[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2693]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 PERMISSION TO INSERT PROGRAM AND REMARKS OF MEMBERS REPRESENTING THE 
            HOUSE AT GEORGE WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY CEREMONIES

  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the program 
and the remarks of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran), the two Members representing the 
House of Representatives at the wreath-laying ceremony at the 
Washington Monument for the observance of George Washington's birthday 
on Monday, February 22, 1999, be inserted into today's Congressional 
Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Nevada?
  There was no objection.

                      PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON


                       267th birthday observance

                 Monday, Feb. 22, 1999, Washington, DC


                                program

       Opening: Arnold Goldstein, Superintendent, National Capital 
     Parks Central.
       Presentation of Colors: Joint Armed Services Color Guard.
       To the Colors: Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.
       Pledge of Allegiance: Michael Gutierrer, Cub Scout Pack 
     461, Bethesda, MD.


                           retire the colors

       Welcome: Superintendent Goldstein.
       Poetry Readings: Shawn Bolden, Tamika Wall, Emon Baritteau; 
     Rudolph Elementary School; Washington, DC.
       Musical Selection: Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.


                                remarks

       Russell Train, First Vice President, Washington National 
     Monument Society.
       Terry Carlstrom, Regional Director, National Capital 
     Region, National Parks Service.
       Hon. James P. Moran, Eighth District, Virginia, U.S. House 
     of Representatives.
       Hon. Frank R. Wolf, Tenth District, Virginia, U.S. House of 
     Representatives.


                      presentation of the wreaths

       The Wreath of the U.S. House of Representatives, Hon. James 
     P. Moran, and Hon. Frank R. Wolf.
       The Wreath of the Washington National Monument Society, 
     Russell Train.
       The Wreath of the National Park Service, Terry Carlstrom.


                                  taps

       The National Park Service and the Washington National 
     Monument Society acknowledge with appreciation Old Guard Fife 
     and Drum Corps Military District of Washington.
       ``First in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of 
     his countrymen.''--Said by Lighthorse Harry Lee eulogizing 
     George Washington.

                     A Tribute to George Washington

                     (By Congressman Frank R. Wolf)

       Today is an important day. It is a day when we give honor 
     to one of the greatest leaders the world has known--the 
     Father of our Country, and our first president, George 
     Washington.
       I am proud to speak in his honor. He was born in Virginia 
     and served America and the Commonwealth in important 
     positions throughout his life. Washington was only 16 years 
     old when Lord Fairfax, a land baron, sent him to the 
     Shenandoah Valley, which I represent, to join a surveying 
     party. He spent a number of years surveying frontier areas of 
     Virginia and what is now West Virginia. The city of 
     Winchester, which I also represent, is where Washington had 
     his surveying office in 1748 and his headquarters during the 
     construction of Fort Loudon in 1756 and 1757. That building 
     still stands today.
       Washington first ran for elected office from Frederick 
     County. He lost the first time, but he was not to be 
     deterred. He ran again and on July 24, 1758, was elected to a 
     term in the House of Burgesses. He served in the House of 
     Burgesses for more than 15 years, representing first 
     Frederick County and later Fairfax County.
       This monument is illustrative of the many buildings, 
     monuments and historic sites which remind us of those who 
     forged this land and gave us this great country. The 
     Washington Monument inspires all Americans to greatness and 
     to keep alive the values and principles for which men like 
     George Washington stood--freedom, democracy, and patriotism.
       George Washington gave us the greatest example of what it 
     means to be an American in that he placed the good of the 
     nation before his own personal interests. He inspired, and 
     continues to inspire, men to greatness--not only by his 
     greatness as a great military commander or by his political 
     abilities as a man who literally founded this country--but by 
     something even more foundational. By his character. By his 
     virtue. Not necessarily by what he had done, but even more 
     importantly, who he was, before God and before men.
       In 1789, Washington was elected to serve as the first 
     President of the United States by unanimous vote. His ability 
     to lead the nation as well as he had led its army was soon 
     recognized, even by those who had opposed him.
       Through the years of hard work and unselfish devotion, 
     Washington, together with our founding fathers, launched the 
     new government on its course and laid the foundation for a 
     strong government which has well-served each succeeding 
     generation of American citizens.
       This year is especially significant in remembering George 
     Washington because we will commemorate his death 200 year 
     ago. He died at the age of 67 at his home in nearby Mount 
     Vernon, where special events will take place throughout this 
     year in remembrance of his passing. And although we will pay 
     tribute to him throughout 1999, we know that the memory of 
     him will never fade, as long as there is an America.
       George Washington had a vision--a vision of a land that was 
     marked by liberty and freedom for all men. But it was also a 
     vision of a nation of people committed to their country, to 
     the common good, and to one another. If we as a nation 
     continue to work together to make our country great, not just 
     materially, but great in goodness and in virtue, then that 
     vision will continue to lead and guide us for generations to 
     come. Thank you.

                     A Tribute to George Washington

                    (By Congressman James P. Moran)

       We are assembled here today at this great Monument in 
     remembrance of our first president, George Washington.
       This year marks the 200th Anniversary of the death of 
     George Washington. While during the passage of time since the 
     death of Washington our Nation has changed in many ways, we 
     have not lost sight of the heavy debt we owe to Washington 
     and the other founders of our nation. The project to restore 
     our national monument to Washington's memory is an expression 
     of our gratitude.
       George Washington is universally known as our first 
     president, and as commander in chief of the Continental 
     forces during the American Revolution. But what is not as 
     celebrated or well-known is that after Washington resigned 
     his military commission and returned to his home at Mt. 
     Vernon, Virginia, he became increasingly dissatisfied with 
     the weakness of the government under the Articles of 
     Confederation. Dispute and rivalry threatened to destroy the 
     gains of the newly independent 13 former colonies; they were 
     not yet a union of states, but a fractious confederation. 
     Washington joined the movement to reorganize the government 
     and hosted the 1795 conference at Mr. Vernon that catalyzed 
     the Constitutional Convention. Washington himself presided 
     over this critical Convention. History records that his 
     influence in securing the adoption of the Constitution was 
     incalculable. This Constitution, a short but brilliant 
     document, has guided our nation, and has proved the best plan 
     for a democratic republic the world has ever seen. If George 
     Washington had not lived, it is impossible to know if the 
     independent-minded colonies would have been able to transform 
     themselves into an enduring united nation.
       Our presence here today not only evokes and pays tribute to 
     the greatness of the man who is called the Father of our 
     Country, but is designed to keep his contributions still very 
     much alive in our hearts and our minds.

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