[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 6, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3783-S3784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 46--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT 
 AN APPROPRIATE SITE AT THE FORMER NAVY DIVE SCHOOL AT THE WASHINGTON 
 NAVY YARD SHOULD BE PROVIDED FOR THE MAN IN THE SEA MEMORIAL MONUMENT 
TO HONOR THE MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES WHO HAVE SERVED AS DIVERS AND 
  WHOSE SERVICE IN DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT 
                    BENEATH THE WATERS OF THE WORLD

  Mr. WEBB submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Armed Services:

                            S. Con. Res. 46

       Whereas United States Navy divers have received 7 Medals of 
     Honor for multiple acts of heroism dating back to 1915;
       Whereas United States Navy divers received the only Medals 
     of Honor ever awarded for actions during peacetime;
       Whereas United States Navy divers have addressed critical 
     beach and harbor clearances and recoveries in World War I and 
     all subsequent wars fought by the United States;
       Whereas United States Navy divers significantly contributed 
     to the salvage and restoration of Pearl Harbor after the 
     attack by Japan in 1941;
       Whereas United States Navy divers significantly contributed 
     to the United States victory in the Cold War by diving on 
     communications cables of the Soviet Union at extreme depths;
       Whereas United States Navy divers made critical recoveries 
     of Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia;
       Whereas United States Army divers were instrumental in the 
     clearance of underwater munitions at ports and harbors during 
     World War II;
       Whereas United States Army divers were crucial to the 
     maintenance and repair of vessels and the recovery of 
     aircraft during the Vietnam War;
       Whereas United States Army divers salvaged vessels during 
     the Persian Gulf War, vessels of the Soviet Union during 
     Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, and numerous vessels 
     during the humanitarian operation in Haiti;
       Whereas United States Army divers deployed to the Persian 
     Gulf region in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom;
       Whereas United States Army divers have participated in 
     humanitarian relief efforts to clear international ports and 
     harbors after natural disasters;
       Whereas United States Army divers have performed hundreds 
     of missions for the Corps of Engineers to maintain the dams, 
     locks, and waterways of the United States;
       Whereas United States Army divers have performed lifesaving 
     recompression treatments on injured military and civilian 
     personnel;
       Whereas United States Marine Corps divers were essential to 
     the development of the buoyant ascent technique, which allows 
     forces to deploy from submarines at depth and return to a 
     submerged submarine, thus enabling the completion of a range 
     of covert missions;
       Whereas United States Marine Corps divers were essential to 
     the testing and development of the Fulton Skyhook, intended 
     for the sophisticated snatch pickup of troops from remote 
     areas;
       Whereas United States Air Force divers, specifically 
     Pararescuemen and Combat Controllers, have supported crucial 
     missions of the Department of Defense in Iraq and Afghanistan 
     and crucial missions of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration;
       Whereas United States Coast Guard divers undertook 
     clandestine infiltration missions in the European and Pacific 
     theaters of World War II;
       Whereas United States Coast Guard divers provided critical 
     underwater ship husbandry support during the historic 
     exploration of the Northwest Passage by the Coast Guard in 
     1957;
       Whereas United States Coast Guard divers assisted in the 
     recoveries of Air Florida Flight 90, the Space Shuttle 
     Challenger, and numerous other aircraft and vehicles;
       Whereas United States Coast Guard divers have enhanced 
     scientific achievements through the collection of marine 
     samples in the Arctic and Antarctic regions;
       Whereas United States Coast Guard divers have ensured the 
     safety of shipping in the Pacific Islands; and
       Whereas United States Coast Guard divers have established a 
     security posture throughout the United States during 
     inspections of

[[Page S3784]]

     ports, waterways, and coastal security facilities since the 
     terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the 
     Secretary of the Navy should provide an appropriate site at 
     the former Navy Dive School at the Washington Navy Yard for 
     the Man in the Sea Memorial Monument, to be paid for with 
     private funds, to honor the members of the Armed Forces who 
     have served as divers and whose service in defense of the 
     United States has been carried out beneath the waters of the 
     world, so long as the Secretary of the Navy has exclusive 
     authority to approve the design and site of the monument.

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