[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8233-S8234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
OPENING OF THE UNITED STATES FREEDOM PAVILION
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 625 submitted earlier
today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 625) recognizing the January 12,
2013, opening of the United States Freedom Pavilion: The
Boeing Center at the National World War II Museum in New
Orleans, Louisiana, and supporting plans for other
educational pavilions and initiatives.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution 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 relating to the measure be printed in the
Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 625) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 625
Whereas historians Stephen E. Ambrose and Gordon H.
``Nick'' Mueller, among others, founded the National D-Day
Museum on June 6, 2000;
Whereas section 8134(c) of the Department of Defense
Appropriations Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-87; 117 Stat.
1105) designated the National D-Day Museum as ``America's
National World War II Museum'';
Whereas the National World War II Museum advances the
mission of educating the public about the experience of the
United States in World War II, covering all branches of the
Armed Forces and the Merchant Marine, and documenting and
highlighting activities on both the battlefront and home
front;
Whereas the exhibits and programs of the National World War
II Museum portray why the War occurred, how the War was won,
and what the War means today, and celebrate the spirit of the
United States and enduring values displayed during the War;
Whereas the National World War II Museum emphasizes the
diverse nature of the war effort of the United States,
reflecting the contributions of women, African-Americans,
Japanese-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and
other groups that have been neglected in many accounts of
World War II;
Whereas the 12,000 landing craft designed and built by
Higgins Industries in New Orleans made amphibious invasions
possible and carried United States soldiers ashore in every
theatre and campaign during the War;
Whereas President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the former Supreme
Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe,
credited Andrew Jackson Higgins, the chief executive officer
of Higgins Industries, as the ``man who won the war for us,''
in a 1960s conversation with the preeminent historian Stephen
E. Ambrose, leading Ambrose to initiate plans for the
National World War II Museum;
Whereas the National D-Day Museum, now known as the
``National World War II Museum'', has made great strides in
the development of the facilities, exhibits, and programs at
the Museum;
Whereas the National World War II Museum, since the grand
opening on June 6, 2000, which was the 56th anniversary of
the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, has attracted more
than 3,000,000 visitors from across the United States and
around the world, and has reached millions more through
Internet-based and other distance learning programs;
Whereas World War II veterans and home front supporters,
recognized as the ``greatest generation'' because of the
sacrifices of the veterans and home front supporters at a
pivotal time in United States history, are passing away at a
rapid rate, creating an urgent need to preserve the stories,
and to pay tribute to the service of the veterans and home
front supporters;
Whereas Congress recognizes the need to preserve forever
the knowledge and history of the most decisive achievement of
the United States during the 20th century and to portray that
history to citizens, scholars, visitors, and school children
for generations to come;
Whereas Congress appropriated funds in 1992 to authorize
the design and construction of the National D-Day Museum to
commemorate the epic 1944 Normandy invasion, and appropriated
additional funds in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2009 to
help expand the Museum to cover the entire experience of the
United States in World War II, and the transformational
impact on the United States and the world;
Whereas the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in
Washington, DC, will always be the symbolic memorial where
people come to remember the sacrifices made during World War
II;
Whereas the National World War II Museum in New Orleans
will always be the educational institution where people come
to learn about the monumental struggle by the United States
against would-be oppressors, so that future generations can
understand
[[Page S8234]]
the role the United States played in the preservation and
advancement of freedom in the middle of the 20th century;
Whereas the State of Louisiana and thousands of donors,
including foundations, companies, and Museum members in every
State, have contributed millions of dollars and other support
to help build and advance the National World War II Museum,
and hundreds of volunteers, many from the World War II era,
have provided invaluable assistance to the Museum;
Whereas the Board of Trustees of the National World War II
Museum, national in scope, and the Presidential Counselors
advisory group, featuring leading historians and museum
professionals, provide effective guidance and oversight for
the National World War II Museum;
Whereas the National World War II Museum continues to add
to and maintain 1 of the largest personal history collections
in the United States, representing the experiences of the men
and women who fought in World War II and served on the home
front, with more than 7,000 videotaped, oral, and written
accounts in the collection, and plans to digitize the
collection to vastly improve public access;
Whereas the National World War II Museum is an official
affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, with a formal
agreement to borrow Smithsonian artifacts for exhibits;
Whereas the National World War II Museum collaborates with
other museums and memorials in the United States and around
the world;
Whereas the National World War II Museum has added major
facilities in recent years through donor support, including
the Solomon Victory Theater complex, which features a 4-D
theater, the Stage Door Canteen, a United Service
Organization-styled entertainment venue, and the Kushner
Restoration Pavilion, home to a major patrol torpedo boat
restoration project;
Whereas the National World War II Museum will open the
United States Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center in January
2013;
Whereas the Pavilion will feature aircraft such as the B-17
bomber and the P-51 fighter, the latter flown by the Tuskegee
Airmen, and a submarine experience and exhibits honoring
Medal of Honor recipients, government leaders who served in
World War II, and industries that became known as the
``Arsenal of Democracy''; and
Whereas other major pavilions and interactive exhibits are
planned or under development as the Museum anticipates the
completion of the campus by 2016, including the Campaigns of
Courage: European and Pacific Theaters Pavilion, the
Liberation Pavilion, and a Union Station train experience in
the original Louisiana Memorial Pavilion: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes and applauds the planned January 12, 2013,
opening of the United States Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing
Center, an iconic pavilion funded in part by the Federal
Government and a major feature of the institution designated
by section 8134(c) of the Department of Defense
Appropriations Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-87; 117 Stat.
1105) as ``America's National World War II Museum'';
(2) recognizes the generous assistance from private
individuals, corporations, foundations, the Federal
Government, the State of Louisiana, and other public entities
committed to offering a lasting tribute to the achievements
of the United States in World War II; and
(3) expresses support for the mission of the National World
War II Museum as vital to the preservation of democratic
values, to the understanding of United States history and
founding principles, and to the education of future
generations about the relevance of the War experience to the
past and future greatness of the United States.
____________________