[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 21 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S1456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ESSAY OF AIR FORCE CADET
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I received a letter from the director,
legislative liaison of the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, on
behalf of the Air Force Chief of Staff. He called to my attention an
essay that was written by a fourth class cadet at the U.S. Air Force
Academy. His name is Joseph R. Tomczak. I was moved by this essay to
the point that I want to take my time this morning to read it to
Members of the Senate because it articulates, in a very succinct way,
why our young people today look to the Armed Forces as a career, and
why they make the decisions they do to fight for freedom and to fight
for this country.
We all greatly respect all people who take the time to serve in our
Armed Forces, whether it is during a short enlistment period or they
make it their lifetime career. This essay is well stated, and I think
not only does it speak as to why a cadet would decide to serve in one
of our academies--in this case, it happens to be the Air Force
Academy--but it gives us insight as to why people would pick the Armed
Forces to serve in during part of their adult lifetime or why they
would dedicate their entire life to a career in the U.S. Armed Forces.
So here is the essay. It is titled, ``Winter Break.''
So after our sunburns have faded and the memories of our
winter break have been reduced to pictures we've pinned on
our desk boards, and once again we've exchanged t-shirts and
swim suits for flight suits and camouflage, there still
remains the question that every cadet at the U.S. Air Force
Academy in Colorado Springs has asked themselves at some
point: Why did we come back? Why, after spending two weeks
with our family would we return to one of the most demanding
lifestyles in the country? After listening to our friends who
are home from State or Ivy League schools chock full of
wisdom about how our war in Iraq is unjust and unworldly, why
would we return? And after watching the news and reading the
papers which only seem to condemn the military's every
mistake and shadow every victory, why would we continue to
think it is worth the sacrifice of a normal college life?
Is it because the institution to which we belong is
tuition-free? Anyone who claims this has forgotten that we
will, by the time we graduate, repay the U.S. taxpayer many
times over. in blood, sweat, and tears. Is it because the
schooling we are receiving is one of the best undergraduate
educations in the country? While the quality of the education
is second to none, anyone who provides this as a main reason
has lost sight of the awesome responsibility that awaits
those who are tough enough to graduate and become
commissioned officers in the U.S. Air Force.
I come back to the academy because I want to have the
training necessary so that one day I'll have the incredible
responsibility of leading the sons and daughters of America
in combat. These men and women will never ask about my
academy grade point average, their only concern will be that
I have the ability to lead them expertly--I will be humbled
to earn their respect.
I come back to the academy because I want to be the
commander who saves lives by negotiating with Arab leaders .
. . in their own language. I come back to the academy
because, if called upon, I want to be the pilot who flies
half way around the world with 3 mid-air refuelings to send a
bomb from 30,000 feet into a basement housing the enemy . . .
through a ventilation shaft 2 feet wide. For becoming an
officer in today's modem Air Force is so much more than just
command; it is being a diplomat, a strategist, a
communicator, a moral compass, but always a warrior first.
I come back to the Air Force Academy because right now the
U.S. is fighting a global war that is an away game in Iraq--
taking the fight to the terrorists. And whether or not we
think the terrorists were in Iraq before our invasion, they
are unquestionably there now. And if there is any doubt as to
whether this is a global war, just ask the people in Amman,
in London, in Madrid, in Casablanca, in Riyadh, and in Bali.
This war must remain an away game because we have seen what
happens when it becomes a home game. . . I come back to the
academy because I want to be a part of that fight. I come
back to the academy because I don't want my vacationing
family to board a bus in Paris that gets blown away by
someone who thinks that it would be a good idea to convert
the Western world to Islam. I come back to the academy
because I don't want the woman I love to be the one who dials
her frantic cell phone call while huddled in the back of an
airliner with 100 other people seconds away from slamming
into the Capitol building. I come back to the academy because
during my freshman year of high school I sat in a geometry
class and watched nineteen terrorists change the course of
history live on television. For the first time, every class
currently at a U.S. Service Academy made the decision to join
after the 2001 terror attacks. Some have said that the U.S.
invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan only created more
terrorists. . . I say that the attacks of September 11th,
2001 created an untold number of American soldiers; I go to
school with 4,000 of them.--And that's worth missing more
than a few frat parties.
That essay has been submitted by Joseph R. Tomczak, cadet fourth
class, U.S. Air Force Academy.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________