[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3138-S3139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 667--EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DESIGNATION OF MAY AS 
                    ``FALLEN HEROES MEMORIAL MONTH''

  Mr. TUBERVILLE submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs:

                              S. Res. 667

       Whereas, since the signing of the Declaration of 
     Independence and the founding of the United States, more than 
     1,300,000 members of the Armed Forces have given their lives 
     for the cause of liberty, both in the United States and 
     around the world;
       Whereas the people of the United States owe a profound debt 
     to those who served the Nation in uniform and made the 
     ultimate sacrifice so that their countrymen could live 
     freely;
       Whereas the people of the United States have an obligation 
     to honor the memories of the fallen and to commemorate those 
     brave men and women who gave their lives to the cause of 
     freedom;
       Whereas Abraham Lincoln said, ``[A]ll that a man hath will 
     he give for his life; and while all contribute of their 
     substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often 
     yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then 
     is due to the soldier.'';
       Whereas, in an address to the Armed Forces in 1945, 
     President Harry S. Truman said, ``Our debt to the heroic men 
     and valiant women in the service of our country can never be 
     repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude.'';
       Whereas the history of Memorial Day began 3 years after the 
     American Civil War, with the Grand Army of the Republic 
     establishing Decoration Day as a day for honoring the Civil 
     War dead by decorating their graves with flowers, with New 
     York being the first to adopt it as a State holiday in 1873, 
     and with all the Union States having adopted it by 1890;
       Whereas, in the aftermath of World War I and World War II, 
     Memorial Day became a day to remember and honor all members 
     of the United States Armed Forces who fought and died on 
     behalf of their country;
       Whereas Congress made the observance of Memorial Day, at 
     the time still often called Decoration Day, a Federal holiday 
     in 1971; and
       Whereas the over 1,300,000 members of the United States 
     Armed Forces who over the centuries gave their lives in 
     service to the people of the United States have earned the 
     enduring respect and gratitude of the Nation: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the more than 1,300,000 veterans who gave their 
     lives in service to the United States;
       (2) recognizes the families and loved ones of the Nation's 
     fallen heroes and lifts them up in prayer;
       (3) urges the people of the United States to reflect on the 
     contributions of these heroes and to honor the memory of 
     those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in securing the 
     blessings of liberty for this country; and
       (4) requests that the President issue an annual 
     proclamation--

[[Page S3139]]

       (A) designating May as ``Fallen Heroes Memorial Month'';
       (B) affirming the Nation's everlasting gratitude for 
     members of the Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice; 
     and
       (C) calling on the people of the United States to remember 
     and honor our Nation's fallen heroes and to pay tribute to 
     them through volunteering and supporting veteran service 
     organizations.

                          ____________________