[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1473]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING SAMUEL KAMPA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHELE BACHMANN

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 17, 2009

  Mrs. BACHMANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Samuel 
Kampa, who was recently selected as one of the top 10 finalists in the 
2009 Holocaust Remembrance Project national essay contest. Mr. Kampa, a 
recent graduate of Dassel-Cokato High School, was chosen out of 7,000 
entries for his essay on preserving the memory of millions of victims 
of the Holocaust.
  In his essay, Mr. Kampa wrote, ``I discovered that the Holocaust was 
not a distant, abstract occurrence that merely comprised yet another 
chapter in world history. Rather, the Holocaust forever transformed the 
actual lives of men, women, and children--human beings who were 
subjected to inhuman sadism.''
  He continued, ``When the last survivor passes on, who will be there 
to share the stories and thus make Holocaust history tangible, 
accessible, alive, and meaningful? The answer is clear: we must take 
the next step, for it is absolutely imperative that we educate future 
generations and perpetuate Holocaust remembrance by reiterating their 
stories . . . Forgotten history profits nothing, and the mistakes of 
the past will become the mistakes of the present if we neglect to 
remember. When we forget the stories, it is easy to lapse into old 
sins.''
  The recent anti-Semitic tragedy at the Holocaust Museum in 
Washington, D.C. reaffirms Mr. Kampa's timely essay. He reminds us of 
the need to continuously remember the tragedy and the events that led 
up to the disaster that ended the lives of millions of individuals and 
impacted so many more.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Sixth District of Minnesota, I want 
to commend Mr. Kampa not only for his impressive accomplishment, but 
for his insightful thoughts into how our world can avoid another 
monumental catastrophe, such as the Holocaust.

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