[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12739]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         NATIONAL WAR PERMANENT TRIBUTE HISTORICAL DATABASE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing 
legislation titled the ``National War Permanent Tribute Historical 
Database Act,'' that will help the Department of Interior and the 
Department of Veterans' Affairs keep track of the many important war 
memorials on public lands throughout our country. It would also provide 
a report to Congress to determine if there should be a permanent fund 
within the Treasury for the upkeep of these memorials.
  The freedom we enjoy in the United States has not just been given to 
us. Men and women have made great sacrifices, some with their lives, to 
protect our way of life. We have erected memorials to honor these 
soldiers, sailors, and aviators and their valiant deeds. Unfortunately 
many of these memorials don't receive the care they deserve and have 
fallen into disrepair. These memorials may not be as large as those on 
the National Mall or Arlington National Cemetery but they are just as 
important and should be taken care of.
  In 2000, Congress agreed to a resolution expressing the need for 
cataloging and maintaining public memorials. The National War Permanent 
Tribute Historical Database Act would follow through with this sense of 
Congress and take a first step by cataloging our public war memorials.
  Mr. Speaker, as we honor America's men and women in uniform this 
Memorial Day, many of us will be thinking these soldiers who have 
recently been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the other conflicts 
America's service men and women have fought in should not be forgotten. 
These memorials remind people what their local men and women did to 
protect our country. By cataloging and reporting to Congress on the 
condition of all of our war memorials on public lands and by 
considering how to maintain them we make sure that our veterans are not 
forgotten. Passage of this bill would be a step toward renewing our 
commitment to honor our nation's veterans.

                          ____________________