures and religions. American families must brace 
for continued casualties in this difficult, but inspiring, campaign.
  We've been awakened as a nation to the reality that the world remains 
a very dangerous place. To ensure peace and prosperity, we have to have 
the best trained and the best equipped armed forces on the face of the 
earth. That is a role that our country has to assume during this 
period. We're blessed with extraordinary men and women who risk their 
lives each day so that each of us can live in peace and freedom. And we 
ought not to forget where our forces are spread far and wide across the 
globe--in Korea and in Japan and in Bosnia and Kosovo and in the Sinai, 
just to name a few places.
  These are times that test us as citizens and define our nation. We 
are beginning to see the possibilities of a world beyond the war on 
terror. We have a chance, if we take it, to write a hopeful chapter in 
human history. All at once, a new threat to civilization is erasing old 
lines of rivalry and resentment between nations.

[[Page E980]]

  The face of battle is changing with this new war, and America's 
military has already demonstrated it is prepared to meet this 
challenge. From precision air strikes to special operations troops 
riding horseback in the mountains of Afghanistan, we've seen our 
military's flexibility and commitment to its mission.
  I'd like to mention a book that came out recently, one that I think 
bears mentioning today. It's called War Letters Extraordinary 
Correspondence from American Wars. This volume contains hundreds of 
letters by American military personnel from the Civil War up through 
the Persian Gulf War, Somalia and Bosnia. It's part of something called 
the Legacy Project, a nonprofit effort to preserve wartime letters.
  Many of these letters mailed home from the front to loved ones were 
the last letters ever sent by these troops. That makes for emotional 
reading. But for those who have never experienced the total terror and 
uncertainty of combat, these letters are a chilling lesson in what's at 
stake when we send our forces off to battle--precious lives, connected 
to loved ones at home, in peril.
  One of the more interesting similarities in the letters, regardless 
of the time period, is the attempt of letter writers to reassure loved 
ones back home of their safety. It says something of the spirit of 
these men and women when their courage and optimism shine through like 
that.
  These letters are full of concern for younger siblings and other 
relatives. They are full of desire to help boost home-front morale. 
And, as you can imagine, letters to parents and sweethearts alike 
conclude with very open expressions of love.
  The book's editor Andrew Carroll of Washington, DC, describes in his 
introduction how these individual letters spanning 140 years create a 
very personal narrative. ``It is the story of immeasurable suffering 
and astonishing violence,'' he explains. ``But it is also a story that 
encompasses tales of heroism, perseverance, integrity, honor, and 
reconciliation.''
  He describes how these letters were written from a variety of 
circumstances: filthy trenches, flooded foxholes, the sweltering 
islands of the Pacific, muddy battlefields of Europe, the frozen 
mountains of Korea, the jungles of Vietnam and other places far from 
home.
  I would like to close by mentioning that these one million men and 
women made the ultimate sacrifice at the request of their nation. Their 
legacy will continue to live in our memory, and we honor them as we 
will honor those who will come after them.
  It is our task--the task of this generation--to provide the response 
to aggression and terror. We have no other choice, because there is no 
other peace.
  The contributions of our soldiers given willingly and without 
hesitation, demonstrate their profound and abiding devotion to this 
nation. On our behalf, they take risks, they go into harm's way, they 
shed blood--prepared to give their lives if necessary--and some have 
paid to preserve peace and freedom and our way of life, They continue 
to make incredible contributions and even more incredible sacrifices. 
We must never forget the service and sacrifice--enduring legacy--of 
these brave souls who gave their full measure for all of us.
  Thank you for sharing your time today in honor of these special 
Americans--those who paid the ultimate price in demonstrating that 
freedom is not free. God bless you and God bless America.''

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