Frank Lautenberg: “this is a grim moment for America: 2,000 of our young courageous people have perished in Iraq--2,000. From the years…”

“this is a grim moment for America: 2,000 of our young courageous people have perished in Iraq--2,000. From the years 1961 to 1965--those are the years in Vietnam--we got over 2,000 death notices sent to homes across the country. There is a lot of pain across the country, yes, for those who lost loved ones, but across this Nation of ours people are wondering what is it, when do we get to see our people coming back home, because it certainly does not have the appearance of a matter resolved. I have often thought that some memorial should be present in this body as these casualty numbers are reported. But as we were denied the opportunity to have some reminders of this catastrophe displayed in the Rotunda or a busier place, I decided to put a memorial to those lost in Iraq at the front door to my office. I have been overwhelmed by the interest shown by passers-by. We have their pictures up there and their names and the communities they come from. There are more numbers coming. We update the list regularly, the pictures regularly. Every casualty is a life cut short, families torn apart. Outside my office we have this memorial to the fallen heroes. You look at those faces and see how young are the people who died. When I started the Senate memorial I hoped major combat would soon be over and our casualties would be minimal or eliminated, but major combat has dragged on and the memorial display unfortunately has grown and grown.…”