[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 14507-14508]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             DEDICATION OF THE BATTLE CREEK FEDERAL CENTER

  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, on Saturday, May 31, I had the honor of 
being present at the renaming of the Battle Creek, MI Federal Center 
for three American heroes, the late Senator Phil Hart, my husband Bob 
Dole, and my Senate colleague Dan Inouye.
  This recognition would not have happened without the efforts of my 
friend and colleague, Carl Levin. At the dedication Senator Levin spoke 
eloquently and his message about honor, duty, country captured the 
attention and respect of all those present at this important event. I 
thank him again and ask unanimous consent that his remarks be included 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       ``What an overwhelming moment this is for all of us just to 
     be with these heroes and their families. For Barb and me it's 
     a treasured moment to join with Bob Dole, Danny Inouye, and 
     two sons of Phil Hart, Jim and Walter Hart; to be with my 
     colleague Libby Dole. You know, I used to say that the U.S. 
     Senate was the world's most exclusive club. They used to say 
     that. But now, Barb, my wife, and Bob will testify to this, 
     are members of the truly most exclusive club in the world 
     which is the Senate's spouse club, because now that Libby 
     Dole is in the Senate, Bob Dole knows what it's like to be a 
     Senate spouse.
       Thanks are due to so many people for making this day 
     possible. We are very grateful to the General Services 
     Administration for their prompt response to the idea; 
     Administrator Perry, thank you. To the people of Battle 
     Creek, first and foremost, for again accepting three American 
     soldiers into your heart as you did tens of thousands of 
     American soldiers many years ago. By renaming this building 
     and accepting these three names, you have again said what 
     this community truly is all about and what you, in Battle 
     Creek, and what the workers in this federal center are all 
     about. Thank you for taking them back into your hearts and 
     embracing them by accepting these three names.

[[Page 14508]]

