[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11791-11792]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         PENTAGON MEMORIAL FUND

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2005

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer the thanks of this body 
to a democratic friend, Taiwan, the Republic of China, for their recent 
generous gift to the Pentagon Memorial Fund.
  9-11 scarred our souls and forever changed the way we view enemy 
attack and the security of our Nation. The Pentagon is known globally 
as the place our military policy is created and recommended for 
implementation. It is a prominent part of the government commanded by 
the Chief Executive and maintained by the United States Congress.
  The targeted component of the surprise coordinated attack there 
shocked and appalled the civilized nations and people on the planet. 
This Nation lost 184 souls across the river on that day. The sight of 
smoke coming from the Pentagon is a picture seared in my memory from 
that day, seen as I ran out of the U.S. Capitol.
  Part of the salve applied to our national injury is in honoring the 
memory of the 184 men and women who perished on 9-11. So, as a member 
of the House Armed Services Committee, I thank Taiwan for their part in 
helping to immortalize their memory by contributing to the Pentagon 
Memorial Fund. And I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the 
Washington Post story announcing the generous contribution.

                [From the Washington Post, May 5, 2005]

                   Taiwan Aids Pentagon Memorial Fund

       The government of Taiwan has donated $1 million to the 
     Pentagon Memorial Fund, according to James L. Laychak, the 
     fund's president and chief executive. About $6.5 million has 
     been raised to finance the memorial,

[[Page 11792]]

     which is to be built with private funds. Families of victims 
     of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon began a 
     fundraising drive in April 2004 with a goal of $30 million--
     $20 million for construction and $10 million for a 
     maintenance fund. Taiwan's gift is the second for $1 million; 
     the first came from the Anheuser-Busch Foundation.
       ``The donation does not simply represent our offering of 
     support for the victims of
     9-11,'' said David Tawei Lee, a government representative, in 
     a prepared statement, ``but also express our appreciation for 
     the symbols of freedom.'' The memorial on the Pentagon's west 
     lawn will have 184 cantilevered benches, one in memory of 
     each of the victims of the terrorist attack.

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