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RECOGNIZING AMERICA250 PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST

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On 2026-08-06, Senator David McCormick (R-PA) delivered a floor speech titled "RECOGNIZING AMERICA250 PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST" in the Senate.

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RECOGNIZING AMERICA250 PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 129 (Thursday, August 6, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 129 (Thursday, August 6, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S4510-S4512] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RECOGNIZING AMERICA250 PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize two outstanding young Pennsylvanians, Brady [[Page S4511]] Sirochman and Ronit Luthra, whose essays were selected as the winners of my America250 Pennsylvania Youth Essay Contest. As our Nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, there is no more fitting place to reflect on the American story than Pennsylvania. Our Commonwealth was the birthplace of American independence and has stood at the center of our Nation's history ever since. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the fields of Gettysburg, from the furnaces and factories that powered America's rise to the communities that continue to strengthen our country today, Pennsylvania has helped define the American character. Brady, a 10th-grade student at Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, wrote about General George C. Marshall, a fellow Uniontown native whose extraordinary life demonstrated that the defense of liberty requires both the strength of a soldier and the wisdom of a diplomat. Ronit, an 11th-grade student at Downingtown High School East, wrote about Pittsburgh inventor and industrialist George Westinghouse, whose ingenuity, courage, and faith in the ideas of others helped electrify the modern world. Brady and Ronit did more than recount the accomplishments of two remarkable Pennsylvanians. They considered what those lives tell us about America: that service matters, that bold ideas can change the world, and that our country is strongest when talented and determined people are given the opportunity to rise. Their essays also offer great reason for confidence in America's future. Brady and Ronit represent the kind of thoughtful, curious, and engaged young leaders our Nation needs now more than ever. As we honor the Americans who shaped our first 250 years, we should also celebrate the young people who will carry their legacy forward and lead our country into its next 250. I congratulate Brady and Ronit on this well- deserved recognition, and I ask that their winning essays be printed in the Record below. Brady Sirochman Essay: There stands a soldier in the middle of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. His look of determination, loaded musket, and bronze tint make him conspicuous to any passerby who roams through the five-way intersection which he watches. Behind the soldier, a series of nineteen flags tower above the streets below in unison as a symbol of prosperity. For the most part, Uniontown is a quiet place, situated on the border of the Keystone State and submerged in the rolling hills of the Appalachian Mountains. One would not expect a hero of international fame and notoriety to have been born here, and yet across the road from the soldier, on a bench flanked by a series of plaques, sits the statue of one, George Catlett Marshall Jr. Marshall's story began in Uniontown over one hundred years ago on a cold New Year's Eve. The fourth child born of George Catlett Marshall Sr., a wealthy coke businessman, and Laura Emily Bradford Marshall, George C. Marshall grew up in Uniontown before leaving for the Virginia Military Institute to pursue a career in the armed forces. After graduating, Marshall was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry in February of 1902, in time to serve in the Philippine- American War. Marshall would continue to rise through the ranks of the military in the lead-up to World War I, during which he achieved the position of assistant chief of staff for the newly created 1st Division. This role put him in prime position to be the first soldier of the AEF to step foot on European soil, and one of the first to enter the trenches of the Western Front. In addition, his dauntless planning in the Battle of Cantigny delivered the first American victory of the Great War. The culmination of Marshall's triumphs came not on the battlefield, but from Washington, when on September first, 1939, Marshall was sworn in as Army Chief of Staff by Franklin D. Roosevelt, just hours after the invasion of Poland. While serving as Army Chief of Staff, he organized the largest military expansion in American history, had a role in selecting the majority of American generals, and helped plan the D-day Invasion. Most importantly, on December 16, 1944, Marshall was the first American general promoted to the five-star rank of General of the Army, placing him on par with his European counterparts. For his part in planning and carrying out the Allied victory, Winston Churchill once called him the ``Organizer of Victory'', while Harry Truman once stated ``Millions of Americans gave their country outstanding service. George C. Marshall gave it victory.'' After the war, a change began to take shape in Marshall, transforming the five-star general into a peacekeeper. Shortly after retiring from his position as Army Chief of Staff, Marshall was sent on a mission to broker a peace deal in the Chinese Civil War. Although a failure, Marshall remained committed to maintaining peace with the new Communist government in his position as Secretary of State, against the wishes of the Department of Defense and voices within his own department. While serving in his position as Secretary of State, he began the program which he is possibly most famous for today, the Marshall Plan. Through it, American aid would be sent to Europe in order to help rebuild from the destruction caused by World War II. In many ways Marshall not only won peace in Europe but also provided for its continued existence, while enhancing American interests in the region and preventing the spread of Communism into Western Europe. For his work on the Marshall Plan, and other post-war achievements such as advocating for peace in the Middle East, bringing the Netherlands to negotiate with Indonesia, and serving as President of the American Red Cross, Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953, the only American army official to gain such recognition. On a bench, only a stroll away from where he was born, sits the statue of George C. Marshall as he watches over the soldier whom he organized the victory