[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 142 (Saturday, October 10, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10469-H10473]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING HUNTER SCOTT FOR HIS EFFORTS REGARDING THE USS INDIANAPOLIS
Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the resolution (H. Res. 590) recognizing and honoring Hunter Scott
for his efforts to honor the memory of the captain and crew of the USS
Indianapolis and for the outstanding example he has set for the young
people of the United States, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 590
Whereas 13-year-old Hunter Scott of Cantonment, Florida,
has received international recognition for his efforts to
honor the memory of the captain and crew of the U.S.S.
INDIANAPOLIS, which sank in the Pacific Ocean during the
final days of World War II;
Whereas Hunter Scott has spent the past two years seeking
recognition for the crew of the U.S.S. INDIANAPOLIS, many of
whom perished as a result of shark attacks and exposure after
being stranded in the water for four days;
Whereas Hunter Scott's extensive work is the subject of
legislation before this Congress, supported by Democrats and
Republicans alike;
Whereas Hunter Scott's work ethic, love of country, and
strength of character serve as a shining example to the young
people of the United States; and
Whereas Hunter Scott has helped the crew of the U.S.S.
INDIANAPOLIS receive international recognition from the New
York Times, USA Today, the Associated Press, CBS,
Nickelodeon, and other print and broadcast media: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes and
honors Hunter Scott for his efforts to honor the memory of
the captain and crew of the U.S.S. INDIANAPOLIS and for the
outstanding example he has set for the young people of the
United States.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Scarborough) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Cummings) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough).
Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume. On the cover of the New York Times earlier this summer was the
headline, A Boy's School Project Aims to Revise History. It told the
story of
[[Page H10470]]
Hunter Scott, a middle schooler who is trying to change history as it
was written 50 years ago.
In the closing days of World War II, the U.S.S. Indianapolis had its
hull pierced by three Japanese torpedoes. Twelve minutes later the
cruiser went down. On board were almost 1,200 crew members and only 300
survived, the others dying of shark attacks and exposure.
For half a century, the 316 remaining surviving crew members of the
worst disaster in Naval history tried in vain to defend the honor of
their captain, Charles McVay. This year a new secret weapon was
employed in their quest, and that weapon was a 13-year-old boy named
Hunter Scott.
Two years ago Hunter came to my district office to show me a middle
school history project that he had made. Now, this extraordinary
history project actually contained clear, convincing evidence of the
Indianapolis crew's bravery and of the injustice done to their captain
who was wrongly court-martialed as a useful scapegoat in this disaster.
As it turns out, Hunter's history project is now turning out to make
history, itself. We reviewed Hunter's report, including newly
declassified documentation that he had dug up and we decided that we
wanted to help him out.
Hunter's documents showed that Captain McVay was not given the
intelligence that would have helped him avoid the disaster and that he
did nothing improper to justify the court-martial. The legislation was
introduced in Washington and gained almost 100 cosponsors, including
those of the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) who certainly helped
out a great deal, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) and also the
gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie).
Then Hunter came to Washington and created quite a stir. He commanded
international media coverage and met with many key Members of the House
and Senate, including Speaker Gingrich, Majority Leader Armey and
National Security Chairman Floyd Spence. The New York Times, ABC, NBC,
CBS, CNN, Forbes, the Atlanta Constitution and media outlets across the
world followed Hunter's work. But because of some entrenched interests
who do not want to admit that they were wrong 50 years ago, this bill
did not get a chance to come up on the floor this session.
That is why we are here today, to pass a congressional resolution
honoring Hunter Scott and recognizing the brave Indianapolis crew since
Hunter is a shining example of all that is good about our young people
today.
But we are also here today to serve notice on those who refuse to
right a half-century wrong, that the 53-year-old fight by the
Indianapolis survivors to clear their good captain's name will move
forward in the next session of Congress. We will also fight for the
Presidential Unit Citation for the Indianapolis crew that was so richly
deserved by them. We will also fight for Mr. McVay's brother Kimo who
has been working for so many years to right this wrong.
Regrettably his brother, a third-generation Naval officer, will not
be able to be here next year. He tragically took his life 30 years ago
on the front porch of his home dressed in his Naval uniform. Denied his
dignity by the process 50 years ago, we return to this Chamber 30 years
later to wipe clean the slate for Captain McVay.
