[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Pages 28140-28141]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               NEW TERMINAL AT ABERDEEN REGIONAL AIRPORT

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I would like to speak about an important 
ceremony occurring this Veterans Day in my home town: the dedication of 
a new terminal at Aberdeen Regional Airport.
  Community leaders have chosen Veterans Day for this event because the 
terminal will be called the War Memorial Building. It will be located 
on the grounds of Saunders Field, named for General LaVerne Saunders, a 
World War II hero from Aberdeen.
  A plaque inside the new building proclaims:

       The City of Aberdeen dedicates this building and sculpture 
     to the brave men and women who served and continue to serve 
     to protect the values we all cherish: freedom, justice and 
     democracy.
       The War Memorial sculpture recognizes the courage they have 
     shown and continue to show in the service of our great 
     nation. They will never be forgotten.
       Let us reflect on the past and hope that we might learn as 
     a world to live in peace.

  Those words are a fitting tribute to our nation's heroes, past and 
present, and are especially fitting in a year that has seen a new 
generation take up arms in defense of the homeland. Aberdeen is one of 
the communities that has been touched by the largest call-up of South 
Dakota Guard and Reserve troops since World War II.
  This terminal was constructed with funds from the Federal Aviation 
Administration, State and local government, and a Senate amendment to 
the fiscal year 2001 transportation appropriations act. I remain 
grateful to Senator Frank Lautenberg, former ranking member of the 
Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, for helping me secure $2.5 
million in that legislation. The Senate funds completed the financing 
for this project and allowed it to move ahead without further delay.
  The project is a step into the future for one of the busiest airports 
in South Dakota. It replaces a 50-year-old facility, providing improved 
security measures, additional ticket counter space, and expanded 
baggage claim areas. It will improve access for disabled passengers. It 
will shorten the time that planes spend taxiing, thus resolving a long-
standing problem of flight cancellations due to wing icing. Given the 
critical role that airports play in economic development, I also see 
this new terminal as a long-term investment in Aberdeen's prosperity.

[[Page 28141]]

  This project required a great deal of hard work and dedication, and I 
would like to thank some people who made it possible: Mayor Tom Hopper, 
the airport board and staff, the Aberdeen City Commission, the Brown 
County Commission, the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, architects Herges 
Kirchgasler Geisler & Associates, engineers Helms and Associates, 
Transportation Director Dave Osborn, and former airport managers Tom 
Wylam and Rebecca Hupp.
  This facility is a wonderful tribute to America's veterans, and a 
valuable asset for the people of northeastern South Dakota. 
Congratulations, Aberdeen, on another job well done.

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