[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19066]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            PEARL HARBOR DAY

  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, 70 years ago today at 0745 in the morning in 
Hawaii--where it is now about 0840 in the morning--our country was 
attacked at Pearl Harbor bringing us into World War II. It was a war 
that had been ongoing in Europe for more than 3 years, and in Asia, in 
different forms, for a much longer period, probably 7 to 8 years.
  This began a national effort that was historically unprecedented in 
its unity and in its vigor in which the United States astounded the 
world in terms of its capacity to respond to this attack on many 
different fronts. Our economic production was staggering by 1943. Our 
production schedule included 125,000 aircraft, 75,000 tanks, 35,000 
antiaircraft guns, and 10 million tons of merchant shipping.
  During the course of that war, the productive capacity of this 
country gave our allied forces more than half of all of its armaments, 
including 86 percent of the armaments that were used in response to the 
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
  I rise today to express my thanks and my appreciation to the men and 
women of that generation who stepped forward and responded to the call 
of service in this period. During World War II more than 16 million 
Americans stepped forward to serve our country. In that period more 
than 400,000 of them died, including 291,557 who were killed in action. 
Another 670,846 were wounded in action. Out of those 16.1 million, 
today about 1.7 million World War II veterans remain alive. They are 
carrying the torch and the memory of this larger group who stepped 
forward and served and became known as the ``greatest generation.''
  It is my profound pleasure and, quite frankly, my duty to remember 
all of them today. Among those 16 million who served, nearly 8 million 
were able to take advantage of the World War II GI bill. It was my 
honor to have introduced a similar GI bill on my first day in the 
Senate in 2007. Within 16 months, our body and the other body had come 
together to agree on an educational package that would allow those who 
served since 9/11 to have the same chance at a first-class future as 
those who served during World War II. It is a program that will pay 
their tuition, buy their books, and give them a monthly stipend.
  On this day of remembrance, for those who served during World War II, 
we should also remember that for every dollar that was spent on the 
World War II GI bill, our Treasury received $7 in tax reimbursements 
because of the ability of the ``greatest generation'' to have 
successful careers and to contribute to our economy.
  So today I would just like to say, as one of many of us here who are 
the next generation from the ``greatest generation,'' how thankful I am 
for the service they gave and for the example they set when they 
returned from war. For many of us--me--they were our parents, they were 
our mentors, they were our role models, they were our leaders as we 
ourselves matured into leaders. They taught us how to love our country. 
They taught us how to value the notion of service. Their legacy is in 
every area of our society today.
  We honor them and we should resolve, all of us, to continue in the 
traditions that were imbued in us by their sacrifices and the example 
they set when they returned from a most difficult war.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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