[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 133 (Thursday, September 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN REMEMBERANCE OF THE VICTIMS OF THE KATYN FOREST MASSACRE

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                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2003

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of the 
victims of the Katyn Forest Massacre of 1940. A Memorial Service 
sponsored by the Katyn Forest Massacre Memorial Committee of the New 
Jersey Division of the Polish American Congress was held on Sunday, 
September 21, 2003, at the Katyn Monument in Jersey City, New Jersey.
  The Katyn Forest Massacre Memorial Service is a tribute to the 
bravery of the Polish people who fought valiantly during World War II. 
Over sixty-three years ago, during the Soviet invasion of Poland, over 
15,000 Polish military officers, intelligentsia, prisoners of war, 
clergy, and Polish civilians were attacked and killed by Soviet 
military and secret police. Over 4,500 bodies were discovered in the 
Katyn Forest in a single mass grave.
  This year, the Katyn Massacre Memorial Service will also pay special 
tribute to the brave men and women who perished in the horrific 
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 
93 in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001. Although 
more than 60 years apart, the loss of innocent lives in both tragic 
events have had a profound effect on our society. To lay wreaths and 
flowers in memory of all of the victims is a fitting tribute, as the 
site of the Katyn Monument in Exchange Place in Jersey City once looked 
upon the towers of the World Trade Center just across the Hudson River.
  Today, I ask that my colleagues join me in remembering the victims of 
the Katyn Massacre and the September 11th attacks, and honor their 
sacrifice and courage. May we continue to honor the memories of those 
who were lost, so we will not be destined to repeat the horrors of the 
injustices suffered by these innocent victims.

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