Congressional Record, Volume 159 Issue 151 (Monday, October 28, 2013)

[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 151 (Monday, October 28, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H6778-H6780]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

AUTHORIZING AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3304) to authorize and request the President to
award the Medal of Honor to Bennie G. Adkins and Donald P. Sloat of the
United States Army for acts of valor during the Vietnam Conflict and to
authorize the award of the Medal of Honor to certain other veterans who
were previously recommended for award of the Medal of Honor.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 3304

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION AND REQUEST FOR AWARD OF MEDAL OF
HONOR TO BENNIE G. ADKINS FOR ACTS OF VALOR
DURING THE VIETNAM CONFLICT.

[[Page H6779]]

(b) Acts of Valor Described.--The acts of valor referred to
in subsection (a) are the actions of then Sergeant First
Class Bennie G. Adkins of the United States Army serving with
Special Forces Detachment A-102 from March 9 to 12, 1966,
during the Vietnam Conflict for which he was originally
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION AND REQUEST FOR AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR
TO DONALD P. SLOAT FOR ACTS OF VALOR DURING THE
VIETNAM CONFLICT.

(a) Authorization.--Notwithstanding the time limitations
specified in section 3744 of title 10, United States Code, or
any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of
certain medals to persons who served in the Armed Forces, the
President is authorized and requested to award the Medal of
Honor under section 3741 of such title to Donald P. Sloat of
the United States Army for the acts of valor during the
Vietnam Conflict described in subsection (b).
(b) Acts of Valor Described.--The acts of valor referred to
in subsection (a) are the actions of then Specialist Four
Donald P. Sloat of the United States Army serving with 3rd
Platoon, Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry, 196th
Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division on January 17,
1970, during the Vietnam Conflict.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR TO FORMER
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES PREVIOUSLY
RECOMMENDED FOR AWARD OF THE MEDAL OF HONOR.

Section 552(e) of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2002 (Public Law 107-107; 10 U.S.C. 3741
note) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``Honor.--''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(2) In addition to the authority provided by paragraph
(1), a Medal of Honor may be awarded to a veteran of the
Armed Forces who, although not a Jewish-American war veteran
or Hispanic-American war veteran described in subsection (b),
was identified during the review of service records conducted
under subsection (a) and regarding whom the Secretary of
Defense submitted, before January 1, 2014, a recommendation
to the President that the President award the Medal of Honor
to that veteran.''.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Rogers) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama.

General Leave

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and to insert extraneous material into the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Alabama?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3304. This bill would waive
the time limit for the President to consider awarding the Medal of
Honor to a handful of American heroes. The battlefield actions of these
brave Americans have undergone a thorough review by the Department of
Defense and have been determined to merit consideration for our
Nation's highest honor.
Among those heroes who would be considered under this bill is Mr.
Bennie Adkins of Opelika, Alabama. In 1966, while serving in Vietnam,
then-Sergeant First Class Bennie Adkins was assigned to Special Forces
Detachment A-102 at Special Forces Camp A Shau in the Republic of
Vietnam. From March 9 to March 12 of that year, he displayed
extraordinary bravery during a sustained and well-coordinated attack
from a determined, vicious, and highly lethal Viet Cong force. Though
recommended at the time by his chain of command for the Medal of Honor,
he received, instead, the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions.
His citation read:

When the camp was attacked by a large Viet Cong force,
Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense hostile
fire and manned a mortar position. Although he was wounded,
he ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several of
his comrades to safety.
When the hostile fire subsided, Sergeant First Class Adkins
exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his
wounded comrades to the camp dispensary. During the
evacuation of a seriously wounded American, Sergeant First
Class Adkins maneuvered outside the camp walls to draw fire
and successfully cover the rescue.
During the early morning hours of 10 March 1966, a Viet
Cong regiment launched its main attack. Within 2 hours,
Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only man firing a mortar
weapon. Although he was painfully wounded and most of his
crew was killed or wounded, he fought off the fanatical waves
of attacking Viet Cong. After withdrawing to a communications
bunker where several Americans were attempting to fight off a
company of Viet Cong, Sergeant First Class Adkins killed
numerous insurgents with his suppressive fire.
Running extremely low on ammunition, he returned to the
mortar pit, gathered the vital ammunition, and ran through
intense fire back to the communications bunker. After being
ordered to evacuate the camp, all signal equipment and
classified documents were destroyed. Sergeant First Class
Adkins and a small group of men fought their way out of the
camp and evaded the Viet Cong for 2 days until they were
rescued by a helicopter.
Sergeant First Class Adkins' extraordinary heroism in close
combat against a numerically superior hostile force was in
keeping with the highest traditions of the military service
and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the
United States Army.

