[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 150 (Wednesday, November 28, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H6496-H6500]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DELEGATES' PLEA FOR JUSTICE
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Woodall). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 5, 2011, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for 30 minutes.
Ms. NORTON. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I come to the floor with other Delegates to make a plea for respect
that we are pleased to say that the House has already honored. Mr.
Speaker, this House has seen many disagreements on many issues, and
that's what the American people expect. We believe and the House has
shown that it believes that some matters, however, are beyond dispute.
There are some matters where unity is to be expected. These matters go
to basic respect for our members of the armed services.
The House, to its great credit, has already demonstrated that
respect, and I want first to thank the Delegate whose provision, whose
amendment, was chiefly responsible, Delegate Gregorio Sablan from the
Mariana Islands, whose amendment has, I believe, twice been put in the
House defense authorization bill that requires that when the flags of
the 50 States are raised or honored by our Armed Forces that the flags
of the Territories and of the District of Columbia also are honored.
I want to also thank House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck
McKeon and Ranking Member Adam Smith for putting this provision in the
defense authorization bill that is now pending. This bill will be
considered, I suppose, in conference by the House and the Senate. It is
in the House bill. We regret that it is not in the Senate bill, and so
the Delegates and I have come to the floor to ask that the Senate
follow the lead of the House on this matter of common courtesy and
respect.
Delegate Sablan's provision in the House-passed bill simply requires
that the flags of the Territories and of the District of Columbia be
respected when the armed services choose to honor the flags of the 50
States. I have, in addition, written a letter to the President asking
for a Presidential memorandum directing all Federal agencies including
the Armed Services to do the same. I regret to report that the Army
alone recognizes the D.C. flag and the flags of the Territories as a
matter of policy. I
[[Page H6497]]
want to give one example that I think will make the House understand
why this is so important to us. A mother wrote me of having attended
the graduation of her son from the Naval Station Great Lakes. She had
wanted this boy to go to college. He had gotten admitted to college. He
wanted to go to the Navy and so they said, to the Navy you will go. As
graduation day came at the Naval Station Great Lakes and they called
the names of the graduates one by one and they got to one name,
Jonathan Rucker, and they called his name, the flag of every other
graduate had been raised when the name of the graduate was called, but
this young man, graduating from boot camp induction into the Navy, had
his name called but his flag was not raised, the flag of the District
of Columbia.
His parents were heartbroken, as you might imagine, and as the mother
wrote me. It was from that example that I understood how very important
this was and understood how important my fellow Delegate's bill, now
adopted by the House, is. It was personal disrespect for the young man
as he became a member of the United States Navy. It was disrespect for
the District of Columbia flag. It was disrespect for the residents of
this city who have served and died in every war that our country has
ever fought, including the war that created the United States of
America.
To let you know how much this means to those of us who have no vote
but whose constituents pay taxes the same as the rest who are Members
of this House and go to war, you now see the huge disproportion, at
least in my own district. You will find this disproportion in the
districts of the other Delegates as well.
World War I, 635 casualties, more than three States.
World War II, 3,575 casualties, more than four States.
Korea, 547 casualties, more than eight States.
These are all District of Columbia residents.
And from the Vietnam war, 243 D.C. casualties, more than 10 States.
We are calling on our Senate colleagues to follow the example of the
House and include the language requiring the Armed Forces to fly the
D.C. flag and the flag of the Territories whenever the flags of the 50
States are raised.
Mr. Speaker, we think that is far from too much to ask in light of
the young men and women we represent who are in the Armed Forces today
and those who have given their lives for the United States of America.
It is my privilege to ask the sponsor of the successful amendment,
Delegate Sablan from the Northern Mariana Islands, if he would speak at
this time.
{time} 1620
Mr. SABLAN. Thank you very much, Congresswoman Norton, the
distinguished representative of the District of Columbia. She
represents me whenever I am not at home, and has done an exceptional
job. And I thank you for sponsoring today's Special Order.
Mr. Speaker, just imagine returning home to the United States after
many months of life-threatening combat. Imagine the relief you feel to
be safe and the joyfulness of the welcome you expect to receive. Then,
imagine as you enter that welcoming ceremony you see displayed the
flags of every State, but the flag of your own home is missing. This is
a sad experience for some 36,000 servicemen and -women whose home is
the District of Columbia or one of the United States territories--
American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands,
and my own district, the Northern Mariana Islands.
