[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 22 (Thursday, March 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: March 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO THE LATE JAMES NORMAN HALL
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include
extraneous matter.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a House
concurrent resolution to pay a special tribute to one of the
outstanding citizens of our country, who was not only a highly
decorated war hero but an author who produced classics in American
literature--such books as ``Mutiny on the Bounty,'' ``Pitcarin's
Island,'' and ``Hurricanes.''
A native son of the State of Iowa, the late James Norman Hall is
highly revered among the island peoples of the Pacific.
Mr. Speaker, next month April 22 will commemorate 107 years of James
Norman Hall's life. I am especially pleased and honored to have the
entire membership of the Iowa delegation to be original cosponsors of
this resolution--Mr. Smith, Mr. Leach, Mr. Grandy, Mr. Nussle, and Mr.
Lightfoot.
I ask my colleagues to support me for the passage of this resolution
in the Congress of the United States.
I want to express my appreciation especially to Mr. and Mrs. Nick
Rutgers of Tahiti for their efforts to renovate and establish James
Norman Hall's residence in Tahiti as a national historic site for
visitors from all over the world to see, and especially for the
Polynesian Tahitians whom he loved so much in the remaining years of
his life.
H. Con. Res. --
Whereas James Norman Hall, a native son of the State of
Iowa born in Colfax in 1887, and a graduate of Grinnell
College, was a decorated war hero, noted adventurer, and
acclaimed author, who was revered and loved in France and
Tahiti, and throughout the South Pacific;
Whereas James Norman Hall exhibited an unwavering
commitment to freedom and democracy by volunteering for
military service early in World War I and by fighting
alongside British forces in the worst of trench warfare,
including the Battle of Loos, where he was one of few
survivors;
Whereas James Norman Hall continued his fight for liberty
by becoming a pilot in the Lafayette Escadrille, an American
pursuit squadron of the French Air Service, and his
courageous and daring feats in air battles earned him
France's highest medals, including the Legion d'Honneur,
Medaille Militaire, and Croix de Guerre with 5 Palms;
Whereas James Norman Hall was commissioned as a Captain in
the United States Army Air Service when the United States
entered World War I, continued his legendary exploits as an
ace pilot, acted as wing commander and mentor for then-
Lieutenant Eddie Rickenbacker, and was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross medal, for gallantry and bravery
in battle, by General Pershing;
Whereas James Norman Hall sought serenity after the
destructiveness of World War I, moved to the South Pacific in
1920, married a Tahitian woman and lived in Tahiti for over 3
decades, and wrote a prodigious number of articles and books
in the library of his home in Arue, Tahiti;
Whereas much of James Norman Hall's writing enriched the
world's understanding of Tahiti and the South Pacific;
Whereas James Norman Hall coauthored, with Charles
Nordhoff, classic masterpieces that have come to epitomize
the tropics, including ``Mutiny on the Bounty'', ``Pitcairn's
Island'', and ``Hurricane'';
Whereas, despite James Norman Hall's achievements as a
decorated war hero and famed literary figure, he remained to
his death a humble, self-effacing man who endeared himself to
the people of Tahiti with his keen sense of generosity,
kindness, and real concern for others, prompting James
Michener to state that James Norman Hall was ``the most
loved American who ever came to the tropics'' and that
when ``he died, on every island in the Pacific where even
no man could read, there was sorrow''; and
Whereas the home and library of James Normal Hall, in Arue,
Tahiti, are being restored as a museum to honor this son of
the State of Iowa and hero of the United States, England,
France, and French Polynesia: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) honors James Norman Hall and recognizes his outstanding
contributions to the United States, France, Tahiti, and the
South Pacific, including his extraordinary service rendered
in wartime for the defense of freedom, his outstanding
achievements in the literary field, and his lifework that has
enriched the world's understanding of the people of the South
Pacific; and
(2) requests the President of the United States to provide
for the presentation of a copy of this concurrent resolution
by appropriate officials of the United States Government to
the President of Tahiti Nui (French Polynesia), so that it
may be publicly displayed at the James Norman Hall Museum in
Tahiti, where it will express the appreciation of the people
and government of the United States for the contributions of
James Norman Hall and will show recognition of the
achievements of this great son of the State of Iowa.
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