[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 84 (Friday, May 29, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DEDICATION OF THE LGBT MONUMENT IN ABRAHAM LINCOLN NATIONAL CEMETERY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 29, 2015

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Chicago 
Chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights, which dedicated a 
monument for LGBT Veterans in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in 
Elwood, IL on May 25, 2015. This is an historic day, as this is the 
first federally-approved monument honoring LGBT veterans to be 
dedicated in a National Cemetery in the United States.
  It is fitting that this monument is located in the Abraham Lincoln 
National Cemetery. President Lincoln was not only our 16th President 
and from the great state of Illinois, but he was also the founder of 
the National Cemetery system. His Gettysburg Address of 1863 became a 
model of the principles of nationalism, republicanism, equal rights, 
liberty, and democracy.
  I am grateful for the efforts of the American Veterans for Equal 
Rights (AVER) and their continued commitment and dedication to equal 
rights and equitable treatment for all present and former members of 
the United States Armed Forces.
  Thanks to Stanley J. Jenczyk and his colleagues with the Chicago 
Chapter of AVER, the LGBT veteran community will have a lasting tribute 
honoring their achievements and sacrifices. This monument recognizes 
the innumerable accomplishments of our military and forever 
commemorates their endeavors as servants of our great nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating this 
significant dedication with the Chicago Chapter of American Veterans 
for Equal Rights. I am honored to have such an exceptional organization 
in my district.