[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 9824-9825]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                STUDENT FEELINGS ABOUT THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 2011

  Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I recently hosted at the 
Capitol a group of extraordinary students from Heritage Middle School 
located in my District in Maryville, Tennessee.
  The very first time I visited the U.S. Capitol was as part of a 
school trip, and I know how impressionable such an experience can be to 
young people.
  Following their visit, the students were asked by their teacher, 
Patricia Russell, to write a report on how their feelings about the 
Nation have changed since visiting Washington.
  I encourage my colleagues and other readers of the Record to read 
these very impressive essays.

                        ``Freedom Is Not Free''

                          (By Lindsey Basham)

       It always pains me to see people talk about how hard they 
     have it. But in reality, a homeless person in America would 
     be a middle-classed person in a third-world country. We take 
     for granted all that we have, and the most important thing 
     would be freedom. The only reason we have this freedom is 
     because of our soldiers sacrificing their lives for ours. But 
     where would we be without a leader? My personal favorite 
     President is Abraham Lincoln because he was the only 
     president out of sixteen at the time to do something about 
     the most remorseful action America ever did--slavery. Because 
     of these two reasons, I liked the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam 
     Memorial, and WWII Memorial the best.
       There are many people who would rather others like them 
     instead of sticking out of the crowd, but those people do not 
     have what it takes to run one of the most powerful countries 
     in the world. President Abraham Lincoln did though, and one 
     of the noblest things this man ever did was create the 
     Emancipation Proclamation. Even against half the country, he 
     freed the slaves of the south once and for all. He said that 
     a house divided against itself will not stand, yet he took an 
     enormous risk with the Proclamation making the southern 
     states angry. Lincoln believed that owning another human 
     being went against the Declaration of Independence and he was 
     not going to sit back and watch inhumanity happen to such 
     innocence. Sadly, the sixteenth president of the United 
     States was assassinated in a movie theater by a man named 
     John Wilkes Booth. Even so, the legend of this famous 
     president lives on in one of my favorite memorials in the USA 
     capitol today.
       Small children learn to count to one hundred, but many 
     times they will trip up on the numbers afterward. Later on, 
     they will have the skill to make to one thousand, but then 
     again, they might mess up on their correct numbers after that 
     high number. At around the age of ten, a person can count as 
     high as he or she wishes, but the problem is patience. Even 
     the most patient person will get bored after around ten 
     thousand. The number 58,267 may seem like an ordinary, random 
     number--a number higher than most of us are willing to 
     count--but that number is the exact number of people who are 
     commemorated on the Vietnam Memorial. That is a number that 
     makes me appreciate being an American because I think about 
     those people who fought for what we all take advantage of. 
     The moment that precious freedom is taken away from us, we 
     will regret being so easy going about it. ``Freedom is not 
     free'' as said on the Korean War Memorial, is very scary at 
     how true that statement is. Tens of thousands of people have 
     died in each and every war our nation has endured and they 
     knew what was bound to happen. It is only common sense that 
     these people would be honored.
       Four-thousand stars all representing one-hundred soldiers 
     is one of the key things I saw at the World War II Memorial. 
     On the day the Japanese planes flew over Pearl Harbor, 
     Hawaii, was a devastating day in American history. This was 
     the day our country was launched into the Second World War. 
     So many, many people fought and died during the years that 
     followed the day of Pearl Harbor. As every war is, this war 
     was as bloody as any and it makes me feel that there is a 
     place for every single one of us. Some were destined to make 
     that journey for the rest of us. And for all we know, a 
     person who nobody has ever heard of could have cost us the 
     winning of the war. Every person who is honored in those 
     fountains and stars had a big role in a big part of history 
     and deserve to be in one of the major memorials in 
     Washington, D.C.
       After all I have seen, I have come to appreciate the 
     delicate balance of power and freedom our country has 
     perfected. But I will always remember that freedom is not 
     free, and sometimes it takes a noble person to stand up for 
     man's natural born freedom, and sometimes it takes more. 
     Sometimes many lives are lost and much blood is shed on the 
     soil. But, even though we are sometimes forced to do this, 
     that does not mean we cannot commemorate these brave men, 
     women, and--in my opinion--the best president this country 
     has seen yet. Therefore, it seemed necessary to create the 
     Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and World War II 
     Memorial. I have come to love this country even more so than 
     I already did.
                                  ____


