[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 44 (Monday, March 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1469-H1472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL POW/MIA REMEMBRANCE ACT OF 2015
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 1670) to direct the Architect of the Capitol to
place in the United States Capitol a chair honoring American Prisoners
of War/Missing in Action.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1670
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[[Page H1470]]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National POW/MIA Remembrance
Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In recent years, commemorative chairs honoring American
Prisoners of War/Missing in Action have been placed in
prominent locations across the United States.
(2) The United States Capitol is an appropriate location to
place a commemorative chair honoring American Prisoners of
War/Missing in Action.
SEC. 3. PLACEMENT OF A CHAIR IN UNITED STATES CAPITOL
HONORING AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR/MISSING IN
ACTION.
(a) Obtaining Chair.--The Architect of the Capitol shall
enter into an agreement to obtain a chair featuring the logo
of the National League of POW/MIA Families under such terms
and conditions as the Architect considers appropriate and
consistent with applicable law.
(b) Placement.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Architect shall place the chair
obtained under subsection (a) in a suitable permanent
location in the United States Capitol.
SEC. 4. FUNDING.
(a) Donations.--The Architect of the Capitol may--
(1) enter into an agreement with any organization described
in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986
that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that
Code to solicit private donations to carry out the purposes
of this Act; and
(2) accept donations of funds, property, and services to
carry out the purposes of this Act.
(b) Costs.--All costs incurred in carrying out the purposes
of this Act shall be paid for with private donations received
under subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch)
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 have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
on H.R. 1670.
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.
Mr. Speaker, the measure before the House today directs the Architect
of the Capitol to obtain a chair featuring the logo of the National
League of POW/MIA Families and to prominently place it on display in
the U.S. Capitol.
As Members of Congress, certainly we each represent diverse
congressional districts, but one of the things that ties us together
are the many brave men and women we represent who stood on the battle
lines in defense of our Nation's freedom, our liberty, and our way of
life.
This legislation introduced by our colleague, Representative Stephen
Lynch of Massachusetts, honors American prisoners of war and Americans
missing in action. The chair will serve as a permanent reminder of the
enormous sacrifice made by those who served our country and were taken
as POWs or listed as MIA.
The importance of remembering and honoring their great sacrifice can
never be overstated. Our Nation has a responsibility to them and to
their families who have shared in their sacrifice, and we must never
forget.
Our heroes deserve to be honored, especially in the U.S. Capitol,
which is itself a symbol of our American beliefs and the liberties and
freedoms that they sacrificed to defend.
This chair will honor veterans like Sam Johnson, one of our
colleagues here in the House. Sam is one of the most stalwart
protectors of those who have served and who himself endured nearly 7
years as a POW, including 42 months in solitary confinement, in the
infamous Hanoi Hilton.
Forty-three years ago Sam Johnson returned to the United States to be
reunited with his loved ones, and we are so honored to have the
privilege to serve with him today here in this House.
In addition to Sam Johnson, Mr. Speaker, when I think about the
meaning behind this memorial, I think about an individual who lives in
my district. His first name is Donald, but we all call him Digger,
Digger O'Dell.
Digger enlisted in 1952 into the Air Force. He was shot down in
October of 1967, and he, like Sam, was a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton,
in Digger's case, for 5\1/2\ years.
Thankfully, Digger made it home, as Sam did, after all of those years
in a North Vietnamese camp. He is now in his eighties and serves as a
member of our local air base community council and chairs a fundraising
event for the Special Olympics. Digger is a remarkable man. He is one
of many who selflessly served our Nation facing enormous adversity.
I might even mention my husband, who was a fighter pilot and is a
proud member of Vietnam Veterans of America and is now a proud member
of Chapter 154 of the VVA in Macomb County, which is actually one the
largest chapters in our entire Nation.
Again, Mr. Speaker, these heroes who so bravely served our Nation
deserve to be honored, especially in the U.S. Capitol, and certainly
this chair with the MIA/POW logo on it will forever demonstrate that we
will never forget.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for her
kind words in support of this bill.
And I want to thank Mr. Brady, the ranking member on the House
Administration Committee, for his support as well.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1670, the National
POW/MIA Remembrance Act. Before I begin, I want to thank House
Administration for their great support and staff support as well.
