[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 164 (Friday, October 26, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13493-S13494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL VETERANS AWARENESS WEEK

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to S. Res. 357.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 357) designating the week of November 
     11 through November 17, 2007 as ``National Veterans Awareness 
     Week'' to emphasize the need to develop educational programs 
     regarding the contributions of veterans to the country.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution 
expressing the sense of the Senate that the week that includes Veterans 
Day, corresponding this year to November 11-17, 2007, be designated as 
``National Veterans Awareness Week''. This marks the eighth year in a 
row that I have introduced such a resolution, which has been adopted 
unanimously by the Senate on all previous occasions.
  The purpose of National Veterans Awareness Week is to serve as a 
focus for educational programs designed to make students in elementary 
and secondary schools aware of the contributions of veterans and their 
importance in preserving American peace and prosperity. This goal takes 
on particular importance and immediacy this year as we find ourselves 
again with uniformed men and women in harm's way in foreign lands.
  Why do we need such an educational effort? In a sense, this action 
has become necessary because we are victims of our own success with 
regard to the superior performance of our Armed Forces. The plain fact 
is that there are just fewer people around now who have had any 
connection with military service. For example, as a result of 
tremendous advances in military technology and the resultant 
productivity increases, our current armed forces now operate 
effectively with a personnel roster that is one-third less in size than 
just 15 years ago. In addition, the success of the all-volunteer 
career-oriented force has led to much lower turnover of personnel in 
today's military than in previous eras when conscription was in place. 
Finally, the number of veterans who served during previous conflicts, 
such as World War II, when our military was many times larger than 
today, is inevitably declining.
  The net result of these changes is that the percentage of the entire 
population that has served in the Armed Forces is dropping rapidly, a 
change that can be seen in all segments of society. Whereas during 
World War II it was extremely uncommon to find a family in America that 
did not have one of its members on active duty, now there are numerous 
families that include no military veterans at all. Even though the 
Iraqi war has been prominently discussed on television and in the 
newspapers, many of our children are much more preoccupied with the 
usual concerns of young people than with keeping up with the events of 
the day. They just don't ``feel'' the war like many earlier generations 
did through both World Wars and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. As a 
consequence, many of our youth still have little or no connection with 
or knowledge about the important historical and ongoing role of men and 
women who have served in the military. This omission seems to have 
persisted despite ongoing educational efforts by the Department of 
Veterans Affairs and the veterans service organizations.
  This lack of understanding about military veterans' important role in 
our society can have potentially serious repercussions. In our country, 
civilian control of the armed forces is the key tenet of military 
governance. A citizenry that is oblivious to the capabilities and 
limitations of the armed forces, and to its critical role throughout 
our history, can make decisions regarding our military involvement that 
may have unexpected and unwanted consequences. Even more important, 
general recognition of the importance of those individual character 
traits that are essential for military success, such as patriotism, 
selflessness, sacrifice, and heroism, is vital to maintaining these key 
aspects of citizenship in the Armed Forces and even throughout the 
population at large.
  The failure of our children to understand why a military is 
important, why our society continues to depend on it for ultimate 
survival, and why a successful military requires integrity and 
sacrifice, will have predictable consequences as these youngsters 
become of voting age. Even though military service is a responsibility 
that is no longer shared by a large segment of the population, as it 
has been in the past, knowledge of the contributions of those who have 
served in the Armed Forces is as important as it has ever been. To the 
extent that many of us will not have the opportunity to serve our 
country in uniform, we must still remain cognizant of our 
responsibility as citizens to fulfill the obligations we owe, both 
tangible and intangible, to those who do serve and who do sacrifice on 
our behalf.
  The importance of this issue was brought home to me several years ago 
by Samuel I. Cashdollar, who was then a 13-year-old seventh grader at 
Lewes Middle School in Lewes, DE. Samuel won the Delaware VFW's Youth 
Essay Contest that year with a powerful presentation titled ``How 
Should We Honor America's Veterans''? Samuel's essay pointed out that 
we have Nurses' Week, Secretaries' Week, and Teachers' Week, to rightly 
emphasize the importance of these occupations, but the contributions of 
those in uniform tend to be overlooked. We don't want our children 
growing up to think that Veterans Day has simply become a synonym for a 
department store sale, and we don't want to become a nation where more 
high school seniors recognize the name Britney Spears than the name 
Dwight Eisenhower.
  National Veterans Awareness Week complements Veterans Day by focusing 
on education as well as commemoration, on the contributions of the many 
in addition to the heroism and service of the individual. National 
Veterans Awareness Week also presents an opportunity to remind 
ourselves of the contributions and sacrifices of those who have served 
in peacetime as well as in conflict; both groups work unending hours 
and spend long periods away from their families under conditions of 
great discomfort so that we all can live in a land of freedom and 
plenty. It can also remind us of the importance of our country keeping 
its promises to our veterans and providing them with the proper support 
services.
  Last year, my resolution designating National Veterans Awareness Week 
was approved in the Senate by unanimous consent. Responding to that 
resolution, President Bush issued a proclamation urging our citizenry 
to observe National Veterans Awareness Week. I ask my colleagues to 
continue this trend of support for our veterans by endorsing this 
resolution again this year. Our children and our children's children 
will need to be well informed about what veterans have accomplished in 
order to make appropriate decisions as they confront the numerous 
worldwide challenges that they are sure to face in the future.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid on the 
table, en bloc, and any statements be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 357) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

[[Page S13494]]

                              S. Res. 357

       Whereas tens of millions of Americans have served in the 
     Armed Forces of the United States during the past century;
       Whereas hundreds of thousands of Americans have given their 
     lives while serving in the Armed Forces during the past 
     century;
       Whereas the contributions and sacrifices of the men and 
     women who served in the Armed Forces have been vital in 
     maintaining the freedoms and way of life enjoyed by the 
     people of the United States;
       Whereas the advent of the all-volunteer Armed Forces has 
     resulted in a sharp decline in the number of individuals and 
     families who have had any personal connection with the Armed 
     Forces;
       Whereas this reduction in familiarity with the Armed Forces 
     has resulted in a marked decrease in the awareness by young 
     people of the nature and importance of the accomplishments of 
     those who have served in the Armed Forces, despite the 
     current educational efforts of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs and the veterans service organizations;
       Whereas the system of civilian control of the Armed Forces 
     makes it essential that the future leaders of the Nation 
     understand the history of military action and the 
     contributions and sacrifices of those who conduct such 
     actions; and
       Whereas in each of the years 2000 through 2006 the Senate 
     has recognized the need to increase the understanding of the 
     contributions of veterans among school-aged children by 
     approving a resolution rcognizing the week containing 
     Veterans Day as ``National Veterans Awareness Week'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates the week of November 11 through November 17, 
     2007, as ``National Veterans Awareness Week'' for the purpose 
     of emphasizing educational efforts directed at elementary and 
     secondary school students concerning the contributions and 
     sacrifices of veterans; and
       (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     National Veterans Awareness Week with appropriate educational 
     activities.

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