                             DC Trip Essay

                         (By Mackenzie Kindig)

       ``How has your appreciation of your American Heritage 
     increased by taking this trip?'' Many answers fill my mind as 
     I read this question, and many experiences come to mind as 
     well. But three places that have made me appreciate my 
     country more is the Holocaust Museum, the Capitol Building, 
     and Mt. Vernon.
       The Holocaust Museum is truly a moving place to visit. 
     Considering the Holocaust is my favorite period in history to 
     learn about, I truly appreciated this museum and it's 
     contents. Reading and seeing all the exhibits at this museum 
     made me realize how lucky I am to be an American. While a few 
     times I cried, I was recognizing how well off we all are to 
     be living in the United States. All of those 11 million 
     people suffered, but we learned from it. I know our country 
     and government would never let something that horrible happen 
     to their American citizens. Also, the Holocaust is a very 
     important topic to history, and this museum portrays it 
     perfectly and is a great learning experience, especially to 
     8th graders.
       The Capitol Building was among the first places we visited. 
     The beautiful archiecture is just a plus, and meeting so many 
     important people that work for the country is truly an honor. 
     Seeing the Capitol Building and knowing more in depth how our 
     government works has increased my appreciation for our 
     country, because I know in places like Egypt and Iraq they 
     are not nearly as lucky as us to have a well organized 
     government. I enjoyed meeting Representative Duncan and 
     knowing the people of east Tennessee are in good hands. As 
     well as the government, the Capitol Building contains 
     beautiful paintings and honorable sculptures from all states.
       Mt. Vernon was home to our first president, which alone is 
     a great honor to be able to visit. But also it was built in 
     the 1700s. I love the architecture and layout of the house, 
     as well as the estate itself with the gardens and slave 
     quarters. George Washington was an amazing president, and to 
     be allowed to step into his personal home that he actually 
     lived in is breathtaking. Mt. Vernon not only increased my 
     appreciation of our country, but also our technology and 
     government. Experiencing George Washington's burial site 
     brought tears to my eyes, because I feel closer to him in a 
     way of seeing his home. I appreciate Mr. Washington because 
     he was our first president, and a very amazing one at that. 
     Mt. Vernon also shows Americans how citizens lived in the 
     1700s, and I believe that is a tremendously important 
     experience.
       Washington DC has increased my appreciation of being an 
     American citizen because of the Holocaust Museum, the Capitol 
     Building, and Mt. Vernon. DC is a very educational trip that 
     I believe everyone should experience at least once.
                                  ____


                                DC Essay

                         (By Garrett Headrick)

       After going on the trip to Washington DC my appreciation of 
     my American heritage has increased. The World War II, Vietnam 
     War, and Lincoln memorial has made an impact on me the most.
       Firstly, I was moved by the World War II memorial. After 
     visiting the memorial and seeing all of the gold stars on the 
     wall representing the people who have died for us. The people 
     who have fought for us in World War II do not get enough 
     credit for what they did for their country. It is hard to 
     imagine what our country would be like without the freedom we 
     have now. This is why the World War II memorial has increased 
     appreciation of my American heritage.

