[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 64 (Thursday, May 1, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E854-E855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MAY 1ST ANNUAL DAY OF OBSERVANCE FOR COMMEMORATING OUR VICTORY IN THE 
                                COLD WAR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2003

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, the Governors of Kansas and Wisconsin have 
proclaimed May 1 as their annual day of observance for commemorating 
our victory in the Cold War.
  In a very real sense, the victory of the western allies was also a 
victory for the oppressed peoples of the Soviet bloc, and liberation 
for the Russian people, who are now friends and allies of the United 
States. May 1 was the traditional day of celebration for Communists 
worldwide, and displays of military might. It is fitting that May 1 now 
become a day of celebration of liberty for free peoples everywhere, and 
for remembrance of the sacrifices that made the downfall of Communism a 
reality.
  These state proclamations were in response to efforts by the Cold War 
Veterans Association, which has its headquarters in the State of 
Kansas, and of which I am proud to be a member.
  The Cold War was a long struggle, less dramatic than traditional 
wars, which ended with battles for cities, dropping of bombs, and 
formal surrenders. The Cold War ended over a period of several years, 
but as both President George W. Bush and Secretary Donald Rumsfeld 
said, ``It was a war, and we won.'' The resolute opposition to the 
Communist Empire took many forms, and cost many lives of American 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. It will be years before the 
casualty count is complete, but it is real, whether the losses were at 
sea, over Soviet or east European airspace, in shoot-downs over 
international waters, or along the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ).
  May 1 is the anniversary of the shoot-down of Francis Gary Powers' U-
2 in 1960, and the beginning of his captivity in the U.S.S.R. The month 
of May saw other losses, and some small but shining victories.
  May was the month in 1949 that the Soviets ended their blockade of 
West Berlin, after the U.S. Air Force and the British Royal Air Force 
supplied the besieged city with food and fuel for almost a year, 
costing the lives of 68 Allied servicemen and 9 Germans. Attacks on 
U.S. aircraft in the month of May included one in 1955, in which 2 
Chinese Communist soldiers were shot down over international waters, an 
attack on U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the U.S.S.R. (1954), and 
over international waters near the Kamchatka Peninsula (1953), shoot-
downs over East Germany (1953, 1960, 1964), and by North Koreans (1963, 
1974). U.S. military officers assassinated in May included 2 in Iran 
(1975) and one in El Salvador (1983). An attack in May 1967 by North 
Koreans on a U.S. Army barracks left 2 Americans dead and 17 wounded. 
Two separate terrorist attacks in May 1972 by the Red Army Faction in 
West Germany left 4 U.S. soldiers dead and 18 wounded. A terrorist 
attack in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in May 1982 killed one crewman and 
wounded 3 others from the U.S.S. Pensacola (LSD-38). Casualties at sea 
in May included the entire crew of 99 aboard the U.S. nuclear submarine 
Scorpion, which was lost at sea in 1968. May 1954 saw the U.S.S. 
Bennington (CV-20) damaged by an explosion and fire in the Atlantic, 
killing 103 and injuring 201. In May of 1981, an EA6B Prowler crashed 
during landing aboard the carrier U.S.S. Nimitz (CVA-68) in the 
Atlantic, with 14 killed and 48 injured. In May 1987, 37 sailors aboard 
the U.S.S. Stark were killed and 21 wounded by an Iraqi Exocet missile. 
In May 1975, after our involvement in Vietnam and Cambodia had ended, 
our troops had to rescue the U.S.S. Mayaguez and its crew from the 
Khmer Rouge, again at a cost of lives of our sailors and marines. And 
the list goes on.
  During the Cold War, over 40 U.S. aircraft were shot down, and others 
were lost during operational missions. Shooting incidents on the 
ground, along the Iron Curtain in Europe and the Bamboo Curtain in Asia 
often made the morning reports, but seldom the morning papers. Our 
atomic veterans participated in a large number of nuclear weapons 
tests; many of them exposed to ionizing radiation, with tragic 
consequences in later life.
  There were many successful missions. Many long nights of faithful and 
vigilant service, on the frontiers of freedom, on polar ice, submerged, 
flying airborne alerts and reconnaissance. Staying combat-ready in the 
Fulda Gap of Germany. Keeping watch on the Korean DMZ. Standing watch 
in stormy seas. Maintaining the defenses of the continental United 
States. Constantly improving the combat capability of the United States 
through research and development.
  So on May 1, I salute the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who 
served in the Cold War, and especially those who paid the ultimate 
price. We refuse to allow their bravery to go unheralded in the name of 
``political correctness.'' We also salute the freedom fighters who 
stood up to tyranny on the streets of Poland (1956, 1981), East Germany 
(1953), Czechoslovakia (1968), Hungary (1956), Romania (1989), and 
Afghanistan (1979-88). Their victory and ours are commemorated on each 
May 1 from this year forward.
  I now ask our National Government and other state governors to 
proclaim this day of observance, with appropriate ceremonies and 
recognition. I also ask President Bush to create the Cold War Victory 
Medal by executive order, for award to all who served in the

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Armed Forces and civilian intelligence agencies during this period. We 
owe them nothing less.

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