[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2863-S2864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Memorial Day

  Mr. President, today I wish to talk, as other colleagues have, about 
the men and women of our Armed Forces--the brave men and women in 
uniform who protect us every day and some of whom have made the 
ultimate sacrifice for all of us.
  This coming Monday, of course, is Memorial Day. This holiday weekend 
is a time for all of us to kick back a little bit, spend some time with 
our families, relax, and be with friends. But let's not forget what 
Memorial Day stands for. It is first and foremost an opportunity to 
reflect on the service and sacrifice of those who gave their lives 
defending the freedoms we enjoy and sometimes take for granted as 
Americans.
  I will be spending part of the day at a Memorial Day parade that I 
try to attend every year and have for many years in Blue Ash, OH, which 
is north of Cincinnati. It is an event that I think is as patriotic as 
any I have seen in my State. It is a wonderful parade. There are many 
veterans in the parade but also veterans who come to watch. It ends at 
a beautiful memorial for our veterans. It was constructed over time in 
Blue Ash, paying tribute to patriots from every single conflict we have 
been involved in as a country since our founding.
  Across the country on Memorial Day, we will give humble thanks to 
those brave men and women in uniform who, during their lives, fought 
for the principles we hold dearest and who, in their deaths, sacrificed 
themselves in defense of those Americans ideals.
  Freedom is bought at a price, sometimes a very high price--the price 
of lives, of limbs, of some of the veterans who gave the prime years of 
their lives for all of us. Part of the cost is the scars of war. Some 
of those scars are very visible, of course. Others are more invisible--
those who are coming back with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries. Those 
scars can't be seen, but they are certainly felt. Servicemembers brave 
those risks because of their sense of duty and their sense of 
patriotism.
  I am proud to be the son and the grandson of two Army infantry 
lieutenants. One is a World War I veteran, and

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one is a World War II veteran. They instilled in me this importance of 
duty, hard work, the virtue of service, and the merits of servant 
leadership. They believed in these values and embodied them in their 
lives, as so many veterans do.
  This weekend, as we pay thanks to the many men and women who were 
laid to rest under the flag they died defending, we should all take a 
moment to remember and thank all veterans as well--past and present--
whose service also has made our way of life possible.
  The men and women of our United States military represent the best in 
all of us, and they deserve the best from all of us.