[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 96 (Thursday, June 19, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3865-S3866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 479--RECOGNIZING VETERANS DAY 2014 AS A SPECIAL
``WELCOME HOME COMMEMORATION'' FOR ALL WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE MILITARY
SINCE SEPTEMBER 14, 2001
Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Burr, and Mr. Blumenthal) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs:
S. Res. 479
Whereas the United States, pursuant to the Authorization
for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40), commenced a
war against individuals responsible for the 9/11 attacks;
Whereas in the intervening 13 years, members of the United
States Armed Forces have engaged in warfare around the globe,
especially in Iraq and Afghanistan;
[[Page S3866]]
Whereas there have been 2,600,000 deployments to Iraq and
Afghanistan and more than 500,000 soldiers have completed
multiple tours;
Whereas over 110,000 sailors have deployed as individual
augmentees in support of the war ashore and additional
sailors have deployed on navy vessels serving over 180,000
days at sea, providing power projection, regional stability,
and global presence;
Whereas over 238,000 airmen have deployed to Iraq and
Afghanistan and more than 201,000 airmen have deployed to the
Area of Responsibility, delivering flights in support of the
war effort;
Whereas over 330,000 marines have deployed afloat and
ashore, ensuring peace in some of the most dangerous
provinces in Iraq and Afghanistan;
Whereas, between January 1, 2000 and January 10, 2014,
287,911 cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI), often referred
to as a signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
were diagnosed among members of the Armed Forces, and
approximately 7,100 cases were classified as severe or
penetrating;
Whereas of the members of the Armed Forces who have been
deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001, more
than 6,800 have been killed in action and more than 52,000
have been wounded in action;
Whereas United States Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
New Dawn combat military operations in Iraq are complete and
United States direct military operations in Afghanistan will
end in 2014 as the United States transitions to a training
and assistance role;
Whereas the sacrifices of United States servicemembers and
their families during the last 13 years should be recognized
by all citizens of the United States;
Whereas November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end
of hostilities in World War I, and Veterans Day has been a
legal holiday since May 13, 1938, when it was originally
dedicated as ``Armistice Day'' to honor veterans of World War
I and was subsequently amended to honor United States
veterans of all wars in 1954; and
Whereas November 11th is the day for the nation to reflect
on the service and sacrifice of every generation of veterans:
Now, therefore be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes Veterans Day 2014 as a special ``Welcome
Home Commemoration'' for all who have served in the United
States Armed Forces since September 14, 2001;
(2) promotes awareness of the services and contributions of
all post-9/11 veterans; and
(3) encourages communities in the United States to plan
activities for Veterans Day 2014 to honor and support all who
have served during this time and to provide citizens of the
United States an opportunity to present unified recognition
of the service and sacrifices of post-9/11 veterans.
Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I rise to talk about an American memory and
the absence of a memory, and the lesson I draw both from the memory and
the absence compels me to submit a resolution.
First, the memory. I would submit that the most known photograph in
the history of the United States is the Alfred Eisenstadt photo of an
American sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on V-J Day, August 14,
1945, at the end of World War II. If one Googles ``V-J Day photo,'' you
will find more than 31 million links. Joy, celebration, gratitude--the
photo says it all.
It was important to celebrate the end of that war and to thank those
from that ``greatest generation'' who had made it possible by serving,
and we have continued to celebrate them, most recently in the recent
commemoration of the 70th anniversary of D-day.
Now the absence of a memory.
Where was that photo, where was that iconic moment of joy and
celebration at the end of the Vietnam war? There was none. No iconic
photo, no ritual moment of celebration and thanks--and that was a
mistake.
This generation of Americans has lived through a war that began in
the days after 9/11. I recently heard a student about the same age as
our pages say, ``While I don't know war, all I've known is war.''
The combination of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and
New Dawn has lasted 13 years. It is the longest period of war in the
history of the United States.
During these 13 years of war, over 2.5 million Americans have been
deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands completing
multiple tours. This is from an all-volunteer force that comprises less
than 1 percent of the American population.
More than 6,800 of our armed services have been killed in action, and
more than 52,000 have been wounded in action.
Now this long period of war and sacrifice is coming to an end. U.S.
combat operations in Iraq ceased in 2011, and all U.S. combat
operations in Afghanistan will end this year, by the end of 2014.
Of course, while the combat mission may end, the sense of duty of our
servicemembers continues and global challenges continue and U.S. troops
will remain in Afghanistan in noncombat positions, just as U.S. troops
remained in Germany and Japan and Korea in noncombat posts.
But in a deep and fundamental way, 2014 represents the end of a
momentous and generation-defining war. The question for this generation
of Americans is: How will we commemorate the end of this war?
When the war started, it started with a catastrophic attack on the
World Trade Center and on the Pentagon in Virginia, with solemn
speeches by the President to Congress and to the American public--
whether delivered in the Capitol or standing on piles of rubble at
Ground Zero--with Congress debating and voting to do the most serious
thing the Nation does, which is go to war.
It began as serious undertakings should--with a sense of seriousness
and purpose and even ritual. That is how this war began in America.
How will we choose to end it? Will we take steps to publicly
commemorate the end of the war or will we just allow the important
moment to pass, unacknowledged and unrecognized, with no iconic moment
or memory? Will we celebrate with and thank those who have served or
will we just turn our attention to the next headline or the next issue
or the next scandal or the next crisis?
I believe that as a generation we do not want to repeat the mistake
of the Vietnam era and allow the sacrifice of so many to just pass
unnoticed. So, together with my cosponsors Senators Burr and
Blumenthal, I submit today a resolution calling on the Nation to hold
the special ``welcome home'' commemoration on Veterans Day 2014.
November 11 is the day we honor the sacrifice and service of every
generation of American veterans. November 11, 1918, was generally
regarded as the end of hostilities in World War I, and since 1938
America has paused on November 11 to recognize veterans of all wars.
This year, after 13 years of war, we wanted to designate November 11,
2014, as a special ``welcome home'' commemoration for all who have
served in the military since September 11.
We submit this resolution with the strong support of veterans
organizations--the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and
the Vietnam Veterans of America. The resolution promotes special
awareness of our post-9/11 veterans. It encourages communities in the
United States to plan activities for Veterans Day 2014 with a special
focus on honoring and supporting those who served during this time.
I imagine, as mayor, that the Presiding Officer had Veterans Day
commemorations in Newark. As Governor, we have them in Virginia, and
communities all over the country are right now planning what they will
do on November 11, 2014. This provides our citizens with a formal
opportunity to present a unified recognition all across this country,
at a designated moment, of the sacrifices made by our ``greatest
generation.''
This resolution is not all we must do for our post-9/11 veterans. We
owe them a better VA system. We owe them a job market that understands
and values their skills. And with so many of our colleagues, we will
keep working on those issues.
This resolution doesn't stand for the end of wars or conflicts. The
daily papers will always be filled with wars and rumors of wars around
the globe, and we know American troops will continue to stand ready to
serve in harm's way for our best values. But for everything there is a
season, and this year where we finish the war started earlier in this
millennium, it is time to welcome home our post-9/11 veterans, to shine
a light on their honor and sacrifice, to celebrate with those who have
borne the battle, and to remember with affection those who will never
return.
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