[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 25 (Thursday, March 2, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S1598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              170TH ANNIVERSARY OF TEXAS INDEPENDENCE DAY

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I wish to take a moment to read the 
letter of William Barret Travis from the Alamo. This is a tradition I 
continue that was started by Senator John Tower to commemorate Texas 
Independence Day, and that is today, March 2.
  Today is the 170th anniversary of the signing of the Texas 
Declaration of Independence, a document that was signed by, among 
others, my great-great-grandfather, Charles S. Taylor, and also his 
friend, Thomas J. Rusk, who first held the Senate seat I now hold. They 
both hailed from Nacogdoches, which is the oldest town in Texas--the 
town in which my mother grew up and the town in which I now own the 
home my grandfather built.
  It is a very historic time for Texas. We celebrate Texas Independence 
Day every single year because we know that fighting for freedom has 
made a difference in what Texas is. We love our history. We fought for 
freedom. We were a republic for 10 years, and then we came into the 
United States as a State.
  The defense of the Alamo by 189 courageous men, who were outnumbered 
10 to 1, was a key battle of the Texas Revolution. The sacrifice of COL 
William Barret Travis and his men made possible GEN Sam Houston's 
ultimate victory at San Jacinto, which secured independence for Texas.
  From the Alamo, Colonel Travis wrote to his countrymen the following:

       Fellow citizens and compatriots: I am besieged by a 
     thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna--I have 
     sustained a continual bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours 
     and have not lost a man--the enemy has demanded a surrender 
     at discretion, otherwise, the garrison is to be put to the 
     sword, if the fort is taken--I have answered the demands with 
     a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the 
     wall--I shall never surrender or retreat.
       Then, I call on you in the name of liberty, of patriotism 
     and of everything dear to the American character, to come to 
     our aid, with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving 
     reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or 
     four thousand in four or five days. If this call is 
     neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as 
     possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due 
     to his own honor and that of his country--Victory or Death.
       William Barret Travis, Lt. Col, Commander.

  Colonel Travis's are the words of a true patriot. And his letter did 
inspire Texans to ultimate victory. In fact, his holding of the Alamo 
for so long did allow Sam Houston to muster his troops for the last 
stand at San Jacinto.
  To show you one other example of how Texans love their history, the 
minister who opened our Senate today with prayer from Lovers Lane 
Methodist Church in Dallas, TX, showed me, at breakfast this morning, 
the ring he wears which is a replica of the ring of William Barret 
Travis that he wore at the Alamo. He put the ring around the neck of 
the daughter of one of those who was able to survive and leave the day 
before the onslaught that killed all of those men at the Alamo. So 
Susanna Dickinson's daughter had that ring around her neck--she was 
about 8 years old at the time--and that is why we know what the ring 
signified.
  Another example of how history continues to inspire us: I, just 2 
weeks ago, commissioned the newest amphibious ship of the U.S. Navy. It 
is an amphibious assault ship, the first of its class, the USS San 
Antonio. The USS San Antonio has in its motto the words from William 
Barret Travis's letter ``Never surrender, never retreat.''
  That is a great ship which is going to carry marines into battle. It 
will carry our marines with the very best of technology, the very best 
safety measures we can possibly give them. And the quote ``Never 
surrender, never retreat'' will carry them into battle to help protect 
the freedom of Americans for years to come.
  I am proud to be the sponsor of the ship the USS San Antonio. It 
represents the spirit of our armed services today, just as 170 years 
ago when we fought for our independence from Mexico and later became a 
great State of the United States of America.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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