[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H6723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H6723]]
                              {time}  1830
                  RENAMING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, as of today, H.R. 346, my 
legislation to designate the Department of Navy as the Department of 
Navy and Marine Corps, has 60 cosponsors.
  The language of this bill has already passed the full House of 
Representatives last month as part of the 2008 National Defense 
Authorization Act. This is the sixth year in a row that the House has 
voted to support this change.
  As a Member of Congress, I have heard for 14 years that the Navy and 
Marine Corps are one fighting team. If this is true, should not the 
team carry the name of both the Navy and the Marine Corps? The Marines 
do not serve beneath the Navy, they are coequal partners.
  I was very pleased to read a comment by the new Senate Armed Services 
Committee chairman, Carl Levin, in an article by The Hill newspaper 
last month, May 24, 2007, and I quote, ``When asked, Levin said he 
would 'keep an open mind' on whether to support [language in the House 
bill to change the name of the Navy to the Department of Navy and 
Marine Corps].''
  Mr. Speaker, there is no cost to this change. Renaming the Department 
is a symbolic gesture, but is very important to the team. It is the 
right thing to do for the team.
  Let me quote the Honorable Wade Sanders, Deputy Assistant Secretary 
of the Navy for Reserve Affairs between the years 1993 and 1998. He 
voiced his support for this change, and I quote, ``As a combat veteran 
and former Naval officer, I understand the importance of the team 
dynamic, and the importance of recognizing the contributions of team 
components.
  ``The Navy and Marine Corps team is just that, a dynamic partnership, 
and it is important to symbolically recognize the balance of that 
partnership.''
  I will also quote Admiral Stansfield Turner, United States Navy, 
Retired, former Director of Central Intelligence, who said, and I 
quote, ``I think this change in title enhances the prestige and pride 
of the people in the Marine Corps. And it does not necessarily take 
away anything from the Navy in that process.''
  Mr. Speaker, last year, an editorial in the Chicago Tribune on April 
21 of 2006 also supported the change stating, and I quote, ``No service 
branch shows more respect for tradition than the United States Marine 
Corps does, which makes it all the more ironic that tradition denies 
the Corps an important show of respect: Equal billing with the other 
service branches.''
  That again, Mr. Speaker, is from the Chicago Tribune.
  Mr. Speaker, to further state the importance of this, I have beside 
me an enlargement of the orders for the Silver Star for a Marine from 
Camp Lejeune who was killed in Iraq. It says, ``The Secretary of the 
Navy Washington, DC., Navy flag, the President of the United States 
take pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to the family.'' I will not 
read in its entirety.
  But Mr. Speaker, I'd like to show you what, if the Senate will accept 
the House position, what this does. With the same orders for the Silver 
Star for this brave Marine who gave his life for this country, it says, 
``The Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps, Washington, DC.,'' with 
the zip code. It still has the Navy flag on one side and the Marine 
flag.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time that the Senate accept the House position. 
This is the right thing to do for the fighting team. The team is the 
Navy and Marine Corps fighting team. And I hope that the Senate, and 
I'm very encouraged by Chairman Levin that he said, ``I'm open to the 
thought of this possibility.''
  So with that, Mr. Speaker, I ask God to please bless our men and 
women in uniform and to please bless the United States of America.

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