[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 33 (Tuesday, February 27, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H1900-H1903]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF A NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 47) supporting the goals and
ideals of a National Medal of Honor Day to celebrate and honor the
recipients of the Medal of Honor.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 47
Whereas the Medal of Honor is the highest award that can be
bestowed to a member of the Armed Forces for valor in action
against an enemy force;
Whereas the Medal of Honor is awarded by the President, in
the name of the Congress, to members of the Armed Forces who
have distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and
intrepidity at the risk of their lives above and beyond the
call of duty;
Whereas the United States will forever be in debt to the
recipients of the Medal of Honor for their bravery and
sacrifice in times of war or other armed conflict;
Whereas the Medal of Honor was first awarded on March 25,
1863, during the Civil War;
Whereas, of the millions of men and women who have served
in the Armed Forces in war, military operations, or other
armed conflicts, only 3,443 members have thus far been
awarded the Medal of Honor;
Whereas 111 Medal of Honor recipients are still living as
of January 1, 2007;
Whereas it is appropriate to commemorate and honor the
recipients of the Medal of Honor and to recognize their
bravery and sacrifice for the United States;
Whereas the designation of a National Medal of Honor Day
would raise the awareness of the American people regarding
the significance and meaning of the Medal of Honor and help
focus the efforts of national, State, and local organizations
striving to foster public appreciation and recognition of
Medal of Honor recipients; and
Whereas March 25 would be an appropriate date to observe
National Medal of Honor Day: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) recognizes the heroism and sacrifice of Medal of Honor
recipients for the United States;
(2) recognizes the educational opportunity that a National
Medal of Honor Day would present to the American public; and
(3) supports the goals and ideals of a National Medal of
Honor Day to celebrate and honor the contributions of Medal
of Honor recipients.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Jones) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.
general leave
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the resolution now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Today I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 47, which I
introduced to recognize the extraordinary heroism and sacrifice of the
Nation's
[[Page H1901]]
Medal of Honor recipients and to increase America's awareness of the
significance and meaning of the Medal of Honor among our American
citizens.
I want to thank my colleague on the House Armed Services Committee,
the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) for being here in support
of this issue this afternoon.
The Congressional Medal of Honor is our Nation's highest military
award for valor in action against an enemy that can be bestowed on any
member of the Armed Forces.
Since the medal was created in 1861, more than 3,400 individuals who
have served our Nation in uniform have been awarded the Medal of Honor.
The first medal was established by the United States Navy to
recognize sailors and marines who distinguish themselves in war.
President Abraham Lincoln signed Public Resolution 82 into law, and
thus the first medal of valor was created. The Army shortly followed in
1862 by establishing a Medal of Honor to recognize commissioned
officers and privates who distinguished themselves by their gallantry
in action. The Medal of Honor became a permanent decoration in 1863.
The first award was given to Army Assistant Surgeon Bernard J.D. Irwin
for his bravery in rescuing 60 soldiers at Apache Pass, Arizona, in
1861.
It is very interesting, Mr. Speaker, that a Medal of Honor was
awarded a Union soldier years after the 1861 Battle of Lexington,
Missouri, my hometown, for his gallantry in helping to retake the
Anderson House, which was the hospital at the time of that battle,
September 18, 19 and 20, 1861. His name was Palmer.
The current conflict in Iraq sadly has posthumously added two heroic
and courageous individuals to the rolls, Sergeant First Class Paul
Smith of the United States Army, and Corporal Jason Dunham of the
United States Marines. These two individuals continue to epitomize the
recipients of the Medal of Honor, whose uncommon valor and
extraordinary bravery are standard characteristics.
{time} 1415
It is interesting to note also, Mr. Speaker, that in the history of
the medal, 19 men received a second award. 14 of them received two
separate medals for separate actions, and one was awarded to a woman.
