[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 112 (Thursday, June 29, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E934-E935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE 154TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SCOTT PERRY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2017

  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, today we remember the Battle of Gettysburg, a 
clear turning point in our American history. I'm privileged and humbled 
to represent these hallowed grounds. This weekend, we commemorate the 
154th Anniversary of the Battle--one that pit brother against brother, 
neighbor against neighbor, for three days of horrific and abject 
combat--not for hatred, but rather unbridled passion and loyalty to 
their respective causes; a loyalty that drove these Soldiers to give, 
in President Lincoln's words, ``the last full measure of devotion.''
  Everything our Nation has achieved since that time--the expansion of 
freedom and liberty, civil rights, and centuries of human 
achievements--was borne of the sacrifice and struggle of the Soldiers 
who valiantly fought this Battle.
  Beginning in 1888, Veterans from both sides of the conflict held 
reunions in Gettysburg to celebrate our unity and hopes for the future. 
The reunions would culminate with the lighting of the Eternal Light 
Peace Memorial in July 1938, the 75th Anniversary of the Battle, and 
the final Veteran's reunion. In the years since, millions of people 
from all over the world annually travel to Gettysburg to learn about 
our Nation's ``new birth of freedom,'' and the National Park Service 
and an array of dedicated citizens and partners perform the critical 
work of inspiring us to learn and appreciate the significance of the 
Gettysburg Campaign, the Gettysburg Address and the Civil War.
  On this 154th Anniversary, may God continue to bless the brave men 
and women who served and sacrificed at the Battle of Gettysburg. And 
may He rededicate us to ``...the unfinished work which they who fought 
here have thus far so nobly advanced.''

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