[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 171 (Tuesday, December 11, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H9225-H9227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORT H.R. 3443, FAIRNESS TO ALL VIETNAM VETERANS ACT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from California (Mr. Horn) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Fairness to All
Vietnam Veterans Act, H.R. 3443. This legislation directs the Secretary
of Defense to report to Congress an appropriate way to recognize and
honor Vietnam veterans who died in service of our Nation, but whose
names are not listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
Constituents began contacting my District Office regarding 74 members
who died on the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans who are not listed on the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. The names of these 74 brave Americans,
and many others who have lost their lives serving the United States
during the Vietnam conflict, deserve proper recognition. Some have been
excluded due to technicalities. We should honor all the men and women
of the Vietnam conflict who gave their lives serving our country.
The destroyer Evans was first launched near the end of the Second
World War and was recommissioned for Korea and again for Vietnam. The
Evans sailed from the Port of Long
[[Page H9226]]
Beach for the last time in the spring of 1969. After seeing serious
combat off the coast of Vietnam, the Evans was sent to a brief training
exercise called Operation Sea Spirit in the South China Sea. This
operation involved over 40 ships of the Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization.
On the morning of June 3, 1969, the crew of the Evans awoke to the
sounds of the Australian carrier, Melbourne, splitting in half the
American destroyer Evans. The forward half, where all 74 deaths took
place, sank in 3 minutes. Although they were in the South China Sea,
these sailors have been excluded from the wall because their downed
vessel was just outside the designated combat zone which determines
inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
Although these men did not die in direct combat, they were
instrumental in forwarding American objectives in Vietnam and
participated in conflict just days before the collision that claimed
their lives. The historical and personal records of the Evans tell a
story of valor and patriotism, and, for some, the ultimate sacrifice
for their country.
I believe that after examining the important role these men played in
the Vietnam conflict, I hope you will agree that those who died deserve
the honor of being listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
Unfortunately, the case of the Evans does not stand alone. There are
many families across the United States whose loved ones have been
excluded from proper recognition.
I believe it is time for the Department of Defense to examine current
policies for placement on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. H.R. 3443
asks for a complete study of the current standards and for an
examination of those who died, such as those 74 on the Evans, that seem
appropriate for inclusion on the wall.
The Fairness to All Vietnam Veterans Act has the support of the
United States Ship Frank E. Evans Association, as well as hundreds of
family members across the country, hoping to see loved ones properly
recognized. I urge my colleagues to support and pass this much-needed
and overdue piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the bill, as well as various
comments from Mr. Hennessy, a distinguished columnist of the Press
Telegram in Long Beach, California.
H.R. 3443
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fairness to All Vietnam
Veterans Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) Public Law 96-297 (94 Stat. 827) authorized the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., (the ``Memorial Fund'') to
construct a memorial ``in honor and recognition of the men
and women of the Armed Forces of the United States who served
in the Vietnam war''.
(2) The Memorial Fund determined that the most fitting
tribute to those who served in the Vietnam war would be to
permanently inscribe the names of the members of the Armed
Forces who died during the Vietnam war, or who remained
missing at the conclusion of the war, on a memorial wall.
(3) The Memorial Fund relied on the Department of Defense
to compile the list of individuals whose names would be
inscribed on the memorial wall and the criteria for inclusion
on such list.
(4) The Memorial Fund established procedures under which
mistakes and omissions in the inscription of names on the
memorial wall could be corrected.
(5) Under such procedures, the Department of Defense
established eligibility requirements that must be met before
the Memorial Fund will make arrangements for the name of a
veteran to be inscribed on the memorial wall.
(6) The Department of Defense determines the eligibility
requirements and has periodically modified such requirements.
(7) As of February 1981, in order for the name of a veteran
to be eligible for inscription on the memorial wall, the
veteran must have--
(A) died in Vietnam between November 1, 1955, and December
31, 1960;
(B) died in a specified geographic combat zone on or after
January 1, 1961;
(C) died as a result of physical wounds sustained in such
combat zone; or
(D) died while participating in, or providing direct
support to, a combat mission immediately en route to or
returning from such combat zone.
(8) Public Law 106-214 (114 Stat. 335) authorizes the
American Battle Monuments Commission to provide for the
placement of a plaque within the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
``to honor those Vietnam veterans who died after their
service in the Vietnam war, but as a direct result of that
service, and whose names are not otherwise eligible for
placement on the memorial wall''.
(9) The names of a number of veterans who died during the
Vietnam war are not eligible for inscription on the memorial
wall or the plaque.
(10) Examples of such names include the names of the 74
servicemembers who died aboard the USS Frank E. Evans (DD-
174) on June 3, 1969, while the ship was briefly outside the
combat zone participating in a training exercise.
SEC. 3. STUDY AND REPORT.
