May 8, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6239

the veterans who served, their families,

and a generation of Americans who

lived through the war, have become a

reality.

For Americans too young to remember the war and those born into this

world in its aftermath, we have a special obligation this day to our parents,

our grandparents, and to our children

and future generations of Americans;

50 years from today most of those who

remember the war will no longer be

with us. It is, therefore, our responsibility to learn about what happened,

and why it happened. We must ask

those who fought in World War II what

it was all about. We must remember

the sufferings and the sacrifice, lest we

become complacent with our freedom

and suffer the consequences. We must

all, every one of us, learn from our own

history. Now, 50 years later, we must

redouble our efforts to understand by

talking to those who were there, those

who remember it.

Americans who lived through this

time and made the sacrifices, have one

last talk. It is now your duty to pass

on to those of us who weren’t on the

battlefields of Europe, or fighting on

the ‘‘homefront’’ what happened during

the war, so that we can learn from your

experiences and pass along to future

generations from the lesson’s of the

power of hatred and the price of protecting freedom for all.

This day I encourage parents and

grandparents to take some time to talk

to your children and grandchildren

about World War II. You heroic veterans, tell them about the terrifying face

of battle. Do not try to protect them

from the brutal images that you have

carried with you for all these years.

Those of you who fought on the homefront, tell them about the hardships of

home, the fears, the rationing; the

friends, loved ones, and neighbors who

never came home. Tell them why it all

happened. Tell them about the price of

acquiescence, isolation, and complacency.

You children and grandchildren, the

future of the world, go to your grandparents and parents, call them on the

phone, and ask them what it was like.

And, take the time to read about it,

and understand that they bought you

the freedom that we now enjoy. Ask

them how they felt when its future was

uncertain. They remember, they will

be glad to tell you. Listen hard, as if

your life depends on it, because it does.

And thank them for what they have

done for you. Your job is never to forget the stories they have to tell you.

Your job is to learn those lessons now

so that your children will never again

be called upon to smite such evil from

the Earth.

This is also a day when all of us

should turn, particularly to those veterans who live among us, and offer to

them our humble and loving thanks.

The great State of Idaho sent thousands of men off to war in Europe.

Many, many of them never again laid

their eyes on the mountains, deserts,

the forest, of Idaho, and lay buried in

foreign graves. The veterans who still

walk among us, might have suffered

the same fate, if God had not chosen

for them a different path. They risked

their young lives for us, and suffered

unimaginable horrors, so that we

might not have to. The people of Idaho,

the Nation, and the world, owe them

everything.

Once in a while, as we live our busy

lives with all of the challenges and

trials that accompany them, we get the

chance to stop and think about why we

are able to live in this, the greatest Nation on Earth, in such freedom. Today

is such a day. When envisioning the

drama and pain of that conflict become

difficult to imagine, draw upon those

who lived through it, and learn from

them.

And as we pay solemn tribute to the

memories of the victims, and the survivors, the brave, and the victorious, let

us be mindful of what led to this terrible war and thankful to those who

fought it. Let us not forget the cost of

freedom. And let us pray that God give

us peace.

IN SUPPORT OF OUR NEIGHBORS,

FRIENDS, THE FEDERAL EMfPLOYEES

Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, for the

last two decades, our Federal employees seem to be handy scapegoats for

anything that goes wrong with Government. Whenever anyone on this floor

mentions ‘‘those Federal bureaucrats,’’

the syntax is generally pejorative and

the reference, unflattering. The collective term ‘‘bureaucracy’’ is uttered in

the same tone of revulsion reserved for

former leaders of the ‘‘evil empire.’’

So it was refreshing to read an editorial in last Saturday’s Times-Argus,

which serves our State capital of Montpelier, VT.

The editorial simply reminds us that

many victims of the Oklahoma City

bomb explosion were ‘‘our friends,

neighbors, brothers, and sisters who

work for the Federal Government.’’

It seems to needful reminder in these

times to be a little more respectful of

the effort we get every day from millions of these men and women who

work for us in every capacity, from

guarding our national security to protecting our rights as citizens, from

fighting crime to enforcing public

health and safety standards, from exploring space to cleaning up our air

and water here on Earth.

I ask that this editorial be reprinted

in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. I am

not suggesting that criticism of Government operations is off limits. I am

only asking that it be fair. The hundreds of Federal workers in my State

of Vermont, are among the most dedicated and hard working men and

women, in public or private life, in our

country. Let us stop careless impugning of their professional integrity.

There being no objection, the editorial was ordered to be printed in the

RECORD, as follows:

[From the Times Argus, May 6, 1995]

NEIGHBORS, FRIENDS

One of the results of the bombing attack

on the federal building in Oklahoma City has

been to put a human face on the entity

known as the ‘‘federal government.’’