[[Page 9825]]

       Secondly, the Vietnam War memorial made me think more about 
     what the soldiers have done for our country. While at the 
     memorial it was quiet. Nobody dared to talk higher than a 
     whisper. The respect to the Vietnam War memorial amazed me. I 
     would like to know more about the memorial.
       Lastly, to imagine standing in one of the greatest 
     president's memorial is amazing. If one was to think on what 
     Lincoln did for America is mind boggling. If it was not for 
     Lincoln there would be a Union and a Confederate still today. 
     To make a memorial for him, I think, is definitely necessary. 
     The Lincoln memorial was very fascinating.
       In conclusion, my appreciation for my American heritage has 
     increased after going to Washington, DC. The World War II, 
     Vietnam War, and Lincoln memorial are very interesting.
                                  ____


                                DC Essay

                          (By Kayla Kirkland)

       Seeing Washington, DC isn't just understanding and 
     appreciating our heritage, it also makes you proud. My 
     conclusion of this is thanks to being able to go inside the 
     Capitol building, seeing the memorials of our heroes, and 
     going through the Holocaust Museum.
       Being able to go into the Capitol building is more than 
     words. I did not fully understand how much our government is 
     ran by the people until we were able to go in there. Meeting 
     John Duncan was an honor. It was neat how he would take time 
     out of his day to meet the people he represents. The input we 
     have is real, it is seeing our future and past evolve 
     together.
       Next, walking through our heroes memorials was 
     inspirational. I saw that people died fighting and making 
     this country free. My personal favorite was the World War II 
     Memorial. The stars in the water were in awe. Every star was 
     for one hundred souls and human beings that defend our land 
     to insure our future.
       Third of all, two words . . . Holocaust Museum. People do 
     not understand how good Americans have it. We could be in a 
     government with a dictator whom murders millions of innocent 
     people. We are not though. This is because our founding 
     fathers did not want that, and some of them died to insure us 
     ``We Are America.'' We, our Country, has it more than better 
     compared to other countries.
       I give thanks of being able to go inside the capitol 
     building, see the memorials of our heroes, and go through the 
     Holocaust Museum. ``. . . And so my fellow Americans, Ask 
     what your country can do for you; Ask what you can do for 
     your country.''
                                  ____


                                DC Essay

                          (By Michaela Hearon)

       My trip to Washington DC has increased my appreciation of 
     my American heritage because of the monuments, the American 
     History Museum, and Arlington National Cemetery
       First, the monuments made me appreciate living in America. 
     They recognize all the people that served in the different 
     wars and some of our past presidents. The two monuments that 
     really touched me were the Vietnam Memorial and the Korean 
     War Memorial. The Vietnam Memorial was very sad seeing all 
     the names of the people who had died. I personally can't 
     imagine loosing one of my loved ones in a war. The Korean War 
     Memorial showed the emotions of the men in that war. They did 
     a great job making both of these memorials; I will never 
     forget them.
       Secondly, the American History Museum made me appreciate my 
     American heritage. This museum showed all kinds of things 
     that have happened in America. I loved seeing the section 
     about the different wars, the section of all our presidents, 
     and the first ladies dresses. The section of the wars showed 
     some cool objects from the wars, my favorite was seeing all 
     the original guns and swords. The President section had facts 
     about all of our presidents, my favorite president is Ronald 
     Reagan. The first ladies dresses were beautiful and I like 
     how they have those their so the public can see them. I 
     enjoyed the American History Museum; it made me appreciate my 
     American heritage.
       Thirdly, The Arlington National Cemetery made me thankful 
     for all of the men and women that gave their lives in the 
     wars. There are so many people that are buried there that 
     gave their lives for Americas freedoms. That makes me 
     thankful for them to have enough courage to fight for what 
     they believe in. We Americans are so blessed to live in the 
     greatest country in the world. So, we need to remember the 
     ones that gave their lives, and the ones that have served and 
     are still serving. The Arlington National Cemetery made me 
     thankful for all the ones that have and are still serving in 
     the wars.
       In Conclusion, my trip to Washington DC has increased my 
     appreciation of my American heritage because of the 
     monuments, the American History Museum, and Arlington 
     National Cemetery. I am so blessed and proud to live in the 
     United States of America.

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