[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23636]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                           GOD BLESS AMERICA

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, the Wisconsin State Council of 
Vietnam Veterans of America, part of the congressionally chartered 
Vietnam Veterans of America, have been steadfast advocates for 
Wisconsin's veterans and their families. They have asked me to have 
printed in the Record the following editorial from The Badger Veteran, 
the newsmagazine that they produce.
  The editorial follows.

                         May God Bless America

       The men and women of the Wisconsin State Council of Vietnam 
     Veterans of America understand all too well the horrors of 
     war. Until September 11th, our nation was blessed to have 136 
     years without a life being lost on America's mainland to war. 
     Our sense--our collective illusion--of invulnerability was 
     shattered forever by acts of terror in New York, Washington 
     and Pennsylvania on the 11th of September.
       Our national security must never again be treated as an 
     afterthought. It must not be placed on hold in the name of 
     inconvenience not compromised because it might have some 
     limited impact on the bottom line of our country's economy.
       A generation ago, we sent millions of Americans to fight a 
     protracted war in Southeast Asia. The vast majority of 
     Americans had the luxury of turning out that war simply by 
     tuning off their TVs whenever they grew tired of it or found 
     it too depressing. It is a luxury no American will ever have 
     in our war against terrorism.
       Today, America has once again been drawn into a war--one 
     not of our making. It will be protracted. It will be very 
     costly--in dollars and, tragically, as in any war, in more 
     lives, including more American lives. As veterans, we 
     understand there is nothing fair or good about any war. And 
     we know Americans will no doubt find themselves debating the 
     conduct of this war in the halls of Congress and in homes and 
     byways throughout our nation. There is nothing wrong with 
     free and open debate. It is the American way. But Americans 
     are also an impatient people who like quick resolution of 
     events that disrupt their lives. This war promises no quick 
     fixes. It will take more time than we will have patience. But 
     patience is something for which Americans must collectively 
     and continually search our very beings as the frustrations of 
     a protracted war begin to take their toll on our resolve. And 
     patience will have to be found time and again if we are to 
     prevail.
       We urge the people of Wisconsin and the United States to 
     stay the course until we cripple the world's terrorist 
     networks. We urge President Bush and our national leaders to 
     be mindful of the lessons of the Vietnam War, the Soviet-
     Afghanistan War and the Powell Doctrine with respect to 
     committing U.S. ground troops to foreign battlefields. And we 
     ask and expect that criticisms of this war and its policies 
     will be directed at our government and our leadership who are 
     responsible for the policies and never again at the men and 
     women our government sends into harm's way on behalf of our 
     nation.
       This is also a time for remembering, for coming together. A 
     time to heal while being vigilant. A time to remind our foes 
     that when threatened or attacked, we will respond with a 
     ferocity that they shall regret unleashing. As President Bush 
     stated, we are a good, peace loving nation. Our enemies 
     proceed at their peril whenever they infer from our nature 
     that we will turn the other cheek when attacked.
       This will also be a time for the vast majority of 
     Americans--especially young Americans--to learn about the 
     importance of some ``old fashioned'' values that have lost 
     relevance to too many for too long. Values like duty, honor 
     and country, with an increased appreciation for a simple, 
     compelling fact: Despite all of America's flaws and 
     shortcomings, we have the privilege of living in the greatest 
     nation on earth.
       On behalf of the members of Vietnam Veterans of America in 
     Wisconsin and ourselves, we rededicate the Wisconsin State 
     Council's commitment to our Founding Principle, ``Never again 
     will one generation of veterans abandon another.'' And we 
     promise to continue our efforts to make VVA's motto, ``In 
     Service to America,'' an ongoing reality.
       May God bless the United States of America. And may peace 
     return to our shores and the world with dispatch.
     John Margowski,
       President & Publisher.
     Marvin J. Freedman,
       Executive Director & Managing Editor.
     James Carey,
       Executive Editor.

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