[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6986]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             IN HONOR OF PRIVATE FIRST CLASS GEORGE SANTOS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2000

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, next week committees in Congress will continue 
crafting the defense authorization and appropriation bills that will 
fund our national security needs for another year and set policies that 
will determine longer-term defense priorities.
  Much of the attention these bills receive will focus on weapons 
programs and the budgetary minutiae necessary to provide for our 
national defense. These issues are critically important to ensure our 
common defense. Our men and women in uniform need the best equipment to 
do their jobs.
  However, we must not lose sight of the personal risks and sacrifices 
the men and women behind this equipment face every day. The technical 
advances present in today's military have done much to reduce these 
risks, but Americans still put their lives on the line every day around 
the world. These brave individuals choose to serve our country for many 
reasons, but all share the risk and sacrifice this service brings.
  Recently, the district I represent lost a young man who made the 
ultimate sacrifice for all of us. Private First Class George Santos was 
one of 19 Marines who were killed on April 8th in an accident on a 
routine training mission in Arizona.
  Private Santos dreamed of becoming a Long Beach police officer, but 
first joined the Marines because it represented both a challenge and an 
adventure. Santos and 18 other Marines died when their Osprey aircraft 
crashed near Yuma, Arizona. At age 19, George Santos gave his life in 
service to our country. We will remember and honor that sacrifice.
  Each year is filled with memorials of battles recent and not so 
recent. We tend to focus on particular numbers, such as the 25th 
anniversary of the fall of Saigon or the 50th anniversary of our 
victory in the Second World War. Apart from these memorials are the 
private ones shared by families across this land who remember children, 
siblings, grandparents, or friends lost in service for every one of us. 
As we reflect on these heroic individuals, we must remind ourselves 
that freedom comes with a cost. But we can take solace in knowing that 
people like George Santos defend our freedom every day. All of us owe a 
great debt of gratitude to the brave members of our armed forces who 
purchase our peace of mind with their sacrifice.

                          ____________________