[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2717 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2717

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate one city in 
 the United States each year as an ``American World War II City'', and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 1, 2011

 Mr. McIntyre introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate one city in 
 the United States each year as an ``American World War II City'', and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Many cities across the United States contributed to the 
        war effort during World War II, including through defense 
        manufacturing, bond drives, service in the Armed Forces, and 
        the presence of military facilities within the city.
            (2) Many of those cities have sought to preserve the 
        history of those contributions, including through the 
        establishment of preservation organizations or museums, 
        restoration of World War II facilities, and recognition of 
        World War II veterans.
            (3) The city of Wilmington, North Carolina, made remarkable 
        contributions to the United States war efforts during World War 
        II.
            (4) During World War II, Wilmington was the country's 
        unique wartime boomtown, aptly and officially named ``The 
        Defense Capital of the State''.
            (5) Wilmington based and trained all five military 
        services: the predecessor to the Air Force at the Wilmington 
        Airport, the Army at Camp Davis and Fort Fisher, the Navy at 
        Fort Caswell, the Coast Guard at Wrightsville Beach, and the 
        Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune.
            (6) The North Carolina Shipbuilding Company of Wilmington, 
        the State's largest employer at that time, constructed 243 
        cargo vessels with which to provide goods and equipment to our 
        soldiers.
            (7) Wilmington provided the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad 
        headquarters, three housing camps for German prisoners of war, 
        a major training base for P-47 fighters, defense industries 
        producing goods and equipment, a British patrol base, and a 
        shipping point for Lend Lease supplies to the Allies.
            (8) Wilmington dispatched thousands of its sons and 
        daughters to fight the enemy on land, sea, and air as Navy 
        frogmen, P-51 fighter aces, Tuskegee Airmen, submarine 
        skippers, bomber pilots, Marine riflemen, Army artillerymen, 
        physicians and nurses, and volunteers of all sorts.
            (9) Wilmington tragically lost 248 men as a result of their 
        courageous efforts to defend the United States, and two New 
        Hanover High School graduates received the Congressional Medal 
        of Honor and numerous others received high decorations for 
        valor, including Navy Crosses, Distinguished Service Crosses, 
        and Distinguished Flying Crosses.
            (10) Wilmington's strategic position made it vulnerable to 
        enemy attack by German U-boats, which marauded shipping off our 
        beaches. In July 1943, in perhaps the only German attack on the 
        United States, a U-boat fired at the Ethel-Dow chemical plant 
        in Wilmington. Wilmington endured this attack, as well as 
        constant civilian defense restrictions and air raid drills, 
        including black-outs and dim-outs. The city's population more 
        than doubled with the influx of military personnel, forcing 
        locals to cope with strain on housing and schools, 
        transportation, medical and social services, law enforcement, 
        and food supply.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF AMERICAN WORLD WAR II CITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall designate 
one city in the United States each year as an ``American World War II 
City''.
    (b) Criteria for Designation.--The Secretary shall make each 
designation under subsection (a) based on the following criteria:
            (1) Contributions by a city to the war effort during World 
        War II, including those related to defense manufacturing, bond 
        drives, service in the Armed Forces, and the presence of 
        military facilities within the city.
            (2) Efforts by a city to preserve the history of the city's 
        contributions during World War II, including through the 
        establishment of preservation organizations or museums, 
        restoration of World War II facilities, and recognition of 
        World War II veterans.
    (c) First American World War II City.--The city of Wilmington, 
North Carolina, is designated as an ``American World War II City''.
                                 <all>