[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 102 (Monday, July 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S8806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 44--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
 A COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP SHOULD BE ISSUED IN HONOR OF THE U.S.S. 
           ``NEW JERSEY'' AND ALL THOSE WHO SERVED ABOARD HER

  Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself and Mr. Torricelli) submitted the 
following resolution which was referred to the Committee on Government 
Affairs:

                            S. Con. Res. 44

       Whereas the Iowa Class Battleship, the U.S.S. New Jersey 
     (BB-62), is the most decorated warship in United States naval 
     history, with 16 battle stars and 20 citations, medals, and 
     ribbons during her 56 years of service;
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey was launched on December 7, 
     1942, by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; sponsored by Mrs. 
     Charles Edison, wife of then-Governor Edison of New Jersey, 
     former Secretary of the Navy; and commissioned at 
     Philadelphia on May 23, 1943, Captain Carl F. Holden in 
     command;
       Whereas her first action as a flagship for Admiral William 
     ``Bull'' Halsey's Third Fleet was a bold 2-day surface and 
     air strike by her task force against the supposedly 
     impregnable Japanese fleet base on Truk in the Caroline 
     Islands, thereby interdicting Japanese naval retaliation in 
     response to the conquest of the Marshall Islands;
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey provided crucial firepower 
     for the assault on Iwo Jima;
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey gave the same crucial service 
     for the first major aircraft carrier raid on Tokyo;
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey's guns opened the first shore 
     bombardment in Korea at Wonsan, and served with distinction 
     throughout the remainder of the Korean conflict;
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey participated in bombardment 
     and fire support missions along the Vietnamese coast during 
     the Vietnam era;
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey earned the Navy Unit 
     Commendation for Vietnam service, received 9 battle stars for 
     World War II, 4 for the Korean conflict, and 3 for the 
     Vietnam era;
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey supported the Marine 
     operation with the Multinational Peacekeeping Force in 
     Beirut, Lebanon;
       Whereas, in 1991, the U.S.S. New Jersey became the first 
     United States battleship to enter and operate in the Persian 
     Gulf; and
       Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey, after being decommissioned 
     on February 8, 1991, and due in no small part to the efforts 
     of the U.S.S. New Jersey Battleship Foundation, will be 
     heading home in the fall of 1999 to become a floating 
     monument and an educational museum: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that--
       (1) a commemorative postage stamp should be issued by the 
     United States Postal Service in honor of the U.S.S. New 
     Jersey and all those who served aboard her; and
       (2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend 
     to the Postmaster General that such a postage stamp be 
     issued.

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to submit an 
important resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that a 
commemorative postage stamp should be issued in honor of the U.S.S. New 
Jersey, an Iowa class battleship, and all those who served aboard her.
  From the time of its launch on December 7, 1942, the U.S.S. New 
Jersey provided crucial support to numerous naval missions throughout 
the world. It is the most decorated warship in U.S. naval history, 
having earned battle stars, citations, medals, and ribbons from World 
War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam era. Furthermore, the 
U.S.S. New Jersey was the first U.S. battleship to enter and operate in 
the Persian Gulf.
  The New Jersey was decommissioned in 1991, and in the fiscal year 
1999 Defense authorization bill, I authorized a provision to mandate 
that the Navy donate the U.S.S. New Jersey to a nonprofit entity that 
will relocate the ship in the state of New Jersey. Now, after the 
overwhelming support and continuous struggle of various groups and 
individuals in the state, as well as bipartisan efforts from New 
Jersey's state and federal legislators, the battleship is scheduled to 
return to New Jersey this fall. For this, I would like to extend my 
thanks to the residents of New Jersey who have donated countless hours 
in volunteer time, as well as to the Battleship New Jersey Foundation 
whose efforts were a driving force in the success of this endeavor.
  Now that the U.S.S. New Jersey is coming home, it is time to honor 
this great ship with a commemorative stamp.

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