[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 72 (Thursday, May 20, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5939-S5940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING WORLD WAR II VETERANS

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, more than 60 years ago a generation of 
Americans answered the call to service, leaving their daily lives and 
joining the fight in a world war that would dramatically change the way 
this country, and the world, conducted itself. Raised during the Great 
Depression, this ``Greatest Generation'' would have such a profound 
impact on our history that is almost impossible to overstate. Their 
legacy is formidable and lasting.
  Almost six decades later, we are finally paying full tribute to those 
men and women, and this generation, who served and sacrificed their 
lives in defense of this great Nation and who ultimately saved the 
world from tyranny and tyrants. No doubt, those men and women and their 
triumph over evil have served as a stark reminder and inspiration to 
the men and women in uniform who have followed in their permanent 
footsteps.
  However, the presence of this generation was not limited to the 
islands of the Pacific or the beaches of Normandy; it was also 
displayed by those who remained in this country to mobilize the home 
front during and after the war. No one can question the hard work and 
dedication this generation embraced that ultimately pushed this nation 
to the position of global economic, military, political, and social 
leadership we still maintain today. Almost overnight, America moved 
from isolation to a country of engagement.
  Having learned this lesson well, America remained engaged with the 
world after the war, struggling against the advance of communism, and 
ultimately winning that battle.
  I am proud of the role the citizens of my state played in these 
struggles, and as such, I would like to take a moment to honor those 
Idahoans who served and to those who lost their lives as a result of 
World War II. Their strong commitment and dedication to their state and 
to our country has not and will not go unnoticed. I am reminded of a 
saying, ``For your tomorrow, we gave our today.'' This statement 
embodies what this generation gave; but words can't fully describe what 
the soldiers and survivors of WWII contributed to this nation, during 
and after the war. That contribution changed the course, not only of 
our Nation, but of the entire world. We continue to see the 
repercussions of it today, and to be honest, I believe the effect will 
continue to be felt long after all of us are gone. The official motto 
of Idaho is ``Esto Perpetua,'' meaning ``May it last forever.'' Well, 
the same could probably be said of the influence of this generation on 
America.
  Still, despite playing such a profound role in American history, 
until this year, there was no monument or memorial in our Nation's 
capital that honored the sacrifices of all World War II veterans. We 
have monuments and memorials for Vietnam and the Korean War, as we 
should. Just across the river in Arlington, there is the Iwo Jima 
Memorial which honors the U.S. Marines who served in World War II. It 
is a beautiful and fitting commemoration of the leathernecks' service 
in that conflict but just that branch, not all the services.
  This Memorial Day, we will dedicate, at long last, the National World 
War II Memorial on the National Mall. I believe it is fitting that the 
memorial should take its place alongside Lincoln, Jefferson and 
Washington, in the place our nation comes to remember and honor the 
greatest deeds in our great history. I thank our veterans for their 
service, for guaranteeing my freedom and those of all Americans, and I 
wish them a Happy Memorial Day.
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, this week marks the 50th anniversary of 
Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that ultimately 
ended legal segregation in schools and helped catalyze a better 
education for all of America's children.
  This landmark decision was the first significant action by an 
institution of national government in the struggle for equality. 
However, it would be naive to believe that Brown erased the hatred and 
ignorance that black families faced when testing their rights to a 
better education. One of the most dramatic examples occurred on 
September 24, 1957 when President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to 
Little Rock, AR to allow nine black children, the Little Rock Nine, to 
attend the all-white Central High School.
  Of her experience, Melba Pattillo Beals of the Little Rock Nine 
recalls: ``I had to become a warrior. I had to learn not how to dress 
the best but how to get from that door to the end of the hall without 
dying.'' Her act of courage, and those of the other eight students who 
integrated Little Rock Central, helped change history for all Americans 
in a tale that continues to have immediacy.
  Another one of those students was Ernest Green, who best explains why 
the Little Rock Nine sacrificed their innocence for a chance at a 
better education. He said, ``We wanted to widen options for ourselves 
and later for our children.'' Mr. Green was the first black student to 
graduate from Central High School. He later served as Assistant 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs under President Jimmy Carter and 
now serves as the vice president of Lehman Brothers.
  Turning opportunity into achievement is what civil rights pioneer 
Daisy Bates had in mind when she helped the Little Rock Nine break down 
the barriers that stood between them and an equal education. Despite 
threats on her life and financial ruin, Daisy Bates made significant 
strides in the courtroom and increased public awareness through her 
newspaper.
  Mr. President, as a former student of Central High, I can tell you 
the impact of the Little Rock Nine is still felt in the hearts of its 
student body and teachers past and present. In 2007, Central High will 
commemorate the 50th anniversary of its desegregation crises. The 
National Park Service plans to build the Little Rock Central High 
School Visitors Center in time for this watershed anniversary, and I 
will be urging my colleagues to support funding for this endeavor later 
this year.
  What we know today is that children all over America have the right 
to learn--whether their ancestors came to America on slave ships or the 
Mayflower. What we know today is that we all benefit when we learn 
together and work together for a common purpose. What we know today is

[[Page S5940]]

there are more black doctors, lawyers, judges and elected officials 
than ever before. What we know today is that there is more equality and 
more opportunity for all children.
  But what we don't know, what we still question is whether we have 
really achieved the inclusion, equality and diversity in our schools 
that the Court intended when it struck down the ``separate but equal'' 
doctrine and required the desegregation of schools across America. I do 
not believe we have met the promise of Brown yet.
  I am concerned that many public schools in Arkansas and around the 
country remain segregated by race and class, still unequal in regard to 
performance and resources. Today, a fourth-grade Hispanic child is only 
one-third as likely to read at the same level as a fourth grade white 
child. Only fifty percent of African-Americans are finishing high 
school, and only 18 percent are graduating from college.
  We must do better, and President Bush and the Congress can do better 
by keeping the promises made to parents and students when it passed the 
No Child Left Behind Act. We must live up to this promise, and provide 
every child access to a quality public education. Daisy Bates, the 
Little Rock Nine and countless civil rights leaders did not endure 
hardship and sacrifice for us to fail now.
  Mr. President, on this landmark anniversary, let us stand together to 
celebrate how far we have come. But let us also acknowledge the 
problems that stand in the way to a better education for all children. 
And let us commit ourselves to preparing our children for today's 
expectations and tomorrow's challenges.

                          ____________________