Remembering Our Fallen Soldiers

Floor Speech

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this week, an Illinois family who lost a son in Iraq will remember the anniversary of his death. Their son was 19 when he was killed in a vehicle accident in Baghdad, 1 year ago.

Thousands of American men and women have given their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have not been the first to do so in service to our country. Sadly, we know they will likely not be the last.

How do we pay tribute to those lost who have served? The Illinois poet Archibald MacLeish asked that we remember them. In his well-known war poem, written during the depths of the Second World War, a young, dead soldier speaks. ``We were young,'' the soldier entreats. ``We have died. Remember us.''

And so we do. We remember them in our communities, in ways big and small. We remember them here on the floor of the Senate.

And we remember them when we debate issues of national security that will dramatically affect our military forces. The vote to send young Americans to war is the most serious decision any of us will make on this Senate floor. I have written notes to the families of the many Illinois servicemembers who have been killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. Every letter makes plain the burden we have placed on--and the trust we have placed in--military members and their families.

Finally, we remember them when we consider how to honor their friends in service, those in battle today and those who are fortunate to return home. Over the past years, Congress has tried to keep its promise to our troops. We have tried to provide them with the equipment and the resources they need to complete the work we have asked them to do. We have welcomed them back with new opportunities, like the educational benefits in the new GI Bill, that will help them take the next successful step in their lives. And for those who have returned home with injuries, we have worked to provide them with the best medical care available.

The young Illinois soldier who died last year has a strong family: mother, father, sister, brother, and friends. They will remember him. In this Senate, we do, too.

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