[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1092-E1093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING KRYSTYNA BAUMGARTNER, NEW YORK STATE WINNER OF THE VFW'S 2004 
                  VOICE OF DEMOCRACY ESSAY COMPETITION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 14, 2004

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
Krystyna Baumgartner, a constituent of mine, who is the New York State 
winner of the 2004 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) audio/essay 
competition. Ms. Baumgartner has done an excellent job of conveying the 
necessity of voter participation and showing respect for veterans and 
current members of our armed forces. It is my distinct honor to submit 
the text of her work into the Congressional Record.

          2003-2004 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest


                 ``my Commitment to america's future''

             (New York State Winner, Krystyna Baumgartner)

       In the movie ``The American President,'' the fictional 
     President Andrew Shepard utters that ``America isn't easy. 
     America is advanced citizenship.'' With those seven words, he 
     correctly points out that in order for America to work the 
     way the Founding Fathers intended it to, its citizens must 
     actively participate.
       Since I was about eleven, I have told anyone that would 
     listen that I was going to be the first woman President of 
     the United States. That year, I religiously watched the 
     presidential debates between Clinton, Dole, and Perot, 
     conjuring up my own answers to the questions asked and 
     drilling my dad on events I didn't know about. Now that I am 
     seventeen, I pay even more attention to the world and its 
     happenings than I did at eleven. And I am even more convinced 
     that I want to be on that stage, answering questions about 
     the topics of the day and making plans to move America 
     forward.
       In order to move America forward, however, you must first 
     learn her framework and the history of the struggles that she 
     has gone through to be what she is today. Without this basic 
     knowledge of how the political system in America works, one 
     cannot expect to be able to fully participate in America. As 
     I apply to colleges, I do not hesitate to check off that I am 
     a political science major. In this field rests the knowledge 
     that I need to help my generation guide America to the next 
     level.
       I look forward to my eighteenth birthday for a reason most 
     of my peers never think about--I cannot wait to be able to 
     vote. Until am old enough to run for office myself, I can 
     vote for people that share my views of where America is 
     heading and how to get her to that point. I do not understand 
     why many people that are of age to vote do not. We are lucky 
     to live in a country that allows us the right to choose our 
     government officials. In my opinion, giving up this right 
     that so many in this world don't have is equivalent to 
     spitting on everything that America stands for. It is my 
     sincere hope that more people from my generation will take 
     advantage of their right to vote and I plan to do 
     everything that I can to advocate voting to my peers.
       Knowing the basic principles upon which America was 
     founded, how the government works, and partaking of your 
     right to vote are a very important part of the advanced 
     citizenship I mentioned earlier. However, in order to truly 
     be an active participant in America, one must be willing to 
     defend her against threats, both domestic and foreign. 
     Serving in a branch of America's military is a way to give 
     back to America what America has given to you. By voluntarily 
     enlisting in the Army or the Air Force or the Navy, you are 
     showing the world that you love your country and that you 
     want to make sure that it will still be around two hundred 
     years from now.
       To volunteer to risk your life for your country shows an 
     immense dedication to the principles that your country stands 
     for and to the preservation of your country. In the past few 
     days I have been communicating with veterans of the Battle 
     for Bataan and the Bataan Death March for a school report. 
     Most of these men enlisted before Pearl Harbor, even though 
     they knew that the United States would most likely enter the 
     war in Europe. I asked one of the men, who was a POW of the 
     Japanese for 1028 days, if he remained in the Army after 
     World War Two. He said that although he did not, he wishes he 
     had because he really liked being in the Army. Can you 
     imagine spending over two years in captivity, being beaten, 
     starved, and made to work in the blistering sun, and still 
     enjoying the Army?
       America is at a crucial point in its history. It's citizens 
     are now beginning to question parts of everyday American 
     life, such as the Pledge of Allegiance, the motto on our 
     printed currency, and our right to defend ourselves from 
     terrorism, that were never given a second thought before. The 
     solutions to these questions will ultimately rest in my 
     generation. It will be up to us to decide whether or not our 
     pledge should be re-written or if we are allowed to mention 
     God in public life. But we cannot decide these things until 
     we have truly experienced America, and in order to do that we 
     have to want to learn why America is the country it is today 
     and we also have to be willing to defend her against any and 
     all enemies. We are the future of America. Shrinking away 
     from this is not an option. We have to stand up and accept 
     it. We have to be advanced active citizens.

  Mr. Speaker I again congratulate Ms. Baumgartner on her 
accomplishment and wish her the best of luck in what I am sure will be 
a productive future.

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