[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9083-9084]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         OLDER AMERICANS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 2004

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of our seniors. 
May is Older Americans Month, and I commend communities around the 
country for the special work they are doing to honor senior citizens.
  The theme of Older Americans Month for 2004 is ``Aging Well, Living 
Well.'' Every day I see examples of seniors in my district in western 
Wisconsin who are indeed aging and living well. Eighty-year-old 
constituents who continue to work every day stop by my office to 
discuss issues that impact their businesses; grandparents tell me about 
the hours they spend each week volunteering at The Boys and Girls Club 
or other sites; and seniors faithfully show up at town hall meetings, 
asking questions, sharing opinions, and demonstrating their knowledge 
of what goes on here in Washington.
  It is especially fitting to celebrate seniors this month as we 
prepare for the dedication of the World War II Memorial. More than 
perhaps any other event, World War II will long define the heroism, 
patriotism and strength of what is aptly called ``the greatest 
generation.'' Sixteen million Americans served in the armed forces 
during the war. Millions more served at home by growing victory 
gardens, collecting scrap metal, and taking factory jobs to support the 
troops overseas and keep the country running. Men who had never left 
their home states were shipped halfway around the world to serve in the 
Asian and Pacific theaters. And women who had never held jobs outside 
the home took work in factories, offices, and on faraway battlefields. 
Nearly sixty years after

[[Page 9084]]

the conclusion of this war, the stories of these brave men and women 
remain moving.
  After serving and sacrificing on the war front and the home front, 
this generation then returned home to construct the interstate highway 
system, explore outer space, and see America through an unprecedented 
era of growth and improvement. Clearly, we can never adequately thank 
this generation for what they have done. No words can express how 
grateful we are for the milestones--surviving the Great Depression, 
winning World War II--or for those everyday struggles and sacrifices 
that go largely unrecorded.
  The seniors throughout our country--the retired schoolteachers, the 
millions of veterans, the farmers and all those who helped make our 
country great--deserve more thanks than we can give them. I am glad, 
though, that we have this month to recognize the generation that 
defined America in the 20th Century and continues to impact us all 
today.

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