Of the more than 3,400 medals awarded, 266 of those were awarded for
action during World War II, and 154 were awarded for action during the
Vietnam conflict. Today there are only 111 living recipients of the
Medal of Honor. America is rapidly losing its greatest and true heroes.
It is also important to note that when Missouri's President, Harry
Truman, awarded the Medal of Honor to a soldier at the end of the
Second World War, he said he would rather have this medal than being
president.
The resolution before the House seeks to recognize the heroism and
sacrifice of the Nation's Medal of Honor recipients, and to urge the
establishment of a National Medal of Honor Day to ensure that all
Americans continue to celebrate and to honor the contributions and
ideals that the Medal of Honor recipients exemplify.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Skelton for giving me this
great privilege of honoring these fine Americans.
Today we join together in support of H. Con. Res. 47, as the United
States House of Representatives, to honor what is arguably the most
select group of Americans to ever wear the uniform of this great
Nation.
The Medal of Honor is this Nation's highest award bestowed on a
member of the United States Armed Services who distinguishes himself or
herself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his
life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action
against an enemy of the United States.
The Medal of Honor confers special privileges on its recipients, both
by tradition and by law.
By tradition, all other soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, even
higher ranking officers up to the President of the United States,
initiate the salute of the Medal of Honor and its recipient.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to discuss briefly the history of the Medal
of Honor. The first award of the Medal of Honor was made March 25 of
1863 to Private Jacob Parrott and five others. Since then, there have
been 3,463 Medals of Honor awarded for 3,456 separate acts of heroism
performed by 3,443 individuals, including nine unknowns.
Today there are 112 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, out of a
population of more than 301 million Americans. Forty-six percent of the
living earned their medals more than 50 years ago while serving in
World War II, 36, or Korea, 15. There are 61 living who performed
actions in Vietnam. The youngest recipient is Gordon R. Roberts, age
56. He was born June 14, 1950. He was 19 years old when he earned this
high honor.
Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield to Dr. Burgess, the
gentleman from Texas, for 4 minutes.
Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I
thank the chairman, the gentleman from Missouri, for bringing this
concurrent resolution to the floor.
This is a resolution that honors the bravest of the brave, the men
and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, who have
risked their lives in fighting for our Nation, indeed, fighting for our
basic freedom.
Today's resolution pays homage to the basic principles of our
military, duty, honor, country. The Medal of Honor recognizes and is
emblematic of great courage, selflessness and sacrifice.
It is with great pride that I stand here on the floor of Congress
today, as Congress is recognizing these extraordinary members of our
Armed Services by establishing March 25 as the National Medal of Honor
Day. This national day of observance and remembrance is long overdue,
and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution, to vote
in favor of our Armed Forces.
While a National Medal of Honor Day is a wonderful way to honor these
great citizens, I would be remiss if I did not also mention another
great endeavor that seeks to honor Medal of Honor recipients. The city
of Gainesville, Texas established the Medal of Honor Host City Program
in 2001 with this simple mission statement: It shall be the privilege
and the responsibility of the city of Gainesville, Texas, to welcome
our Nation's Medal of Honor recipients at every available opportunity.
The Local Veterans of Foreign Wars, post number 1922, along with the
community volunteers and community members, welcome all Medal of Honor
recipients with open arms and provides a stipend to cover lodging, food
and fuel expenses during their visit.
The recipients are invited to attend schools, clubs and local
organizations, thereby imparting their own views of patriotism and duty
throughout the community. It is truly a remarkable program, and the
true beauty of it is that other cities can establish their own Medal of
Honor Host City program to further honor and recognize those heroic
recipients.
Mr. Speaker, to take a line from the Gainesville, Texas mission
statement, I feel that it is Congress's privilege and Congress's
responsibility to honor the Medal of Honor recipients at every
opportunity. With this resolution, and with programs like the Medal of
Honor Host City Program, we take a step in fulfilling that most noble
and honorable of all missions.
Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, since I have been in Congress, America has presented
this award on behalf of an extremely grateful Nation a total of 22
times, 13 of which were presented posthumously.
Some recent heroes include Tibor ``Ted'' Rubin for actions in Korea,
between 1950 and 1953. He received the award on September 23, 2005.
Before that, the medal was awarded posthumously to the family of SFC
Paul R. Smith on April 4 of 2005. For his actions in Iraq in 2003,
bravely holding the enemy at bay so that the wounded could be safely
carried out.
Before that, the Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously to Army MSG
Gary I. Gordon and SFC Randall D. Shughart for action in Somalia in
1993.
Most recently, Cpl Jason Dunham, U.S. Marine Corps, was posthumously
[[Page H1902]]
recognized with the Medal of Honor on Thursday, January 11, 2007 for
sacrificing his life for his fellow Marines. Corporal Dunham bravely
fought hand-to-hand with the enemy and selflessly hurled himself on a
live grenade to protect fellow Marines.
Just yesterday, President Bush awarded LTC Bruce P. Crandall the
Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony. It was just this morning when
several members of the DAV, Disabled American Veterans from my
district, stated very simply, after meeting Colonel Crandall, and they
said this was his comment when they said congratulations; thank you for
what you did for our Nation. His comment was this, he just did what his
country asked him to do. He was a volunteer.
Throughout the history, there have been 19 double recipients who have
twice received this high honor.
Mr. Speaker, as this resolution so clearly states, the designation of
a National Medal of Honor Day will raise the awareness of the American
people regarding the significance and the meaning of the Medal of
Honor, and help focus the effort on our national, State and local
organizations striving to foster public appreciation and recognition of
Medal of Honor recipients.
Mr. Speaker, the Medal of Honor has touched the lives, directly or
indirectly, of millions of Americans, but there are many more firsts or
lone recipients of this award. For example:
Douglas Munro was the only Coast Guard recipient. He was awarded the
Medal of Honor for his actions at Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on September
27 of 1942.
Mary Walker was the only woman awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor at Bull Run on July 21 of 1861.
Today, Mr. Speaker, there are four Medal of Honor recipients
currently living in the State of North Carolina. Throughout its
history, there have been 19 Medal of Honor recipients from my great
state of North Carolina.
Before I close, I would like to take just a couple of minutes, Mr.
Speaker. There are many who have won this award, Medal of Honor, who
are the heroes of this great Nation. One I would like to bring to mind
is a friend of mine whose name is Walter Joseph Marm, Jr.
I will not read the entire citation. I just want to read part of it
before I close.
Joe Marm, First Lieutenant, Army Company A, First Battalion, 7th
Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place: Vicinity of la Drang
Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 14 November 1965. Entered service at
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born 20 November 1941.
And I want to read just two or three paragraphs from the citation,
Mr. Speaker, as he received the Medal of Honor.
Realizing that his platoon could not hold very long, and seeing four
enemy soldiers moving into his position, he moved quickly under heavy
fire and annihilated all four.
Quickly, disregarding the intense fire directed at him and his
platoon, he charged 30 meters across open ground and hurled grenades
into the enemy position, killing some of the eight insurgents manning
it.
Although severely wounded, when his grenades were expended, armed
with only a rifle, he continued the momentum of his assault on the
position and killed the remainder of the enemy.
Lieutenant Marm's selfless action reduced the fire on his platoon,
broke the enemy assault, and rallied his unit to continue toward the
accomplishments of this mission.
Lieutenant Marm's gallantry on the battlefield and his extraordinary
risk of his life are in the highest traditions of U.S. Army and reflect
great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of this country.
With that, I thank the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) for this
privilege to be part of this debate.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are able to bring this
resolution to the floor. It is highly important that we recognize those
very special individuals who received the Medal of Honor and will bear
the recognition throughout their lives, as well as their family
receiving recognition should they be awarded posthumously.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con.