of and the flags of the nations whom he helped rebuild. The entire scene, and the story of Marshall's life, highlights America's role as both a sword and shield against the forces of tyranny. Through his military career spanning service from the Philippines to Europe, and later his organization of the armed forces in World War II, we see his life as a personification of America's willingness to defend liberty aggressively. However, through his career post-war in the fields of diplomacy and government aide, we see his life as a personification of America's willingness to defend liberty peacefully. George C. Marshall is a unification of these two necessities, as at America's best, we understand the need for a soldier, as well as the need for a diplomat. ____ Ronit Luthra Essay: Every American schoolchild learns the name Thomas Edison. On the other hand, far fewer learn George Westinghouse, even though it was Westinghouse, working out of Pittsburgh, who won the argument that decided how the modern world would be powered. His story deserves a place in our national memory, not because he was a genius, though he was, but because his life shows the greatness America produces when real talent meets a country willing to reward it. His combination of mechanical brilliance with a sense of obligation to the fellow citizens around him flourished in a country of opportunity such as that prevalent in the United States of America. Westinghouse arrived in Pittsburgh following the Civil War, a young veteran who had served in both the Union Army and Navy. He carried no Ivy League pedigree and no inherited fortune. What he did have was a restless mechanical mind and a willingness to bet everything on his own judgment. At just twenty-two, he patented the railway air brake, a device that let an engineer stop an entire train at once rather than relying on brakemen scrambling between cars. The invention not only saved countless lives, but turned railroads from a dangerous form of transportation into the dependable network that carried and continues to carry a growing nation's people and goods. Such an invention also made him a man with the capital to think bigger. And thinking bigger is exactly what he did. In the 1880s, when a major dispute broke out over the future of electricity, Westinghouse decided to throw himself into the center of it. While Edison had staked his reputation on direct current, a source of energy offering limited range, he was opposed by Westinghouse, who believed alternating current, a source of energy offering a greater range and power, was the answer. Ultimately, the conclusion of the controversy would be one to determine whether electricity stayed a luxury confined to a few wealthy city blocks or became something available to nearly every home in the country. Over time, the fight escalated. Edison ran a public effort to frighten Americans away from the technology, arranging disturbing demonstrations meant to paint alternating current as deadly. Westinghouse answered not with theatrics but with results. He recognized the brilliance of an eccentric immigrant inventor named Nikola Tesla, bought his patents, and gave him the freedom to perfect the alternating-current motor. Where Edison offered fear, Westinghouse offered proof, and he let the better system speak for itself. The verdict came in 1893, when Westinghouse won the contract to illuminate the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Before an audience of millions, he switched on a hundred thousand lamps at once, and the fair blazed with a light

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RECOGNIZING AMERICA250 PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 129 (Thursday, August 6, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 129 (Thursday, August 6, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S4510-S4512] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RECOGNIZING AMERICA250 PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH ESSAY CONTEST Mr. McCORMICK. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize two outstanding young Pennsylvanians, Brady [[Page S4511]] Sirochman and Ronit Luthra, whose essays were selected as the winners of my America250 Pennsylvania Youth Essay Contest. As our Nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, there is no more fitting place to reflect on the American story than Pennsylvania. Our Commonwealth was the birthplace of American independence and has stood at the center of our Nation's history ever since. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the fields of Gettysburg, from the furnaces and factories that powered America's rise to the communities that continue to strengthen our country today, Pennsylvania has helped define the American character. Brady, a 10th-grade student at Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown, wrote about General George C. Marshall, a fellow Uniontown native whose extraordinary life demonstrated that the defense of liberty requires both the strength of a soldier and the wisdom of a diplomat. Ronit, an 11th-grade student at Downingtown High School East, wrote about Pittsburgh inventor and industrialist George Westinghouse, whose ingenuity, courage, and faith in the ideas of others helped electrify the modern world. Brady and Ronit did more than recount the accomplishments of two remarkable Pennsylvanians. They considered what those lives tell us about America: that service matters, that bold ideas can change the world, and that our country is strongest when talented and determined people are given the opportunity to rise. Their essays also offer great reason for confidence in America's future. Brady and Ronit represent the kind of thoughtful, curious, and engaged young leaders our Nation needs now more than ever. As we honor the Americans who shaped our first 250 years, we should also celebrate the young people who will carry their legacy forward and lead our country into its next 250. I congratulate Brady and Ronit on this well- deserved recognition, and I ask that their winning essays be printed in the Record below. Brady Sirochman Essay: There stands a soldier in the middle of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. His look of determination, loaded musket, and bronze tint make him conspicuous to any passerby who roams through the five-way intersection which he watches. Behind the soldier, a series of nineteen flags tower above the streets below in unison as a symbol of prosperity. For the most part, Uniontown is a quiet place, situated on the border of the Keystone State and submerged in the rolling hills of the Appalachian Mountains. One would not expect a hero of international fame and notoriety to have been born here, and yet across the road from the soldier, on a bench flanked by a series of plaques, sits the statue of one, George Catlett