May 25, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E 1121

The loss of these Americans—indeed, the

loss of any life to war—fills us with sorrow and

strengthens our resolve to work for peace. Yet

it would be a great injustice to our fallen service members to observe this day solely as one

of mourning. On this Memorial Day, our hearts

should swell with thankfulness and pride as

we reflect on our Nation’s heritage of liberty.

Gen. James A. Garfield was the main

speaker at the first national Memorial Day on

May 30, 1868 at the National Cemetery in Arlington. He best expressed the utmost respect

and reverence we as a nation should have for

those who lost their lives in defense of our

country, and its ideals.

I am oppressed with a sense of impropriety

of uttering words on this occasion. If silence

is ever golden, it must be here beside the

graves of fifteen thousand men whose lives

were more significant than speech and whose

death was a poem the music of which can

never be sung. With words we make promises, plight faith, praise virtue. Promises

may not be kept; plighted faith may be broken; and vaunted virtue be only the cunning

mask of vice. We do not know one promise

these men made, one pledge they gave, one

word they spoke; but we do know they

summed up and perfected, by one supreme

act, the highest virtues of men and citizens.

For love of country they accepted death, and

thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal

their patriotism and virtue.

I, too, have no illusions about what little I

can add to the silent testimony of those who

gave their lives willingly for their country. Yet,

we must honor them—not for their sakes

alone, but for our own. And if words cannot

repay the debt we owe these men and

women, surely with our actions we must strive

to keep faith with them and with the vision that

led them to battle and to final sacrifice.

As one looks out across the rows upon rows

of white crosses and Stars of David in military

cemeteries in our country and across the

world, the willingness of some to give their

lives so that others might live never fails to

evoke in me a sense of wonder and gratitude.

They span several generations of Americans,

all different and yet all alike, like the markers

above their resting places.

And how they must have wished, in all the

ugliness that war brings, that no other generation of young men would have to undergo that

same experience. At this time each year we

should instill in every generation, now and yet

to come, a deep appreciation and full understanding of the meaning of why they died. The

sacrifices we remember on Memorial Day

must be made meaningful to every new generation of Americans, so that those sacrifices

shall not have been made in vain.

The passage of years has dimmed the

memories of many who have witnessed the

destruction and tragedy of war, but we need

only look at the ‘‘reminders’’ of the price of

freedom paid in places such as Gettysburg,

Omaha Beach, Normandy, and ‘‘Hamburger

Hill.’’ Each is a name that invokes memories

of patriotism and valor. Each reminds us that

our Nation was founded on the belief that our

democratic ideals are worth fighting for and, if

necessary, worth dying for. We have a sacred

obligation to remember for all time the names

and the deeds of the Americans who paid that

price for our freedom. Memorial Day has now

become an occasion for honoring all those

who died protecting that freedom. One reminder, engraved in the stone memorial at the

Omaha Beach Cemetery, eloquently states,

‘‘To these we owe our highest resolve, that

the cause for which they died shall live.’’

Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day is a day to

honor Americans who gave their lives for their

country. It is their deaths, not the wars which

claimed them, that we honor today. This day

is our way of keeping alive the spirits and accomplishments of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. It is a time of

reflection, it is a time of honor, it is a time of

renewal. Today, and every day, we must remember what was sacrificed for the many

freedoms we enjoy today. We must honor

those who made that sacrifice for us. And we

must renew our commitment to the ideals

which their sacrifices preserved, always with

the hope that future generations of Americans

will never need to make those same sacrifices.

SIXTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF

fBESFI

HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 24, 1995

Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, today I would

like to congratulate Madame Valia Seiskaya

and the Ballet Education and Scholarship

fund, Inc. (BESFI) on the occasion of the

fund’s 16th anniversary. Madame Seiskaya is

a cofounder and current director of BESFI,

and it is appropriate that she receive the honors she so richly deserves. Madame Valia

Seiskaya has elevated the standards by which

all ballet teachers are judged while enriching

the cultural life of Long Island immeasurably.

Her students have won awards and scholarships far too numerous to mention. If one had

to pick a defining moment it would be in 1994,

when Michael Cusumano, a 14 year old pupil

of Madame Seiskaya, won not only a bronze

Medal and Special recognition at the 16th

International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria,

but a Gold Medal level Jury Award at the 6th

Prix de Danse, in Paris, France.

A leader in dance education, Madame

Seiskaya was honored at the Varna, Bulgaria

competition with a nomination for best teacher

and coach.

Under Madame Seiskaya’s leadership

BESFI has developed several programs ranging from a scholarship program, a stipend support program, and the renowned Summer Intensive Workshop, which draw students from

across the Metropolitan area. Some have

gone on to join the New York City Ballet, the

Joffrey Ballet, and the American Ballet Theater.

Madame Seiskaya and BESFI have enriched the education and artistic maturity of

scores of young dancers. I wish them continued success in all their endeavors.

TRIBUTE TO DONALD O. BROOK

fHON. DAVID E. BONIOR OF MICHIGAN

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 24, 1995

Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

pay tribute to Donald O. Brook who is being

honored this evening by the Clinton Township

Goodfellows. He is being named as a Goodfellow of the Year at a recognition dinner at

the Fern Hill Country Club in Clinton Township, MI.

Donald Brook is currently Deputy Chief of

Police in the Clinton Township Police Department. During his 26 years of service he has

served the people of Clinton Township faithfully in his role as a police officer. During this

time, Deputy Chief Brook managed to earn

four college degrees, including a doctorate

from Wayne State University in Administration

and Supervision.

In addition to applying his academic knowledge in his profession as a police officer,

Chief Deputy Brook teaches at Macomb Community College and Central Michigan University. As an adjunct faculty member of both institutions, he teaches students in the areas of

criminal justice and management and supervision.

Taking an active role in one’s community is

a responsibility we all share, but few fulfill.

Donald Brook has dedicated much of his life

to this endeavor. His time, talents, and energy

are appreciated by many. I thank Donald

Brook for his efforts and commend him for his

good work.

I applaud the Clinton Township Goodfellows

for recognizing Chief Deputy Donald Brook.

For 25 years, nearly as long as he has been

an officer of the law, Donald Brook has also

served the community-at-large as a Goodfellow. He has provided outstanding leadership

to the community of Clinton Township and I

am sure he is proud to be honored by the

Goodfellows.

The devotion the Goodfellows and Chief

Deputy Brook have displayed to their community is an inspection. Their contributions are

many and they deserve our gratitude for their

compassion and work.

On behalf of the Clinton Township Goodfellows, I urge my colleagues to join me in saluting Doctor and Chief Deputy Donald Brook.

CELEBRATING THE SERVICE OF

MARK JAFFE

f

HON. JAMES A. BARCIA OF MICHIGAN

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, May 24, 1995

Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, we have in recent weeks spent a great deal of time talking

about educational opportunities for our young

people, and the value of education. We should

never forget that the quality of education is

most dependent upon the people who are involved in the day to day efforts to make our

schools the best in the world.

The people who have been served by the

Essexville-Hampton Public School system

have had the good fortune of twenty-eight

years of service from Mark Jaffe as a trustee

of the Essexville-Hampton Board of Education

from July 1966 to 1970 and 1972–73, and as

its President from 1971 to 1972, and again

from 1973 to the present. He is recognized as

a tenacious doers, who has always acted on

his belief of what was best for the school system, even if that meant taking unpopular

stands.

And the Essexville-Hampton Public Schools

are better because of it. During his tenure, Mr.

Jaffe was responsible for the establishment of