Res. 47, supporting the goals and ideals of a National Medal of Honor
Day to celebrate and honor the recipients of the Medal of Honor. The
Medal of Honor is the highest award that can be bestowed on a member of
the Armed Fores for his or her valiant acts of bravery while engaged in
combat against an enemy of the United States.
The Medal of Honor is awarded by the President, in the name of the
Congress, to members of the Armed Forces who have distinguished
themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity and risked their
lives above and beyond the call of duty. The first Medal of Honor was
awarded on March 25, 1863 during our country's Civil War to PVT Jacob
Parrott during the American Civil War for his role in Andrews Raid. He
was the first of only 3,443 members in war, military operations and
other armed conflicts of our Armed Forces who have received this great
honor.
There are 111 Medal of Honor recipients still living and serving our
country in their own capacity and I, as well as the entire Nation, will
forever be indebted to all recipients of this award for their valor
during armed conflict.
It is appropriate and necessary to commemorate and honor the
recipients of the Medal of Honor and to recognize their valiant
sacrifices for our country. That is why I support the designation of a
National Medal of Honor Day which would heighten the understanding and
appreciation of the American people regarding the significance and
meaning of the Medal of Honor.
It is essential that our Nation celebrate and salute those members of
the Armed Forces who have risked their lives to ensure our safety and
the safety of our country. Designating this day will also help to focus
the efforts of national, State, and local organizations striving to
foster public appreciation and recognition of Medal of Honor
recipients.
I sincerely appreciate the sacrifices the members of our Armed Forces
make each and every day on behalf of our country. I support the
designation of March 25 as National Medal of Honor Day in honor of all
those members of the Armed Forces who performed valiant acts of bravery
during combat against an enemy of the United States.
Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 47--a
resolution establishing a national day of remembrance, reflection, and
celebration for those citizens who so valiantly defended our Nation and
protected their fellow servicemembers through extraordinary feats of
courage and achievement--recipients of the Congressional Medal of
Honor.
I extend a thank you to my colleagues from the House Armed Services
Committee for leading the effort to commemorate the recipients of our
Nation's highest military honor. As a Nation, we can never forget the
sacrifices these men and women have made to keep America free.
The first Medal of Honor was awarded on March 25, 1864. As we
approach this anniversary, let us reflect on the lives and deeds of
those brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who have received
this honor throughout our Nation's history.
In 1782, General George Washington started the tradition of
recognizing the valiant actions of American soldiers by establishing
what became known as the Badge of Military Merit. Washington presented
a heart of purple cloth to three of his soldiers in August of that
year, an act that was largely lost in history as the Revolutionary War
came to a close. This honor was the predecessor to what we now know as
the Purple Heart.
Though the Badge of Military Merit faded into the past, the idea of
awarding a decoration to recognize the gallant efforts of our soldiers
never died. In 1847, not long after the outbreak of the Mexican-
American War, a ``certificate of merit'' was established to recognize
troops who distinguished themselves in battle. No medal accompanied the
certificate and the award was again discontinued at the end of that
conflict.
During the Civil War another proposal arose to establish a medal, but
the idea was rejected by then General-In-Chief of the Army Winifield
Scott. The Navy, however, adopted this concept, and in December 1861,
President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation that established a Navy
medal for valor. Not to be outdone by their friendly rival, the Army
quickly followed suit with their own resolution to establish a similar
award, signed into law in July 1862.
In 1863, Congress established the Medal of Honor as a permanent means
to recognize our Nation's most gallant warriors. Since then, it has
been awarded to almost 3,400 of our Nation's bravest citizens.
Today, the number of living Medal of Honor recipients is at its
lowest point in history--there remain only 111 as of February 1. This
resolution is a lasting tribute to those 111 men and women, the
recipients who are no longer with us, and to those to come in the
future who stood up and answered the call to protect and defend this
land.
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by
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the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 47.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
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