[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 4, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
      NATIVE AMERICAN VETERANS' MEMORIAL ESTABLISHMENT ACT OF 1994

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2135) to provide for a national Native American Veterans' 
Memorial, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2135

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Native American Veterans' 
     Memorial Establishment Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds the following:
       (1) Native Americans across the Nation--Indians, Native 
     Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians--have a long, proud and 
     distinguished tradition of service in the Armed Forces of the 
     United States.
       (2) Native Americans have historically served in the Armed 
     Forces of the United States in numbers which far exceed their 
     representation in the population of the United States.
       (3) Native American veterans count among themselves a 
     number of Medal of Honor recipients. Their numbers are also 
     conspicuous in the ranks of those who have received other 
     decorations for valor and distinguished service.
       (4) Native Americans have lost their lives in the service 
     of their Nation and in the cause of peace.
       (5) The National Museum of the American Indian was 
     established as a living memorial to Native Americans. Its 
     mission is to advance knowledge and understanding of native 
     American cultures, including art, history, language, and the 
     contributions Native Americans have made to our society.
       (6) The National Museum of the American Indian is an 
     extraordinary site and an ideal location to establish a 
     National Native American Veterans' Memorial.
       (7) A National Native American Veterans' Memorial would 
     further the purposes of the National Museum of the American 
     Indian by giving all Americans the opportunity to learn of 
     the proud and courageous tradition of service of Native 
     Americans in the Armed Forces of the United States.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH MEMORIAL.

       (a) In General.--The National Museum of the American Indian 
     (established by the national Museum of the American Indian 
     Act (20 U.S. 80q et seq.)), in close consultation with the 
     National Congress of American Indians and other Native 
     American groups, is authorized to construct and maintain a 
     National Native American Veterans' Memorial (hereafter in 
     this Act referred to as the ``memorial'').
       (b) Location.--The memorial shall be located at a site 
     determined to be suitable by the Museum within the interior 
     structure of the facility provided for by section 7(a) of 
     such Act (20 u.S.C. 80q-5(a)) (relating to housing the 
     portion of the Museum to be located in the District of 
     Columbia).
       (c) Design and Plans.--(1) The National Congress of 
     American Indians, in consultation with the Museum, is 
     authorized to hold a competition to select the design of the 
     Memorial. Any design so selected shall be compatible with 
     both the purpose of the Museum, as set forth in section 3(b) 
     of the National Museum of the American Indian Act (20 U.S.C. 
     80q-1), and with any existing design plans for the Museum's 
     structure and its surroundings.
       (2) Any design so selected shall be subject to the approval 
     of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.

     SEC. 4. PAYMENT OF EXPENSES AND USE OF NAME.

       (a) Responsibility of national Congress of American 
     Indians.--The National Congress of American Indians shall be 
     solely responsible for acceptance of contributions for, and 
     payment of the expenses of, the establishment of the 
     memorial. No Federal funds may be used to pay any expense of 
     the establishment of the memorial.
       (b) Use of Name.--Use of the name of the Smithsonian 
     Institution or the National Museum of the American Indian in 
     any material regarding the memorial produced by the National 
     Congress of American Indians, other than in a manner simply 
     describing the location of the memorial, shall be subject to 
     consultation with, and the approval of, the Board of Regents 
     of the Smithsonian Institution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri [Mr. Clay] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Barrett] will be recognized for 20 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clay]
  Mr. Clay. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2135, a bill to provide for a 
native American veterans' memorial.
  H.R. 2135 will pay tribute to a group of veterans whose leadership, 
bravery, and contributions to our armed services should rightfully and 
respectfully be acknowledged with a monument.
  This memorial will serve as a symbol of respect and gratitude to the 
many native Americans across this Nation who have served their country. 
The memorial will be located on the grounds of the soon-to-be built 
national museum of the American Indian on the Mall. The National 
Congress of American Indians will spearhead fundraising for this 
memorial, and no federal funds will be used for the construction of 
this monument.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this 
legislation and honor our native American veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time we paid tribute to the many native Americans 
who fought valiantly, and those who sacrificed their lives in battle 
for our country. In the past, native Americans have often had a higher 
percentage of representation in our military, than their representation 
in the entire population of the United States.
  It is terribly disappointing to know that while native Americans have 
had many accomplishments and achievements in our military's history, 
they are usually forgotten or minimized when they return from the 
service.
  One contribution that comes to mind, is the story of the Navaho Code 
Talkers. During World War II, the United States and its enemies were 
trying to devise unbreakable codes for the purpose of communicating 
classified military messages.
  While most, if not all, codes that were conceived were being 
routinely deciphered, there was one code that withstood the test of 
even the sharpest military minds, on both the United States and 
Japanese sides.
  The language used by the Navaho Indians was slightly modified to 
incorporate particular military terms, and their language proved to be 
an unbreakable code.
  Initially, the code appeared too simple to trust. Reluctance on the 
part of the top military officials to use it under actual battle 
conditions finally was overcome, when it was proven that the Navaho 
code was better than a code devised by a machine. It performed 
brilliantly and was never deciphered by the Japanese during the war.
  To protect its secrecy, all Navaho involvement with the code was kept 
classified until 1968. They were unable to communicate to their 
families what they were doing, and the rest of the Nation was unaware 
of their contribution.
  Native American veteran contributions have not been as readily 
recognized or commemorated as many of our other veterans. It is for 
that reason I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2135, which would 
authorize a much deserved Native American Veterans' Memorial. This 
memorial will not use any taxpayer dollars.
  I would also like to commend my colleague, Mr. Thomas of Wyoming, for 
his diligent work in drumming up the support necessary to bring this 
legislation to the floor.

