Max Baucus: “on Memorial Day in 1884, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said: It is now the moment when by common consent we pause to…”

“on Memorial Day in 1884, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said: It is now the moment when by common consent we pause to become conscious of our national life and to rejoice in it, to recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return. I am pleased that today, on the eve of the Memorial Day weekend, the Senate has been able to recall what our service men and women have done for each of us. I am pleased that we can do something for them in return. And I am pleased that we have been able to pass the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008. Nearly 1.5 million American service men and women have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. Nearly 30,000 troops have been wounded in action there. It is time that Congress showed its gratitude to these brave men and women. They have devoted their lives to the pursuit of American freedom. Today, we are doing just that. We have passed a bill that offers tax relief to these men and women who serve our country so valiantly.”