[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 74 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3460-S3461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
APPROPRIATE SITING ON CHAPLAINS HILL IN ARLINGTON CEMETERY
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Veterans' Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of
S. Con. Res. 4 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate
consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Con. Res. 4) expressing the sense of
Congress that an appropriate site on Chaplains Hill in
Arlington National Cemetery should be provided for a memorial
marker to honor the memory of the Jewish chaplains who died
while on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United
States.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
concurrent resolution.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to speak on
the passage of S. Con. Res. 4, as amended, which would allow for the
establishment of a Jewish Chaplains Memorial on Chaplains Hill in
Arlington National Cemetery.
Since their inclusion in the Chaplain Corps in 1862, Jewish Chaplains
have played a vital role in supporting members of the Armed Forces. In
Arlington National Cemetery, Chaplains Hill serves as a memorial for
military chaplains who have died in service to their country.
Chaplains play a critical role in the lives of our Nation's soldiers,
providing spiritual guidance and emotional support in their times of
need. In addition to their spiritual role, chaplains still remain a
part of the military and give their lives in the line of duty.
Mr. President, in particular, one story poignantly tells of the
service and sacrifice that chaplains make on behalf of their fellow
servicemembers. On January 23, 1943, the USAT Dorchester was attacked
by an enemy submarine while off the coast of Newfoundland. Four Army
chaplains remained on the sinking vessel ensuring that surviving crew
members would be able to reach the lifeboats, even surrendering their
own lifejackets to crewmembers in need. As the ship began to sink, the
chaplains banded together to pray for the safety of the crew. In honor
of that selfless act, Congress created the Chaplain's Medal of Honor,
also known as the Four Chaplains Medal. One of the chaplains was Rabbi
Alexander D. Goode, a lieutenant in the Army, who is one of the 13
Jewish Chaplains who would be honored by the memorial that this
Resolution would establish.
I would like to thank the many groups and individuals involved in
this project. Specifically, I would like to acknowledge the efforts of
Rabbi Harold Robinson, RADM CHC USN Retired, Kenneth Kraetzer, Mr. Sol
Moglen and Ms. Shelley Rood. Without the work of these dedicated
individuals, the sacrifice Jewish Chaplains have made on behalf of this
Nation would remain unmemorialized in Arlington National Cemetery.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. I ask unanimous consent that the Murray amendment,
[[Page S3461]]
which is at the desk, be agreed to, the concurrent resolution, as
amended, be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or
debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 388) was agreed to as follows:
(Purpose: To express the sense of Congress on the establishment of an
advisory commission on memorials at Arlington National Cemetery and
facilitate evaluation and approval of future monuments and memorials at
the cemetery)
In the resolving clause, insert before the period at the
end the following: ``and that, in order to preserve, protect,
and maintain the limited amount of space available at
Arlington National Cemetery and ensure that future proposals
for commemorative works are appropriately designed,
constructed, and located and reflect a consensus of the
lasting national significance of the subjects involved, the
President of the United States, as Commander in Chief, should
establish an Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Advisory
Commission and procedures for the evaluation and approval of
new monuments and memorials comparable to those in chapter 89
of title 40, United States Code (commonly referred to as the
`Commemorative Works Act')''.
The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 4), as amended, was agreed
to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The concurrent resolution, as amended with its preamble, reads as
follows:
S. Con. Res. 4
Whereas 13 Jewish chaplains have died while on active duty
in the Armed Forces of the United States;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Alexander Goode died on
February 3, 1943, when the USS Dorchester was sunk by German
torpedoes off the coast of Greenland;
Whereas Chaplain Goode received the Four Chaplains' Medal
for Heroism and the Distinguished Service Cross for his
heroic efforts to save the lives of those onboard the
Dorchester;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Irving Tepper was killed in
action in France on August 13, 1944;
Whereas Chaplain Tepper also saw combat in Morocco,
Tunisia, and Sicily while attached to an infantry combat team
in the Ninth Division;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Louis Werfel died on December
24, 1944, at the young age of 27, in a plane crash while en
route to conduct Chanukah services;
Whereas Chaplain Werfel was known as ``The Flying Rabbi''
because his duties required traveling great distances by
plane to serve Army personnel of Jewish faith at outlying
posts;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Meir Engel died at the Naval
Hospital in Saigon on December 16, 1964, after faithfully
serving his country during World War II, the Korean War, and
the Vietnam War;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Morton Singer died on December
17, 1968, in a plane crash while on a mission in Vietnam to
conduct Chanukah services;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Herman Rosen died in service of
his faith and his country on June 18, 1943;
Whereas Chaplain Rabbi Herman Rosen's son, Air Force
Chaplain Solomon Rosen, also died in service of his faith and
his country, on November 2, 1948;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Nachman Arnoff died in service
of his faith and his country on May 9, 1946;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Frank Goldenberg died in
service of his faith and his country on May 22, 1946;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Henry Goody died in service of
his faith and his country on October 19, 1943;
Whereas Army Chaplain Rabbi Samuel Hurwitz died in service
of his faith and his country December 9, 1943;
Whereas Air Force Chaplain Rabbi Samuel Rosen died in
service of his faith and his country on May 13, 1955;
Whereas Air Force Chaplain Rabbi David Sobel died in
service of his faith and his country on March 7, 1974;
Whereas Chaplains Hill in Arlington National Cemetery
memorializes the names of 242 chaplains who perished while on
active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States; and
Whereas none of the 13 Jewish chaplains who have died while
on active duty are memorialized on Chaplains Hill: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that an
appropriate site on Chaplains Hill in Arlington National
Cemetery should be provided for a memorial marker, to be paid
for with private funds, to honor the memory of the Jewish
chaplains who died while on active duty in the Armed Forces
of the United States, so long as the Secretary of the Army
has exclusive authority to approve the design and site of the
memorial marker and that, in order to preserve, protect, and
maintain the limited amount of space available at Arlington
National Cemetery and ensure that future proposals for
commemorative works are appropriately designed, constructed,
and located and reflect a consensus of the lasting national
significance of the subjects involved, the President of the
United States, as Commander in Chief, should establish an
Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Advisory Commission and
procedures for the evaluation and approval of new monuments
and memorials comparable to those in chapter 89 of title 40,
United States Code (commonly referred to as the
``Commemorative Works Act'').
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________