[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 93 (Thursday, July 8, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H5390-H5391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING RACHEL GRANGER AND KYLE BAKER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bradley) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BRADLEY of New Hampshire. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to 
pay tribute to two New Hampshire residents. First, I pay tribute to a 
New Hampshire resident who recently passed away after fighting a long 
battle against a tough and debilitating illness. Rachel Granger died on 
Saturday, June 5, after a brave fight with Lou Gehrig's disease, or 
ALS. ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that leaves its victims 
paralyzed, but still mentally alert.
  On average, a person who has been diagnosed with ALS will die within 
2 to 5 years of diagnosis, and 50 percent of patients die within 18 
months. ALS is truly one of the most debilitating diseases to affect 
patients and their families.
  In the last few months of her life, Rachel was unable to speak and to 
enjoy many of the activities she once loved, such as needlepoint and 
boating on Lake Winnipesaukee.
  Rachel showed tremendous courage in attending a town meeting I hosted 
in Wolfeboro last year. Though she was afflicted with ALS and had many 
difficulties with mobility, she wanted to attend the meeting in order 
to shed light on a problem that affects thousands of other terminally 
ill patients. Rachel was having trouble getting her Social Security 
disability claim processed in enough time to actually receive any 
benefits before she passed away.
  Her courage to bring this problem to my attention has encouraged me 
to work with my colleagues and the Social Security Administration to 
address this situation for all terminally ill patients. Rachel's 
determination to help others who face the same situation is commendable 
and inspiring. Rachel's friends remember her as someone who was full of 
life and always made others laugh, despite her physical handicap.
  I am fortunate to have met Rachel during her lifetime and have been 
able to share in some of her triumphs and tragedies. Her courage and 
determination should not, and will not, be forgotten.
  Madam Speaker, the second New Hampshire resident I rise tonight to 
honor is Kyle Baker of Milton. Mr. Baker is the national winner in the 
2004 Veterans of Foreign Wars' Voice of Democracy Scholarship contest. 
This contest is held each year to give high school students the 
opportunity to voice their opinion on their responsibility to our 
country. The following is Mr. Baker's essay:
  ``It is a bright summer day, and a soft breeze gently whispers 
through the maple leaves. A little boy is playing alone in the driveway 
at his grandmother's house. Above him the American flag billows and 
waves, trying to remove itself from its anchor at the top of the 
flagpole and drift down in front of him to make its presence known. The 
boy plays on, not realizing what it took to keep that flag flying high.
  ``A few years later, on the 11th of September, 2001, the same boy, 
now a bit older, stares at the television in shock and disbelief. He 
watches as the towers collapse, ending so many lives and bringing 
anguish to so many families. The boy's classmates sitting all around 
him reflect in their eyes the desperation, sorrow and helplessness the 
boy himself feels. He realizes at that moment how precious the freedoms 
are that he sometimes takes for granted. He realizes what a privilege 
it is to live in America, and that the future of his country is now 
changed forever. He goes home that night wondering what he can do for 
his country at such a time of loss, what commitment can he possibly 
make to the future of America after such a tragedy:
  ``Now it is July of 2003, and the boy stands in front of the Vietnam 
Memorial seeing `The Wall' for the very first time. He is overcome by 
how many names there are. He walks solemnly and slowly, passing by the 
countless flowers, letters, photographs, even teddy bears left at the 
wall by the families of the fallen. He wonders if some of the people 
walking near him are searching for one of the names, an uncle maybe, or 
even a father. He can picture a young man only a few years older than 
himself, crouching, frightened in the thick jungle brush, wondering if 
he will ever come home. He can picture this young man removing a 
photograph wrapped in plastic from his pocket. It is a photograph of 
the young man's high school girlfriend, the same girl this man had 
decided he would ask to marry as soon as he came home from the war. `Be 
mine forever,' he would have undoubtedly said as he kissed her good-
bye. `Was it their last good-bye,' the boy wonders? `Was this young 
man's name engraved here on the wall somewhere?'
  ``The boy walks on, gazing at panel after panel, feeling sadness, but 
also an immense gratitude with the passing of each and every name. He 
reads the names, trying to imagine what each man might have looked 
like. He wonders how many children they might have had or whether or 
not they, like the other young men he pictured, left a sweetheart 
behind when they went to fight for their country. So many names. So 
many faceless reminders of the highest commitment one can fulfill.
  ``The boy keeps moving slowly, when something at the foot of the wall 
catches his eye. He bends down to look, and there sits a small American 
flag, resting amongst a bouquet of flowers. Tears well up inside of him 
for a moment, and the boy can think of only one thing that he can do to 
show his appreciation for those lives reflected in the marble. He 
places one hand on a panel, closes his eye, and whispers `thank you.'
  It is October 22, 2003, and that same little boy who used to play in 
the driveway at his Grandma's house underneath a billowing American 
flag sits in a classroom, wondering how he can write about his 
commitment to America's future. He wonders whether or not he should 
promise to do great things with his life, or whether or not he should 
tell the story of someone else who had. Yes. That little boy is me.
  Upon preparing for this essay I realized that it would not do to 
recite the words of our country's great leaders or prominent citizens, 
regardless of how moving and profound those words may be. I realized 
that this essay was not about how much research I had done, or how much 
I knew about the political structure of our nation. No. I realized that 
this time I needed to convey what I considered to be my commitment to 
America's future, using my own words, and expressing my own feelings. 
Well, here is what my commitment to America's future is. My commitment 
to America's future is simply to remember America's past.
  I will remember our fallen heroes, those brave souls who paid the 
ultimate price to ensure the safety of future generations. I will 
remember those that live on, continuing with the task bestowed upon 
them by the voices of days gone by. I will never lose sight of all that 
it took to provide me with the freedoms that I once took for granted, 
and I do not, and should not, stand alone with my commitment. When I 
see the flag in Grandma's driveway

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billowing proud and tall in the same soft breeze, I am reminded of why 
that flag is still flying. This is my commitment to America's future, 
and it is something that not only I, but all of us, as Americans, must 
never forget.

                          ____________________