The 50-year fight continues. A resolution will be reached in the
106th Congress and it will be reached because of the work of an
extraordinary young man named Hunter Scott who decided at the age of 13
that he could make a difference, that he could right a wrong and that
he could turn a bright searing light on an injustice and bring about
the proper and just conclusion to this 53-year-old miscarriage of
justice.
Madam Speaker, Congress should be grateful for what a young man like
Hunter Scott has done.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, today I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton),
the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the chairman of our
subcommittee the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), and I commend the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) for this legislation.
Madam Speaker, just Thursday I had the pleasure of managing a
resolution that recognized KidsPeace, an organization that established
National KidsDay and National Family Month. KidsPeace established these
celebrations to focus our attention on the importance of children and
the role we should play in nurturing and encouraging them.
The parents of Hunter Scott have done just that, and look at the
outcome. Hunter brought to the attention of this body and the American
people a tragedy that occurred decades before his birth. The 13-year-
old boy researched and uncovered evidence that suggested Charles B.
McVay, III, the captain of the U.S.S. Indianapolis, was wrongly
convicted of negligence for the loss of the U.S.S. Indianapolis near
the end of World War II. McVay was the first officer in the history of
the United States Navy to be court-martialed for losing his ship to
enemy fire in time of war.
After conducting interviews with survivors of the U.S.S. Indianapolis
and uncovering other information, Hunter felt that McVay was wrongly
accused and brought his case to this body, the House of
Representatives. Hunter has been lobbying the Congress to, quote, erase
all mention of a court-martial and conviction from Captain McVay's
records and get a Presidential Unit Citation for the U.S.S.
Indianapolis and her crew.
Hunter found that Navy officials knew enemy submarines were in the
vicinity of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and did not give Captain McVay that
information. He found that the Navy rejected McVay's request for an
escort from Guam to the Leyte Gulf in the Philippines where the ship
was attacked and sunk by a torpedo with hundreds of lives lost.
Hunter began his sixth grade research project by placing an ad in the
local newspaper which led to his obtaining a list of the ship's
survivors. He contacted the survivors who shared stories, photos and
mementos of their ordeal on the Indianapolis. Though the Navy stands by
the court-martialing of Mr. McVay, Hunter has been interviewed by
network and local television programs, lobbied Members of Congress, and
won first place for his research in his county's school history fair.
Hunter is an example to his classmates and children everywhere. But
more important than all of that, Hunter is a young man who decided that
something was wrong. He saw the wrong, and he had the courage to do
everything in his power to right it.
In the words of a great author, Stephen Carter, in his book
Integrity, he says that there are three parts of integrity. He says
first you must recognize the difference between right and wrong; number
two, you must act upon it even at your own peril; and, number three,
you must tell someone about it.
This 13-year-old young man from the gentleman from Florida's district
has done something that I wish more people would do. He has adhered to
Stephen Carter's definition of integrity. He realized that Captain
McVay was wrongly accused and court-martialed, and he realized that
that was wrong. Number two, he went further than that to say not only
to his classmates and to his county and to the country but to the world
that this was wrong and he wanted to right it. Just as important, he
has let all of us know, and he has been a lesson not only to children
everywhere but to us grownups of what should be done when one finds a
wrong and knows that they should right it and then takes the steps to
do it.
And so it is so interesting, and I say this to the gentleman from
Florida, when I saw him on the news program, little did I know that I
would be standing here today, I was so moved by that story, little did
I know that I would be standing here today to salute this great, great
American for his hard work and his perseverance.
I can say to Hunter, I hope that he is looking upon us today, that we
salute you with all of the power and all the respect that we have in
our bodies.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Madam Speaker, I certainly want to rise and thank
and commend the gentleman from
[[Page H10471]]
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for his inspiring words.
Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink).
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time. I want to pay tribute to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Scarborough) and to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms.
Carson) my Democratic colleagues for their tremendous efforts in trying
to carry the voice of this young man Hunter Scott to the places that
could make a difference, to change that historic error that was
uncovered by Hunter Scott as a result of his tenacious and industrious
work in a school project.
I am standing here today because I am not only moved by this young
man and by the commitment that he undertook and the courage that he
evidently felt in raising this issue to this huge government that very
few of us can very frequently change but took it upon himself to make
the points that he felt were so important in order to correct history.
