[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 81 (Friday, June 19, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6723-S6724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTEGRATION OF THE ARMED FORCES

  Mr. WARNER. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 104 introduced earlier today by 
Senator Moseley-Braun.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Con. Res. 104) commemorating the 50th 
     anniversary of the Armed Forces.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, I am honored today to offer a 
resolution that celebrates the 50 year anniversary of the integration 
of the U.S. Armed Forces. This resolution commemorates that historic 
day, July 28, 1948, when this country took a bold new step toward 
ensuring that our Armed Services reflected the tenets of democracy that 
this country stands for.
  Dr. Martin Luther King once said that the Declaration of Independence 
was a Declaration of Intent. By that he meant that the commitments of 
that eternal document, when written, did not at the time apply to all 
Americans, but only to some of them. Women are excluded altogether, 
native Americans and poor had less rights than landowners, and blacks 
were counted as three-fifths of a person. And yet, the vision and the 
truth of the principles set forth in the Declaration and Constitution 
of this great country have been the bedrock foundation of the 
patriotism of all Americans over time, no matter their condition at the 
time of its crafting, and no matter how difficult the struggle for 
equality and realization of that intent.
  ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created 
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable 
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of 
Happiness.''
  The rights so eloquently articulated in the Declaration defined in 
the Constitution could only be established, and later defended, by a 
strong military. Our armed forces, indeed all Americans, owe a debt of 
gratitude to President Truman, who fifty years ago strengthened our 
military and our society by issuing Executive Order No. 9981 thereby 
integrating the U.S. Armed Forces.
  Americans of African descent were eager to defend the ideal and the 
promise of this noble experiment in self-government from the very 
beginning. During the Revolutionary War, more than 5,000 free blacks 
fought to establish these United States of America. Rhode Island had a 
black battalion, and African-American men and women served in units 
from the various states as laborers, spies, nurses, cavalry, and 
infantrymen. During the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served as a union 
spy, a volunteer nurse, and a freedom fighter. So often was she in the 
field, that some soldiers affectionately dubbed her ``General Tubman.''
  In no military conflict were Americans of African descent unwilling 
to offer their very lives to the service of their country, no matter 
the condition of their citizenship. My own grandfather served in the 
Army in World War 1, and I have vague recollections of stories of the 
experiences he had in France during that world-shaping cataclysm. He 
left, and returned to an America of Jim Crow apartheid, but was proud 
to have done his part to preserve freedom. His service, and that of 
others was founded on their sincere love of America, and their belief 
in its ideals. He believed in the Declaration of Intent, and was 
prepared to give his life in behalf of its promise.
  Continuing that tradition, my father served in World War II. Up until 
World War II, enlistment of Americans of African descent had been 
limited, but one year after Pearl Harbor, there were approximately 
400,000 African Americans in the Army. By the end of the war, there 
were more than 150,000 in the Navy. In 1948, Harry Truman moved the 
Declaration of Intent closer to reality when he integrated the armed 
forces. He made it possible for Americans of color to participate as 
Americans in defense of the ideal liberty. By Executive Order 9981, he 
was able to breath life into the promise of equality, and in so doing 
gave added honor to the valor and commitment of all Americans.
  In all branches of the military service, the decision to end the 
divisions

[[Page S6724]]

based on color and race allowed this country to tap the talents of 100% 
of her people, and in so doing, expand and strengthened the pool of 
talent in defense of the liberties of us all.
  The audacity of Truman's decision and his vision, were controversial 
at the time, but the wisdom of it paved the way not only or a winning 
military, but a nation's opportunity to live up to its promise. The 
valor of many of those who served was overlooked or downplayed at the 
time, as the nation undertook the slow adjustment to the change Truman 
encouraged. We are just now, after a Shaw University study and the 
reexamination of some of their contributions, acknowledging the role 
and heroism of some of those soldiers. Just last year, the President 
awarded medals of honor to seven black Americans for their valor in 
World War II.
  Truman recognized the value of diversity. It lay not only in the 
singular talent and contributions of some, but in the collective vigor 
of the whole. Our great nation has been forged by the sacrifice of 
Americans of every stripe, by the values which define us as one people. 
The military services have led the country in providing opportunities 
for excellence, and the defense of our country has benefitted from that 
leadership. Excellence and honor, valor and patriotism are values which 
bring us together as Americans, and shape our national character. 
Truman's decision made us a ``More Perfect Nation'' and continues to 
this day to be a shinning example of leadership.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in sponsoring this resolution, and in 
doing so celebrating the diversity of our nation's Armed Forces.
  Mr. WARNER. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution and preamble 
be agreed to en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
and any statements relating to the concurrent resolution be printed in 
the Record at the appropriate place as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Con. Res. 104), with its preamble, reads as 
follows:
       Whereas 50 years ago on July 28, 1948, President Truman 
     issued Executive Order No. 9981 that stated that it is 
     essential that there be maintained in the Armed Services of 
     the United States the highest standards of democracy, with 
     equality of treatment and opportunity for all those who serve 
     in our country's defense;
       Whereas President Truman declared that there shall be 
     equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the 
     Armed Services without regard to race, color, religion, or 
     national origin;
       Whereas soon after the Executive order was issued American 
     soldiers fighting in Korea led the way to a fully integrated 
     Army;
       Whereas after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 
     1964, the Armed Forces resolved to implement the legislation 
     as a new opportunity to provide all members of the Armed 
     Forces with freedom from discrimination within and outside 
     its military communities;
       Whereas the efforts of the Armed Forces to ensure the 
     equality of treatment and opportunity for its members 
     contributed significantly to the advancement of that goal for 
     all Americans;
       Whereas minorities serve today in senior leadership 
     positions throughout the Armed Forces, as officers, senior 
     non-commissioned officers, and civilian leaders; and
       Whereas the Armed Forces have demonstrated a total and 
     continuing commitment to ensuring the equality of treatment 
     and opportunity for all persons in the Total Force, both 
     military and civilian: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) commends the United States Armed Forces for its 
     efforts, leadership, and success in providing equality of 
     treatment and opportunity; and
       (2) recognizes the commemoration by the Department of 
     Defense on July 24, 1998, of the 50th anniversary of the 
     integration of the Armed Forces.

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