The flags of our home jurisdictions are often missing from the flag
displays at military installations during welcome-back ceremonies,
deployment ceremonies, and graduations. A constituent alerted me to
this problem about 2 years ago. This individual had noticed the absence
of the Northern Marianas flag from a display of U.S. State and
territorial flags at Fort Drum, New York. She reported how troubling it
was to her as a member of our armed services from the Northern
Marianas, returning from combat duty, looking up to see her own flag
missing from the ranks of flags there at Fort Drum.
Let me read what she said:
It's been 9 months, still no CNMI flag displayed at Fort
Drum, New York, military base. No CNMI flag displayed at a
field where deployment ceremony being held, and no CNMI flag
displayed where welcoming ceremony being held welcoming back
our soldiers from deployment. I wonder what is going on to
our CNMI elected leaders. There are Micronesian and Guam
flags, no CNMI flag. Very sad.
I remember coming back from the first Gulf War and seeing
the rest of my unit being greeted by family and friends. As a
single soldier back then I did not have family waiting for my
return. However, the Guamanian family that I frequented while
in Fort Lewis was there to greet me with hugs, mwar-mwars,
and leis. What made them stand out and is forever etched in
my mind is our CNMI flag being wielded by these friends of
mine. The pride of seeing our flag waving at that concourse
was overwhelming and gave me--an NMI native--the sense of
belonging to these United States. As a veteran, and more so
as a proud NMI Chamolinian, I hope the lack of representation
in Fort Drum is corrected.
This was not an isolated incident. Last year, I visited a soldier who
was receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
in Bethesda. A grand display of the flags of the 50 States lined the
lobby of the main facility. Unfortunately, the flag of that young
soldier, who was lying upstairs in a bed, painfully recovering from his
wounds, was missing from the grand display downstairs. None of the
territory flags nor the flag of the District of Columbia were present
at Walter Reed.
I also received a report of the same situation at Fort Jackson in
South Carolina. A family there to see their nephew graduate from basic
training saw the flags of all 50 States and every territory on
display--all except the flag of the Northern Marianas.
Let me read what they said in that email:
Congressman Kilili, my nephew graduated from basic training
in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, yesterday. My niece and my
sister-in-law were looking for the CNMI flag to take pictures
with the graduate. Seems they could not find the CNMI flag so
they had to settle with the Guam flag to have their picture
taken. Please look into this--why the CNMI flag was not
displayed during basic training graduation.
On another occasion, several of my constituents attended a basic
combat training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The venue where the
ceremony took place was adorned with flags from all the 50 States and
every territory--except the Northern Mariana Islands. Those soldiers
shared their deep disappointment with me. They felt that their command
and their country did not recognize their contributions or their home.
Another constituent informed me that the Northern Marianas flag was
not flying with the State flags at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in
San Diego, where her husband worked.
Here's what she wrote:
Good morning, sir. I happened to stumble upon an article
regarding our flag being raised in all U.S. Army
installations during ceremonies. Well, my husband works on
the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, and I am tiring
of him complaining about not seeing our flag during
graduations here. Could you please extend this to other armed
services as well? Thank you, sir. Respectfully, Julie S.
Tebuteb.
Over 20,000 Marine recruits pass through there every year. So not
only are our own soldiers feeling forgotten but recruits from other
areas are being sent a message that the District of Columbia and the
five U.S. territories are not really a part of the Nation those marines
will be defending.
Of course, I brought all these cases to the attention of the
Pentagon. The Secretary of the Army responded with an assurance that
our flag would be flown at Army installations whenever the flags of the
States are on display. And many of the individual installations I
mentioned took corrective action when I contacted them. But despite
this response, I continue to receive reports of situations where
territorial flags are forgotten.
The problem is there is no uniform regulation governing the inclusion
of the flags of the District of Columbia and the territories. Though
the Army Secretary took action, it is the policy of the Air Force,
Coast Guard, the Marines, and the Navy to let local commanders have the
discretion to display State flags with or without the flags of the
territories on their installations. I have requested that all the
services modify their regulations to include our flags, but no action
has been taken. And I believe it should not be at the
[[Page H6498]]
discretion of individual base commanders to decide to exclude any part
of the United States--or the fighting men and women from any part of
the United States--from recognition. It is a point of pride for all of
our brave members of our armed services from the District of Columbia
or the Northern Mariana Islands or any of the U.S. territories to see
their home flag on display. That flag confirms that the sacrifices and
risks these men and women take are recognized and appreciated. That
flag demonstrates that their territory is a part of this great Nation
of ours.