I stand here today because my connection is not just an intellectual
one or an inspirational one with Hunter Scott but because there is a
person in the State of Hawaii who has been working on this issue for
decades. He is the son of Captain McVay, a very, very well-known and
well-regarded person in my State, Kimo Wilder McVay, who has been
trying and trying and trying to get people to listen to what he
believed was a terrible injustice done to his father. He has spoken to
the people in the State and taken his anguished feeling to many, many
quarters.
Recently our State legislature adopted a resolution incorporating all
the findings of Mr. McVay that he had pursued. But the world was not
open to him in terms of raising this issue to the cognizance of the
national government. I stand here today to pay special tribute to
Hunter Scott, because this young man, 12 years of age, a seventh grader
in a school in Florida, was able to gather together the evidence, the
history, the commentary of the survivors of the U.S.S Indianapolis and
put it together in a very, very telling history report which he sent me
a copy.
{time} 1745
I was tremendously moved.
His letter is something that should be placed in the Record, and I
ask unanimous consent, Madam Speaker, to do so.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Emerson). Is there objection to the
request of the gentlewoman from Hawaii?
There was no objection.
Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Madam Speaker, he starts off by saying, My name
is Hunter Scott. I am 12 years old and in the seventh grade, and I have
been pursuing this matter of the war time disaster, and he goes on to
detail almost day by day, hour by hour what happened exactly to the
U.S.S. Indianapolis, and it is a very, very moving, well-documented,
well-researched piece of evidence.
The letter in its entirety is as follows:
October 12, 1997.
Hon. Patsy T. Mink,
Rayburn House Office Building,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Mink: My name is Hunter Scott. I am 12
years old and in the seventh grade. Enclosed are several
recent newspaper articles about my history fair project on
the USS Indianapolis tragedy in 1945. The greatest wartime
disaster at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy, in which
only 316 of 1,196 men survived including its skipper Charles
B. McVay III, who was court-martialed and found guilty. I
have also included a video cassette of my appearances on NBC
Nightly news with Tom Brokaw, and TNN's ``Prime Time
County''. I would like to thank you in advance for any help
you could give me. Congressmen Scarborough and Bono have
already agreed to help me in my quest to help clear Captain
McVay's name, and honor the ship and its crew.
Captain McVay is the only skipper ever court-martialed for
losing his ship in a time of war, despite the fact over 700
ships were lost in WWII. I have thoroughly investigated the
circumstances surrounding the sinking of the USS Indianapolis
and I feel Captain McVay should be cleared of all wrongdoing
(see attachment A). I would like your help and guidance in my
quest to help clear Captain McVay's name on behalf of his
sons, Charles IV and Kimo, and the 150 living survivors.
I have been advised that the best course of setting this
historical record straight would be for Congress to take
action in the form of a Joint Resolution (attachment B). This
resolution would express the sense that Congress recognizes
an injustice was done and order that all mention of the
court-martial and conviction of Captain Charles McVay be
expunged from the records. It would be signed by the
President and become public law. It is never too late to set
an injustice straight.
I have been talking with the remaining survivors for over a
year, and feel this injustice needs to be corrected. These
men range in age from age 69 to 92 and time is running out
for them to see the day when the honor of their captain is
restored. I, along with the survivors, feel this ship and
their part in the mission that ended WWII has been
overshadowed by Captain McVay's court-martial.
Even though I am 12 years old, I would be willing to
testify before the Congress and pleased the case for Captain
McVay. I have the greatest collection of information
pertaining to this incident of anyone in the world, and I
would like to make it available to you and other members of
Congress.
Please let me know what you can do to help me on behalf of
the survivors and the McVay family.
Sincerely,
Hunter Scott.
I wish that we could come here to the floor, Madam Speaker, today to
not just herald the thoughtful deliberate efforts of this young man,
but to give him the greatest reward of all, and that is to say that the
resolution that is a result of his work, H. Res. 590 that was
introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough), is indeed
being taken up by the Congress and being adopted because that is really
the recognition, I am sure, that he seeks, and so like the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Scarborough), I hope that we will be able in the
106th Congress to persuade enough people to understand the message
contained in Hunter Scott's letters and in his transmissions to the
Congress to finally pass this, rectify the wrong that occurred over 50
years ago.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, those who teach our children often say that we must
teach to their strengths, and I am so glad that when our next speaker
heard about this young man's efforts she realized that he had a strong
conviction to do something and to make sure that he righted a wrong, as
I said a little bit earlier.