Mr. Speaker, this bill actually comes from the recognition we all
share that, in our country, oftentimes the families of POWs and MIAs
suffer alone.
And it is through the efforts of groups like Rolling Thunder and
other veterans' groups who have brought to the forefront the fact that
we should carry more immediately the memory of the sacrifice of those
families.
In my own life, I came to know a man named James Fitzgerald, who was
a member of Operating Engineers Local 4 in Boston. I worked on a job
with him. I remember at noontime, when everyone would go off to lunch,
he would go off into his pickup truck and eat his sandwich by himself.
Day after day in his lap he would have a tri-corner flag that this
country gave him in remembrance of his son, who went down as a result
of enemy fire in Vietnam in the early 1960s.
It was not until the late 1980s, early 1990s, that his son was
actually recovered, returned to his family, and buried in
Massachusetts. For many, many years, the Fitzgerald family carried that
burden by themselves. They carried it alone.
I had a chance to travel with JPAC, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting
Command, to Vietnam, to Korea, and to the South Pacific, the
Philippines.
We have 83,000--83,000--men and women from this country that died in
the Second World War, in Korea, and in Vietnam who are still there.
About 1,000 remain in Vietnam. About 5,000 remain in North Korea up
around the Chosin Reservoir. And then the great majority of those MIA
are buried at sea as a result of the great naval battles in World War
II. They are buried in place, and their resting places are our sacred
ground.
We have an opportunity here to place within the Capitol a
remembrance, a shrine, in effect, to their sacrifice in remembrance of
their service to this country. H.R. 1670 would honor them by
authorizing a placement of a POW/MIA Chair of Honor on the grounds of
the United States Capitol.
That chair will forever stand unoccupied as a solemn reminder of the
over 83,000 brave Americans from as far back as World War II who are
still waiting to be brought home.
Chairs of honor carrying the POW/MIA insignia have already been
placed in public spaces in cities and towns around the country. It is
only fitting that the Capitol, the seat of the U.S. Congress, should do
so as well.
Mr. Speaker, when our fellow Americans go to war, we make them a
promise never to leave them behind. That vow is sacred. When we pass
this chair every day, we will be reminded of our commitment to our POW/
MIAs and their families that we have not forgotten them, we will never
forget them, and we will not rest until they all come home.
[[Page H1471]]
I want to take a moment to thank Joe D'Entremont, who first
approached me about undertaking this initiative a couple of years ago.
He is a past president of Rolling Thunder of Massachusetts Chapter 1
and is now a Rolling Thunder, Incorporated, National member.
I want to thank all the members from all the chapters of Rolling
Thunder from across the country who have kept this idea alive.
Joe D'Entremont is a passionate advocate on behalf of our veterans
and our POWs and MIAs. Joe has worked with my office from the very
beginning on this effort.
I also want to thank Gus Dante, also with Rolling Thunder National,
who has worked steadfastly at Joe's side to see this through.
Finally, I want to thank the members of Rolling Thunder Massachusetts
Chapter 1 and all of the Rolling Thunder chapters around the Nation.
Their efforts were integral to bringing us here today.
After today, H.R. 1670 will move to the Senate for its consideration.
I want to recognize and thank my Massachusetts colleague, Senator
Elizabeth Warren, for introducing her Senate companion bill and for
making this truly a bicameral effort.
I look forward to continuing to work with her to get this past the
finish line and have the National POW/MIA Remembrance Act signed into
law.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker.)
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1670, the National POW/
MIA Remembrance Act of 2015, which would direct the Architect of the
Capitol to place a commemorative chair paid for by private donations in
the United States Capitol to honor American prisoners of war and those
missing in action. This bill is a way to acknowledge and remember those
who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
One of the groups supporting this bill is the Rolling Thunder, as was
just mentioned. The mission of the Rolling Thunder is to educate the
public of the American prisoners of war who were left behind. I am
happy to state that this bill is not a cost to the American taxpayers.
In coordination with the Rolling Thunder, I have also introduced H.
Res. 590, which calls for a selective committee on POW and MIA affairs.
As a minister for nearly two decades, I can tell you that these
situations are sometimes not always resolved, but the closure that it
provides and benefits to the families is immeasurable.
I am proud to once again stand with my colleagues today in honoring
our brave men and women.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).
Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. I thank the chairwoman for her
willingness to put such a wonderful piece of legislation forward,
something that truly should be unanimous in its bipartisan support.
Mr. Speaker, I also rise in strong support of H.R. 1670, the National
POW/MIA Remembrance Act. This bipartisan bill, as many of those who
have spoken before me have said, authorizes the placement of a
commemorative chair on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol that is going to
be a reminder to all of us of the great sacrifice that our brave men
and women in uniform have made to keep our country safe and promote our
values around the globe.
These commemorative chairs, which carry the POW/MIA insignia and are
purchased with privately raised funds, remain perpetually unoccupied as
a solemn reminder of the 91,000 brave servicemembers still waiting to
be brought home.
Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honor for me to be able to serve with
some in this institution who were POWs and made it home. They need to
be commended for their service, like Congressman Sam Johnson from
Texas, who spent way too many months--48, I believe, to be exact--as a
guest at the Hanoi Hilton.
He was able to make it home. But so many more--so many more--families
experience tragic losses because they never know what happened to their
family members.
Mr. Speaker, ensuring that our veterans are properly cared for is one
of my top priorities as a Member of this great institution.
And while the Veterans Administration continues to require
significant reforms, having a commemorative chair in the Capitol will
remind all Members--all Members--of this great institution of the
commitments we have made to those who have fought so hard and ensure
that we hold the VA accountable for their actions, too.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1670 so that
families of POW/MIA servicemembers know also that the United States
will never forget the sacrifices their loved ones who served this
country with such valor and honor made.
Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me just say, in support of H.R. 1670, I do want to
share in the acknowledgment of Sam Johnson's service and sacrifice on
behalf of this country.
In fairness, I have to say that, when we went to the Hanoi Hilton,
they did have a reconstructed version of what Senator John McCain went
through in Hanoi. It is a sanitized version of what he suffered there,
but I also want to recognize his service. He is truly an American hero
as well.
I thank my Republican colleagues on the other side of the aisle for
their support. I am glad we can work on this together. I think we owe
it to all our MIA and POWs and their families to get this done.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1670.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as I conclude, I just want to reiterate again that these
brave men and women who served as POWs or those missing in action are
our Nation's patriots and heroes, and they certainly do deserve to be
honored. I am just proud to be a part of this effort to install this
fitting memorial recognizing those who sacrificed so that we could all
be free.
I certainly want to thank our colleague from Massachusetts, Stephen
Lynch, who introduced this bill. He came to me and asked that we would
work together on this.
I am delighted to do so because there is absolutely nothing more
bipartisan and important, I think, than how we remember our veterans
and those who are currently serving as well. This is a very, very
important piece of legislation.
{time} 1615
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to join us in passing
this measure today.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1670,
``National POW/MIA Remembrance Act of 2015'' which directs the
Architect of the Capitol to place in the United States Capitol a chair
honoring American Prisoners of War/Missing in Action.
I support this legislation sponsored by Congressman Stephen Lynch of
Massachusetts, because all soldiers should be commemorated for their
heroic efforts.
This important bill directs the Architect of the Capitol to enter
into an agreement to obtain a chair featuring the logo of the National
League of POW/MIA Families, and place it in the U.S. Capitol in a
suitable permanent location within two years after enactment of this
Act.
The Architect of the Capitol may enter into an agreement with any
tax-exempt, charitable organization to solicit private donations to
carry out this Act; and accept resulting donations of funds, property,
and services.
An astonishing 83,000 American service personnel are still missing in
action--from previous wars--and 142,233 Americans have been Prisoners
of War (POW).
Thankfully, revolutionary new communications, information management
and surveillance technologies, the total dominance of the air
dimension, better training, and the nature of the adversary and
geography has halted the increase of POWs and soldiers missing in
action.
It is our duty as Americans to remember those who have bravely fought
for our beloved country.
Having this chair at our Nation's capital will serve as a continuous
reminder that our freedom was fought for.
[[Page H1472]]
This bipartisan bill stands as a testament that our soldiers should
be honored for their efforts in protecting our freedom and rights as
Americans.
Our nation has a proud legacy of appreciation and commitment to the
men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of this country but
for those who never reunite with their families it is our duty as
citizens to keep their memory alive.
I urge all Members to join me in voting to pass H.R. 1670.
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 pass the bill, H.R. 1670.
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.
____________________