Memorial Day statement from Congressman Walden
Today, Memorial Day, in the nation's capital and in countless communities across our great county, Americans are participating in an annual rite to pay respect to comrades, sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and countrymen who made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberties we enjoy every day.
In Washington, D.C. Americans visit Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the World War II Memorial. From Oregon to Maine, and Minnesota to Texas, we convene in VFW and American Legion halls, veterans' homes, local monuments, cemeteries and countless other hallowed places dedicated to ensure that we do not forget what they did.
As we commemorate this day with parades, prayer, and the gift of spending time with loved ones, we should commit our most solemn gratitude to the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. We should reflect on how woefully unpaid our debt remains to them. It will always be so, for every minute of freedom we enjoy is owed to them.
Their sacrifice is the foundation of this great country. Without them, we all falter. Today we honor them, and let us not forget them tomorrow or ever.
Congressman Greg Walden represents the people of Oregon's Second Congressional District, which is comprised of 20 counties in eastern, Central and southern Oregon. He is a Deputy Whip in the House Leadership Structure, a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and a member of the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.