[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8202-8203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   ARMED FORCES DAY AND MEMORIAL DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BERGMAN. Madam Speaker, before I begin, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of 
my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERGMAN. The topic of today's Special Order is to recognize the 
importance of Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day.
  I am not going to give a history lesson here tonight, but, rather, a 
series of personal remembrances that started when I was about 5 or 6 
years old in the early 1950s.
  My father, a World War II veteran, and some of his fellow veterans 
organized the local VFW in Minnesota where I was born. We would spend 
Memorial Day in the morning visiting three cemeteries in our local 
town.
  At each cemetery, the color guard would post the colors, the rifles 
would give their report, and taps would play. Everyone who attended--
and when I say everyone who attended, that was really the whole town--
came out in a long train of automobiles to go to these three cemeteries 
to honor the veterans who were no longer of this Earth.
  I remember the solemnness of that day. I remember the tears for 
family members and friends who had passed on, those who had worn the 
cloth of our Nation both in peace and in war. Those kinds of memories, 
as I stand here and talk tonight, are very vivid in my mind.
  Some years later, in the mid-1960s, we were involved in Vietnam, and 
I was a sophomore in college. Because of the fact that my parents had 
both stepped up during World War II, I felt--and with their support--it 
was the right thing to stand up and take the oath that sent me into the 
Marine Corps to serve our country.
  When you go into harm's way, you don't know what the outcome is going 
to be, but you do know that those you serve with are going to give it 
their all and you are going to remember them and honor them for as long 
as we walk this Earth.
  I was very fortunate to have absolutely spectacular commanding 
officers along the way that taught me what it was like to be a young 
leader and what it meant to take care of your marines--most notably my 
commanding officer in Vietnam, who, thankfully, is still with us. He 
was the kind of individual that made the tough calls because he 
understood the sacrifices needed and the outcomes that were required.
  One by one, we all pass. Memorial Day is our opportunity to remember, 
share stories, share tears, share laughter for those who have now gone 
on into God's hands. The past and the present set the tone for the 
future.
  As David French said:

       Sacrifice sustains our Nation far beyond the battlefield. 
     As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another in times 
     of stress. In times when we are under great duress, that 
     ability to sharpen not each other's bodies but each other's 
     souls carries us on.

  We remember on Memorial Day those who have made that effort.
  In the Marine Corps, we believe a lot of things, but three words 
encompass them all: honor, courage, and commitment.
  Tonight we honor those who fought for our country, who made the 
ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives in the service of our country, 
and those who have passed on since their service. It is our job to make 
sure that their sacrifice wasn't in vain.
  Courage: there is moral courage and there is physical courage. You 
never know until the time comes whether you have the physical courage, 
but you do find out. It is the moral courage that we know from the 
beginning, and it is set by our predecessors that sets our attitude and 
our mindset in stone that we know that we have that. And when it is 
tested, we are ready.

                              {time}  2000

  Commitment: Our commitment is always to the mission and to one 
another. We never leave anyone behind. Never. No one is more invested 
in peace than our men and women in uniform. They take the risks. They 
make the sacrifices, and they bear the cost of the battle in full 
force. Those rows of white headstones across the bridge in Arlington 
remind us of their commitment every day, and for that we owe them more 
than gratitude. We owe them every effort to keep our world at peace.
  On Memorial Day in 1982, President Reagan said:
  ``War will not come again, other young men will not have to die, if 
we will speak honestly of the dangers that confront us and remain 
strong enough to meet those dangers.
  ``It's not just strength or courage that we need, but understanding 
and a measure of wisdom as well.''
  We owe it to our men and women who have fought and died for our 
country to take a stand, to prepare for peace not by ignoring the 
dangers we face and placating the enemies of freedom but by facing them 
head on.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield to my fellow Members who will be 
presenting and speaking tonight. I yield to the distinguished gentleman 
from Minnesota (Mr. Lewis).
  Mr. LEWIS of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I, too, am honored to join my 
colleagues here tonight to recognize the bravery and the sacrifice of 
those who serve in our military. I also want to thank General Bergman 
for his years of dedicated service and for his leadership tonight.
  While May is Military Appreciation Month, it is important that every 
month we continue to recognize those who are fighting and still putting 
their lives on the line each and every day. Since the founding of our 
country, there have always been brave men and women who understood what 
it takes to protect our freedom and our way of life. They are patriots 
who represent the very best of America.
  I am especially grateful to the members of my family who served. My 
father, James, served in the Army during World War II; and my two 
brothers, Rick in the Navy and Reg in the Marines, served during 
Vietnam. Like many of us, I recall seeing my older brothers go off to 
war in Vietnam, and I vividly remember the difference between the Blue 
Star and, tragically, Gold Star families during that conflict.
  Throughout our Nation's history, we have paid a heavy price for 
freedom. It has not been easy. One week from today, we will remember 
those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. On Memorial Day, 
we remember those who gave their lives in the service of these United 
States. Our fallen soldiers were born in different generations, fought 
in different wars, faced unique challenges, but they are all part of 
the fabric and history of this great land, America.

[[Page 8203]]

  Through their service and selflessness, our Nation's sons and 
daughters have kept our country strong and free. Thank you to the 
fallen. Thank you to the veterans and those currently serving here and 
abroad. God bless America.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Madam Speaker, it is our job not just to remember but to 
carry the torch of freedom forward so that the sacrifices of our 
brothers and sisters have not and will not be in vain.
  Oliver Wendell Holmes said: ``But grief is not the end of all. . . . 
Our dead brothers still live for us, and bid us think of life, not 
death--of life to which in their youth they lent the passion and joy of 
the spring.''
  I would strongly encourage all, all of our American citizens, next 
Monday, May 29, the official observance of this year's Memorial Day, to 
take your families to a local cemetery, walk around, look at those 
headstones and those gravestones, explain to your children and your 
grandchildren, and anyone else who may have questions, the meaning and 
the significance of the many flags that fly next to those headstones.
  Those folks, those comrades, sacrificed it all so we can be here 
today. It is up to us to honor them, to remember them, and to carry on 
to ensure that the challenges we face as a country will be defended 
against and protected because of our willingness to sacrifice for the 
United States of America.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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