Mr. Adkins continued his stellar military career until he retired in
1977 at the rank of sergeant major. Mr. Adkins also served a term as
the national commander of the Legion of Valor.
Following a thorough review of Mr. Adkins' actions in battle by the
Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Hagel recently wrote to
Congress that Mr. Adkins' actions merited the Medal of Honor and that,
if Congress would waive the time requirement, he would recommend to
President Obama that the President should award the Medal of Honor to
Mr. Adkins.
As such, Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit for the Record a letter
from Secretary Hagel.
This bill would also allow Mr. Donald Sloat to be considered for the
Medal of Honor. On January 17, 1970, while serving in Vietnam, then-
Specialist Donald Sloat, a machine gunner with Company D, Second
Battalion, First Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry, American
Division, was killed while saving the lives of his squad members by
drawing an enemy grenade to his body and shielding them from the blast.
For his ultimate sacrifice to save his fellow soldiers, the DOD
determined that Mr. Sloat's actions merited consideration for the Medal
of Honor.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to commend the Department of Defense
for completing the review of Jewish and Hispanic American veterans
going back to World War II in order to correct an injustice to
deserving members of our military who risked their lives for their
country but whose actions were overlooked due to their ethnicities and
religions. While conducting this review, the Department discovered
seven individuals who did not meet the exact criteria of the
congressionally mandated review but who, nevertheless, were deserving
of the Medal of Honor. This bill would allow them to be recognized with
the Nation's highest award for valor.
It is important to note that none of these brave Americans asked for
this renewed consideration. It was through the advocacy and admiration
of loved ones and of those who served with them that led to this
effort.
For those brave Americans who show such extraordinary heroism in
defense of our liberties, it is never too late to say thank you. To Mr.
Adkins and Mr. Sloat and to all of the brave Americans like them, I say
thank you.
I reserve the balance of my time.

Pentagon,

Washington, DC, June 7, 2013.
Hon. Mike Rogers,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Rogers: I am writing in response to
your request for award of the Medal of Honor to then-Sergeant
First Class (SFC) Bennie G. Adkins under the provisions of
section 1130 of title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.),
``Consideration of proposals for decorations not previously
submitted in timely fashion: procedures for review.''
I reviewed the proposal for award of the Medal of Honor to
then-SFC Bennie G. Adkins for his valorous acts from March 9
to March 12, 1966, during the Vietnam Conflict. After giving
the nomination careful consideration, I believe then-SFC
Bennie G. Adkins' actions merit award of the Medal of Honor.
However, section 3744 of title 10, U.S.C., requires that the
Medal of Honor be awarded ``within three years after the date
of the act justifying the award.'' Therefore, a statutory
time waiver to section 3744 of title 10, U.S.C. is required
before the President of the United States may, if he so
chooses, award the Medal of Honor to then-SFC Bennie G.
Adkins.
The final award authority for the Medal of Honor rests
solely with the President of the United States. My favorable
determination in no way presumes what the President's
decision might be.

[[Page H6780]]