That's why I included a provision in this year's National Defense
Authorization Act requiring the flag of all the States and all U.S.
territories and the District of Columbia whenever and wherever the
official flags of all 50 States are flown on U.S. military
installations. That's why we're here this afternoon. Speaking on behalf
of those 36,000 servicemembers from our districts, we are asking the
other body, the Senate, to include the same provision in their bill.
This provision ensures recognition for all our country's servicemembers
no matter what part of the United States they call home.
I just celebrated Veterans Day in the Northern Mariana Islands at the
American Memorial Park. There is in this park a court of honor for
those soldiers who died there during World War II. And guess what, Mr.
Speaker? All the flags--the territories and the 50 States--were
displayed there in recognition of our great Nation, the United States
of America. Not one State was left out. Not one territory was left out.
They're all displayed there.
So let us all spare our soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, coast
guardsmen, and our veterans the disappointment of not seeing their
flags together with the flags of the U.S. States whenever they fly.
I thank you for sharing your time with me. Congresswoman Norton,
thank you for your leadership and for taking a leading position on this
issue.
Ms. NORTON. I thank you, Delegate Sablan, because you are the leader
on this issue with your provision that you succeeded in getting
included in the House Defense authorization bill.
May I inquire of the Speaker how much time we have remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlelady has 14 minutes remaining.
Ms. NORTON. I thank you very much.
I did want to mention that Delegate Sablan indicated he had received
these complaints from his constituents. That's how we know about this
issue. The veterans, the members of the Armed Forces bring it to our
attention. And he also mentioned that some commanders had the
discretion as to whether or not to fly our flags. I note that Under
Secretary of Defense Erin Conaton has indeed issued a memorandum to all
parts of the armed services, and her word was that she ``encouraged''
but left to the ``discretion''--``encourage'' is her word,
``discretion'' are her words--of commanders whether to display the
flags of the territories and the District of Columbia when the flags of
the 50 States are displayed.
Defense, Pentagon,
Washington, DC, August 28, 2012.
memorandum for secretaries of the military departments
Subject: Display of District of Columbia and United States
Territorial Flags during Official Ceremonies
Our Nation's Armed Forces are more diverse than ever, and
brave men and women from all our states and territories
continue to answer the Nation's call to duty. On these
occasions where you intend to display the flags of all 50
states, I am urging you also to display the flags of the
District of Columbia and United States (U.S.) territories. I
especially encourage this practice as our soldiers, sailors,
airmen, and marines graduate from entry level training.
This memorandum is not intended to affect the authority or
discretion of commanders. Rather, it encourages the
appropriate recognition of residents of the District of
Columbia and U.S. territories at official ceremonies.
Erin C. Conaton.
Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness.
{time} 1630
Now, I would ask the Undersecretary of Defense, I would ask the
President of the United States, I would ask the Secretary of Defense
whether there would ever be discretion left to a commander whether to
fly the flags of Virginia or Utah or North Carolina or Florida. That
would be considered an insult to those States; we consider it no less.
I'm pleased to yield time as well to the delegate from the U.S.
Virgin Islands, Congresswoman Christensen.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Congresswoman Norton, for holding this
Special Order. And thank you, Congressman Sablan, for your steadfast
leadership on this issue of significant importance to our constituents,
but particularly to the military men, women, and families from the
District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.
Last year, Congressman Sablan successfully worked to include his
provision in the House National Defense Authorization Act, and it was
opposed by the Senate due to cost. How much could six extra flags cost?
It could not even be a fraction of a blip in the defense or the
military budget. But I'm proud to stand here with my other
distinguished and hardworking colleagues in strong support of our
veterans, our active military, National Guard, and Reservists and to
ask for respect for our flags.
We are here to call on our colleagues in the other body to follow the
example of the House and include language requiring all branches of the
Armed Forces to fly the flags of the District of Columbia and the five
territories of the United States whenever the flags of the 50 States
are displayed.
