[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 92 (Wednesday, July 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE PRESIDENT POSTHUMOUSLY AWARD 
         THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM TO HARRY W. COLMERY

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                               speech of

                             HON. JIM RYUN

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 6, 2004

  Mr. RYUN of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the vision and 
achievements of Mr. Harry W. Colmery, from Topeka, Kansas.
  Because of Mr. Colmery's remarkable service to our country, I urge my 
colleagues to pass H. Con. Res. 257, calling on President Bush to 
posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harry Colmery. 
President Truman established the Medal of Freedom in 1945 as an honor 
for exceptional service in war, and President Kennedy reintroduced the 
Medal in 1963 for distinguished service in peacetime. Harry Colmery 
embodied both of these things and is deserving of this highest civilian 
honor.
  After serving as an Army aviator in World War I, Mr. Colmery spent 
his civilian life actively promoting and defending the rights of 
America's veterans. In 1929, he was part of a coalition that worked to 
pass a major veterans' hospital construction bill. In 1936, he was 
elected National Commander of The American Legion.
  In 1943, while staying in Washington's Mayflower Hotel, Harry Colmery 
wrote the first draft of what would later become the Servicemen's 
Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the World War II GI Bill of 
Rights. This legislation provided historic new benefits to military 
veterans as they transitioned back into civilian life. Most 
importantly, the new educational benefit would revolutionize America's 
higher education system.
  Since the enactment of the GI Bill, America has continuously provided 
educational support for our nation's veterans. Exceeding all 
expectations, more than two million eligible men and women went to 
college using these educational benefits in the decade following World 
War II. The result was an American workforce enriched by 450,000 
engineers, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 22,000 
dentists, and another million college-educated men and women.
  Building upon the success of the original GI Bill, Congress 
subsequently approved the Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966 
and the Veterans' Educational Assistance Program for the post-Vietnam 
Conflict era. Finally, in 1985, Congress passed the Montgomery GI Bill.
  Awarding the Medal of Freedom to Harry Colmery would be a tribute to 
all veterans in 2004, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the GI Bill.

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