Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010--Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I wish to join my colleague from Virginia in support of this legislation and I thank him for his leadership on this and on so many of the other issues and initiatives that recognize the service and sacrifice of America's veterans. He has been a leader on that, and I appreciate his leadership on this issue because I think, as we prepare to observe Veterans Day tomorrow, it is important to recognize those veterans who served throughout our Nation's history. Along with Senator Rockefeller, Senator Webb and I have introduced legislation that is known as the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act, which recognizes, once and for all, those veterans who served their country during World War I.

Frank Buckles's World War I Memorial Act would rededicate the existing District of Columbia War Memorial as the National and District of Columbia World War I Memorial on The National Mall in Washington, DC. The act is named for Frank Buckles of West Virginia who, at 108 years of age, is the last surviving American World War I veteran.

I appreciate the strong support of Senator Rockefeller who, of course, has Frank Buckles as a constituent, and I appreciate also the strong support of Senator Webb for this bill. Senator Burr, the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, is also a cosponsor, so it has strong and meaningful support on both sides of the aisle.

As I said, I think it is very fitting to speak on a bill seeking to establish a national World War I memorial because, as many know, Veterans Day was initially known as Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War I on November 11 of 1918.

After America's role in World War II and the Korean war, Congress passed legislation changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day, and President Eisenhower signed the change into law on June 1, 1954. From initially being a day to honor World War I veterans, November 11 became a day to honor all veterans.

We are rapidly nearing a century since the beginning of World War I, which began for most of the world in July of 1914. While World War I has become a distant, fading memory of another era, it still profoundly shapes the world in which we live.

As Oxford historian Hew Strachan concludes in his history of the first World War, the war ``forced a reluctant United States onto the world stage'' and began to ``lay the seeds for the conflict in the Middle East. In short, it shaped not just Europe but the world in the 20th century.''

World War I began for the United States when it entered the war in April of 1917 on the western front because of German submarine attacks on United States shipping and because President Woodrow Wilson concluded that the United States had to wage war if it was to shape the future of international relations, as Hew Strachan states in his history of World War I.

The United States was in World War I for only 18 months. Its Army grew from only 100,000 men to 4 million, with 2 million men sent overseas, 1 1/2 million of whom arrived in Europe in the last 6 months of the war. Forty-two American divisions were in the field by November 11 in 1918, and 29 of them had seen action. Over 100,000 American soldiers died in World War I.

Frank Buckles is the last surviving American World War I veteran. He was born in Missouri and currently lives in West Virginia. He joined the Army at 16 and went to Europe to fight in 1917, driving ambulances and motorcycles for a casualty detachment. He was discharged from the Army in 1919. Mr. Buckles also was extraordinarily affected by World War II. He was in Manila as a civilian on business in December of 1941, when the Japanese attacked, and was captured by the Japanese and spent 4 years in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines. I strongly urge everyone to track down his interview, where he talks about his war experiences in both World War I and World War II. Transcripts and videos of Frank Buckles' interview can be found on the Library of Congress's Veterans History Project Web site. The Veterans History Project is a great initiative. I have taken advantage of the Veterans History Project myself, to interview my dad about his experiences as a pilot in World War II.

Mr. Buckles is also the honorary chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation, which is seeking refurbishment of the District of Columbia War Memorial and its establishment as the National World War I Memorial on The National Mall. The Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act will help to make this vision a reality.

I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Buckles last year. He is certainly an extraordinary individual. Mr. Buckles also traveled to South Dakota in July of 2008 to be honored at Mount Rushmore during their magnificent Fourth of July celebration. It is a great honor for me to support this bill that carries his name.

I wish to briefly describe what the bill does. In 1924,

Congress authorized the construction of a war memorial on The National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial to honor the 499 District of Columbia residents who died in World War I. Funded by private donations from organizations and individuals, the memorial was dedicated by President Herbert Hoover on November 11, 1931. The Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act would rededicate the District of Columbia Memorial as the National and District of Columbia World War I Memorial. The legislation would also authorize the nonprofit World War I Memorial Foundation to make repairs and improvements to the existing memorial, as well as install new sculptures to underscore the sacrifice of over 4 million Americans who served in World War I.

The bill would not require any taxpayer dollars because the World War I Memorial Foundation would raise the necessary funds through private donations.

All the major wars our Nation has fought in the 20th century are memorialized on The National Mall. Rededicating the District of Columbia World War I Memorial as the National and District of Columbia World War I Memorial fits the narrative of The Mall, with its wonderful memorials to World War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war. I think it only makes sense to rededicate a memorial to this 20th century war that established our Nation's path to superpower status among the community of nations.

This Veterans Day will mark the 91st anniversary of the end of World War I. I can think of no better way to honor Mr. Buckles and his departed comrades than by quickly passing this bill to establish a national World War I memorial. This bill would provide timely but long overdue recognition of all World War I veterans in our Nation's capital. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this bill as soon as possible.

I yield the floor.

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