[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16212]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 16212]]

             POSTAL STAMP CELEBRATING THE LIBERTY MEMORIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2001

  Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a national 
commemorative postal stamp celebrating the Liberty Memorial, our 
nation's only World War I monument, located in Kansas City, Missouri. 
Liberty Memorial has been standing for nearly seventy-five years as a 
monument to those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and will 
be rededicated on May 25, 2002. It is my hope that a Liberty Memorial 
commemorative stamp can be issued as a part of the rededication 
celebration.
  The Liberty Memorial stands 217 feet tall and overlooks the heart of 
downtown Kansas City as a constant reminder of the battles fought and 
blood shed for our country in WWI. The peak of the memorial is crowned 
with four large stone figures representing courage, honor, patriotism 
and sacrifice. Two carved stone Sphinxes, Memory and Future, guard the 
memorial. A commemorative stamp of this beautiful site would be a 
fitting tribute to the veterans who fought in the Great War and the 
virtues that the Liberty Memorial represents.
  The Liberty Memorial is important as the only WWI memorial in the 
United States, but it also represents a community wide achievement for 
the citizens of Kansas City. In 1919, a community-based fund raising 
drive raised over $2,500,000 in less than two weeks. Considering the 
value of the dollar and the communication challenges at the time, this 
sum demonstrates the tremendous dedication of the people of Kansas City 
and the nation to the Liberty Memorial. Seventy-five years later, the 
citizens of Kansas City are coming together again to rededicate the 
memorial they worked so hard to build. A commemorative stamp of Liberty 
Memorial could make the event even more special.
  The Liberty Memorial stamp will bring the nation's only WWI memorial 
to the world and honor those that brought us our freedom in the fashion 
they deserve. Let us issue a Liberty Memorial Commemorative stamp with 
the same principle as the monument was built, ``In honor of those who 
served in the world war in defense of liberty and our country.''

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