(a) Study.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study
that--
(1) identifies the veterans (as defined in section 101(2)
of title 38, United States Code) who died on or after
November 1, 1955, as a direct or indirect result of military
operations in southeast Asia and whose names are not eligible
for inscription on the memorial wall of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial;
(2) evaluates the feasibility and equitability of revising
the eligibility requirements applicable to the inscription of
names on the memorial wall to be more inclusive of such
veterans; and
(3) evaluates the feasibility and equitability of creating
an appropriate alternative means of recognition for such
veterans.
(b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit
to Congress a report based on the study conducted under
subsection (a). Such report shall include--
(1) the reasons (organized by category) that the names of
the veterans identified under subsection (a)(1) are not
eligible for inscription on the memorial wall under current
eligibility requirements, and the number of veterans affected
in each category;
(2) a list of the alternative eligibility requirements
considered under subsection (a)(2);
(3) a list of the alternative means of recognition
considered under subsection (a)(3); and
(4) the conclusions and recommendations of the Secretary of
Defense with regard to the feasibility and equitability of
each alternative considered.
(c) Consultations.--In conducting the study under
subsection (a) and preparing the report under subsection (b),
the Secretary of Defense shall consult with--
(1) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(2) the Secretary of the Interior;
(3) the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc.;
(4) the American Battle Monuments Commission;
(5) the Vietnam Women's Memorial, Inc.; and
(6) the National Capital Planning Commission.
____
They Must Be Remembered
(By Tom Hennessy)
There will be speeches this weekend; Memorial Day
remembrances of heroic people and hallowed names.
But those hallowed names are not likely to include the USS
Frank E. Evans. Or the 74 largely forgotten crew members who
died aboard the destroyer at the height of the Vietnam War.
And whose names are not listed on the Vietnam Wall.
This is their story.
Launched near the end of World War II, recommissioned for
Korea and again for Vietnam, the Evans sailed from her home
port, Long Beach, in the spring of 1969. It would be her last
voyage.
After combat off the coast of Vietnam, she and her 272-man
crew were ordered to join ``Operation Sea Spirit,'' a
training exercise involving 40-plus ships of the Southeast
Asia Treaty Organization.
On the morning of June 3, she was in the South China Sea
with companion ships that included the Melbourne, an
Australian carrier.
``I had watched a movie the night before,'' says Tom Manley
of Long Beach. ``I'd left my clothes on because I had the
early morning watch and had gone to sleep about midnight.''
At 3:30 a.m., Manley and shipmates were awakened in
terrifying fashion.
``The whole ship turned over on its side,'' says Manley.
``Everybody fell down. A guy came down the ladder with a
flashlight and said . . . that we needed to get out.''
A boilerman 3rd class, Manley helped shipmates to their
feet. One, Pete Taylor, had broken his arm. Together, he and
Manley managed to reach the ship's fantail.
``A lot of guys were jumping in the water,'' says Manley.
``Pete was worried. Because of his broken arm, he couldn't
swim. I said I'd try to find a life jacket in case we had to
go into the water. I walked toward the front of the ship
where they kept the life jackets.''
Manley was stunned by what he saw. ``There was no front of
the ship. It was gone.''
Horrific message
Aboard the American carrier Kearsage, Doug Care of Santa
Clarita was working the Sea Spirit radio circuit.
``I had been on the circuit about five minutes when the
radio came to life with a fellow with an Australian accent
and impeccable radio procedure. He gave a message I'll never
forget:
[[Page H9227]]
``Melbourne has just collided with Evans. Envision many
casualties. Request all possible assistance.''
Care thought it was ``a stupid time'' for a drill. But as
he read the message back to the Melbourne, he knew it was no
drill. For one thing, ``the admiral aboard the Kearsage was
looking over my shoulder still in his bathrobe.''
In the forward engine room of the Evans, Roy ``Pete''
Peters also knew it was no drill. He had been standing
messenger mid-watch when an order came to increase speed,
followed by a second order to throttle down and stop.
We immediately stopped all forward movement and were all
thrown forward and down,'' he recalls. ``All the lights went
out. Steam immediately filled the compartment and made it
hard to breathe.''
As Peters was slammed to the deck and burned by the steam,
the ocean began entering the engine room. It was a mixed
blessing.
``The cold water felt good, but I was a noqualified swimmer
in boot camp and barely made it around the pool to qualify as
a swimmer,'' he said
Peters began working his way toward the top of the engine
room, hoping to find an air pocket.
``I felt the water rising up my chest toward my face. I
knew I was going to die . . . I heard guys praying and
crying. I remember hearing Terry Baughman (a shipmate)
crying, `God, please help us!'
``As the water rose, I could see the faces of my mother and
father and I saw the face of my girlfriend, Karen. I promised
that if I got out of there, I would go back and marry her if
she would have me.''
Chaos above
Crew member Bill Thibeault of Norwich, Conn., managed to
get topside.
``There were helicopters flying around and lights all over.
I didn't really realize what had happened until I got onto
the ship's uppermost deck. Then I saw all the torn-up metal
and pipes and everything, and I thought, `Where's the rest of
the ship?' ''
The Evans had been struck amidships, and cut in two. The
forward half, where all the deaths took place, sank in three
minutes. The other half would be destroyed months later in
target practice.