                              {time}  2140

  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Wyoming [Mr. Thomas].
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding this time to me, and I thank the chairman of the committee for 
giving consideration to this bill and his leadership in bringing it 
along to the floor, along with the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. 
Barrett].
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2135, the Native 
American Veterans Memorial bill, which I introduced last session.
  From the Revolutionary War through our peace-keeping efforts in 
Somalia, native Americans have proudly served in all branches of the 
Armed Forces in defense of their country and to uphold the freedoms we 
all cherish. Many tribes supported the fledgling United States in their 
fight for independence from the British. For example, members of the 
Iroquois Confederacy brought corn and other supplies to Washington's 
starving army at Valley Forge.
  In World War I, native Americans served gallantly in all major 
battles, many making the ultimate sacrifice. Members of the Choctaw 
Nation serving in the 142d Infantry devised the only code used during 
that war that the enemy was unable to break. Of the 4.7 million 
Americans serving in the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI, more 
than 8,000 were native Americans.
  During World War II, native Americans again displayed uncommon valor, 
fighting in numbers far exceeding their representation in the general 
population of the United States: almost one-third of all native 
American men joined up. Like the Choctaw Code Talkers before them, more 
than 3,600 members of the Navajo Nation--the Dine--served as 
communication teams on every beach from Guadalcanal to Okinawa. By 
sending messages over the air in Navajo, they could deliver and receive 
communications in a manner that the Axis could not decipher, and do so 
without any of the loss of time involved in the usual processes of 
encoding and decoding. Across the Potomac River in Arlington National 
Cemetery, Ira Hayes--a member of the Akimel O'odham--stands 
immortalized in the Iwo Jima Memorial, planting the American flag atop 
Mt. Suribachi.
  Native Americans continued to serve and die for their country in 
every conflict after that date in which Americans fought. The names of 
at least 235 Indians grace the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial, including 
Eddie C. Begaye, Prentice LeClaire, and Richard Youngbear. Most 
recently, Eric Bentzlen of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Nation and 
Michael Noline of the San Carlos Apache Tribe gave their lives in 
Operation Desert Storm protecting the ideals for which this country 
stands.

  Native American veterans count among themselves a number of Medal of 
Honor recipients, like Lt. Ernest Childers of the Oklahoma Creeks and 
Lt. Jack C. Montgomery of the Cherokee. Their numbers are also 
conspicuous in the ranks of those who have received other decorations 
for valor and distinguished service.
  Sadly, though we may acknowledge their military prowess and their 
great contributions, we have not always acknowledged our debts to them. 
After the conflicts in which they fought have ended, they have returned 
home to poverty-stricken reservations only to be rewarded with second-
class citizenship. While Indians honorably discharged after WWI were 
rewarded with U.S. citizenship, Indians in general were not accorded 
that right until 1924.
  Similarly, Navajo coming home from the Pacific Theater returned to 
States where their voting rights were severely restricted and continued 
to be until 1948 in Arizona, 1953 in New Mexico, and 1957 in Utah.
  On reservations and in native American communities throughout Indian 
Country one of the most prominent and deeply-felt observances in 
Veterans Day. On the Wind River Reservation in my State, home to the 
Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes, these observances are led 
by two very active veterans groups: the Arapahoe American Legion Post 
84 and the Richard Pogue American Legion Post 81. As these native 
Americans honor those of their brethren who have served their country, 
so too should we.
  H.R. 2135 provides a small step towards this Nation honoring the 
service and sacrifice of our native American citizens. It would provide 
for the establishment of a native American Veterans Memorial in the 
soon-to-be-built National Museum of the American Indian located on the 
Mall. The museum was established by Congress to advance knowledge and 
understanding of native American cultures and the contributions those 
cultures have made to our society. The memorial would further the 
purposes of the museum by giving all Americans the opportunity to learn 
of the proud and courageous tradition of service of native Americans in 
the Armed Forces of the United States. The memorial would be financed 
entirely by private funds.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to my colleagues' 
attention a related project in my State of Wyoming which is equally 
deserving of our recognition and support. Designed by sculptor Lynn 
Burnette, the Native American War Dead Memorial will honor those who 
died for their country. Mr. Burnette envisions a bronze warrior, 
dressed in fatigues, laying aside a buffalo robe which represents his 
traditional way of life. The warrior stands at the middle of a medicine 
wheel of tribal war shields that will carry the names of each tribe's 
war dead. These two memorials are separate, with separate goals; but 
together, they will add to our overall understanding of native American 
veterans and the vital role they have played in our history.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman of the Subcommittee 
on Libraries and Memorials, Mr. Clay, for bringing this measure to the 
floor today. I would also like to thank the bill's 100 cosponsors for 
their support. I hope that all our colleagues will join us in honoring 
our native American veterans by passing this legislation.
  Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poshard). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. Clay] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2135, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on grounds a quorum is 
not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I, and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of order of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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