All national flags are potent patriotic symbols. As proud Americans
who have sacrificed for our Nation in every conflict, it should
naturally follow that wherever and whenever all flags from the 50
States are represented, we also see the flags of the District of
Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands right
alongside--just as our men and women serve bravely alongside other
Americans on the battlefield.
As we said earlier, the Senate reasoned that if flying the D.C. and
the territories' flags at each military installation where there are
now State flags were to be legislatively mandated, these bases would
need to tap into their budgets to pay for those six flags. In my
estimation, this is but a miniscule repayment of the debt we owe to the
men and women of the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia--who
serve in the military in higher per capita numbers than many States--
for their service and ultimate price that many have paid to protect our
country.
A major goal of the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act is to
rebuild our military after a decade of war. Part of that rebuilding
process should be respecting all who have served and are serving and
ensuring that they receive the recognition they deserve with their
fellow Americans from the 50 States.
The U.S. territories and the District of Columbia have long and
distinguished military histories. In our case, the Virgin Islanders
have fought in every war and conflict, including the American
Revolution. Not only did we serve, but the then-Danish West Indies
played a role in keeping the Revolutionary Army supplied with
gunpowder, and the story is told that our rum helped to keep
Washington's troops warm in cold, wintery conditions.
Alexander Hamilton, who grew up on my home island of St. Croix,
served in the Revolutionary War. At the start of the war, he organized
an artillery company and was chosen as its captain. He later became
senior aide-de-camp and confidant to General George Washington.
A Virgin Islander designed one of the first offerings for a flag for
the 13 Colonies, and it's reported that we were the first to salute the
Stars and the Stripes in one of our beautiful harbors.
As of last year, the U.S. Virgin Islands had a total of 1,807 men and
women armed service personnel serving in the Air Force, Army, Coast
Guard, U.S. Marine Corps, and Navy. We have 734 enlisted men and women
and 108 offices proudly serving in our National Guard and Air Guard.
And sadly, we too lost soldiers; we lost eight in the Afghan and Iraq
wars.
Presently, as we've heard, the decision on which flags fly and are
displayed on military installations rests with the individual base
commander.
[[Page H6499]]
The display of flags of the territories and the District on U.S.
military installations, both at home and abroad, varies. The Department
of the Army is the only branch of the military that has taken steps to
ensure a servicewide policy requiring display of all 56 flags.
I stand today with my five delegate colleagues to again call on the
Senate to adopt the House bill that includes language requiring all
branches of the Armed Forces to fly the flags of the District of
Columbia, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas,
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands whenever the flags of
the 50 States are displayed. We are tired of being overlooked in
programs and initiatives, but today we draw the line at disrespecting
our soldiers and, by extension, my constituents and those of my fellow
delegates. We are part of the United States, and flying our flag with
all of the others is the least that our military men, women, and their
families deserve.
The following is my statement in its entirety:
Thank you, Congresswoman Norton for holding this Special Order and
Congressman Sablan for your steadfast leadership on this issue of
significant importance to our constituents, but particularly to the
military men, women and families from the District of Columbia and the
U.S. territories. This is the second consecutive year in which
Congressman Sablan has successfully worked to include this provision in
the House National Defense Authorization Act. Last year, the measure
was added to the FY 12 Act but was opposed by the Senate because of the
``cost.''
Cost??? How much could 6 extra flags cost? It would not even be a
fraction of a blip in the defense or military budget.
It is a shame that we have to come to the floor on this issue, but
here we are and I am proud to stand with my other distinguished and
hard working colleagues in strong support of our veterans, active
military, national guard and reservists and to demand respect for our
flags. We are here to call on our colleagues in the other body to
follow the example of the House and include language requiring all
branches of the armed forces to fly the flags of the District of
Columbia and the five territories of the United States whenever the
flags of the 50 States are displayed.
All national flags are potent patriotic symbols. Like all 50 States,
each U.S. territory has its own flag which we hold in high honor just
as we do the stars and stripes of our Nation. As proud Americans who
have sacrificed for our Nation in every conflict, it should naturally
follow that wherever and whenever all flags from all 50 States are
represented, we also see the flags of the District of Columbia, Guam,
American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands right alongside--just as our men and women
serve bravely alongside other Americans on the battlefield. If they are
flown at non-military places--and they are--then surely we should see
them at all military installations.
