[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 96 (Friday, July 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGIC PORT CHICAGO EXPLOSION: OPPORTUNITY TO CLEAR 
                     THE NAMES OF CONVICTED SAILORS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 17, 1998

  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, today is the 54th anniversary 
of the terrible explosion and loss of life at Port Chicago Naval 
Weapons Station during World War II. A number of survivors, their 
families and community supporters are gathering today at a memorial on 
the site of the explosion to mark the anniversary and continue the 
effort to clear the names of sailors that were wrongly convicted of 
mutiny after refusing to resume loading munitions in the aftermath of 
the tragedy.
  I was proud to write the law in 1992 that established a National 
Memorial at the site of the explosion and where the ceremony today is 
being held.
  A little over a half century ago this site was a vital supply center 
during the crucial phase of World War II in the Pacific. From this 
site, the munitions that liberated much of Asia from totalitarianism 
were shipped, and the history of the world was changed.
  But as we know, we remember Port Chicago today for another reason as 
well. Fifty-four years ago tonight, one of the largest pre-nuclear 
explosions in world history occurred right here. Two supply ships, a 
supply train, and hundreds of brave and dedicated sailors were 
vaporized. The devastation was unparalleled in the history of World War 
II here in the United States with the singular exception of Pearl 
Harbor.
  Today, most of the scars of WWII have healed, and from the ashes of 
that war a new Asia has arisen. But not all the scars are healed.
  For several years, as many of you know, I have been leading an 
effort, along with the help of our colleague Representative Pete Stark 
and our former colleague Ron Dellums, to close the books on the one 
remaining issue in the Port Chicago story: purging the convictions of 
the sailors who did not return to ship loading operations immediately 
following the explosion.
  Those sailors were neither traitors nor deserters, as some have 
suggested. They sought the same post-traumatic leave as was allowed 
their white officer counterparts--leave they were denied because of 
their race. They sought remediation of the unquestionably hazardous 
conditions involved in loading the ships which undoubtedly contributed 
to the events leading to the explosion, including the dangerous 
competition among loading crews provoked by officers.
  Now, along with 40 or our colleagues in the House of Representatives, 
I am seeking the personal intervention of President Clinton to clear 
these records. As many of you know, the Navy has already acknowledged 
that race was an important factor in many aspects of life in the Navy 
and at Port Chicago in 1944. Their race denied black sailors the 
opportunity to serve in combat situations. They were assigned to 
loading operations exclusively because of race, and they were subjected 
to hazardous conditions in those loading operations because they were 
black. And ultimately, they were denied equal treatment from the Navy 
after the explosion solely because of their race.

  Their convictions were wrong because they resulted from a system that 
the highest military officials of this nation now acknowledge was 
racially biased against black people. The time has long passed for 
these convictions to be overturned. As the San Francisco Chronicle 
editorialized on March 1 of this year:

       The United States should be a strong enough country to 
     acknowledge that it makes mistakes, especially in the fervor 
     of a world war, and its harsh judgment of these men was 
     indeed a mistake.

  That is why the State Legislature unanimously voted to ask President 
Clinton to intervene: when race taints one aspect of an issue, when it 
creates the context in which a condition exists, it is a factor in what 
results from those conditions. That is why these convictions must be 
expunged.
  Whenever I speak out on behalf of the Port Chicago sailors, there is 
always someone who writes to criticize my efforts. But recently, 
someone wrote with another perspective that I want to share with you 
today, a man in Rancho Mirage, California, whose late uncle, a long-
time Navy man, was severely injured by the Port Chicago explosion. Here 
is what he wrote:


       [I]t certainly is understandable that those who were 
     loading the ammunition and who were treated so shabbily by 
     their superiors (almost as if they were completely expendable 
     fodder) would definitely not want to go back into the 
     situation. I wouldn't either. These men deserve to have their 
     names cleared and their dignity restored. I don't doubt that 
     my uncle would have wanted the same thing.

  So, on this 54th anniversary on this historic tragedy, let us both 
recall the bravery and sacrifice of those who served and those who died 
here at Port Chicago in pursuit of peace and justice. And let us 
include a prayer for those who served here and who still seek justice 
from the government they risked their lives to defend.
  I will continue my efforts to secure a fair hearing and justice for 
the sailors of Port Chicago, and their families and survivors, and with 
the support of the survivors, their families, the families of the 
victims and the community at large we will secure that justice that has 
eluded these men for a half century.

                          ____________________