[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7000]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            SAN JACINTO DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GENE GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 2008

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
one of the most important events in Texas history. Monday, April 21, 
Texans celebrated San Jacinto Day. In the past I have missed this event 
because I had to be in Washington for votes, but this year I was able 
to be at home in Texas, and actually be at the battleground where Sam 
Houston and Santa Anna fought over one hundred and seventy years ago.
  On that day in 1836, approximately 900 Texan and Tejano volunteers 
overpowered a larger, professional Mexican army of conscript soldiers, 
after defeats at Goliad and the Alamo. These outnumbered volunteers 
succeeded because they were fighting against tyranny and they were 
fighting for their homeland. In the words of the Texas Declaration of 
Independence, the people's government had be ``forcibly changed, 
without their consent, from a restricted federative republic, composed 
of sovereign states, to a consolidated central military despotism.''
  The Texas Revolution proved the bonds of freedom are stronger than 
ethnicity, as many Tejanos sacrificed their lives for Texas' freedom at 
the battles of Gonzalez, Bexar, Goliad, the Alamo, and San Jacinto. The 
war was not between Anglos and Hispanics, it was a struggle between all 
Texans and the military dictatorship in Mexico City. Texans and Tejanos 
knew then what we know now--freedom requires sacrifice. Our young 
people going to or coming back from fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq are 
very aware of this hard fact of life.
  Texas culture places high honors on heroes willing to sacrifice their 
lives for a better life for their fellow man, and Texans are known 
around the world as an honorable people who respond to the call of 
duty. While our young people are answering today's calls of duty, we 
should not forget those who have bravely answered the call in the past.
  In that spirit. I want to highlight the work by the San Jacinto 
Chapter of the Daughters of the Texas Republic, who made the 
preservation of the San Jacinto Battleground possible by petitioning 
the Legislature to purchase the acreage and by donating their treasury 
to complete the sale in 1900. The San Jacinto Chapter of Daughters and 
the Texans Veterans Association did tremendous work to ensure that the 
legacy lived on, and the importance of the park has only expanded since 
then.
  The park not only has the San Jacinto Monument to recognize the brave 
men that defeated the military dictator General Santa Anna, it is also 
home to the Battleship Texas, which is a symbol of Texans' sacrifices 
in World War I and World War II. Thankfully, through federal 
appropriations and state and local funding, the restoration and 
preservation of Battleship Texas is moving forward as part of a multi-
year effort to collect the necessary funding for the restoration of 
this great historical site. The funding will help with the Battleship 
Texas Foundation's plans to restore the Battleship Texas and convert it 
into a museum. This is an important project not only to honor those in 
our past, but to educate future Texans who may have to answer future 
calls to service about our tradition of defending freedom.
  As part of our historical preservation efforts, we are also working 
on the Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area, which will stretch from 
Buffalo Bayou in East End Houston to San Jacinto Battleground, 
including the Ship Channel and the Baytown Nature Center. The Heritage 
Area will help the history of the establishment of the Texas republic. 
The restoration of the Battleship Texas and the establishment of a 
Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area will go a long way to ensure that 
new generations of Texans know their tradition of bravery.
  With an understanding of where they came from, future Texans will 
continue to respond to calls to service, and Texans will continue to be 
respected and admired around the world.

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