As we said earlier, the Senate reasoned that, if flying the DC and
the territories' flags at each military installation where there are
now State flags were to be legislatively mandated, these bases would
need to tap into their budgets to pay for those six flags. In my
estimation, this is but a minuscule repayment of the debt we owe to the
men and women of the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia who
serve in the military in higher per capita numbers than many States,
for their service and the ultimate price many have paid to protect our
country.
A major goal of the FY 13 National Defense Authorization Act is to
rebuild our military after a decade of war. Part of that rebuilding
process should be respecting ALL who have served and are serving and
ensuring that they receive the recognition they deserve with their
fellow Americans from the 50 States.
The U.S. territories and the District of Columbia have long and
distinguished military histories.
In our case, Virgin Islanders have fought in every war and conflict
including the American Revolution. Not only did we serve but the then
Danish West Indies played a role in keeping the revolutionary army
supplied with gunpowder and the story is told that our rum helped to
keep Washington's troops warm in cold wintery conditions.
Alexander Hamilton, who grew up on my home island of St. Croix,
served in the Revolutionary war. At the start of the war, he organized
an artillery company and was chosen as its captain. He later became
senior aid-de-camp and confidant to General George Washington.
Beyond his military service, one cannot overstate his contributions
to our Nation as a Founding Father, economist, political philosopher
and strategist, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the
first United States Secretary of the Treasury.
A Virgin Islander designed one of the first offerings for a flag for
the 13 colonies and it is reported that we were the first to salute the
stars and stripes in one of our beautiful harbors.
As of last year, the U.S. Virgin Islands had a total of 1,807 men and
women Armed Service Personnel serving in the Air Force, Army, Coast
Guard, U.S. Marine Corps and Navy. We have 734 enlisted men and women
and 108 officers proudly serving in the National Guard and Air Guard.
Sadly, we lost 8 soldiers in the Afghan-Iraq war.
Presently, the decision on which flags display and fly on military
installations rests with the individual base commander. The display of
the flags of the territories and the District on U.S. military
installations, both at home and abroad, varies. The Department of the
Army is the only branch of the military that has taken steps to ensure
a service-wide policy requiring the display of all 56 flags. I stand
today with my 5 Delegate colleagues to again call on the Senate to
adopt the House bill that includes language requiring all branches of
the armed forces to fly the flags of the District of Columbia, American
Samoa, The Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Guam, Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin islands whenever the flags of the 50 States are
displayed.
We are tired of being overlooked in programs and initiatives, but we
today draw the line at disrespecting our soldiers and by extension my
constituents and those of my fellow Delegates.
We are a part of the United States and flying our flag with all of
the others is the least that our military men, women and families
deserve.
Ms. NORTON. I thank the delegate for those very important remarks and
certainly join her in those remarks.
We have another delegate who has come to the floor. I am pleased to
invite Congressman Faleomavaega of American Samoa to step forward at
this time.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I thank the gentlelady from the District of
Columbia for giving me this opportunity to speak today.
As negotiations begin on the final fiscal year 2013 Defense
Authorization bill, I rise today with my fellow delegates to urge the
Senate to adopt the House provision in the FY13 National Defense
Authorization Act. This provision would require in statute the
integration and display of the flags of each of the U.S. territories at
U.S. military installations when and where the flags of the 50 States
are flown or displayed.
Mr. Speaker, the lack of a unified Armed Forces policy requiring the
display of the flags of our U.S. territories is indeed a serious
oversight. It is an oversight on the District of Columbia and the U.S.
territories who are part of the American family and who have unique
histories with our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, in our Nation's history, soldiers have fought valiantly
in battle, but at times with little recognition--from the hundreds of
thousands of African Americans who fought for our Nation since the time
of the Revolutionary War, to some 200,000-plus soldiers who made up 10
percent of the entire Union Army in the Civil War, to the tens of
thousands of Japanese American soldiers who fought alongside their
fellow Americans in Europe during World War II.
Servicemembers and veterans of the District of Columbia and the U.S.
territories are marginalized by this oversight, despite our significant
contributions to our Nation. As a matter of fact, the U.S. territories
were, in large part, acquired for the very purpose of our national
defense and important strategic and military interests.
