[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 229 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 229

 Expressing support for designation of the month of August as National 
                      Destroyer Recognition Month.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2019

Mr. Williams submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for designation of the month of August as National 
                      Destroyer Recognition Month.

Whereas the first United States torpedo boat destroyer was the USS Bainbridge 
        (DD-1), placed in full commission on December 23, 1903;
Whereas the United States Navy was the first service to respond in World War I 
        after the United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, when 
        six destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 8, commanded by J.K. Taussig, 
        arrived in Queenstown, Ireland, in May of that year;
Whereas, during World War I, American destroyers prevented the loss of life or 
        ship of 2 million men making the trans-Atlantic journey;
Whereas in their 250 battles with German U-boats during World War I, American 
        destroyers sunk 1 submarine, the U-58, and laid the groundwork for 
        modern antisubmarine warfare;
Whereas, between June 1942 and February 1945, 175 Fletcher class destroyers were 
        built, and this class of ships is widely recognized as integral to the 
        naval war effort in World War II;
Whereas, during World War II, 19 Fletcher class destroyers were lost and 6 were 
        damaged beyond repair;
Whereas, during World War II, 44 Fletcher class destroyers earned 10 or more 
        battle stars, 19 were awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, and 16 
        received the Presidential Unit Citation;
Whereas following their service during World War II, 32 Fletcher class 
        destroyers were transferred to the navies of America's allies, including 
        Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, 
        Korea, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey;
Whereas the largest Atlantic operation destroyers participated in during World 
        War II was Operation Neptune, the naval component of Operation Overlord, 
        the invasion of Europe, on June 6, 1944;
Whereas, at Utah Beach, destroyers USS Fitch (DD-462), USS Corry (DD-463), and 
        USS Hobson (DD-464) were the first ships of the invasion force to shell 
        the shore;
Whereas, at Omaha Beach, destroyers USS Baldwin (DD-624), USS Carmick (DD-493), 
        USS Doyle (DD-494), USS Emmons (DD-457), USS Frankford (DD-497), USS 
        McCook (DD-496), and USS Thompson (DD-627) shelled the enemy 
        fortifications;
Whereas, at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of World War II, 
        two destroyers, the USS Hoel (DD-533) and the USS Johnston (DD-557) were 
        lost;
Whereas, at the Battle of Okinawa, destroyers were instrumental in providing 
        radar picket protection to Okinawa Island, and out of 101 destroyers, 
        destroyer minelayers, and destroyer minesweepers assigned to radar 
        pickets, 10 were sunk and 32 were damaged by kamikaze attacks;
Whereas a total of 76 United States destroyers were sunk during World War II;
Whereas, during the Korean war, six United States destroyers, USS Collett (DD-
        730), USS De Haven (DD-727), USS Gurke (DD-783), USS Henderson (DD-785), 
        USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729), and USS Mansfield (DD-728), were 
        instrumental in clearing the beachhead prior to the amphibious assault 
        at the Battle of Incheon, South Korea, in September 1950;
Whereas, on August 2, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox (DD-731) engaged in fire 
        with North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats and became the impetus for the 
        Gulf of Tonkin Resolution;
Whereas the USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) was commissioned on July 4, 1991, named 
        after Admiral Arleigh Burke, the longest serving Chief of Naval 
        Operations in the history of the United States Navy, and is the lead 
        ship of the Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers;
Whereas, on October 12, 2000, the USS Cole (DDG-67) was attacked by terrorists 
        while at anchor in Aden, Yemen, and 17 crewmembers were lost and 39 
        injured;
Whereas, on November 29, 2003, the USS Cole (DDG-67) redeployed on its first 
        overseas deployment following the attack;
Whereas, on April 7, 2017, destroyers USS Ross (DDG-78) and USS Porter (DDG-71) 
        fired a total of 59 Tomahawk land attack missiles on Syria's air base at 
        al-Shayrat, from the eastern Mediterranean Sea in response to Syria's 
        use of banned chemical weapons;
Whereas destroyers remain a critical component of United States naval capability 
        around the world, serving to protect the free flow of commerce, reassure 
        America's allies and partners, and deter acts of aggression against 
        American and allied forces; and
Whereas the establishment of the month of August as National Destroyer 
        Recognition Month will recognize the important contributions that United 
        States destroyers and those sailors serving aboard them have made to 
        naval warfare and American military success: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of National Destroyer 
        Recognition Month;
            (2) supports those who have served and currently serve 
        aboard United States destroyers;
            (3) supports the role of destroyers in the naval war 
        arsenal and their importance to America's national security; 
        and
            (4) calls on the people of the United States, including 
        veteran groups, State and local officials, and interested 
        groups to observe National Destroyer Recognition Month with 
        appropriate programs and activities that promote awareness of 
        the contribution of United States destroyers and their crews.
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