[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17967]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                MARKING VETERANS DAY IN LEONARDTOWN, MD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2011

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, on Veterans Day, I had the privilege of 
attending the annual parade honoring our veterans in Leonardtown and 
remembering the fallen service members from St. Mary's County, 
Maryland. It was a moving and meaningful ceremony, with many who have 
served our nation in uniform and their families attending. The parade 
in Leonardtown is the largest in the state, with a long tradition of 
honoring the service of Maryland veterans.
  The program included four students from Leonardtown Elementary 
School, each of whom read a brief statement written to answer the 
question ``What does Veterans Day mean to me?'' Their words were a 
powerful affirmation that the ideals our service members have fought to 
protect continue to be passed on to the next generation, and that with 
those ideals we teach a love of country and respect for service. I 
would like to share their statements with my colleagues.
  Katy Kindley wrote: ``Veterans Day means to honor and love the ones 
who fought in all wars or to honor someone who didn't fight but served 
to help those in damaged places. Where do they go when they leave? What 
places will they visit? Will they ever come back? All armed forces that 
serve our country take only with them--hope. The hope that they won't 
let those in need be [needy], the hope to succeed in their job, or the 
hope to just come home to their families. Navy, Army, Air Force, U.S. 
Marines, or any other force that serves our country take hope and the 
will to serve with them.
  ``If you are the child of a veteran, hold your hand up. How do you 
feel when your mom or dad leave to go on travel? Do you feel scared 
they will never come back? Do you wonder if they will bring something 
back? All of your questions remain with you. I'm glad to say that I too 
have a brilliant and most valiant veteran to look up to--my dad. My dad 
does his best to serve in the Navy. A lot of times he leaves for a very 
long trip. One time, he left for seven months! I was very sad. But I 
was overjoyed to see him come home. Let's take a day to honor, love, 
and cherish the ones who served in our country. To all those veterans 
out there, I say: you rock!''
  Liam Byers read his statement: ``Can you imagine what life would be 
like without our brave veterans? We probably would live in a country 
where we were not free at all. We couldn't go to school and get a good 
education for our futures. We couldn't go to the church we wanted or go 
to church at all. We probably couldn't choose our jobs or even our 
marriages!
  ``The brave veterans who risked their lives and health to fight to 
keep us free are perhaps some of the bravest people in our proud 
American history. They keep us and our rights safe and free from 
oppression, such as communism and tyranny.
  ``We have Veterans Day to honor the brave men and women who fought to 
keep us and our country free. We have two minutes of silence on 
Veterans Day called the `Great Silence,' where we remember everybody 
who fought (and died) for our freedom. My Boy Scout troop marches in a 
parade for Veterans Day and throws candy to the parade watchers (and 
sometime we pick up candy on the road for ourselves!).
  ``On Veterans Day I feel proud to be living in America, where our 
noble veterans serve in the Armed forces to keep our country free. How 
do you feel on Veterans Day?''
  Lauren Menges shared these thoughts: ``Veterans Day is a day set 
aside to honor America's servicemen and women for their patriotism, 
love of their country, and willingness to sacrifice for our freedom. A 
veteran is anyone who has served in the armed forces, such as: Army, 
Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, or Air Force.
  ``Veterans Day used to be called Armistice Day. It honored the 
signing of the Armistice that ended World War I on November 11, 1918. 
The end of the war took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day 
of the eleventh month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. 
It was declared a legal holiday on May 13, 1938, and was officially 
declared Veterans Day on November 11. Some people celebrate with a 
parade. Most schools have the day off. And other countries celebrate by 
observing two minutes of silence at 11:00.
  ``I have several family members who served in the military. My great 
uncle, Gordon Moniz, served in the Korean War, and my uncle, Bryan 
Menges, served during Operation Desert Storm. My first cousin, Joshua 
Menges, graduated last year from West Point and is now actively serving 
his country. I love that my family members served in the military. I am 
grateful for all the veterans and for their bravery.
  ``I would like to quote from a poem by Linda Ellis called `Mommy, 
What is a Veteran?' `How do you describe a veteran and the sacrifices 
they made so that you and your children's children could live free . . 
.and unafraid? How do you describe a veteran for a child's sake? You 
say: A veteran is a person to whom we owe every breath we take.'''
  Also, we heard a statement from Maddie McCauley: ``To many people, 
Veterans Day is special. Veterans Day all started on November 11, 1919, 
as Armistice Day. Armistice Day was to celebrate the first anniversary 
of World War I. Armistice Day was to honor all the brave soldiers who 
fought in World War I, keeping the United States safe. Now, Veterans 
Day is to honor all the brave souls who fought in all wars, who gave us 
our freedom, which many people elsewhere do not have.
  ``Veterans Day is celebrated with speeches, parades, special church 
services or ceremonies, visiting graves, and having the Great Silence. 
Many people visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This tomb holds the 
body of a U.S. soldier who was killed in battle. Nobody knew who this 
fearless man was.
  ``Veterans Day to me is an important holiday. I do have a few 
veterans in my family. My Great-Grandpa Hal was a fighting ace in the 
Air Force for many years. My family and I hang our American flag from 
our house. We also wear red, white, and blue to honor America. I think 
of many soldiers who endured many tough days away from their family 
fighting. I think, `Thank you for all you have suffered just to keep us 
free and safe.'''
  Katy, Liam, Lauren, Maddie, and their classmates, even at their young 
age, understand the sacrifices made by our veterans. I was glad they 
were able to participate in the ceremony alongside other public 
officials, and the many veterans who were on hand.
  Together, we all thanked the families of three St. Mary's County 
fallen heroes for their sons' service and sacrifice. SPC Raymond J. 
Faulstich Jr. and CPL Matthew Wallace gave their lives serving in Iraq, 
and SGT Ryan Patrick Baumann fell in combat in Afghanistan. We also 
applauded a recently-returned wounded warrior, Thomas Caleb Getscher, 
who lost both legs and part of an arm in Afghanistan. Patuxent Habitat 
for Humanity will soon be helping to renovate his home to make it more 
accessible.
  In their memory, and in honor of the veterans who returned home, we 
continue to recommit ourselves every Veterans Day to meeting our 
obligations to those who served our nation and put their lives on the 
line for the freedoms we hold dear.

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