[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 89 (Monday, June 15, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H6784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REDESIGNATING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY AS THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY 
                             & MARINE CORPS

  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. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to announce that 290 of my 
colleagues in the House from both parties have joined me as colleagues 
of cosponsors of H.R. 24--legislation to redesignate the Department of 
the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. I'm grateful 
for the widespread support for this change among my House colleagues, 
and I also thank Chairman Ike Skelton who will include the language of 
H.R. 24 in the National Defense Authorization Act markup tomorrow.
  For the past 7 years, the language of this bill has been part of the 
House version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Each year, the 
full House of Representatives has supported this change. This year, I'm 
also grateful to have the support of Senator Pat Roberts, a former 
marine, who introduced the same bill in the Senate, S. 504. With his 
help, I'm hopeful that this will be the year that the Senate supports 
the House position and joins in bringing proper respect to the fighting 
team of the Navy and Marine Corps.
  Over the course of the Marine Corps history, including their present-
day service in Afghanistan and Iraq, those three words, ``and Marine 
Corps,'' have been earned through blood and sacrifice. The Navy and 
Marine Corps have operated as one entity for more than two centuries, 
and H.R. 24 would allow the name of this department to illustrate that 
fight.
  This legislation is not about changing the responsibilities of the 
Secretary of the Navy Department, reallocating resources, or altering 
missions. This change is all about respect and gratitude to the Marine 
Corps. As symbolic as this change might be, the Marine Corps has earned 
the right to be recognized in the Department's name. Over the past 
several years, this change has received support from three former Navy 
Secretaries, the Marine Corps League, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the 
Fleet Reserve Association, and many other individuals and groups.
  In 2004, at a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Navy 
Admiral Stansfield Turner described his support for this change, and he 
said, ``I think this change in title enhances the prestige and pride of 
the people in the Marine Corps, and it does not necessarily take 
anything away from the Navy in that process. I am particularly 
impressed today . . . [by] the degree of cooperation between the armed 
services of our country.''
  And Admiral Turner further stated, ``Emphasizing that this is a Navy-
Marine Corps team is a very important part of keeping that kind of 
sight on the objective of teamwork in combat.''
  Madam Speaker, the marines who are fighting today deserve this 
recognition.
  In closing, I would like to show the change.
  Madam Speaker, on this first poster was actually a letter that was 
sent by the Secretary of the Navy to a Marine wife who was killed. I 
certainly have taken out the name of the Marine Corps's wife's name, 
and I want to read this part to you and to those on the floor: On 
behalf of the Department of the Navy, please accept my very sincere 
condolences in the loss of your husband, Captain so-and-so, Marine.
  Madam Speaker, the important part of reading this is this. If this 
bill becomes law, this fighting team will recognize this Marine family 
in this way: The Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Dear Marine 
Corps family, On behalf of the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. 
Madam Speaker, that's all that it does, but it's very important that 
the Marine Corps receive this recognition.
  And before closing, Madam Speaker, as I do frequently, I ask God to 
please bless our many men and women in uniform, I ask God to bless the 
families of our men and women in uniform, and I ask God in his loving 
arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in 
Afghanistan and Iraq. And, Madam Speaker, I ask three times, God, 
please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.

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