       For thousands of young soldiers, this was the place they 
     came home, the place where a grateful America cared for the 
     injuries they received defending our nation. And today, by 
     renaming this building we are paying tribute to three 
     soldiers who became close friends during their convalesces at 
     Percy Jones Army Hospital, and went on to serve together in 
     the United States Senate. Renaming the federal center after 
     these three heroes recognizes their unique achievements while 
     honoring all those who received care here and who provided 
     care here. As a new generation of valiant soldiers emerges 
     from the conflict in the Persian Gulf, and we greeted many of 
     them just a few weeks ago here in Battle Creek, it is more 
     appropriate than ever we remember past heroes who were 
     wounded in service to their country. By honoring these three 
     men we will inspire a new generation to follow their example.
       Phil Hart, a native son of Michigan, was wounded during the 
     D-Day assault. He spent more than three months at the Army 
     hospital here in Battle Creek. According to Bob Dole, Phil 
     Hart would tirelessly spend from morning 'til night running 
     errands for the rest of us. He was, in Bob Dole's words, and 
     I know Danny Inouye shared this very deeply, `he was without 
     a doubt one of the finest men I ever knew'. Phil Hart became 
     the conscience of the Senate, whose decency was legendary and 
     whose integrity was so deep that he would without flinching 
     take on an unpopular cause, or a powerful constituency, for 
     the good of the nation.
       Bob Dole arrived at Percy Jones in a plaster body cast. His 
     recovery program overall took three years, which underscores 
     his courage and his determination. When told by doctors his 
     disability would be career dooming, he refused to accept 
     their diagnosis and he fought successfully to prove them 
     wrong. In his first speech in the Senate, in 1969, which was 
     25-years to the day after his serious wounds were received in 
     Italy, leading his squad of the 10th Mountain Division in the 
     Italian Alps, Bob Dole, in that first speech, called for the 
     creation of a commission to seek ways to assist people with 
     disabilities. Two decades later, the Americans With 
     Disabilities Act crowned that effort and in Bob Dole's last 
     speech in the United States Senate, he spoke of his meeting 
     and his friendship, his lifelong friendship that was created 
     here with Phil Hart and Danny Inouye.
       As a seventeen-year-old, Danny Inouye joined the Army. He 
     joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the `go for broke' 
     regiment comprised of Japanese American soldiers. Their 
     courage, in the face of often-insurmountable odds make them 
     the most decorated unit in Europe. His extraordinary display 
     of valor led to him receiving the Congressional Medal of 
     Honor.
       I want to read just a few words from that particular Medal 
     of Honor award to Danny Inouye. `He directed his platoon 
     through a hail of automatic weapon and small arms fire. In a 
     swift and developing movement that resulted in the capture of 
     an artillery and mortar post, he brought his men within 40 
     yards of the hostile force. Emplaced in bunkers and rock 
     formations, the enemy halted the advance with crossfire from 
     three machine guns. With complete disregard for his personal 
     safety, Second Lieutenant Daniel Inouye crawled up the 
     treacherous slope to within five yards of the nearest machine 
     gun and hurled two grenades, destroying the emplacement. 
     Before the enemy could retaliate, he stood up and neutralized 
     a second machine gun. Although wounded by a sniper's bullet, 
     he continued to engage other hostile positions at close range 
     until an exploding grenade shattered his right arm. Despite 
     the intense pain, he refused evacuation and continued to 
     direct his platoon until enemy resistance was broken, and his 
     men were again deployed in defensive positions'.
       Now, I read that, not to single out Danny, but to remind us 
     all, that all the while that he, and so many other Americans 
     of Japanese descent like Danny, were fighting for us. Their 
     families were in internment camps, where they had been placed 
     because of their ancestry during World War II, having been 
     torn from their homes at the beginning of the war. In combat, 
     these men learned a valuable lesson that shaped their work in 
     the Senate. In the foxhole, there are no Democrats and 
     Republicans, liberals or conservatives. There are only 
     Americans. Having fought to defeat those who would steal our 
     nation's freedom, each of them, in their Senate careers, 
     sought to ensure that all Americans would continue to realize 
     the promise of justice and liberty, a promise in our 
     Constitution.
       Tom Brokaw's name has been mentioned and I just wanted to 
     read for you a short excerpt from an interview that Tom 
     Brokaw had with Larry King:
       Tom Brokaw: ``Difficult conditions are a test for great 
     people. About whether they can measure up to it or not. And a 
     lot of these veterans that I have written about'', referring 
     to his book, ``said that it made a man out of me, or a young 
     woman would say I went from being a giddy teenager to being a 
     mature woman overnight.''
       And then Brokaw went on, ``I'll just tell you one quick 
     story. I've been talking about the renewed need for public 
     service and having a sense that you do owe your country 
     something. In one hospital ward in Michigan, there was a 
     young man from Kansas who had had his arm shattered in combat 
     in Italy, and in the next bed was a young man from Honolulu 
     who was a Japanese American, who had lost his arm in the 
     442nd, and in the third bed was a young man from a family in 
     Michigan who was also wounded. And he was able to get out of 
     the hospital, to get theatre tickets and other things. Bob 
     Dole was one. Danny Inouye was the other one. And Phil Hart, 
     for whom the largest Senate office building is now named, was 
     the third one. And they talked about their future lives, and 
     they all decided it would be public service. They had just 
     given up their youth in combat, but they came back and said 
     they wanted to get involved running for public office. And 
     they all ended up in the Senate.''
       Larry King said, ``Who could write that? That's fiction.'' 
     And Tom Brokaw said, ``I know, it's amazing.''
       This building has helped define our nation for one hundred 
     years, and how truly fitting it is that three of our nation's 
     heroes, in war and in peace, whose lives were first 
     intertwined so closely here, whose friendships were forged 
     here, who had a seminal life experience here, who were later 
     united in the Senate, are reunited again in the naming, and 
     renaming, of this federal building. They gained strength 
     here, and then they gave again of that strength to brighten 
     the future of the nation that they loved. The renaming of 
     this building after them is icing on the 100th birthday cake 
     of this wonderful, historic building.
           Thank you.

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