Marshall Jr. Marshall's story began in Uniontown over one hundred years ago on a cold New Year's Eve. The fourth child born of George Catlett Marshall Sr., a wealthy coke businessman, and Laura Emily Bradford Marshall, George C. Marshall grew up in Uniontown before leaving for the Virginia Military Institute to pursue a career in the armed forces. After graduating, Marshall was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry in February of 1902, in time to serve in the Philippine- American War. Marshall would continue to rise through the ranks of the military in the lead-up to World War I, during which he achieved the position of assistant chief of staff for the newly created 1st Division. This role put him in prime position to be the first soldier of the AEF to step foot on European soil, and one of the first to enter the trenches of the Western Front. In addition, his dauntless planning in the Battle of Cantigny delivered the first American victory of the Great War. The culmination of Marshall's triumphs came not on the battlefield, but from Washington, when on September first, 1939, Marshall was sworn in as Army Chief of Staff by Franklin D. Roosevelt, just hours after the invasion of Poland. While serving as Army Chief of Staff, he organized the largest military expansion in American history, had a role in selecting the majority of American generals, and helped plan the D-day Invasion. Most importantly, on December 16, 1944, Marshall was the first American general promoted to the five-star rank of General of the Army, placing him on par with his European counterparts. For his part in planning and carrying out the Allied victory, Winston Churchill once called him the ``Organizer of Victory'', while Harry Truman once stated ``Millions of Americans gave their country outstanding service. George C. Marshall gave it victory.'' After the war, a change began to take shape in Marshall, transforming the five-star general into a peacekeeper. Shortly after retiring from his position as Army Chief of Staff, Marshall was sent on a mission to broker a peace deal in the Chinese Civil War. Although a failure, Marshall remained committed to maintaining peace with the new Communist government in his position as Secretary of State, against the wishes of the Department of Defense and voices within his own department. While serving in his position as Secretary of State, he began the program which he is possibly most famous for today, the Marshall Plan. Through it, American aid would be sent to Europe in order to help rebuild from the destruction caused by World War II. In many ways Marshall not only won peace in Europe but also provided for its continued existence, while enhancing American interests in the region and preventing the spread of Communism into Western Europe. For his work on the Marshall Plan, and other post-war achievements such as advocating for peace in the Middle East, bringing the Netherlands to negotiate with Indonesia, and serving as President of the American Red Cross, Marshall was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953, the only American army official to gain such recognition. On a bench, only a stroll away from where he was born, sits the statue of George C. Marshall as he watches over the soldier whom he organized the victory of and the flags of the nations whom he helped rebuild. The entire scene, and the story of Marshall's life, highlights America's role as both a sword and shield against the forces of tyranny. Through his military career spanning service from the Philippines to Europe, and later his organization of the armed forces in World War II, we see his life as a personification of America's willingness to defend liberty aggressively. However, through his career post-war in the fields of diplomacy and government aide, we see his life as a personification of America's willingness to defend liberty peacefully. George C. Marshall is a unification of these two necessities, as at America's best, we understand the need for a soldier, as well as the need for a diplomat. ____ Ronit Luthra Essay: Every American schoolchild learns the name Thomas Edison. On the other hand, far fewer learn George Westinghouse, even though it was Westinghouse, working out of Pittsburgh, who won the argument that decided how the modern world would be powered. His story deserves a place in our national memory, not because he was a genius, though he was, but because his life shows the greatness America produces when real talent meets a country willing to reward it. His combination of mechanical brilliance with a sense of obligation to the fellow citizens around him flourished in a country of opportunity such as that prevalent in the United States of America. Westinghouse arrived in Pittsburgh following the Civil War, a young veteran who had served in both the Union Army and Navy. He carried no Ivy League pedigree and no inherited fortune. What he did have was a restless mechanical mind and a willingness to bet everything on his own judgment. At just twenty-two, he patented the railway air brake, a device that let an engineer stop an entire train at once rather than relying on brakemen scrambling between cars. The invention not only saved countless lives, but turned railroads from a dangerous form of transportation into the dependable network that carried and continues to carry a growing nation's people and goods. Such an invention also made him a man with the capital to think bigger. And thinking bigger is exactly what he did. In the 1880s, when a major dispute broke out over the future of electricity, Westinghouse decided to throw himself into the center of it. While Edison had staked his reputation on direct current, a source of energy offering limited range, he was opposed by Westinghouse, who believed alternating current, a source of energy offering a greater range and power, was the answer. Ultimately, the conclusion of the controversy would be one to determine whether electricity stayed a luxury confined to a few wealthy city blocks or became something available to nearly every home in the country. Over time, the fight escalated. Edison ran a public effort to frighten Americans away from the technology, arranging disturbing demonstrations meant to paint alternating current as deadly. Westinghouse answered not with theatrics but with results. He recognized the brilliance of an eccentric immigrant inventor named Nikola Tesla, bought his patents, and gave him the freedom to perfect the alternating-current motor. Where Edison offered fear, Westinghouse offered proof, and he let the better system speak for itself. The verdict came in 1893, when Westinghouse won the contract to illuminate the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Before an audience of millions, he switched on a hundred thousand lamps at once, and the fair blazed with a light