Daniel Akaka: “I rise in the spirit of thanksgiving and pride as I stand in the Chamber with others who have served in World War II. I…”

“I rise in the spirit of thanksgiving and pride as I stand in the Chamber with others who have served in World War II. I thank this body for the honor they have given all of us. But I say thanksgiving because I thank God. I thank God for being here. I thank God for being a part of this body. I thank my ma and my pa for bringing me into this world. I thank my wife Millie and my family for the support they have given me. I thank my buddies who served with me and trained with me in World War II. I thank God for setting a new course not only for me but for our country. Because of World War II, we saw our country changing itself from being very prejudicial to being forgiving, and setting a new course not only for our country but for the world. When I think of what helped me after I left the Army, I used the GI Bill of Rights program. That was, for me, one of the greatest programs. I would say that each of us here have benefited by using that to go to college. As a result of that, we were able to set our professions and eventually be elected to the Senate. But things have changed not only in our lives but in our country and the world. When I think of our country and how it has benefited from World War II, other countries, such as Germany, have also benefited from World War II. Japan has benefited from World War II. It has really changed the world.”