Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, almost three years ago, our nation was shocked by the sickening reality of global terrorism infiltrating our borders. Since September 11, 2001, the global war on terror has resulted in the deployment of our troops to Afghanistan and other perilous locations. At the same time, more than 130,000 young Americans are serving in Iraq. During a time when the struggles of our troops abroad are broadcast every day, our observance of Memorial Day calls for sober reflection. We must remember that Memorial Day, at its core, is our nation's somber tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Seven hundred eighty-nine servicemen and servicewomen have lost their lives since the beginning of our combat operations in Iraq, and 85 have fallen in our military campaign in Afghanistan. Among these brave men and women is a constituent from my district, United States Army Specialist Rel Allen Ravago, IV, who was killed in Mosul, Iraq, on November 23, 2003. My heart goes out to Mr. Ravago's friends and loved ones, as it does to the innumerable Americans who have known troops whose lives were cut short during our nation's wars. It is with a sense of gratitude and humility that I will mark my observance of Memorial Day.
In the past few weeks, much attention has been focused on the conduct of our troops stationed in Iraq. Whether the grotesque abuses that have shocked us all are the result of the depraved actions of a few individuals or derelictions of duty rising up the chain of command is an issue that must be determined through Congressional investigation. Whatever the case may be, I am confident that Americans recognize that the overwhelming majority of our troops are honorable, deeply principled citizens. We are grateful to those who have left their families, jobs, and the comforts of home to fight threats to freedom and security.
We often find ourselves divided on the home front in terms of our views on both foreign and domestic issues. Pundits chatter on about red states and blue states in an attempt to highlight the supposedly irreconcilable political cleavages within our society. It is with this in mind that I reflect on the original observance of Memorial Day--then called Decoration Day--on May 30, 1868. On the inaugural celebration of what has become a national holiday, five thousand people journeyed to Arlington National Cemetery to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there. Americans had heeded Abraham Lincoln's admonition to act "with malice toward none, with charity for all'' and united to commemorate the fallen troops on both sides.
If our nation was then able to transcend a brutal conflict that pitted brother against brother, surely we can close ranks and join together now in mourning the men and women who have most recently died in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in other past battles. Memorializing our fallen troops is not a partisan or political issue; it is a basic debt of gratitude that all Americans owe to those who safeguard our freedom.
I hope all Americans will join us this Memorial Day in reflecting on those who safeguard our freedom, democracy, and prosperity.