``I give the Melbourne credit,'' says Manley. ``They turned
the ship around and it was back within minutes even though it
had damage to its front. They were trying to help us.''
Cargo nets were lowered on the carrier and its crew ``came
down and helped some of our people.
``We assembled on the fantail of the Melbourne,'' he says.
``They must have broke out their full ration of Foster lager.
There were cases all over the place.''
Manley and others were transferred to the Kearsage.
``It took three days until we got to Subic Bay (in the
Philippines),'' he says. ``There was no way to tell anyone
who was alive and who wasn't. My sister was calling (the
Navy) every day and they wouldn't tell her anything. The Navy
wouldn't release any information. When I got to Subic, I was
able to call.''
In New York City, Dorothy Reilly, a Roman Catholic nun,
caught the end of a newscast by Walter Cronkite. ``He
immediately broke in and said that the Frank E. Evans had
been sunk . . . I said out loud, `That's by brother's ship.'
``I ran to the radio to see if there was more news. I
remembered someone saying that there were two ships with
almost the same name, but when I heard on the radio that the
ship was from Long Beach, I knew it was the ship my brother
was on as well as his 20-year-old son.''
Lawrence J. Reilly Sr. survived. His son, Lawrence Jr., did
not.
There was a memorial service later for young Lawrence
Reilly, who had lived in Long Beach. In the middle of it, his
son, 15 months old, cried out, ``Daddy.''
``It was a heart-wrenching moment,'' says Dorothy. ``The
newspapers carried that picture and even if it were not in
print, it would be indelibly printed in the hearts of all who
heard that cry.''
Peters, the Evans crew member who had been sure he was
going to die, did not. Someone in the engine room had found a
hatch leading to safety.
Peters was treated aboard the Melbourne for burns, then
airlifted to the Kearsage, where he underwent surgery to
remove burned skin. He was hospitalized in Subic Bay.
Of his injuries, he says, ``I am sure others had it
worse.''
Yes, Peters did marry his girlfriend, Karen. They just
celebrated their 31st anniversary. Peter has an insurance
business in Redondo Beach.
The captain of the Evans was later reprimanded, ``but most
of us survivors never felt he was guilty of anything,'' says
Peters.
The Melbourne's skipper was acquitted and then resigned
from the Australian Navy.
Three in family
Seventy-four men, including five from Long Beach, lost
their lives aboard the Evans in the dark, early hours of June
3, 1969. A list appears with this column, and three names on
it resonate like the script from ``Saving Private Ryan'':
Gary Loren Sage, Gregory Allen Sage, Kelly Jo Sage.
They were brothers.
``They were also my cousins,'' says Gayle Pierce, of
Lincoln, Neb. ``Their memorial is in Niobrara, Neb., their
hometown. It is a great memorial.''
Two years ago, on Memorial Day, a ceremony was held at the
Sage Memorial. Eighteen members of the USS Frank E. Evans
Association (which will convene in Long Beach in 2003) showed
up in Niobrara to honor the three fallen shipmates.
``I think it is just wonderful that so many persons have
kept the memories of these men alive,'' Pierce says.
Missing names
But on The Vietnam Memorial wall, the nation's most visible
reminder of the war, the memory of the lost Evans crew
members has not been kept alive. Their names are not listed.
Why not?
``Technicalities,'' Peters says with frustration. ``I've
done a lot of research on this.''
To qualify for the wall, he says, a veteran had to have
been killed in the combat zone, en route to it or while
returning from a combat mission.
For the 74 lost Evans men that parameter is very thin, as
Peters notes.
``We'd been on the gun line for two weeks. We came off the
line and rendezvoused with the other ships for Operation Sea
Spirit.''
(A year earlier, appreciative Army officials had cited the
Evans for ``Conspicuously outstanding gunfire support in a
critical and demanding phase of the war.'')
Peters and everyone else interviewed for this column
believe the names of the men belong on the wall.
``I think they should be there,'' says Manley, 54, and
accounting manager. ``I had three tours in Vietnam, but I
knew guys on that ship who died who had more tours than I
did. It's just not right.''
His wife, Mary, agrees, but more tersely.
``It stinks,'' she says.
Thibeault, the Connecticut survivor, says the lost men
should be regarded as combatants.
``They weren't killed in action. But we were there. We had
fired our guns. These guys should be remembered.''
He has tried to have them remembered in another way.
``I've contacted The History Channel. I've been trying to
contact some Hollywood people as well, without any success.
There should be a movie about this.''
Through the years, Manley has remained somewhat tight-
lipped. Mary says he has only begun to talk about it
recently.
Yet, a few days ago, they note, their daughter, Jennifer,
24, asked, ``What's the Evans?''
Says Manley, ``Maybe I haven't talked about it enough.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) is recognized for 5 minutes.
(Mr. DeFAZIO addressed the House. His remarks will appear hereafter
in the Extensions of Remarks.)
____________________