[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24103]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN AN ESSAY BY HELEN LU

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2004

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize an essay composed by 
Helen Lu, a 16-year-old junior at Washington High School in Fremont, 
CA. Miss Lu delivered her essay at the Alameda County Veterans Affairs 
Commission's Veterans Day commemoration on November 11, 2004.

                       Be Proud To Be an American

       Be proud to be an American. Be proud that you are part of 
     this great democratic society, founded on the ideals of 
     liberty and freedom that our forefathers have fought for in 
     the American Revolution.
       Be proud to be an American. Remember our role in the 
     destruction of that Fascist dictatorship in the Second World 
     War.
       Be proud to be an American, that you live in the most 
     democratic nation in the world and take part in the most 
     dynamic and developed economy.
       Be proud to be an American, though you may look at what is 
     going on these days, and sigh in disappointment at our 
     divided condition regarding a war. But we have known greater 
     division, the American Civil War. Yet we still come together 
     as a nation. We still have come together to build this great 
     nation into what it is today.
       Be proud to be an American, even though we are uncertain if 
     every war has been justified. There are those who call 
     Vietnam a mistake. There are those who call the war in Iraq 
     an error. You can dwell on those issues the other 364 days of 
     the year, but today just remember the millions of men and 
     women who have so selflessly devoted their lives to their 
     country.
       Be proud to be an American, for there is one thing certain, 
     and remember it when you feel lost amidst all the political 
     argument: there have always been brave men and women who 
     would lay down their lives to protect those of yours and 
     mine. There have always been courageous men and women who 
     would sacrifice themselves for their country. We may look 
     back at any war and condemn it as a grave mistake. We may 
     look back on this war in Iraq, where thousands of young men 
     and women have died, as a grave mistake. History may show 
     that we had mistakes, but we will always be certain of the 
     absolute heroism of those who sacrificed for their country.
       Be proud to be an American. Your country is a nation in 
     which people may disagree over values and beliefs, yet always 
     come together in the end to fight any battle that needs to be 
     fought.
       To all our veterans, those who are here with us and to 
     those who gave their lives in the service of their country, 
     you have our utmost respect.

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