[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


    DEDICATION OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR MEMORIAL AT RIVERSIDE NATIONAL 
                                CEMETERY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 15, 1998

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make Members aware of an 
important event taking place in my district during the end of next 
year.
  The Congressional Medal of Honor Society will host a convention on 
November 3-7, 1999 in Riverside, California. The convention will 
consist of two parts. The first will be an actual gathering of Medal of 
Honor recipients, their spouses, and other interested participants. The 
second will be a dedication of a memorial at Riverside National 
Cemetery, the second largest national cemetery next to Arlington, for 
all Medal of Honor recipients past and present.
  Of the 3,417 Medals of Honor which have been presented since 1863, 
only 162 recipients are still with us. During the course of the 
convention, the members of the Society will hold a memorial service at 
Riverside National Cemetery. Attendees will commemorate and remember 
those who have died since the last convention. Shortly thereafter, 
dedication ceremonies for the newly-built Medal of Honor Memorial will 
take place.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the hard work of those planning the 
convention, as well as those who are organizing the construction and 
dedication of the memorial site. They are at this moment trying to 
raise the necessary funding through private donations. Even for 
worthwhile projects such as the convention and memorial dedication, 
which all freedom loving Americans support, both organizing committees 
have decided to forego taxpayer funds. By this, I am truly impressed.
  I am honored and proud to have the Riverside National Cemetery 
located in my district. Those who are interred come from every State of 
the Union. The Riverside National Cemetery is the most active cemetery 
in the system, averaging more than 29 burials per day. This rate will 
increase with the passage of time. When the cemetery is fully utilized, 
there will be approximately 1,400,000 honored dead interred at 
Riverside National Cemetery. It may soon dwarf Arlington National 
Cemetery and virtually every other cemetery in the national system.
  Riverside National Cemetery, at present, is the final resting place 
for two Medal of Honor recipients--Staff Sgt. Ysmael Villegas, United 
States Army, awarded posthumously for actions in the Philippines, and 
Commander John Henry Balch, United States Navy, awarded for actions in 
France. Among the many other veterans buried at RNC is one of the last 
Buffalo Soldiers, Woody Strode. Mr. Strode was an African-American 
actor who performed in several western movies.
  In my state of California, 102 individuals have been awarded the 
Medal of Honor. One was Lt. John Finn, USN (ret.) the most senior 
living recipient. He was decorated for his action of December 7, 1941. 
Just as noteworthy, he was already nearing retirement at that time. 
Another was Brigadier General John Doolittle who was decorated for his 
actions in leading what everyone believed would be a one-way trip in 
the raid on Tokyo barely six months after Pearl Harbor. Finally, there 
was Private First Class Sadao Munemori, United States Army. He was 
decorated posthumously for his actions as a member of the most 
decorated unit in World War II, the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team. 
With their cry of ``Go For Broke,'' this unit was composed entirely of 
Nisei, or second generation Americans of Japanese ancestry. They helped 
turn the tide against Germany in World War II.
  Mr. Speaker, the Medal of Honor memorial will contain all 3,417 
names. At present, there is no publicly accessible place in which all 
of the nation's Medal of Honor recipients are honored at one location. 
This will truly be a one-of-a-kind memorial.
  For each Medal of Honor recipient, an Italian Cypress tree will be 
placed throughout Riverside National Cemetery. Within the immediate 
vicinity of the monument, 300 of these trees will be planted. These 
trees live in excess of 100 years, reach heights of over 100 feet, grow 
well in southern California, and require minimal maintenance. The 
monument itself will include a walled area which will surround a pool 
and a miniature waterfall.
  An area has already been identified for the location of the memorial. 
It will not, in any way, interfere with the burial capabilities of the 
cemetery. It will be located in an easily accessible area for guests 
and visitors to the cemetery. Across time, it will draw this country's 
citizens to this national shrine to heroism and patriotism.
  In closing, I wish to quote the mission of the Congressional Medal of 
Honor Society because I believe it best reflects what this convention 
and memorial is all about . . . ``To serve our country in peace as we 
did in war . . . To inspire and stimulate our youth to become worthy 
citizens of our country . . . To foster and perpetuate Americanism.''
  I look forward to the Congressional Medal of Honor convention and to 
the dedication of the memorial. This is something that has long been 
overdue. We must honor those who were willing to make the ultimate 
sacrifice for our great country.

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