[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 78 (Friday, May 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REMEMBERING THE SACRIFICES OF THE VIETNAM WAR

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                           HON. VITO FOSSELLA

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2003

  Mr. FOSSELLA. Mr. Speaker, this week, my district in Staten Island is 
honored to host the Vietnam Wall Experience. I would like to take this 
opportunity to talk about the heroism of the fathers, sons, sisters and 
daughters that gave their lives during that conflict.
  These men and women traveled around the world to serve their country. 
They joined the military for different reasons and with different 
backgrounds, but were united in purpose to serve the cause of freedom.
  Matthew Bono, at 25, was six years older than the average draftee. He 
became a father-figure to his fellow soldiers, as beloved there as he 
was throughout his home neighborhood. He did not survive Khe Sanh. 
Vincent James Caravello enlisted just before his 18th birthday, right 
out of high school. He was killed in Thua Thien five months after he 
arrived in Vietnam.
  The Grunt Padre, Father Vincent Capodanno, died trying to rescue men 
while under fire. He was known for his devotion to ``his'' Marines and 
put himself in harm's way for them again and again.
  Other men were never fully accounted for after they disappeared. Lt. 
Kevin O'Brien served as a spotter in a U.S. Army Bird Dog 01-G craft. 
He is believed to have crashed over Khe Sanh in South Vietnam during 
bad weather on January 9, 1969. Air Force Major Gerald Crosson, Jr., 
was declared missing on May 16, 1968 after his plane did not return 
from a night reconnaissance mission.
  America lost fifty-eight thousand in Vietnam, including 84 from 
Staten Island. And then there are the wounded, POW-MIA and other 
veterans, all of whom deserve our deepest thanks. Today on Staten 
Island, nearly twelve thousand Vietnam veterans still make their homes.
  There is no truly adequate way to put into words our appreciation for 
those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I believe it was wise to have 
the memorial be simply a wall, bearing the names for us to remember.
  However, that does not relieve us of the responsibility to find a way 
to express to our children and theirs why it is that we have such love 
for the ones who gave their lives.
  They knew the danger when they went in, and ultimately they were 
fighting for us. America is stronger today because of the example they 
set. We must teach our children to study what these men did and why it 
was a noble cause. We are grateful to the Vietnam Wall Experience for 
helping make that job a little easier.

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