Rick Allen: “I rise today to recognize 65 fallen servicemen from Alexandria, VA, who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their life…”

“I rise today to recognize 65 fallen servicemen from Alexandria, VA, who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their life while defending freedom in the Vietnam war. No mere words can express the depth of gratitude this country owes to the families of our fallen service members for the loss of their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, or wives. By touching their names etched in granite and marble on monuments and statues in countries around the world, we who are living and those who come after us have the ability to connect with these fallen heroes. We must never take the sacrifices of past generations of Americans for granted, for each new generation is called upon to defend representative democracy's first axiom: that 'freedom is not free.' On July 6, 2002, the city of Alexandria dedicated a beautiful memorial plaza to pay tribute to the 65 fallen American heroes from Alexandria who were killed in action or who remain missing in action in southeast Asia from the Vietnam war. Toby Mendez, a brilliant young sculptor, has created a work that will allow us to touch the names of the brave men whose sacrifice will be memorialized for all time.”