[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11980-11981]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   OXFORD COUNTY VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL

  Ms. SNOWE. Madam President, it is truly a solemn honor to join in 
recognizing these exceptional soldiers extraordinary enough to have 
worn our Nation's uniform as you gather for the unveiling of the Oxford 
County Vietnam War Memorial
  It is fitting and just that on this Armed Services Day, as we express 
our gratefulness to soldiers in service to our Nation, we commemorate 
those who saw service in Vietnam--especially the 37 Mainers who 
perished or are considered missing in action, whose revered names are 
remembered for all time on this Vietnam War Memorial. This tribute to 
their valor and their enduring dedication to duty reminds us that all 
the blessings of liberty we cherish today, the protection of our 
families, and the strength of our democracy represent our inheritance 
from generations past that we are obligated to safeguard and carry 
forth into the future.
  This shining example of their contribution will serve not only to 
inspire--but also to heal. It will ensure that we always regard with 
the highest respect the inexpressible debt of gratitude we owe all 
soldiers and their families which we can never repay, but must never 
forget. And to faithfully and appropriately honor those who have 
fallen, we must nurture and protect the founding democratic principles 
we treasure, for which they so bravely made the ultimate sacrifice.
  Every name etched on this wall corresponds to a unique story, but all 
are bound together, each to each, comrade

[[Page 11981]]

to comrade, and soldier to soldier, by a universal, selfless devotion a 
commitment eloquently memorialized by President John Adams when he 
wrote, ``if we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom 
should we serve?
  Two servicemen, SGT James B. Bartlett, U.S. Army, 1st Infantry 
Division, Bethel and SSG John H. R. Brooks, U.S. Army, 129th Assault 
Helicopter, Peru, are both missing in action, and so this monument must 
also stand as a testament that we will honorably keep the faith with 
those who so valiantly kept their faith with us.
  Each person we celebrate on this wall dignifies this memorial and 
makes it the sacred destination that it is intended to be, and that 
dignity is passed on to each of us when we pay rightful homage to the 
nobility of their deeds and the legacy of their love for this country.
  May God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of 
America.

                          ____________________