[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11380-11381]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             FALLEN HEROES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 20, 2004

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
an amazing generation of Americans, a generation that possessed both 
the courage and the strength to defend the United States against its 
fiercest enemies.
  I refer, of course, to those who served our great nation during World 
War II, the brave Americans who stormed the beaches of Europe and who 
fought to defend our territories in the South Pacific.
  Just this weekend, Mr. Speaker, we gave our World War II veterans the 
commemoration they earned and deserve with the dedication of a new 
memorial on the National Mall.
  Visiting this new monument in person made me think about all of the 
great sacrifices this generation made on our behalf.
  Mr. Speaker, I can only imagine the enormous pressure they faced. The 
Japanese had already sunk some of our greatest battleships and were 
gaining ground in the Pacific and across Asia.
  German and Italian forces were marching across Western Europe and 
were gaining ground against our allies.
  With the goal of world dominance, the freedoms and liberties of the 
United States were in jeopardy like never before.
  We would have to defeat some of the most powerful military forces in 
history if we were to keep our independence intact and to prevent a new 
era of tyranny around the world.
  Despite this intense pressure and the great dangers before them, our 
young men signed up by the thousands and were willing to take on any 
task no matter what the risk.
  They would fight in heroic battles and many of them would never 
return home or would spend a lifetime with severe injuries.
  Working closely with my veterans in San Diego, I have heard firsthand 
accounts of the heroics on the battlefield and what our young men had 
to endure to win the war, including one who survived the attack on 
Pearl Harbor, another who fought in the famous Battle for Midway, and 
one who was held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese for several 
years.
  We achieved victory only because these service members were willing 
to fight and willing to do whatever it took to win. We must also not 
forget the others who were crucial to our great victory.
  Women were not eligible for full military status at the time, but 
this did not prevent them from making vast contributions. Women worked 
as laborers, engineers, and managers to produce the equipment our 
soldiers relied upon in the battlefield.
  Women also put themselves directly in harm's way by working as 
medical personnel in battle zones.
  Women performed so well and were so crucial to our victory, the War 
Department would soon establish women's corps in the different branches 
leading to full military status for them.
  We also broke stiff racial barriers during World War II. The Tuskegee 
Airmen, a squad

[[Page 11381]]

of African-American pilots, were among the most elite who flew during 
the war and are credited with contributing to the desegregation of the 
Air Force.
  We must also remember those from other nations who took up arms for 
the United States--specifically the Filipino veterans who fought 
alongside American soldiers in the Pacific.
  As we dedicate the World War II Monument on our National Mall and 
celebrate the 60th Anniversary of D-Day, I hope we will remember the 
commitment by all of those who were crucial to our victory. Please join 
me in paying tribute to those who would become known as the ``Greatest 
Generation.''

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