[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 73 (Friday, May 21, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6063-S6064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



 RECOGNIZING THE VETERANS WHO SERVED DURING WORLD WAR II--H. CON. RES. 
                                  409

  Mr. WARNER. Madam President, on behalf of the Senate leadership--both 
the majority and minority--I am privileged to ask the Senate to act on 
resolutions relating to the World War II Memorial. It is coincidental 
that the Presiding Officer at this time is the distinguished Senator 
from North Carolina, whose husband has had an instrumental role in the 
preparation and planning of the memorial, which will be dedicated a 
week from tomorrow, on May 29.
  At this time, I ask that the Senate proceed to the immediate 
consideration of S. Res. 362 and H. Con. Res. 409, en bloc.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the resolutions by title.
  The assistant journal clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 362) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate on the dedication of the National World War II 
     Memorial on May 29, 2004, in recognition of the duty, 
     sacrifices, and valor of the members of the Armed Forces of 
     the United States who served in World War II.
       A resolution (H. Con. Res. 409) recognizing with humble 
     gratitude the more than 16,000,000 veterans who served in the 
     United States Armed Forces during World War II and the 
     Americans who supported the war effort on the home front and 
     celebrating the completion of the National World War II 
     Memorial on the National Mall in the District of Columbia.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolutions.
  Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the resolutions 
be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, en bloc, and that any statements relating to the 
resolutions be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolutions (S. Res. 362 and H. Con. Res. 409) were agreed to.
  The preambles were agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 362), with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 362

       Whereas the National World War II Memorial is being 
     dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004, on the National Mall in 
     Washington, District of Columbia;
       Whereas the National World War II Memorial, a monument of 
     granite and bronze, has

[[Page S6064]]

     a fitting location on the National Mall situated between the 
     Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and flanked by 
     memorials dedicated to the members of the Armed Forces of the 
     United States who served and died in the Korean War and in 
     the Vietnam era;
       Whereas the National World War II Memorial is dedicated to 
     the more than 16,000,000 individuals from the 48 States, the 
     District of Columbia, and the territories and possession of 
     the United States who served in the Army, Air Force, Navy, 
     Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine in World War 
     II;
       Whereas on May 29, 2004, hundreds of thousands of veterans, 
     and their families and friends, from across the United States 
     will gather on the National Mall to join in the dedication of 
     the National World War II Memorial and to pay homage to the 
     memory of the more than 400,000 members of the Armed Forces 
     of the United States who died while serving during World War 
     II and the more than 10,000,000 veterans of the Armed Forces 
     of the United States in World War II who have died since the 
     end of World War II;
       Whereas on May 29, 2004, the Nation will pay tribute to all 
     the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who 
     served in World War II;
       Whereas on May 29, 2004, the Nation will remember the duty, 
     sacrifices, and valor of the members of the Armed Forces of 
     the United States who served on land and sea and in the air 
     in the more than 89 campaigns conducted in the European and 
     Pacific theaters of operations in World War II;
        Whereas on May 29, 2004, the Nation will acknowledge that 
     the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of the 
     United States in World War II came from all the States, the 
     District of Columbia, and all the territories and possessions 
     of the United States and represented men and women of all 
     races, religions, ethnic groups, professions, educational 
     attainments, and backgrounds, all united in the goal of 
     serving their Country and preserving freedom; and
       Whereas construction of the National World War II Memorial 
     would not have been possible without the donations of 
     hundreds of thousands of individual Americans, as well as 
     corporations, foundations, veterans groups, professional and 
     fraternal organizations, communities, and schools, who all 
     acknowledged that a memorial should be constructed in the 
     National Capital to recognize and pay tribute to the duty, 
     sacrifices, and valor of all the members of the Armed Forces 
     of the United States who served in World War II: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate--
       (1) to express the grateful thanks of the Nation to the 
     more than 16,000,000 individuals who served in the Army, Army 
     Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant 
     Marine in World War II and to the millions of Americans on 
     the home front who contributed to the war effort during World 
     War II; and
       (2) to recognize the dedication of the National World War 
     II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, District of 
     Columbia, on May 29, 2004, as an occasion to acknowledge and 
     pay tribute to the duty, sacrifices, and valor of all the 
     members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served 
     in World War II, a group known collectively as the ``Greatest 
     Generation''.
  Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I will address briefly these 
resolutions. I ask unanimous consent that I be made a cosponsor of H. 
Con. Res. 409.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WARNER. This particular resolution and preamble, in part, states 
as follows:

       Recognizing with humble gratitude the more than 16,000,000 
     veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces during 
     World War II and the Americans who supported the war effort 
     on the home front and celebrating the completion of the 
     National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in the 
     District of Columbia.
       Whereas, the National World War II Memorial on the National 
     Mall in the District of Columbia will be the first national 
     memorial to both recognize the courage, bravery, and 
     unselfish dedication of the members of the United States 
     Armed Forces who served in World War II and those who served 
     on the home front and acknowledge the commitment and 
     achievement of the entire American people in that conflict;
       Whereas, World War II veteran Roger Durbin of Kerkey, Ohio, 
     first proposed the construction of the National World War II 
     Memorial, and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio introduced 
     the legislation to establish the memorial in the District of 
     Columbia to honor members of the Armed Forces who served in 
     World War II and to commemorate the participation of the 
     United States in that war;
       Whereas, in Public Law 103-32, approved May 25, 1993, 
     Congress authorized the American Battle Monuments Commission, 
     an independent Federal agency, to design and construct the 
     memorial.

  The resolution goes on in great detail and lays out the legislative 
history of how this magnificent memorial came into being. Of course, it 
will be in the Record. The last resolving clause is:

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress recognizes with humble gratitude 
     the more than 16,000,000 veterans who served in the United 
     States Armed Forces during World War II and the Americans who 
     supported the war effort on the home front and celebrates the 
     completion of the National World War II Memorial on the 
     National Mall in the District of Columbia. And then action 
now by the Senate.

  I make these remarks on behalf of those Members of the Senate who 
served in World War II--Senator Inouye, Senator Hollings, Senator 
Stevens, Senator Lautenberg, Senator Akaka, and myself, all of whom 
with humble pride have participated in this legislation through these 
many years and joined with our former distinguished colleague, Senator 
Dole, who showed absolute extraordinary leadership in this entire 
sequence of legislative steps, and particularly raising the needed 
funds. I will address that momentarily.
  Resolution 362 expresses the sense of the Senate on the dedication of 
the National World War II Memorial, May 29, 2004, in recognition of the 
duty, sacrifices, and valor of members of the Armed Forces of the 
United States who served in World War II. The resolution goes on to lay 
out, again, other aspects of the legislative history and the role of 
the Congress and others in this magnificent memorial.

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