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please
contact the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Legislative Affairs. A similar letter is being sent to the
Chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Armed
Services.
Sincerely,
Chuck Hagel,
Secretary of Defense.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 3304, introduced by my friend and
colleague, Mr. Deutch of Florida.
H.R. 3304 authorizes the President of the United States to award the
Medal of Honor to Bennie G. Adkins, Donald P. Sloat, Melvin Morris,
Ardie Copas, Jack Weinstein, Leonard Kravitz, Alfred Nietzel, Donald
Schwab, and William Leonard.
These individuals have distinguished themselves in service to our
Nation in previous conflicts, ranging from World War II to Vietnam. The
individuals were reviewed by the appropriate services, and their
nominations were given careful consideration by the Secretary of
Defense, and their names have been submitted to the Congress.
Section 3744 of title X, United States Code, requires the Medal of
Honor to be awarded within 3 years after the date of the act justifying
the award, which is why we are here on the floor--to seek a statutory
time waiver to allow the President of the United States to award the
Medal of Honor to these particular individuals. So I urge my colleagues
to support the passage of this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Florida (Mr. Deutch), the author of this bill.
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank my friend, the gentlelady from Guam.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3304. I was pleased to work
with my colleagues, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. Bridenstine of Oklahoma,
and Mr. Rooney of Florida, on this bill; and I appreciate the work that
they do on behalf of our veterans and the men and women who serve our
country today.
This legislation will waive the time limitation to allow the award of
the Medal of Honor to two brave men, Bennie G. Adkins, a constituent of
Mr. Rogers', and Donald P. Sloat, a constituent of Mr. Bridenstine's. I
sincerely appreciate my colleagues' support and the support of the
House Armed Services Committee in the effort to bring this legislation
to the floor today.
This legislation will also allow the award of the Medal of Honor to
several other deserving veterans. This bill represents the culmination
of a long fight to remedy discrimination against Jewish American and
Hispanic American veterans of our Armed Forces who, in spite of their
acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty, may have been
overlooked as being deserving of the Medal of Honor.
Over 12 years ago, this important effort began because Mitch Libman,
a close friend of Leonard Kravitz', made it known that then-Private
First Class Kravitz may have been improperly bypassed for the Medal of
Honor. After sacrificing his life in combat in Korea, he was awarded
the Distinguished Service Cross with the following citation:

Upon order to withdraw, Private Kravitz voluntarily
remained to provide protective fire for the retiring
elements. Traversing the gun to the left to cover the
infiltrating enemy and ignoring the pleadings of his comrades
to fall back, he fearlessly maintained his position.
Detecting a column of Communist troops moving toward friendly
positions, he swept the hostile soldiers with deadly accurate
fire, killing the entire group. His destructive retaliation
caused the enemy to concentrate vicious fire on his position
and enabled the friendly elements to effect a withdrawal.

Leonard Kravitz bravely gave his life for the men fighting at his
side and for his country. In spite of his acts of valor above and
beyond the call of duty, Kravitz was not awarded the Medal of Honor. In
fact, when Mr. Libman came forward to share Mr. Kravitz' story, no
Jewish American veteran had been recommended to receive the Medal of
Honor for service in Korea. To ensure that this disparity was not the
result of discrimination, Congress required each military department to
conduct a review of veteran files to identify any deserving veteran who
may have been overlooked for the Medal of Honor. This review has
ensured that our highest military honor will be awarded based only on
the acts of valor and courage displayed in battle and that no veteran
will be denied the Medal of Honor as a result of his or her religion,
race, or heritage.
I am extremely proud of the long, rich history of Jewish Americans
and Hispanic Americans serving in our Armed Forces. Over half a million
Jewish Americans fought for the United States in World War II, and
11,000 of them perished while fighting for this country. Jewish
Americans have served with distinction in Korea, Vietnam, Operation
Desert Storm, and countless other missions around the globe. Hispanic
Americans have a proud history of military service stretching back to
the Revolutionary War. Over 1 million Latino veterans have served
courageously in our Armed Forces. Hispanic Americans and Jewish
Americans are among the brave young men and women who have stepped
forward to serve our Nation in our most recent conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Members of both of these communities have fought for America's
freedom and have had to fight to ensure that they receive the respect
and honor they are owed for their service. The review of hundreds of
service records resulted in the recommendation of the award of the
Medal of Honor to at least seven veterans, including Mr. Kravitz.
I want to thank all of those at the Department of Defense who
diligently reviewed their records to make certain that we properly
recognize all of the brave veterans deserving of the Medal of Honor.

{time} 1615

The President of the United States, Mr. Speaker, has awarded the
Medal of Honor to 3,471 of our finest Americans over the course of our
Nation's history. With the passage of this bill, the President will be
authorized to add Bennie G. Adkins, Donald P. Sloat, and at least seven
other veterans whose heroic acts can at last receive the highest honor
that they richly deserve.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support the passage of this
legislation.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I have no further
requests to speak, so I am prepared to close with an urging to my
colleagues that they vote in favor of this bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, but I do want
to commend the author of this bill, this very worthwhile piece of
legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3304.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

____________________