The people whose job it was to hand out

Social Security checks, to enforce the laws

about drugs and firearms, or to recruit people for the military were the neighbors,

friends, brothers, sisters of the people of

Oklahoma City.

In Vermont the federal government consists of Forest Service rangers and office

workers, agriculture specialists, the Marine

recruiter, the Social Security workers, the

court personnel and others who live every

day among us. These are our neighbors,

friends, brothers, sisters.

And yet to hear the more virulent strains

of attack emanating from anti-government

extremists, these people are an exotic combination of Nazi, Communist and Genghis

Khan.

A Colorado talk show host, responding to a

caller who thought it was a good idea to

shoot members of Congress, advocated

‘‘armed revolution.’’

A talk show host in Arizona suggested that

Sarah Brady, the gun control advocate and

wife of President Reagan’s former press secretary, ought to be ‘‘put down’’ the way a

veterinarian puts down a lame horse.

And, of course, the advice of Watergate

burglar G. Gordon Liddy to shoot for the

head when confronted by federal agents has

become a famous example of the

antigovernment rhetoric that has become so

common.

Imagine for a moment that it was the Rev.

Jesse Jackson or Ralph Nader or Patricia

Ireland who was advising people to shoot

government workers. Would conservatives

hesitate for a moment in pointing out that

such violent language may be less than conducive to the good of the public weal? Yet

when President Clinton made the rather tentative suggestion that this language was

really not so helpful, media incidiarists

whined that they were being unfairly attacked.

Back in the 1960s anti-war dissenters,

black power advocates, and other dissatisfied

souls said a lot of stupid things that embarrassed even those who opposed the war or

supported the civil rights struggle. Talk

then of armed revolution was a naive delusion that was taken all too seriously by a

few people, who sometimes ended up getting

innocent people killed.

A lot of stupid things are being said again

about our friends, neighbors, brothers, sisters who work for the federal government. In

the West, there are soreheads with a grievance about the way the federal government

manages public lands who are preventing

federal workers from doing their jobs.

Everybody ought to remember that federal

lands in the West do not belong only to the

people who live there. They belong to all of

us. We have people working for us to manage

our lands. And people who don’t like the way

they are being managed have a democratic

process to avail themselves of to change

things.

It wasn’t true in the 1960s, and it isn’t true

now: Our government is not a dictatorship,

and armed revolution is not justifiable. The

government in Oklahoma, in Boise or in

Montpelier consists of our friends, neighbors,

brothers and sisters, who, like the rest of us,

are not always right about everything they

do. But that’s the great thing about democracy: We have peaceful methods for making
S6240 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 8, 1995

changes. We also have the duty to hold accountable those who break the law in an effort to attack our system.

Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today

VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY

fwe are commemorating one of the

proudest days in our history—Victory

in Europe Day. World War II was no

less than a triumph of good over evil.

As President Harry Truman said, it

was ‘‘a solemn and glorious hour.’’

Today we celebrate our victory over

the Nazis—and we honor those who

gave their lives in the most deadly conflict we have ever seen.

But most of all, we honor the Americans whose personal sacrifices gave us

our greatest victory. In Maryland,

thousands left factories, shops, and

farms to fight on the front lines. People like my uncles Pete, Fred, Richard,

and Florene. We also honor those on

the homefront who kept the steel mills

and shipyards going 24 hours a day to

serve the war effort. That includes the

women—the Rosie the Riveters who

kept America going while our boys

fought on the battlefields.

Eleanor Roosevelt said that those

days were no ordinary time and that no

ordinary solutions would be sufficient

to defeat the enemies of America and

Western civilization. No only was this

no ordinary time, this was no ordinary

generation.

I was a child during the War. I grew

up seeing the heroism and patriotism

of our soldiers—and seeing America

united behind a common goal. I saw

the sacrifices that individuals were

willing to make for our country. That

was the only America I knew.

Our veterans of World War II are

each a symbol of the principles that

have kept this country strong and free.

When we think of our veterans, we

think of everything that is good about

this country—patriotism, courage, loyalty, duty and honor. Our responsibility is to live up to the standards they

have set—to foster a new sense of citizenship and a new sense of duty.

That is why it troubles me that too

often, young Americans do not learn

enough about this special generation.

It is our responsibility to honor our

Nation’s veterans—not just on V–E

Day—but every day. Let us honor them

in our homes, our schools, our churches, and our synagogues. And here in the

U.S. Senate—when we set funding for

veterans health care and pensions.

Every day that we live in freedom,

we should remember that their triumph was democracy’s greatest victory.

THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF

VICTORY IN EUROPE

fMr. DODD. Mr. President, today

marks the anniversary of one of the

most important moments in modern

Western history. Fifty years ago today,

the Allied Powers accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany,

ending the most devastating war in

world history. It was a great victory

for freedom and for civilization.

