[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5796-S5797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      OUR PRECIOUS GIFT OF FREEDOM

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, in a few days, a very special 
dedication will be held a short distance from here. Thanks to the 
diligence, commitment, and hard work of many people across the United 
States, our Nation's capital will officially be the proud home to the 
long-overdue World War II Memorial. It is definitely a time for 
celebration--a celebration of freedom, life, and honor, a celebration 
of the United States of America. Most of all, it is a celebration of 
all the soldiers and citizens who gave life and limb during the early 
years of the 1940s.
  Idaho is home to many World War II veterans. This Memorial Day 
weekend, those veterans, along with veterans from every State and 
others who helped at home and abroad, can celebrate a very special 
Memorial Day. Many fought and many died to defend the United States in 
a war that ended 59 years ago. Sixteen million served, and 400,000 did 
not return to families and friends. Each one of these lives increased 
the value of our citizenship exponentially and immeasurably. This 
memorial, the design of which was selected after careful review of 400 
submissions, stands as a reminder of the

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sacrifice of many. It is a most profound honor to their memory.
  Watching the evening news is a sobering reminder of what this 
memorial stands for. It represents freedom from tyranny, peace and 
justice for all people, bravery in the face of terror and death, and 
love for America that surpasses words while challenging complacency. 
The World War II Memorial has an important role to play in teaching us 
about the price of freedom. It reminds each one of us that we cannot 
take our United States citizenship lightly. It calls on us to be 
vigilant in preserving those freedoms as those who have gone before 
have done with such conviction and singleness of purpose. Many veterans 
know all too well the physical and emotional challenges that the 
current generation of military personnel and their families are facing. 
Their wisdom, insight, and experience will help those who themselves 
are brand new veterans. These young men and women face the same 
challenges that others did over half a century ago. This memorial 
serves as a reminder of the debt of honor and gratitude we owe all 
veterans. We have a responsibility to care for them and, in our 
national leadership roles, we must take steps which do the most to 
support these brave defenders of our freedom.
  This memorial represents those who have given life and limb in 
military service, and it also reminds all Americans of the gift of 
immeasurable cost--the gift of freedom--that the lives of brave men and 
women have purchased for all of us. And I can think of no better reason 
to celebrate.

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