[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 18 (Thursday, February 12, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S1279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO ALL MILITARY SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN AND THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to thank the service men and 
women who have served our country so bravely in Afghanistan and Iraq. I 
also want to thank Peter Angelos and the world-class organization that 
he leads, the Baltimore Orioles. All too often we hear negative stories 
revolving around professional athletes. With this in mind, I have to 
tell you about a wonderful event that took place a few nights ago.
  Tuesday night, my colleagues in the Senate Democratic caucus, along 
with members of the Baltimore Orioles, visited Walter Reed Army Medical 
Center. We went to Walter Reed to personally thank and honor the brave 
men and women of our Armed Forces who have sacrificed so much for our 
country in Afghanistan and Iraq. When Peter Angelos was asked if anyone 
from the Orioles would be willing to visit soldiers at Walter Reed, 
there was an overwhelming response from players, coaches, and front 
office personnel alike. In fact, there were so many volunteers that not 
everyone could be accommodated. Specifically, I would like to recognize 
the following members of the Orioles organization who joined us at 
Walter Reed last night: pitchers John Parrish, Rick Bauer, Julio Jorge, 
Sidney Ponson, and Matt Riley; outfielders Larry Bigbie and Jay 
Gibbons; infielders Bran Roberts and Miguel Tejada, accompanied by his 
wife Santa; Jim Beattie, executive vice president of baseball 
operations, his wife Martha; Mike Flanagan, vice president of baseball 
operations, his wife Alex and daughter Kerry; and bullpen coach, Elrod 
Hendricks.
  As a Senator from the great State of North Dakota, I know all too 
well the sacrifices that are made by members of this country's 
military. I am proud to say that North Dakota has the highest National 
Guard membership per capita in the Nation, and not surprisingly, during 
the Iraq crisis has had the most mobilized personnel per capita of any 
State.
  Thus, it was truly heartwarming, as we went from table to table at 
Walter Reed, to see the enthusiasm of not only my fellow Senators, but 
also of the Baltimore Orioles in paying tribute to and recognizing the 
courageous men and women of the United States military. It is their 
professionalism, dedication, and hard work that provide the very 
freedoms that make this country great and it was obvious that these 
ideals were not lost on the members of the Baltimore Orioles.

                          ____________________