[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5543]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



COMMEMORATING THE DAY OF HONOR 2000 FOR AMERICA'S MINORITY VETERANS OF 
                              WORLD WAR II

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 12, 2000

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I join with many of my colleagues today to 
honor and give thanks to America's minority veterans--the soldiers, the 
sailors, the men and women of the Air Force, and, of course, my fellow 
Marines. More of the world is free today than ever before, thanks in no 
small part to their valor and sacrifice half a century ago.
  The twentieth century began with much of the globe dominated by 
militaristic empires. In the First World War, our armed forces were the 
lever that pried these colonial empires apart.
  In their ruin, the hideous forces of totalitarianism grew to great 
power, threatening to engulf us all. In the dark hour, American GIs of 
every color, of every national origin and creed, left the safety of 
their homes and began the struggle of the century. In World War II, 
American forces joined with freedom-loving people from Europe, Africa 
and Asia to defeat the Axis--that misspent laboratory for human 
cruelty.
  The cost was extraordinarily high. Over one and one-half million 
minority Americans gave their lives to this cause. Some 1.2 million 
were African Americans, for whom racial slavery was no hypothetical 
concept. Over 300,000 were Hispanic Americans and another 50,000 were 
Asian Americans, willing to look past the discrimination they endured 
toward a better day that only democracy could bring. More than 20,000 
Native Americans died for this country in World War II, along with more 
than 5,000 Native Hawaiians and over 3,000 Native Alaskans.
  This week the House echoed the words of General Colin Powell, former 
Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff, who wrote last year that among 
those who best exemplified courage, selflessness, exuberance, 
superhuman ability, and amazing grace during the past 200 years was the 
American GI.
  ``. . . In this century,'' General Powell said, ``hundreds of 
thousands of GIs died to bring to the beginning of the 21st century the 
victory of democracy as the ascendant political system of the face of 
the earth. The GIs were willing to travel far away and give their 
lives, if necessary, to secure the rights and freedoms of others. Only 
a nation such as ours, based on a firm moral foundation, could make 
such a request of its citizens. And the GIs wanted nothing more than to 
get the job done and then return home safely. All they asked for in 
repayment from those they freed was the opportunity to help them become 
part of the world of democracy. . . . Near the top of any listing of 
the most important people of the 20th century must stand, in singular 
honor, the American GI.''
  The American GI who served during World War II came in many colors 
and represented many cultures. Those of us who grew up in my 
generation, and went on to serve in another dark time, have taken 
courage in the stories of the Tuskeegee Airmen, the Nisei soldiers in 
Italy, the Navajo code-talkers in the Pacific, the Hispanic fighters 
who head the roll of the Medal of Honor and others. The diversity of 
these heroic men and women, and their determination to show what they 
could do, was a source of their strength. It still is today.
  In light of the accomplishments of the Armed Forces of the United 
States during World War II both of defeating the forces of tyranny and 
dictatorship and in embodying a sense of honor, decency, and respect 
for mankind, I join in saluting our minority American GIs.
  But no tribute to the courage and dedication of America's minority 
veterans should stop with 1945. Having fought for their country, these 
diverse and courageous men and women could no longer be contained by 
the brutal rules they had known as children. They were also the 
footsoldiers and leaders of the civil rights movements that followed 
World War II. They went home and took on careers and bought homes, set 
up businesses, entered the professions and all the walks of life that 
had been barely imaginable for them before the war. They had defended 
democracy as servicemembers and wanted nothing less than full 
participation in the democratic institutions they had preserved.
  I am proud to honor our nation's brave minority veterans. I salute 
them and thank them for a job well done.

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