A noted Navy admiral, Alfred Mahan, was one of those who advocated
the theory during the late 19th century that a nation who controls the
oceans would rule the world. At a time in the world when words like
``colonialism'' and ``imperialism'' and ``manifest destiny'' were
accepted norms of foreign policies of various nations, Admiral Mahan's
theory was proven correct when a little island nation known today as
the United Kingdom, or Great Britain, or England, established one of
the most powerful nations ever in the world. It was due primarily to
the fact that Great Britain had the most powerful navy in the world.
During World War II, the Samoan islands were a major staging location
for some 40,000 marines and soldiers before they were transferred to
Guadalcanal,
[[Page H6500]]
Tarawa, Iwo Jima, and other destinations in the war against Japan
during World War II.
For years, the U.S. naval officials pleaded earnestly for the United
States to show presence in the South Pacific, and the suggestion was
the harbor in Pago Pago on Tutuila island in the Samoan islands would
be an ideal place to build a coaling station and a naval facility to
allow U.S. naval ships and commercial vessels to utilize especially
during the hurricane season.
In 1899, in Washington, D.C.--not known to the Samoans--the United
States, Great Britain, and Germany held a conference whereby a
tripartite treaty was agreed upon so that Germany and Great Britain
would continue their colonial policies of figuring out how to control
the two largest islands--Savai`i and Upolu--and the U.S. was free to
deal with the traditional leaders and chiefs of the islands of Tutuila,
Aunu`u, and Manu`a. And by consent of these chiefs, they ceded these
islands to the United States in 1900 and 1904. These proposed treaties
were never approved by the United States Congress until 1929.
{time} 1640
Some ask today, Is a territory like American Samoa still relevant to
our Nation? And to that I would argue, absolutely--especially given the
U.S. pivot of focus on the Asia Pacific region, from our continuous
involvements for over 10 years now in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the question, What would happen if the
leaders of Samoa or perhaps Fiji or Vanuatu or the Solomon Islands or
Tuvalu or Kiribati would agree to have, let's say, China perhaps build
a submarine base on these islands? I would be curious if our Department
of Defense or the Pentagon or even the Congress might indicate some
concern in this region of the world.
Mr. Speaker, as a Vietnam veteran and as a representative of a
district with high rates of military enlistment, I respectfully urge
the Senate to adopt the House provision that would give due honor to
all of our servicemembers from the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana
Islands.
I thank my colleagues who have gathered here today. And with one
voice today, we say, Do the right thing and honor the ultimate
sacrifices of the tens of thousands of our men and women who proudly
served the armed services of our Nation who are from our U.S.
territories and the District of Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, I want to note for the record that I know that our
colleague, the gentlelady from Guam who is also a senior member of the
House Armed Services Committee, would have been here. But because of
other commitments, she was unable to join us in this Special Order.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I am reminded again of a statement made by a
retired U.S. Marine brigadier general and a dear Republican friend of
mine, a native Chamorro from Guam, a graduate of the University of
Notre Dame and a very dear Republican friend, as I said, and former
colleague of ours in Congress. He was a former Member of this House. He
observed that in our relationship between our Nation and the
Territories, he said, We are equal in war but not in peace.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that our colleagues in the
Senate, Chairman Carl Levin; the distinguished Republican Senator, the
senior ranking member and dear friend as well, John McCain; and all the
members of the Senate Armed Services Committee will support this
provision.
And to the gentlelady from the District of Columbia, I cannot help
but to say more. There are 600,000 U.S. citizens living in her
district. They pay Federal income taxes, and yet she is denied the
right to vote on the floor. I think this is something that is
unbecoming of what we call ``democracy,'' if I will.
Ms. NORTON. You have heard movingly from three of my colleagues. I
hope the Senate has been as moved as I was by hearing from them.
I want only to say now, Mr. Speaker, you've heard from all of us who
are American citizens who represent American citizens and American
citizens who fight and have fought for their country, who were pleased
and continue to volunteer in disproportionate numbers into the Armed
Forces, who are among the less than 1 percent, who carry all of us, who
carry all of us on their shoulders. That's what the volunteer Army is
all about today.
We've asked the Senate to do what we congratulate and commend and
thank the House for having already done. Thank you, House of
Representatives, for respecting our flags and for respecting us as
representatives of the American people and of American veterans.
And I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________