110 HRES 958 IH: Reaffirming the commitment of the House of U.S. House of Representatives 2008-02-06 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 958 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 6, 2008 Mr. Kline of Minnesota (for himself, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Cannon, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Keller of Florida, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Carter, Mr. Issa, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. LoBiondo, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. King of Iowa, Mrs. Bono, Mr. Feeney, Mr. Fossella, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Sali, Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, and Mr. Wolf) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives to the patriotic and professional men and women serving in the United States Marine Corps in defense of the United States.

Whereas the United States Marine Corps has defended the rights of Americans since 1775; Whereas since the Marine Corps’ creation, 295 United States Marines have been awarded the Medal of Honor for personal bravery or self-sacrifice, above and beyond the call of duty, and over 37,000 Marines have given the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation’s freedom; Whereas as of February 4, 2008, more than 25,000 Marines are away from their homes and loved ones, serving our nation in Afghanistan and Iraq; Whereas service in the United States Marine Corps is based upon each individual’s voluntary decision to serve; Whereas the core values of every Marine include honor, courage, and commitment; Whereas all Marines swear or affirm an oath stating that they will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, bearing true faith and allegiance to the same; Whereas on January 29, 2008, the Berkeley, California City Council passed a resolution directing their City Manager to send letters to the Marine Corps recruiting station in the city and the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, advising them that the Marine recruiting office is not welcome and the recruiters are uninvited and unwelcome intruders; Whereas on January 29, 2008, the Berkeley, California City Council passed a resolution encourage[ing] all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station, and applaud[ing] residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley; Whereas on January 29, 2008, the Berkeley, California City Council passed a resolution directing their City Attorney to investigate the Marine Corps recruiting station for violation of municipal anti-discrimination laws; Whereas on January 29, 2008, the Peace and Justice Commission of the Berkeley, California City Council made unsubstantiated assertions that military recruiters are sales people known to lie to and seduce minors and young adults into contracting themselves in military service; Whereas the Peace and Justice Commission stated further in its proposed resolution that the people of Berkeley should want the Marine Corps present near Berkeley High School, Berkeley City College, and University of California no more than they would want other violent influence downtown; Whereas Berkeley, California has received $2,100,000 in Federal tax-payer funding for special projects; Whereas on numerous occasions the House of Representatives has reaffirmed its pledge to honor and recognize the service of all Members of the Armed Forces serving in good standing in defense of the United States, as well as the personal sacrifices made by the personnel and their families; Whereas the House of Representatives has pledged to move forward on all policy debate regarding the war in Iraq with the solemn respect and the commitment to intellectual integrity that the sacrifices of these members of the Armed Forces deserve; and Whereas Members on both sides of the aisle have stated the policy disagreements regarding the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq do not and should not reflect the respect and gratitude the House of Representatives have for all the men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes the service of all members of the Armed Forces serving in good standing in defense of the United States and their personal sacrifices, as well as those of their families, to serve with distinction and honor; (2)commends the unique and significant role the United States Marine Corps has played in upholding the freedom and security of the United States; (3)recognizes the efforts of the United States Marine Corps Recruiting Command to identify and recruit patriotic Americans who will uphold and exemplify the core values and principles of the Marine Corps; (4)condemns the City Council of Berkeley, California for choosing to impugn the integrity and professionalism of the United States Marine Corps; (5)recommends that any special Federal projects funding provided under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, for Berkeley, California be rescinded, in light of the conduct of the City Council of Berkeley, California; and (6)reaffirms its commitment to ensure that policy disagreements do not compromise the honor and sacrifice of all serving military personnel.