Roscoe Bartlett: “In a former life I worked for the military for 18 years in a number of capacities. During that time, I gained an…”

“In a former life I worked for the military for 18 years in a number of capacities. During that time, I gained an enormous respect for our military personnel. For the last 11 years since coming to the Congress, I have had the privilege and the honor of serving on the Committee on Armed Services where I gained even more respect for our military personnel. I would have thought that this long association with the military would have prepared me for an event of a couple of years ago, but it really did not. This event was a paralyzed veterans reception in Cannon Caucus, and I knew what I was going to see when I went there, but I really was not prepared for the emotional response that I had. I went to that big conference room, and there were many, many service personnel on crutches and in wheelchairs. It finally struck me that they were paralyzed, and they were there so that I could continue to live in this great free country, I and 280 million other Americans; and then I thought of those that were not so lucky, that were filling graves in foreign countries or in this country who, in Abraham Lincoln's words, gave that last full measure of devotion for their country. Less than one person in a hundred serves in our military, but to this very small percent of our population this grateful Nation owes an enormous debt. I thank my colleagues for bringing this resolution to the floor today.”