The Allied victory was one of courage, valor and enormous sacrifice. Of

the hundreds of major battles fought

during the war, 15 resulted in casualties numbering no less than 5,000. From

the beaches at Omaha to the great

campaigns in Europe, American lives

were sacrificed in the name of freedom.

The victory in Europe marked the

end of unparalleled human horror and

of catastrophic human loss on that

continent. It signified the end of one of

civilization’s darkest moments. In essence, V–E Day marked the very rebirth of life in Europe’s scarred, and

war-torn landscape. But that rebirth

did not come without a price.

We must never forget the sacrifices

made to ensure our final victory. Of

the 400,000 American soldiers who died

in this horrible war, most lost their

lives on the ground, in the trenches—

literally clawing for victory inch by

inch. The magnitude of the human

price of this effort should command our

deepest personal respect. We can never

adequately thank our veterans for

their supreme sacrifice.

Yet, through the images of fire and

the remnants of ashes rises the hope

that never again will we face such

darkness. Never again will we face the

prospect of such global sacrifice. Never

again will the forces of freedom be

asked to lay down their lives en masse

in the name of peace and order.

Today marks the seminal moment in

the American chapter of the War in Europe. It reminds us of our absolute resolve to maintain and preserve what is

right and just. I join my colleagues in

what is perhaps one of our most solemn

moments in recognition of those who

sacrificed so much for our freedom.

Mr. President, in honor of our fallen

veterans, I rise in humble tribute.

WAS CONGRESS IRRESPONSIBLE?

THE VOTERS HAVE SAID YES.

fMr. HELMS. Mr. President, more

than 3 years ago I began these daily reports to the Senate making a matter of

record the exact Federal debt as of

close of business the previous day.

As of the close of business Friday,

April 28, the exact Federal debt stood

at $4,857,682,676,296.70, meaning that on

a per capita basis, every man, woman,

and child in America owes $18,439.85 as

his or her share of the Federal debt.

It’s important to note, Mr. President,

that the United States had an opportunity to begin controlling the Federal

debt by implementing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Unfortunately, the Senate did not seize

its first opportunity to control this

debt—but there will be another chance

during the 104th Congress.

A PERSONAL REMEMBRANCE OF

V–E DAY

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this

morning Samuel Pisar, a distinguished

survivor of the Nazi death camps at

Auschwitz, Sachsenhausen, Leonberg,

and Dachau delivered the keynote address at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial

Museum’s commemoration of the 50th

anniversary of V–E Day.

I was very moved by Mr. Pisar’s expression of gratitude to his liberators,

the U.S. Army. He recounted his first

words to the GI in the American tank

which rescued him, ‘‘I . . . summoned

the few English words my mother used

to sigh while dreaming of our deliverance, and yelled: ‘God Bless America!’’’

That gratitude, in Mr. Pisar’s words,

‘‘as intense as it was 50 years ago,’’

serves to remind us all of the role

which America has and continues

today to play in the world as a beacon

of hope for oppressed people.

I ask unanimous consent that the excerpt of Samuel Pisar’s address printed

Sunday in the Washington Post be

printed in the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD.

There being no objection, the address

was ordered to be printed in the

RECORD, as follows:

[From the Washington Post, May 7, 1995]

ESCAPE FROM DACHAU: MY OWN, PRIVATE V–

E DAY—FOR PRISONER B–1317, SALVATION

WAS A U.S. ARMY TANK

(By Samuel Pisar)

World War II was coming to an end, yet we

in the death camps knew nothing. What is

happening in the world outside? Does anyone

out there know what is happening here to

us? Do they care? I was 15 years old, and I

wanted to live.

The day the Allies landed on the beaches of

Normandy had been for us a day like any

other. The toll in the gas chambers that day

was higher than the losses suffered by the

combined armies under Gen. Eisenhower’s

command on this, their longest day.

Judging by the brutality of our guards, we

had every reason to believe that all of Europe was irrevocably lost, the Red Army

smashed, England fighting alone, its back to

the wall, against the seemingly invincible

forces of darkness. And America? America

was so unprepared, so divided, so far away.

How could she be expected to reverse the collapse of civilization at this penultimate

stage?

It took weeks for news of the U.S.-led invasion, beamed by the BBC from London,

across occupied Europe, to slip into Auschwitz. There was also an amazing rumor that

the Russians had mounted a powerful offensive on the Eastern front.

Incredible! So God had not turned His face

from the world after all. Could a miracle

still prevent the millenium of the Third

Reich? Oh to hang on, to hang on a little

longer!

We could guess from the Nazis’ mounting

nervousness that the weight of battle was

changing decisively. With the ground shrinking under their feet, they began herding us

deeper and deeper into Germany. I was

shunted to Sachsenhausen near Berlin, then

Leonberg near Stuttgart, then Dachau near

Munich—camps normally reserved for political prisoners, common criminals and homosexuals.