[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 31, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3457-S3458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Ms. Landrieu, and Mr. 
        Lugar):
  S. 2262. A bill to provide for the establishment of campaign medals 
to be awarded to members of the Armed Forces who participate in 
Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom; to the Committee 
on Armed Services.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues, 
Senators Inhofe, Landrieu, Lugar, and Lott, to introduce a bill to 
honor our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan who have served 
and continue to serve their country by working for a free, independent, 
and stable Iraq and a new Afghanistan. These missions have been 
difficult and the cost has been high; nearly 600 Americans have been 
killed and almost 3,000 Americans have been injured in Iraq, while more 
than 500 Americans have been injured and more than 100 U.S. service men 
and women have been lost in Afghanistan.
  More than a year after the initial invasion, nearly 110,000 troops 
are still stationed in Iraq, working to build a new, stable beacon of 
freedom in the region. My fellow Senators, the liberation of Iraq is 
turning out to be the most significant military occupation and 
reconstruction effort since the end of World War II. We cannot 
understate the importance of the work being done there today.
  The administration's focus on Iraq leaves the mission in Afghanistan 
incomplete. Despite constant progress there, the fighting is still not 
over. Recent assassinations of government officials, car bombings, and 
the lingering presence of terrorist forces and former Taliban fighters 
force thousands of our troops to stay in-country.
  For there courageous efforts, the Department of Defense has decided 
to award our brave young men and women with the Global War on Terrorism 
Expeditionary Medal, GWOT, and no other medal. This is despite the fact 
the GWOT medal is meant for any individual who has served overseas 
during the war on terror and may have come within a few hundred miles 
of a combat zone. The dangers of serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are 
greater; therefore, along with my colleagues, Senators Lott, Landrieu, 
Inhofe, and Lugar, I propose to correct this mistake by passing 
legislation authorizing the Iraq and Afghanistan Liberation Medals in 
addition to the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.
  While some of us in this body have not shared the administration's 
view on this war, we are united when it comes to supporting our troops. 
These young men and women from Active Duty, National Guard, and 
Reserves are all volunteers and exemplify the very essence of what it 
means to be a patriot. We believe that what they are doing in Iraq and 
Afghanistan today differs from military expeditionary activities such 
as peacekeeping operations or no-fly-zone enforcement.
  They continue to serve, even though they do not know when they will 
return home to family and friends. They continue to serve despite the 
constant threat to their lives and the tremendous hardships they face.
  There is a difference between an expeditionary medal and a campaign 
medal. We only need to look at an excerpt from U.S. Army Qualifications 
for the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and Kosovo Campaign Medal. In 
order to receive the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, you don't need 
to go to war. You only need to be ``placed in such a position that in 
the opinion of the Joint Chief of Staff, hostile action by foreign 
armed forces was imminent even though it does not materialize.''
  To earn the Kosovo Campaign Medal, the standard is higher. A military 
member must:
  Be engaged in actual combat, or duty that is equally hazardous as 
combat duty, during the Operation with armed opposition regardless of 
time in the Area of Engagement. Or while participating in the 
Operation, regardless of time, [the service member] is wounded or 
injured and required medical evacuation from the Area of Engagement.
  Many within the military agree that there is a difference. According 
to the Army Times, ``Campaign medals help establish an immediate 
rapport with individuals checking into a unit.'' An expeditionary medal 
like the GWOT does not necessarily denote combat. A campaign medal is 
designed to recognize military personnel who have risked their lives in 
combat.

  Campaign medals matter. ``When a Marine shows up at a new duty 
station, commanders look first at his decorations and his physical 
fitness score--the first to see where he's been, the second to see if 
he can hang. They show what you've done and how serious you are,'' said 
GySgt James Cuneo. ``If you're a good Marine, people are going to award 
you when it comes time. . . .''
  My fellow colleagues, it is time. We must recognize the sacrifice of 
our young men and women who liberated Iraq, including great Americans 
like Army SPC Joseph Hudson from Alamogordo, NM, who was held as a 
prisoner of war. The Nation was captivated as we watched Specialist 
Hudson being interrogated by the enemy. Asked to divulge his military 
occupation, Specialist Hudson stared defiantly into the camera and 
said, ``I follow orders.'' Those of us with sons and daughters were 
united in worry with Specialist Hudson's family. The entire Nation 
rejoiced when he was liberated.
  We have also asked much from our Reserve and National Guard Forces.

[[Page S3458]]

The reconstruction of Iraq would not be possible without the commitment 
and sacrifice of the 170,000 guardsmen and reservists currently on 
active duty.
  My colleagues, Senators Lott, Landrieu, Inhofe, Lugar, and I are 
committed to honoring our over 200,000 heroes who liberated Iraq and 
Afghanistan. We believe that current administration policy does a 
disservice to our fighting men and women. Therefore we propose, in 
addition to the GWOT medal, new decorations that characterize the real 
missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, two that are distinctive and honor 
their sacrifice, the Iraq and Afghanistan Liberation Medals.
  What we do today is not without precedent; Congress has been 
responsible for recognizing the sacrifice and courage of our military 
forces throughout history. Congress has had a significant and 
historically central role in authorizing military decoration. Our 
Nation's highest military decorations were authorized by Congress, 
including: the Medal of Honor, the Air Force Cross, the Navy Cross, the 
Army's Distinctive Service Cross, the Silver Star, and the 
Distinguished Flying Cross.
  We have also authorized campaign and liberation medals similar to 
what we hope to accomplish with this legislation. A partial list 
includes the Spanish War Service Medal, the Army Occupation of Germany 
Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Berlin Airlift Medal, the 
Korean Service Medal, and the Prisoner of War Medal.
  The list goes on and on. The great men and women of our military 
forces are doing their jobs every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is 
time to do our job and honor them with an award that truly stands for 
their heroic service, the Iraq and Afghanistan Liberation Medals.
  I ask unanimous consent that an article from the Army Times and the 
text of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                  [From the Army Times, Mar. 15, 2004]

