[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 12, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E827-E828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE PYRAMID OF REMEMBRANCE LIVING MEMORIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. STEVEN C. LaTOURETTE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2004

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I was honored to visit Arlington 
National Cemetery this

[[Page E828]]

morning for the dedication ceremony for the Pyramid of Remembrance 
Living Memorial. It was a privilege to be in the company of a group of 
amazing young people from Painesville Township, OH, who have shown 
compassion and integrity beyond their years.
  The idea for the Pyramid of Remembrance Living Memorial originated in 
a classroom at Riverside High School in Painesville Township, OH, and 
was sparked by the sight of a U.S. soldier being dragged through the 
streets of Mogadishu, Somalia. That horrible image was seared into our 
Nation's consciousness, and in the classroom of Dr. Mary Porter it 
spurred discussion of other worthy sacrifice that is regrettably 
overlooked.
   The students decided then--more than a decade ago--that a memorial 
should be erected in our Nation's Capital to honor the forgotten ones--
those killed in circumstances other than declared wars, including 
training accidents, humanitarian efforts, peacekeeping missions and 
terrorist attacks. The students envisioned a large memorial, possibly 
near the Mall, but ran into many stumbling blocks because such 
memorials must honor those who have died in declared conflicts.
  They could have gutted the intention and heart of their memorial to 
make it fit the stringent confines of law, but the entire purpose of 
this endeavor was to honor those whose sacrifice doesn't fit in one 
tidy category. They persevered.
   Twice, legislation I introduced to create the memorial was passed by 
the House of Representatives, but never with enough time left in a 
congressional session for the Senate to take it up. The students have 
been to Washington several times in the last decade, and have testified 
before both the House and Senate, and the National Capital Memorial 
Commission. They brought with them letters of support from former 
President Bush, former Secretary Cohen, and others. They were patient 
as one Congress faded away and another began, and held out hope each 
time Senator Voinovich and I introduced legislation--this might be the 
time we'd get it done.
  At every turn and by everyone they encountered, the students were 
praised. ``This is a wonderful idea, but . . .''
  If you hear someone say, ``This is a wonderful idea, but . . .'' 
enough times, some might be inclined to give up and chalk it up as a 
great idea that was never actualized. Not this group.
  Last summer, a last-ditch meeting was held in my office, and this 
time we had the ear of the Superintendent of Arlington National 
Cemetery, John C. Metzler, Jr. Superintendent Metzler was candid and 
told the Senator and me that we couldn't build a memorial of the scale 
the students wanted in Arlington due to limited burial space. In fact, 
he told us that if the memorial before us was one-inch larger we'd need 
an act of Congress to approve it. He offered an alternative to 
accomplish the students' noble goal.

  Five years ago, Arlington discontinued its program of living 
memorials because there were already 174 such memorials throughout the 
cemetery. But Superintendent Metzler graciously made an exception for 
the students of Riverside High School so their dream could become a 
reality. I want to give special thanks to Superintendent Metzler and 
Arlington National Cemetery Historian Tom Sherlock for their unwavering 
efforts on behalf of the school.
  Though some might argue that the living memorial we dedicated on this 
glorious May morning is not as grand in scale as the students initially 
envisioned, it is every bit as grand in purpose. Every person who 
visits Arlington National Cemetery from this day forward--more than 
four million people a year--can take comfort knowing that this living 
memorial will honor not only those killed in the terrorist attacks on 
the Pentagon and the USS Cole, but also those who lost their lives in 
Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Panama; during the bombing of the Marine 
barracks in Beirut: during the failed rescue attempt of American 
hostages in Iran; and in the far too many deadly training accidents 
that occur on land, in air, and at sea, so that our forces can be ready 
for combat.
  Throughout our land, our military bases are named for those who died 
so that our troops are ready for war. Kelly Air Force Base in San 
Antonio is named for Lt. George Kelly, the first Army pilot to lose his 
life piloting a military aircraft on May 10, 1911. Hill Air Force Base 
in Texas is named for Maj. Ployer ``Pete'' Hill, who was killed October 
30, 1935, while test flying the first B-17 at Wright Field in Dayton. 
Even Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in my state of Ohio is similarly 
named. The Wright portion comes from the Wright Brothers, of course. 
The Patterson is 1st. Lt. Frank S. Patterson, who died in a training 
accident in Dayton on June 19, 1919, while testing newly installed 
machine guns in his plane.
  Those who are honored by this living memorial have perished in non-
declared war situations. The list is long and incomplete, and the 
sacrifice is often not given the recognition it deserves.
  Earlier this year, I attended the funeral of Sean Landrus of 
Thompson, OH, a father of three who died in Iraq after major combat 
ended. In the month of April alone, more than 136 U.S. troops died in 
Iraq, nearly a year after the end of declared combat. At least 13 were 
teenagers.
  Just two weeks ago, three soldiers from Ft. Bragg died when their 
Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training exercise. One planned 
to retire in a few months, another had just married on Valentine's Day. 
One commander remarked: ``To lose someone on a training flight as 
opposed to in combat makes no difference.'' He is right.
  We should not judge or quantify the sacrifice of those who serve for 
and die for their country.
  This morning, I was humbled that so many attended our dedication 
ceremony, including Senator Voinovich and his wife, Janet; 
Superintendent Metzler; Lt. Gen. Richard A. Cody; Col. Ricky L. Rife; 
former Congressman Michael P. Flanagan; Col. Glenn Lackey; Lt. Col. 
Steve Geise; Dr. Mary Porter; and of course the nearly 60 guests from 
Riverside High School and Painesville Township.
  I was also privileged to present the students with greetings from 
Secretary Anthony J. Principi of the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
Chairman Duncan Hunter of the House Committee on Armed Services, and 
Vice President Dick Cheney, who told the students: ``The ranks of the 
United States military have been filled with men and women of honor who 
place duty and country above self-interest. Whenever a service member 
is killed, our country mourns its loss. We also rededicate ourselves to 
continuing the tasks to which they dedicated their lives--to the 
defense of our country and to the lasting security, and peace of the 
world. Thank you again for establishing this fine memorial. It will 
always stand as a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives while 
in the service of our great Nation.''
  I am incredibly proud of the students of Riverside High School for 
their idea and their tenacity, and their desire to share this memorial 
with the Nation. Visitors to Section 55 of Arlington National Cemetery 
will find a beautiful Southern Magnolia tree and a red granite base 
with a bronze marker. They will notice that many words are engraved on 
the marker, but not the name of Riverside High School.
  The students' gesture to make the Pyramid of Remembrance Living 
Memorial a gift from America's youth is incredibly selfless, thoughtful 
and mature. On behalf of all Americans, I thank you and honor you.

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