[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10848-H10849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 AUTHORIZING PRESIDENT TO CONSENT TO THIRD PARTY TRANSFER OF EX-U.S.S. 
               ``BOWMAN COUNTY'' TO USS LST SHIP MEMORIAL

  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4519) to authorize the President to consent to third party 
transfer of the ex-U.S.S. Bowman County to the U.S.S. LST Ship 
Memorial, Inc.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4519

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

     SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO CONSENT TO THIRD PARTY TRANSFER OF 
                   EX-USS BOWMAN COUNTY TO USS LST SHIP MEMORIAL, 
                   INC.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) It is the long-standing policy of the United States 
     Government to deny requests for the retransfer of significant 
     military equipment that originated in the United States to 
     private entities.
       (2) In very exceptional circumstances, when the United 
     States public interest would be served by the proposed 
     retransfer and end-use, such requests may be favorably 
     considered.
       (3) Such retransfers to private entities have been 
     authorized in very exceptional circumstances following 
     appropriate demilitarization and receipt of assurances from 
     the private entity that the item to be transferred would be 
     used solely in furtherance of Federal Government contracts or 
     for static museum display.
       (4) Nothing in this section should be construed as a 
     revision of long-standing policy referred to in paragraph 
     (1).
       (5) The Government of Greece has requested the consent of 
     the United States Government to the retransfer of HS Rodos 
     (ex-USS Bowman County (LST 391)) to the USS LST Ship 
     Memorial, Inc.
       (b) Authority To Consent to Retransfer.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the President 
     may consent to the retransfer by the Government of Greece of 
     HS Rodos (ex-USS Bowman County (LST 391)) to the USS LST Ship 
     Memorial, Inc.
       (2) Conditions for consent.--The President should not 
     exercise the authority under paragraph (1) unless the USS LST 
     Memorial, Inc.--
       (A) utilizes the vessel for public, nonprofit, museum-
     related purposes; and
       (B) complies with applicable law with respect to the 
     vessel, including those requirements related to facilitating 
     monitoring by the Federal Government of, and mitigating 
     potential environmental hazards associated with, aging 
     vessels, and has a demonstrated financial capability to so 
     comply.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Hunter) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Sisisky) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).


                             General Leave

  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H.R. 4519, the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Military 
Procurement of the Committee on National Security, I rise in support of 
H.R. 4519. This bill would consent to the third-party transfer at no 
cost to the U.S. Government of the ex-U.S.S. Bowman County, a World War 
II era tank loading ship, to the U.S.S. LST Ship Memorial, 
Incorporated, a not-for-profit organization.
  This organization would operate the vessel as a memorial to the 
veterans of World War II amphibious landings. The ex-U.S.S. Bowman 
County is currently the property of the government of Greece. It was 
transferred to Greece in 1960 under the Military Assistance Program.
  Today, Greece wants to dispose of this vessel and is willing to 
transfer the ship back to the U.S. Government, who would then transfer 
it to the LST Ship Memorial, Incorporated.
  That is the state of play, Mr. Speaker. We support this particular 
bill very strongly on the Republican side of the aisle and in the 
Committee on National Security.
  We want to commend, of course, not only the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Sisisky), the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Military 
Procurement, but also the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), who has been 
the prime mover of this particular bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SISISKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Military 
Procurement, I rise in support of H.R. 4519. I agree with the 
representations made by the distinguished gentleman from California 
(Mr. Hunter) regarding the proposed transfer of ex-U.S.S. Bowman 
County, LST 391, from the government of Greece to the U.S.S. LST Ship 
Memorial, Incorporated.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the very 
distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Sisisky) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).
  Mr. Speaker, I will be brief. I just want to say a word or so of 
gratitude to those that have been of such great help to a group of 
veterans to whom this means so very much.
  This bill, of course, is to recognize a group of veterans who put 
their lives in harm's way, and I am going to mention some of them. One 
of them right off, Speaker Rayburn, appropriated the funds with which 
these ships were built

[[Page H10849]]

and bought and dispatched. It is from these ships that they went to 
Omaha Beach.
  Olin Tiger Teague of this body, the first chairman of the Committee 
on Space and longtime Member here departed from this ship. General Earl 
Rudder, who is next to the highest decorated veteran of World War II 
from Texas, just under Audie Murphy, embarked from this ship.
  It means a lot to us and it means a lot to these old soldiers and 
sailors. After World War II, it was transferred to Greece. The 
government of Greece has requested the consent that it come back. I 
think all the bases have been tagged.
  This ship was in Sicily. It was in Italy, Salerno, Normandy, Omaha 
Beach. It suffered casualties. It transported prisoners of war when the 
war was over. It is a ship that will find its home port in New Orleans 
with the help of these two fine leaders in Congress and the support 
their committees have given, and I appreciate it.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thought this might be an appropriate 
moment, too, to reflect on the fact that today we do not have a lot of 
World War II veterans in the United States Congress. At one time we had 
a lot of them but we now have very few. I know the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Hall) is a World War II veteran, I believe a pilot, and the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Sisisky) is a World War II veteran.
  I know on our side, on the national security side, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Stump) is a World War II veteran. He claims he joined at 
the age of 11. I think he is trying to keep his age down there.
  I just want to express my thanks to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hall) for all of the great service that he has given this country, long 
before he came to the House of Representatives. I believe we only have 
a handful of World War II veterans right now serving in the U.S. 
Congress. Is that accurate?
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Those of us that are just the very healthiest and 
have really taken care of ourselves, live real clean lives, are still 
around.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4519, and I want 
to thank my colleague from Texas, Congressman Ralph Hall, for his 
leadership and persistence in bringing this bill to the House floor for 
consideration.
  Earlier this summer, I was contacted by Mr. Peter Leaska and told 
about the history of the U.S.S. Bowman County. Mr. Leaska is a member 
of the LST Association of Massachusetts, an association of veterans who 
served on these LST vessels during World War II. He is a man of quiet 
dedication and courage, like his fellow members in the LST Association, 
who served our country during its time of greatest peril.
  Mr. Leaska told me how the U.S.S. Bowman County was used to carry 
troops, tanks and guns to Normandy as part of the amphibious assault to 
liberate Europe. His request was simple: Could the U.S.S. Bowman 
County, now in Greece, be transferred back to the United States and to 
the control of the non-profit U.S.S. LST Ship Memorial? The veterans 
who served on these vessels want to preserve the U.S.S. Bowman County 
and display her as a museum and memorial, so that their families and 
today's and future generations of children might recall the heroic 
deeds carried out by average American men and women and be honored and 
remembered.
  I won't go into the details of how complicated it turned out to be to 
fulfill this simple request made by these World War II veterans. It has 
taken enormous perseverance on the part of LST Association members 
around the country to bring us to this moment. It has taken the 
determination of my colleague from Texas [Congressman Ralph Hall] to 
provide the Congressional authorization for the transfer of this vessel 
to a third party. And I hope in these final days of Congress, the 
Senate will approve this bill and also authorize the transfer of the 
U.S.S. Bowman County to these veterans.
  It's popular these days to go see the movie, ``Saving Private Ryan,'' 
a beautiful film about the sacrifices and horrors faced by the men and 
women who served during World War II. This is a simple act to reward 
and remember those veterans who served on LST vessels.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. SISISKY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4519.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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