[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3245]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    THANKING THE PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, on the morning of March 7, the Prime 
Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, will take the stage in front of 
the Lincoln Memorial to announce a $3 million donation on behalf of the 
Australian Government to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to help 
build the Education Center at the Vietnam Wall. This generous 
contribution is a testament to the strength of the United States' 
relationship with the Australian people and is critical to our 
continuing efforts to honor the men and women who served in Vietnam.
  As one who strongly supported legislation to establish the Education 
Center, I want to recognize and commend the Prime Minister, the 
legislature and the Australian people for their deep commitment to 
helping it come to fruition. Australian soldiers made terrible 
sacrifices during the Vietnam war. More than 500 Australian servicemen 
lost their lives, andsome 3,000 were wounded, injured, or struck ill.
  For years, Australia has been a steadfast ally and friend of the 
United States. Besides Vietnam, Australian soldiers fought alongside 
Americans during many of our struggles in the 20th century, including 
World War I, World War II, the Korean war, and more recently in Iraq. 
Currently, over 1500 Australian troops are fighting alongside our Armed 
Forces in Afghanistan, working to train Afghan troops.
  The Vietnam Veterans Memorial bears the names of the more than 58,000 
brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our great 
country during the Vietnam war. It is a memorial, built by the American 
people, designed to ensure that names of those who made the ultimate 
sacrifice would never be lost to history.
  By telling the stories of the men and women who fought and died in 
Vietnam, the Education Center will help visitors understand their 
courage, sacrifice and devotion.
  And through interactive exhibits and primary source materials, 
visitors will be able to better understand the profound impact the 
Vietnam war had on their family members, their home towns, their 
communities and the Nation. Visitors will understand the importance of 
The Wall and the role it continues to play in healing the wounds left 
by the war.
  The Vietnam Memorial has always been profoundly meaningful to me, 
both as a moving way to honor those who died and a remarkably effective 
means of healing the terrible national wounds from that war. The 
Education Center will be an important complement for both of those 
efforts. I hope to continue to play a role in making the Education 
Center a reality and look forward to the day that the United States can 
share the rich stories there with all visitors. When that time comes, I 
will be grateful to the Australian people and mindful of their kind 
generosity.
  I wish to thank the Prime Minster, the government of Australia, and 
the Australian people for their strong support for this worthy 
endeavor.

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