           Hill Set To Challenge Pentagon on Terror-War Medal

                             (By Rick Maze)

       The Pentagon's determination to award a single campaign 
     medal for the entire global war on terrorism will come under 
     fire Wednesday when the House Armed Services Committee is 
     expected to pass a bill ordering creation of separate 
     campaign medals for combat operations in Iraq and 
     Afghanistan. This is a bipartisan bill, first introduced in 
     September, with 84 cosponsors. It is expected to pass the 
     committee Wednesday with little or no discussion, but the 
     next step is unclear, House aides said. The Defense 
     Department has stood firm in the face of complaints about 
     having a single Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal 
     instead of separate campaign medals, and is likely to lean on 
     House Republican leaders to prevent passage of the bill, 
     aides said. ``Passing the committee isn't a problem. Getting 
     the bill scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives 
     could be a lot tougher,'' said one Republican aide. Exactly 
     who would get the campaign medals would be left to the 
     Pentagon to determine. The bill, HR 3104, only orders the 
     medals to be established and leaves eligibility rules to the 
     military. Passage by the full House still wouldn't ensure the 
     separate medals would ever be issued. The Senate debated the 
     issue last year and by a 48-47 vote ended up siding with the 
     Pentagon. Defense officials have argued that a single medal 
     treats all deployments for the war on terrorism equally, 
     whether the operations are in Iraq, Afghanistan, Africa, 
     Colombia or the Philippines. The chief cosponsors of the 
     House bill are all Vietnam veterans who serve on the armed 
     services committee: Vic Snyder, D-Ark., a former Marine, and 
     Army veterans Rob Simmons, R-Conn., and Silvestre Reyes, D-
     Texas. Snyder, the chief sponsor, said his combat experience 
     is part of the reason why he is pushing for separate 
     campaign medals. ``I know the incredible pride and sense 
     of accomplishment our military personnel feel about how 
     well they have done in our most recent wars,'' he said. 
     ``In past wars, millions of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and 
     Marines have received combat medals that have held intense 
     meaning for them,'' Reyes added. ``Soldiers who fought and 
     are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve a medal of 
     equal significance.'' ``As a Vietnam veteran and 
     reservist, I am proud of the sacrifices made by our 
     military men and women,'' said Simmons, who remained in 
     the Army Reserve after his combat experience and retired 
     from the military in 2000. ``Whatever one thinks about the 
     war on terror, our service men and women did what their 
     country asked of them and did it very well. Congress 
     should recognize these accomplishments.'' In addition to 
     the campaign medal bill, the House Armed Services 
     Committee is scheduled to take up three other measures on 
     Wednesday. One bill would order the reimbursement of 
     travel expenses for service members who used the Central 
     Command's rest and recuperative leave program in its early 
     stages last fall, a measure passed by the Senate last 
     week. Also planned are votes on a bill attempting to 
     expand access for military recruiters to college campuses 
     and a non-binding resolution asking the Defense 
     Department, banks and credit unions and the Federal Trade 
     commission to all work to reduce the financial hardships 
     of mobilized reservists. The planned markup is unusual 
     because the House Armed Services Committee normally would 
     wrap such bills into the larger defense authorization bill 
     it approves each year. Aides who spoke on the condition of 
     not being identified said there are two reasons for 
     breaking with tradition to pass separate bills. One is 
     that lawmakers want to move quickly on some issues, like 
     R&R travel reimbursement, which have already been 
     completed. The second reason is that House Republican 
     leaders have been pleading with committees to have some 
     bills ready for debate and passage on the House floor. The 
     legislative calendar already is light because of the 
     upcoming elections, aides said. Delays in House floor 
     debate on the 2005 budget resolution, due to problems 
     getting a consensus among Republicans about budget 
     priorities, has left a big hole in the legislative 
     schedule that House leaders would like to fill, aides 
     said.

                                S. 2262

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

     SECTION 1. MILITARY CAMPAIGN MEDALS TO RECOGNIZE SERVICE IN 
                   OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM AND OPERATION IRAQI 
                   FREEDOM.

       (a) Requirement.--The President shall establish a campaign 
     medal specifically to recognize service by members of the 
     Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom and a separate 
     campaign medal specifically to recognize service by members 
     of the Armed Forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
       (b) Eligibility.--Subject to such limitations as may be 
     prescribed by the President, eligibility for a campaign medal 
     established pursuant to subsection (a) shall be set forth in 
     uniform regulations to be prescribed by the Secretaries of 
     the military departments and approved by the Secretary of 
     Defense or in regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary 
     of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it 
     is not operating as a service in the Navy.
                                 ______