I am so glad that the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) from
Indianapolis took his situation, working with the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Scarborough) working with the Speaker, working with many,
many others, the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) and the gentleman
from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) who will speak later, and took that cause
and saw that this young man had a strength, they did not turn their
faces away from him, they looked into his eyes and said:
``We will help you.''
Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms.
Carson), my distinguished colleague.
(Ms. CARSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her
remarks.)
Ms. CARSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding this
time to me, and thanks to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough)
in whose district this young man that we pay special tribute today
resides, and always to the honorable gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs.
Mink) who has the privilege of having a dear relative of one of the
casualties of this very tragic situation who resides in her district
and to Members of Congress all.
Let me suggest to the House of Representatives today that when Hunter
Scott first came to Washington in pursuit of justice, as my colleagues
have heard described here today, that I met the young man at the
airport when he first flew in from Florida because of my enduring
appreciation for the young man and his good work. And we created a
House bill, House bill 3710, that the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Scarborough) and I co-authored, along with other Members of this
distinguished body, asking for the relief, especially the memory, of
the individuals who were aboard the U.S.S. Indianapolis, a city whom I
represent and whom that ship was proudly named for, to try to vindicate
in some way before the remaining 12 survivors went to meet their maker.
When I met Hunter Scott at the airport and enjoyed and experienced
all the enthusiasm that he had had for this project in terms of
redemption, I was
[[Page H10472]]
reminded of the great poet that said that the lion shall lay down with
the lamb, and a little child shall lead them, and, as I have been here
in this 105th Congress, I thought of Congress as being the lion and
hopefully that this young man, this 12 year old, now 13 year old, would
certainly be the child that would lead Congress in the right direction
in terms of vindicating those aboard U.S.S. Indianapolis that was
torpedoed and sunk just before the end of the war in the United States
Navy's worst disaster at sea. The Navy, embarrassed by forces of great
disaster, has never recognized heroism of the crew and instead court-
martialed the captain Charles McVay.
I, too, have a relative and a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis who
still remains in Indianapolis, Indiana. My colleagues have heard the
tragic subsequent events that followed the sinking of the U.S.S.
Indianapolis and the fact that America was so jubilant that the war was
over they did not even discover the U.S.S. Indianapolis had not come to
shore. And I think that this country and Old Glory that we salute here
on this floor on a daily basis owes it to America and certainly owes it
to Hunter Scott, who unfortunately is at camp at this time and unable
to watch this personal salute that is given to him. But I would trust,
as the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) has mentioned, that the
106th Congress would be about the very serious business of vindicating
the survivors of U.S.S. Indianapolis, reversing a very bad item on the
record of those who survived this ship and to give a very special
salute to a young man who stands as a beacon for so many young people
around this country in terms of what can, in fact, be accomplished if
one holds fast the dreams and does not let dreams die.
Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie).
Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, there are sometimes opportunities for
us on this floor to enlighten ourselves and the public in a way that is
not generally available under other means and other circumstances. This
is one of those instances thanks to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Scarborough) in particular and young Hunter Scott. I am sure young Mr.
Scott would be only too happy to have the accolades which have extended
to him today be set aside if we could come to the kind of conclusion
that we think the activity here today warrants. But that is not the
case.
Also I think, Madam Speaker, that we often find ourselves in a
position where we are attempting to convey information not just to
ourselves, but because we are the Congress of the United States, to the
Nation as a whole, and sometimes in that process we forget that there
are those who are impacted individually and collectively in the most
personal way. And as the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) has
indicated, we have, as a result of our residents in Hawaii, just one
such instance. The son of the captain resides in our district and is
known to the gentlewoman from Hawaii and myself; well, I guess all of
her life and for the past 4 decades of my life, a wonderful gentleman,
and gentleman is the appropriate word, I can assure my colleagues, who
in some respects can be said to be a victim as well.
