[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14709-14710]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   225TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. ARMY

 Mr. SMITH of Oregon. Mr. President, I rise today to 
commemorate the 225th Anniversary of the United States Army and ask 
unanimous consent that an article written by the Chief of Staff of the 
Army, General Eric K. Shinseki, which pays due tribute to the U.S. Army 
and its contributions to our freedoms be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 [Copyright 2000 The Baltimore Sun Company, The Baltimore Sun, Thurs., 
                             June 15, 2000]

                   The Army at 225: A New Patriotism

                         (By Eric K. Shinseki)

       WASHINGTON--In two weeks, Mel Gibson's latest movie, ``The 
     Patriot,'' opens nationwide. Set during the American 
     Revolution, it is the story of a colonist who becomes a 
     militia leader when the sweep of war and the advance of the 
     British endanger his farm and family.
       Whether by design or mere coincidence, the release of ``The 
     Patriot'' comes at a particularly fitting time in our 
     nation's history because this month marks the 225th 
     anniversary of the birth of our Army.
       The birth of our Nation and the birth of our Army are 
     inseparably linked.
       A year before we formally declared our independence, we had 
     already begun fighting for it at Lexington and Concord and 
     the Battle of Bunker Hill, the bloodiest single engagement of 
     the Revolution. On that small piece of ground, over the 
     course of one day, the British lost a staggering 1,054 
     regulars. The colonists lost about 440.
       After Bunker Hill, the British would never again 
     underestimate the tenacity and fighting spirit of the 
     American soldier. These

[[Page 14710]]

     early engagements surprised the British, who saw themselves 
     as professionally trained soldiers and the militiamen as 
     little more than a disorganized rabble.
       But let us not forget that we surprised ourselves as well. 
     Despite our dogged determination to confront the foe, we were 
     unproven and uncertain of our abilities. Who could have 
     imagined that our ill-equipped and untrained colonial militia 
     would fare as well as it did? Our success in those early 
     battles was significant.
       The victories strengthened national pride, engendered new 
     confidence and bolstered the will to fight. When word spread 
     down the coast that New England farmers had successfully 
     stood up to the well-equipped and well-trained British 
     regulars, colonists everywhere were filled with newfound 
     courage and patriotic fervor. Frustration turned to 
     motivation, and from that point on, the cry for independence 
     simply would not be quelled.
       On June 14, 1775, Congress took the first formal step in 
     the march toward independence by voting to establish what was 
     then the Continental Army.
       In those days, the term patriot more closely equated to 
     insurgent. A patriot was a revolutionary who promoted the 
     independence of his people from the country or union of 
     countries that controlled them.
       From the British perspective, patriots were criminals; to 
     them, the term was an epithet carrying the negative 
     connotation of disloyalty. Thus, in 1775, when George 
     Washington dubbed the original rag-tag band of fighters ``the 
     patriot army,'' he was making a profoundly political and 
     deliberately inflammatory statement; this newborn army would 
     win independence for America.
       Over time, the word ``patriot'' evolved to a more heroic 
     meaning--a person who loves his country and who defends and 
     promotes its interests. It is especially applied to soldiers 
     who fight for love of country. Thanks to the success of the 
     American Revolution, the connotation of that simple term 
     changed from one of disloyalty to one of allegiance.
       Since the end of the Revolution, American soldiers, imbued 
     with the spirit of the original patriots, have pledged their 
     allegiance to this nation through their sacrifices in 
     uniform. In doing so, hundreds of thousands of them have 
     given their last full measure of devotion in ultimate 
     demonstration of love for country.
       Today, thousands of soldiers serve around the globe to 
     maintain our freedom and to provide the promise of a better 
     life to others for whom liberty is but a dream. They are the 
     finest men and women the nation has to offer--active, guard 
     and reserve soldiers doing the heavy lifting so we can enjoy 
     the comforts and freedoms of our way of life.
       They are unknown to most of us, but they sacrifice daily in 
     places like Kosovo, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, East Timor, Kuwait, 
     Korea and Macedonia in order to promote democracy and to 
     preserve peace and stability.
       These men and women are our patriots. They are prepared to 
     defend our country, and they are also the best ambassadors 
     for democracy we could have, carrying the same torch of 
     liberty that was lit 225 years ago. In the remotest corners 
     of the globe, American soldiers command respect because they 
     symbolize the traits of our forefathers; a passion for 
     liberty and a willingness to fight to protect freedom.
       As we reflect on the Army's 225th birthday, let us remember 
     that with our Army was born a nation; with that nation was 
     born democracy; and with democracy was born the hope that 
     peace and liberty could someday be attained by all oppressed 
     peoples of the world.

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