[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 29, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H6853-H6854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS NATIONAL MEMORIAL ACT
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 330) to designate a Distinguished Flying Cross
National Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside,
California.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 330
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Distinguished Flying Cross
National Memorial Act''.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS NATIONAL
MEMORIAL IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The most reliable statistics regarding the number of
members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross indicate that 126,318 members of
the Armed Forces received the medal during World War II,
approximately 21,000 members received the medal during the
Korean conflict, and 21,647 members received the medal during
the Vietnam War. Since the end of the Vietnam War, more than
203 Armed Forces members have received the medal in times of
conflict.
(2) The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis,
Missouri, burned down in 1973, and thus many more recipients
of the Distinguished Flying Cross may be undocumented.
Currently, the Department of Defense continues to locate and
identify members of the Armed Forces who have received the
medal and are undocumented.
(3) The United States currently lacks a national memorial
dedicated to the bravery and sacrifice of those members of
the Armed Forces who have distinguished themselves by heroic
deeds performed in aerial flight.
(4) An appropriate memorial to current and former members
of the Armed Forces is under construction at March Field Air
Museum in Riverside, California.
(5) This memorial will honor all those members of the Armed
Forces who have distinguished themselves in aerial flight,
whether documentation of such members who earned the
Distinguished Flying Cross exists or not.
(b) Designation.--The memorial to members of the Armed
Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross,
located at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California,
is hereby designated as the Distinguished Flying Cross
National Memorial.
(c) Effect of Designation.--The national memorial
designated by this section is not a unit of the National Park
System, and the designation of the national memorial shall
not be construed to require or permit Federal funds to be
expended for any purpose related to the national memorial.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska.
General Leave
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Alaska?
There was no objection.
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
H.R. 330 designates the memorial located at March Field Air Museum in
Riverside, California, as the Distinguished Flying Cross National
Memorial in honor of current and former members of the Armed Forces who
have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
This national memorial will not be a unit of the National Park
System, and the designation does not require or permit any expenditures
of Federal funds.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 330, which has passed the House
as part of the most recent Department of Defense authorization bill, as
well as a stand-alone bill in the 112th Congress by a vote of 392-1.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. GRIJALVA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GRIJALVA. H.R. 330, designates the memorial at the March Field
Air Museum in Riverside, California, as the Distinguished Flying Cross
National Memorial.
The memorial to recipients of the U.S. Air Force's Distinguished
Flying Cross was dedicated on October 27, 2010, and since then, it
stands as a proud symbol of remembrance and honor for all members of
the U.S. Armed Forces who have demonstrated heroism or extraordinary
achievement.
The Distinguished Flying Cross is the oldest military award for
aviation, but there is no national memorial to recognize the sacrifice
and commitment of these brave men and women.
[[Page H6854]]
We support H.R. 330 and urge its passage by the House today.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may
consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the author of
the bill, an outstanding Member from California.
Mr. CALVERT. I thank the gentleman from Alaska.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 330, a bill to designate a
national Distinguished Flying Cross memorial in Riverside, California.
The memorial honors all current and former members of the Armed
Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
For the past two Congresses, the House has overwhelmingly passed this
bill, and today I stand again in support of H.R. 330, which would
designate the memorial at March Field Air Museum as the Distinguished
Flying Cross National Memorial.
The legislation is supported by the Distinguished Flying Cross
Society, the Military Officers Association of America, the Air Force
Association, the Air Force Sergeants Association, the Association of
Naval Aviation, the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, and the
China-Burma-India Veterans Association. I would like to point out that
the language in the bill specifically states that the designation shall
not be construed to require or permit Federal funds to be expended for
any purpose related to the national memorial. Funds have been and will
continue to be raised through private means for these purposes.
Distinguished Flying Cross recipients have received the prestigious
medal for their heroism or extraordinary achievement while
participating in aerial flight while serving in any capacity within the
United States Armed Forces. There are many well-known people that have
played a vital role in the history of military aviation that have
received the award. This renowned group includes Captain Charles L.
Lindbergh, former President George H.W. Bush, Brigadier General Jimmy
Doolittle, General Curtis LeMay, Senator John McCain, Senator George
McGovern, Jimmy Stewart, and Admiral Jim Stockdale, just to name a few.
The March Air Reserve Base, which hosts the C-17As of the 452nd Air
Mobility Wing, is adjacent to the location of the memorial at March
Field Air Museum. Visitors are able to witness active operational air
units providing support to our troops around the world, which is an
appropriate setting that honors the many aviators who have
distinguished themselves by deeds performed in aerial flight.
I would like to thank those who have worked tirelessly to ensure this
memorial was built and is properly designated in honor of the
distinguished aviators who have served this great Nation. In
particular, I would like to recognize Jim Champlin; his late wife,
Trish; Distinguished Flying Cross Society's president, Chuck Sweeney;
and the society's historian, Dr. Barry Lanman, who was instrumental in
this effort.
Again, I hope you will join me in supporting the designation of the
Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial at the March Field Air
Museum and H.R. 330.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Riverside, California (Mr. Takano), an original
sponsor of this legislation.
Mr. TAKANO. I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Distinguished Flying Cross
National Memorial Act, which would designate the Distinguished Flying
Cross Memorial currently under construction at March Air Field Museum
in Riverside County as a national memorial.
Established by Congress in 1926, the Distinguished Flying Cross has
been awarded to tens of thousands of Americans and gives recognition to
members of our Armed Forces for heroism in aerial flight. This
legislation could not be more important as there is no national
memorial for these brave men and women. I believe that it is our duty
to properly honor our heroes for their service.
In addition to its bipartisan support, this legislation also has the
backing of countless veterans and military organizations, including the
Distinguished Flying Cross Society, the Military Officers Association
of America, the Air Force Association, the Air Force Sergeants
Association, the Association of Naval Aviation, and the Vietnam
Helicopter Pilots Association.
I was proud to introduce this legislation with my Republican
colleague from the Inland Empire, Representative Ken Calvert, and hope
we can continue to work together on issues such as this because our
region has deep military roots.
I would also like to express my gratitude to California Senators
Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, along with Senator Bill Nelson of
Florida, who introduced the Senate version of this bill.
Let's honor these heroes, Mr. Speaker, and pass the Distinguished
Flying Cross National Memorial Act.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 330.
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.
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