[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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