[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 183 (Thursday, November 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7153-S7154]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              VETERANS DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, this Saturday is Veterans Day. On this 
11th day of the 11th month each year, we pause to honor and pay tribute 
to our veterans and the countless sacrifices they have made to serve 
our country. We also honor their families, who have endured extended 
absences and profound personal challenges as they have watched those 
most precious to them put themselves in harm's way. In that spirit of 
gratitude, I want to recognize some of Maryland's bravest and finest 
servicemembers who have given the last full measure of devotion to our 
Nation.
  Sgt. Eric M. Houck, 25, died from gunshot wounds in the Peka Valley 
of

[[Page S7154]]

the Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan this past June. Sergeant Houck, 
who began his military career as a private and rose to the rank of 
sergeant in just 3 years, was an avid sports fan. His father called 
Eric his best friend and said that his family, particularly his two 
young children, were everything to him. He was only 1 month shy of 
returning home.
  Navy PO1 Xavier Martin, age 24, died aboard the USS Fitzgerald during 
its tragic collision off the coast of Japan in June. Petty Officer 
Martin was an exemplary sailor and the youngest petty officer with a 
rank of first class aboard the USS Fitzgera1d. He was so well-loved, 
more than 100 friends and family traveled from around the country and 
the globe to attend his funeral.
  U.S. Air Force pilot and Annapolis native Eric Schultz was killed in 
an aircraft crash in early September. Lieutenant Colonel Schultz was a 
combat veteran and an exceptionally talented Air Force test pilot with 
more than 2,000 hours of flying. He held six degrees, including a Ph.D. 
in aerospace engineering, but was described by friends and family as 
the most humble man they have ever known. ``If you met him in a social 
environment, you would never know he was a Ph.D. or a pilot,'' his 
father said.
  Timothy Eckels and Kevin Bushell were among the sailors killed during 
the collision of the USS John McCain in August. Information System 
Technician 2nd Class Eckels was a graduate of Manchester Valley High 
School and was described as being ``known for making everyone better by 
his presence'' and a true pleasure to be around. He was just 23 years 
old. Electronics Technician 2nd Class Bushell was not much older, at 
only 26, and a talented technician for the Navy. He proudly served for 
7 years.
  There are many other Marylanders, many other families, who have 
suffered unfathomable loss and injury, and all of them deserve our 
collective and eternal gratitude.
  They also deserve to have the many promises we have made kept. They 
deserve the job training, education assistance, and housing benefits 
they have earned. They deserve every tool and resource they need to 
succeed both professionally and personally once they return home. They 
deserve leaders who consider their sacrifice every day, not only on 
Veterans Day.
  Let us honor our veterans in ways that are truly befitting their 
service: by vowing to protect the benefits they have earned. By 
pledging to remain grateful for their service and concerned for their 
needs every day, not only on this day and, perhaps most critically of 
all, by recommitting ourselves to the causes for which they served.
  Today, I salute every man and woman who has put on a uniform and 
humbly thank every one of their families for braving the worst fears 
and the toughest challenges in service to our Nation.
  (At the request of Mr. Schumer, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)
 Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the prisoners 
of war and those missing in action and commemorate the empty chair that 
was placed in Emancipation Hall this Veterans Day week.
  I want to thank Montana veteran Ed Saunders for contributing his 
thoughts to today's Congressional Record:

       The greatest tragedy befalling an American serviceman or 
     woman is not that they may be killed or left missing-in-
     action: that is the greatest sacrifice on the altar of 
     freedom.
       The greatest tragedy is that America's finest in uniform 
     may be forgotten . . . forgotten in life and in forgotten in 
     death by the very same nation whose constitution, freedoms, 
     and way of life, they defend.
       The United States of America cannot and must not leave any 
     serviceman or woman behind in body, in spirit, or in memory.
       If we cannot bring home the revered mortal remains of those 
     who died, who are missing, or who remain unaccounted for, 
     then we have an enduring responsibility to ensure their 
     memory remains forever etched in these hallowed halls.

  This chair is more than a symbol. It is a memory of their service and 
sacrifice for this great Nation. It is a lasting reminder that we have 
an obligation to fulfill our promise to our Nation's veterans and their 
families when they return from war--and when they tragically don't.
  We, as a nation, must redouble our commitment to that cause and work 
relentlessly every day toward fulfilling that promise.
  I want to thank every servicemember in attendance, your families, the 
families of the fallen and missing in action, and those who remember 
them.
  Thank you, and God Bless America.

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