Tribute to Emily Spain

Floor Speech

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Ms. ERNST. Madam President, the time is now. We need a memorial to the fallen heroes of the Global War on Terror, and the memorial should be in its rightful place on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

On Tuesday, I spoke with a group of nearly 30 Gold Star families who lost their loved ones during our Nation's longest war. Their stories of heartache and sacrifice inspire me to continue fighting for this important memorial.

The overwhelming theme on that call was this: the time is now to get the Global War on Terrorism Memorial built on our National Mall.

And it is with that in mind that I come to the floor again to ask the Senate to join me in honoring our veterans, our Gold Star families, and fallen heroes by supporting my bipartisan legislation, the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act.

I believe our Nation has a responsibility to properly honor and pay tribute to our veterans, including those who have served in the longest conflict in the history of the United States. The Global War on Terrorism Memorial belongs on our National Mall, in the same place as the memorials that honor the heroes of earlier conflicts, like Korea and Vietnam.

This memorial, which has bipartisan support, will serve as a permanent reminder of the eternal gratitude of all of America.

As a fellow veteran of the Global War on Terrorism and a friend and advocate for our Gold Star families, I firmly believe that placing this memorial anywhere but the National Mall is absolutely unacceptable.

We have an opportunity for bipartisanship right here with this bill. So let's join together and show the country that the U.S. Senate will honor the sacrifice and properly memorialize the service of the brave men and women who fought and died to protect and defend the Nation since the beginning of the Global War on Terror. It is the least we can do for those who have given so much.

I ask you today to support my mission, to build a memorial to empower those who answered the call to serve in the Global War on Terror, who, for so long, protected us and allowed us to enjoy the freedoms that we have to this very day.

This memorial is ready to go, so let's get it built on our National Mall in Washington, DC, where it belongs.

Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of S. 535 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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Ms. ERNST. Madam President, I just want to come forward and thank the Senator for the progress that is being made on the location for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial, and I will continue to pursue this. I think it is important to do that. I remain committed to the families of those who have fallen, as well as the many servicemembers who have served across the spectrum in the Global War on Terror.

I understand that many decades ago an act was put in place by Congress which limited activity on the National Mall, but understanding, since that time, we have seen many memorials and many monuments that have been placed on the Reserve on the National Mall.

And so I am asking that, as Congress, we move forward quickly on this act. We have been working on this for a number of years. We need to move quickly and provide a time of healing for our Nation after we are closing the Global War on Terror.

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