[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 164 (Monday, November 18, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H7164-H7165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AUTHORIZING USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL
CEREMONY FOR NATIVE AMERICAN CODE TALKERS
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
concur in the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 25) authorizing the
use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for activities
associated with the ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to
Native American code talkers.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
S. Con. Res. 25
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring),
SECTION 1. USE OF EMANCIPATION HALL FOR GOLD MEDAL CEREMONY
FOR NATIVE AMERICAN CODE TALKERS.
Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center is
authorized to be used on November 20, 2013, for a ceremony to
award the Congressional Gold Medal to Native American code
talkers. Physical preparations for the conduct of the
ceremony shall be carried out in accordance with such
conditions as may be prescribed by the Architect of the
Capitol.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their
remarks on the concurrent resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I rise in very strong support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 25,
authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall on Wednesday, November 20, for
a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Native American
code talkers who assisted the United States military and our ally
powers. This ceremony, Mr. Speaker, is a very long overdue recognition
of all Native American code talkers that served this Nation during
times of foreign conflict.
Although the contributions of the Navajo code talkers during the
World Wars have been the most celebrated, many, many other Native
American tribes deserve recognition for their courage and dedication to
this Nation as well. Thousands of Native Americans from over a dozen
tribes across the country saw the threats to humanity being posed and
joined with our military forces to protect our common homeland. It was
a call to action that they selflessly and successfully accomplished.
I want to thank our former colleague from Oklahoma, Mr. Boren, for
his leadership on H.R. 4544, the Native American Code Talkers Act,
which provides for this overdue recognition and celebration.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution, and
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
[[Page H7165]]
Mr. Speaker, I join the chair in supporting S. Con. Res. 25, which
authorizes the use of Emancipation Hall for a ceremony to award the
Congressional Gold Medal to Native American code talkers. I am very
pleased to support the efforts to honor these patriotic Americans and
their service to our Nation during some of its most trying times. This
honor is extremely well deserved, and I urge my colleagues to support
this resolution.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to yield
such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole),
a member of the Rules Committee and also recently named last week as
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations.
Also, Mr. Cole is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and the Chickasaw
Hall of Fame.
Mr. COLE. I thank my friend, the chairman, for yielding me the time
and for her gracious remarks.
Mr. Speaker, Native Americans have fought against, with, and for the
United States more than any other group of people in the history of our
country, and it is still true today. Native Americans enlist in the
American military at a higher rate than any other race or ethnicity in
the United States. That sense of protecting one's place and one's land,
which is such an integral part of Native American history, is deep and
alive and has benefited this country.
As my friend the chairman mentioned, most Americans are certainly
aware of the distinguished role of the Navajo code talkers in the
Second World War. What many of them are not aware of, though, is how
many others served not only in that war, but as far back as the First
World War.
This ceremony will recognize 33 tribes whose members are considered
DOD code talkers. Ten of those tribes are from my home State of
Oklahoma, and three of them--the Choctaws, Comanches, and Kiowas--
reside in my district. It is a privilege for me, as a Native American,
to support this resolution and urge its adoption.
It is right that we recognize the contribution of these Americans--
the first Americans--who were so often discriminated against at the
time in which they contributed to the defense of our country and, in
some cases in the First World War, still did not have the rights of
other American citizens. Most Native Americans did not actually achieve
the right to vote until 1924. So the fact that they were willing to go
and lay their life on the line to assist this country, I think, speaks
volumes about their patriotism and their commitment.
So I thank my friends for bringing the resolution to the floor. I
look forward to voting in support of it, and I urge its adoption by the
House.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege to
yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr.
Mullin), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure and Natural
Resources Committees. He is also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
Mr. MULLIN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlelady from
Michigan for yielding me time to speak on such an important issue.
The Cherokee Nation has a rich history of pride and heritage inside
this country. At a very young age, I had the special privilege of
meeting a gentleman, another former member of the Cherokee Nation,
Wayne Russell.
Wayne Russell was taken care of by my grandparents. My grandad,
Kenneth Morris, is also a Cherokee member, who fought in the European
theatre as a combat engineer. Wayne Russell was a neighbor of my
granddad.
My grandmother and granddad took care of Wayne until he passed away.
At a young age, I got the privilege of getting to know him. We share
the same birthday, and so it was a common bond for us. Wayne used to
tell me stories of how he got to use his native language to help this
great Nation win a war against a group of individuals that had very bad
intentions not just in our country, but in this world.
Wayne never asked for anything. Wayne simply stood up each day and
did his job when he was in uniform. When he came home, he didn't ask
for anybody to give him anything. He didn't ask for a handout. He was
just proud to serve.
Before I even knew what code talkers were, Wayne used to tell me
about it all the time, because he used to teach the Cherokee language
in the school I went to in Westfield. So Wayne would talk to me in our
native tongue and tell me about the stories that he had from the war.
He didn't realize he was special. I didn't really realize he was
special. But today, I get to stand up and talk about him. What an honor
it is for me to stand on this House floor as a Member of the United
States Congress and get to bring Wayne Russell's name up and tell
people what he did.
Wayne has passed. When he left, he left me all his medals. And we get
to stand up this week and vote on something to honor not just Cherokee
members, but the members of Native Americans in Indian Country all
across this great Nation that didn't ask for anything, but just simply
did their job. They didn't realize they were special; they just did
what it took to win. Because we have pride in Indian Country. We take
great pride in this great country we call America. And for us to stand
up and speak up for them, what an opportunity for this House to reach
across the aisle and show bipartisan support to honor a group of
people.
So it is an honor to stand up here, Mr. Speaker, and it is an honor
that the gentlelady from Michigan has given me time to talk about Wayne
Russell and something important to me.
I urge my colleagues to support this. Let's stand together and say
``thank you'' to a group of people that is well overdue.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I must say, I hope that all of
us are looking forward to this ceremony because I think it is going to
be a very impressive one and give us a chance to honor, again, these
wonderful, patriotic Americans.
I urge an ``aye'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I don't know how I follow on
from the two previous speakers we had on our side that talked very
eloquently from their heart about their pride in their heritage and
their pride as being Americans and now as Members of the Congress about
this bipartisan bill, and it is a ceremony that I tell my colleague
from California we are all looking forward to.
As I mentioned in my opening remarks, it is certainly a ceremony that
is long overdue for the recognition of all Native Americans, and
particularly these code talkers and what they did to keep America free.
They are great ambassadors of liberty, freedom, and democracy.
I urge all my colleagues to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 25,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) that the House suspend the
rules and concur in the concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 25.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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