As my colleagues know, fate is often cruel and history capricious and
arbitrary in the way it is implemented, and so it probably seems to
those who do not know the circumstances and the facts a situation in
which one would expect the son of the captain that has to carry this
burden of court-martial, expect the son to take this position of trying
to vindicate the father and, therefore, be able to dismiss the factual
circumstances around the incident, if we can call that tragedy such.
So, while there was empathy and sympathy certainly by those of us who
knew Kimo McVay, we understood as well, or thought we understood as
well, that there was likely little that could be done about it, and it
just goes to show that even though we by virtue of being Members of
Congress are optimistic in nature, nonetheless it did not occur to us.
Shame on us really. Shame on us. It did not occur to us that there was
perhaps something that could be done.
I have not thought about the biblical phrase, and a little child
shall lead them, but it certainly jumped to the forefront of my
thoughts today as I contemplated what to say at this particular moment.
But we have all been admonished in a way, all brought up a little
short to say yes, not only can an individual make a difference in the
United States of America, but we should not become so jaded and so
certain that we know how things are going to work as to forget that it
is quite possible to bring to the attention of the people of this
country an injustice and fully expect, as this child did; I think we
sometimes forget that this is a child we are discussing here today; a
child brought us all up short and said, ``Look you're not doing your
duty, you're not paying the kind of attention that needs to be paid to
these circumstances.''
And I suppose then, Madam Speaker, in conclusion I can say that it is
perhaps somewhat to our credit then that when the information was
presented to us and when we had to confront the work that was presented
by this young man, we did in fact then move, and move expeditiously,
and work in a nonpartisan basis to arrive at this point today.
So I want to assure Kimo McVay, the son of Captain McVay, and I want
to assure Hunter Scott that the Members of this Congress have now taken
up this cause, will not lay it down until it comes to a successful
conclusion, and we will see the day that justice will arrive and come
down like a mighty river.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I certainly hope that, and I am sure someone is doing
it, will videotape what is going on here today so that Hunter Scott
will have an opportunity to see the honor which has been paid to him by
all of us, and to him I want to make sure he understands that we take
his cause very, very seriously, that we honor him because he is right.
We honor him because he has stood up for what he knew to be right. We
honor him because he has brought Republicans and Democrats together to
right a wrong.
And we want to make sure that as he goes throughout his life, and he
continues on this wonderful journey called life, that he is
strengthened and encouraged by us. We have not given up just as he has
not given up.
And I leave these simple words from the Bible with him, and I hope
that they will be ingrained in the DNA of every cell of his body until
he dies, and they are simply these:
They what wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall
rise up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they
shall walk and not faint.
To Hunter I say:
Thank you so much for giving so much. Thank you so much for bringing
us together around a cause. Thank you so much for being sensitive to a
family, a family that still grieves for they know that their loved one
has been wronged. Thank you so much for coming to the Congress of the
United States of America and presenting that research to us. We
promise, we promise that we will go forward with all of the same kind
of strength, the same kind of power and the same kind of convictions
that you have.
With that, Madam Speaker, I encourage all of our Members to support
this legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
I just wanted to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for
his very eloquent remarks, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from
Indiana (Ms. Carson), the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink), the
gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie) and of course Hunter for all he
has done and also obviously Admiral McVay's son, Kimo.
{time} 1800
I say to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Mrs. Mink) and the gentleman
from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie), we certainly hope that as they go back
to Hawaii, that they let them know we are going to continue the good
fight in the 106th Congress. We are not going to let this resolution,
this matter die until we do receive the justice that is deserved.
[[Page H10473]]
I think it says an awful lot about this country. It says an awful lot
about Hunter's fighting spirit, that he is keeping this battle going.
In fact, it is a bit ironic, but again I think it is positive, when the
reporters asked Hunter as he assembled down in the triangle during a
press conference, where Kimo McVay was reduced to tears, one of the
last questions they asked him was, ``What do you want to do when you
grow up?'' He said, ``I want to go to the Naval Academy, and I want to
be an officer.''
I think that says an awful lot about him, that we can recognize and
we can love an institution, like we in Pensacola and Hawaii love the
United States Navy, and still recognize that they make mistakes; and
when they make mistakes, they need to correct those mistakes. With the
help of Hunter and all of Hunter's new-found friends here, that is
exactly what we are going to do in the 106th Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Brady). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 590, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________