[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 8963]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                DEDICATION OF THE PYRAMID OF REMEMBRANCE

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, this morning, at Arlington National 
Cemetery, I was honored to join Congressman Steve LaTourette, LTG 
Richard A. Cody, Superintendent of Arlington Cemetery John Metzler and 
students and faculty from Riverside High School for the dedication of 
the Pyramid of Remembrance, a living memorial paying tribute to 
American soldiers who have lost their lives during peacekeeping 
operations, humanitarian efforts, training, terrorist attacks, or 
covert operations.
  The unveiling of this historic memorial today came as a result of the 
dedication and hard work of motivated young people at Riverside High 
School in Painesville, OH and their teacher, Dr. Mary Porter. More than 
one decade ago, in October 1993, these high school students watched in 
horror as a U.S. soldier in Somalia was dragged through the streets of 
Mogadishu. The students--concerned that there was not a memorial in our 
Nation's Capital to honor members of the Armed Forces who lost their 
lives during peacekeeping missions such as the one in Somalia--felt 
compelled to take action.
  These students spearheaded a campaign to establish a Pyramid of 
Remembrance in Washington, DC. The students not only proposed the 
memorial, they also created a private non-profit foundation to raise 
the money to construct the memorial. The community in Painesville 
pulled together, providing legal counsel for the students and private 
donations to help fund the project. Due in part to the strong support 
of this Ohio community, the proposed national Pyramid of Remembrance 
has been erected at no cost to U.S. taxpayers.
  There has been considerable discussion regarding the Pyramid of 
Remembrance since it was first proposed by the students of Riverside 
High School and introduced in the House of Representatives in 1996.
  On October 17, 2002, Senator Mike DeWine jonied me in introducing 
legislation in the Senate for the first time to authorize the creation 
of the Pyramid of Remembrance. We re-introduced this legislation on 
January 30, 2003, taking into account recommendations made by the 
National Park Service, and the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks 
conducted a hearing to examine the legislation on June 3, 2003.
  In addition to consideration in the United States Congress, the 
National Capital Memorial Commission which is charged with overseeing 
monument construction in Washington, DC, conducted hearings about the 
proposed Pyramid of Remembrance in April 2001. The Commission 
recommended that the memorial be constructed on Defense Department 
land, possibly at Fort McNair. The commissioners also noted that such a 
memorial would indeed fill a void in our Nation's military monuments.
  I agree with the commissioners' findings. I, too, believe that this 
memorial is a fitting addition to our Nation's Capital to honor those 
who have lost their lives while serving in the United States military, 
and I am proud that it has now come to fruition.
  On May 6, 1999, I spoke on the Senate floor in honor of two brave 
American soldiers--CWO Kevin L. Reichert and CWO David A. Gibbs--who 
lost their lives when their Apache helicopter crashed into the Albanian 
mountains during a training exercise on May 5, 1999, as U.S. troops 
joined with our NATO allies in a military campaign against Slobodan 
Milosevic. As I remarked at the time, the United States owes Kevin, 
David and so many other service members a debt of gratitude that we 
will never be able to repay, for they have paid the ultimate sacrifice. 
As the Bible says in John, chapter 15:13:

       Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his 
     own life for his friends.

  The Pyramid of Remembrance honors individuals such as David Gibbs and 
Kevin Reichert. It also honors the memory of the 17 service members who 
lost their lives when the USS Cole was attacked on October 12, 2000, 
and the American soldiers who lost their lives during the terrorist 
attacks against the Pentagon and the World Trade Center on September 
11, 2001.
  This memorial is dedicated to the brave men and women who have given 
their lives so that we may know freedom. I was deeply moved by words 
spoken this morning by Dr. Mary Porter, the teacher at Riverside High 
School who inspired these students to take action. She said:

       And so this memorial is for you, SSG William Cleveland. 
     They dragged your body through the streets of Mogadishu, but 
     they could not destroy your spirit . . . for you and for all 
     those who have lost their lives in places like Somalia, 
     Bosnia and Iraq and in training accidents and acts of 
     terrorism: we celebrate your spirit. We recognize your 
     sacrifice. We honor your effort to establish peace. This 
     monument represents our eternal gratitude for your sacrifice, 
     but it also represents hope for a future where human beings 
     on this planet can live in peace and without fear.

  The patriotism, dedication, and vision of the students at Riverside 
High School are commendable. Their action shows maturity, leadership 
and passion for their country that Americans of all ages should 
emulate. I support and applaud the work these students have done to 
establish the Pyramid of Remembrance, as well as the efforts of 
community members who have provided ongoing guidance and support to 
help the students turn their vision into reality.
  I believe it is our duty to honor American men and women in uniform 
who have lost their lives while serving their country, whether in 
peacetime or during war, and this memorial, which will remain and grow 
at Arlington National Cemetery, will ensure that the sacrifice made by 
so many is always remembered by our grateful Nation.

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