Ehrlich on Washington column, May 19, 1996

NEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of May 1 9, 1 996 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. MEMORIAL DAY 1996 In my Memorial Day 1995 column, I wrote that we as Americans owe our fallen war heroes “a debt we can never fully repay.” Now that Memorial Day 1996 is here, I have had the chance to reflect back upon this statement, and to wonder just how possible it is to fully repay this debt. After all, how can a nation fully reimburse someone who has given up his or her life for America? The simple answer to this question is that it is not possible. One of the undeniable truths of war is that young people die. War, sometimes necessary, is always terrible. During World War II thousands of Americans died trying to bring an end to Nazi tyranny. While we as a nation celebrated V-E Day, thousands of American families whose sons and daughters never came home contemplated the cost of victory. While we cannot ever fully repay our war dead, we have a moral obligation to try. We must remember them. We must look after their families. Most importantly, we must support those soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who remain in the field. Last week the House passed, by a 272-153 vote, a bipartisan bill to ensure that America’s armed forces remain strong. H. R. 3230— the National Defense Authorization Bill for fiscal year 1997— is both pro-defense and fiscally responsible. It turns back efforts by the Clinton Administration to gut our nation’s armed forces. At the same time, it decreases overall Pentagon