[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16753]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                 CONGRATULATIONS TO LEAH A. CUNNINGHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB SIMMONS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 12, 2002

  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Leah A. 
Cunningham of Niantic, CT. Leah Cunningham was named a national winner 
in the 2002 Voice of Democracy Program and received the $1,500 
Department of Colorado and Auxiliary Award. Leah was sponsored by VFW 
Post 5849 and its Ladies Auxiliary in East Lyme, Connecticut.
  I applaud the achievements of Leah Cunningham and ask that her award-
winning essay be submitted into the Congressional Record.

    [From the 2001-2002 VFW Voice of Democracy Scholarship Contest]

                    Reaching Out to America's Future

                  (By Leah Cunningham of Connecticut)

       Yiyia, what is your advice for me and my role in helping 
     America to have a better future?
       ``I came to this country at only 12 years old, alone and 
     frightened of the unraveling journey ahead. I immigrated from 
     Greece, but I soon became a loving citizen of this great land 
     called America. I have learned that for America to have a 
     better future, we must trust and learn from the issues of the 
     past.''
       And then, my Yiyia (which is Greek for grandma) would smile 
     in her strong oak rocking chair, gazing out the window of her 
     apartment. Yiyia would have faith in the youth of America and 
     their love for a country. She had seen the beginning stages 
     of World War I as torpedoes were launched at her boat; she 
     had watched America slowly enter World War Two, and 
     thankfully, she died before her eyes would witness the 
     devastation of the worst terrorist act to ever assault 
     American soil: The destruction of the New York trade center 
     towers by two hijacked airplanes.
       These horrific events of September 11th have sparked a new 
     found interest in our past and pride. Have we perhaps become 
     more aware of our duty to create a peaceful life for our 
     youth? The idea is to reach out to America's future, enabling 
     our children to create a better world, providing them with 
     knowledge, insight. Someday as a grandmother, I hope to share 
     with my grandchildren the knowledge a nation has touched my 
     existence with. I will reach out to America's youth--
     empowered in good faith to help America's future.
       Our nation has indeed suffered tragedy but at the same 
     time, we have been blessed by devoted American citizens 
     striving towards a common goal: to make America a peaceful 
     nation. Firemen, Red Cross volunteers, policemen, and average 
     American citizens are so diligently working in New York City, 
     to defy evil and restore the site of utter human devastation. 
     We have refocused our priorities, acknowledging kindness, not 
     only kindness for our friends and relatives, but a 
     rejuvenated sense of benevolence towards strangers and fellow 
     Americans. I see a confident nation, converging together, 
     providing that we will not fall, we will not falter, we will 
     not fail in a time of unforeseen cruelty towards our freedom 
     land. We are reaching out to America's future in quiet and 
     bold ways. I even see a rebirth of historical values and 
     national pride.
       President George Washington wrote in his 1796 farewell 
     address: ``The unity of government which constitutes you one 
     people is also now dear to you. It is justly so, for it is a 
     main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the 
     support of your tranquilly at home, your peace abroad; of 
     your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which 
     you so highly prize . . .'' Washington's words ring across 
     more than 200 years to reach America today and in the future.
       The future of America depends on our ability to secure 
     unity and influence the well being of active American 
     citizens. Simply requiring a civics or history course for 
     high-school graduation is not enough. We should urge our 
     youth to become involved in the social fabric of the 
     community. The little things truly aide in reaching out to 
     America's future: encouraging youth to register for voting, 
     involving teenagers in mock political systems, having 
     children understand the American flag, and ensuring 
     appreciation towards war veterans and their roles in 
     providing long-standing freedom in America.
       I have come to think of it as my responsibility, my 
     mission, to in some way reach out to America's future. My 
     grandparents remember where they were when Pearl Harbor was 
     attacked by the Japanese. My parents remember where they were 
     when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. And, I will forever 
     remember exactly where I was on September 11th, 2001, when 
     terrorists attacked our nation, killing thousands. My 
     greatest achievement will be if a defining moment of my 
     grandchildren's life is not a catastrophic pre-empt to war, 
     or a brutal disheartening assassination of a loved president, 
     or an act of horrific human destruction. But rather, their 
     moment of true American unity and love for a nation will be 
     when their grandmother reaches out to their curious eyes and 
     big hearts, and tells them of her experiences as an American 
     and what they must do to hopefully following her patriotic 
     footsteps.
       As Thomas Jefferson suggested in his first Inaugural 
     Speech, our principles for peace in the future depends on the 
     ability to historically, look back, in order to look forward. 
     Jefferson states, ``. . . Let us hasten to retrace our steps 
     and to regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, 
     and safety.'' The youth of America will bloom with bright 
     hearts and clear visions if they are mindful of America's 
     pursuits and ``retrace their footsteps'' of answers.
       America is living and breathing, and within this country 
     there is embedded a recipe for survival and for peace. Our 
     youth needs the support and encouragement of patriotic 
     citizens. We must trust in the goodness of people, and work 
     towards a humane world, with the youth of America as leaders 
     towards peace and justice. We must start with the seeds of 
     tomorrow, the children of America's future, to not only 
     establish a long-term remedy for terrorism, but to maintain 
     strength, pursue unity, and forever sustain national loyalty.