[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 22, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1528-H1531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WOMEN AIRFORCE SERVICE PILOT ARLINGTON INURNMENT RESTORATION ACT
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4336) to amend title 38, United States Code, to
provide for the burial of the cremated remains of persons who served as
Women's Air Forces Service Pilots in Arlington National Cemetery, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4336
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. BURIAL OF CREMATED REMAINS IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL
CEMETERY OF CERTAIN PERSONS WHOSE SERVICE IS
DEEMED TO BE ACTIVE SERVICE.
(a) In General.--Section 2410 of title 38, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(c)(1) The Secretary of the Army shall ensure that under
such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the cremated
remains of any person described in paragraph (2) are eligible
for inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery with military
honors in accordance with section 1491 of title 10.
``(2) A person described in this paragraph is a person
whose service has been determined to be active duty service
pursuant to section 401 of the GI Bill Improvement Act of
1977 (Public Law 95-202; 38 U.S.C. 106 note) as of the date
of the enactment of this paragraph.''.
(b) Applicability.--
(1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall
apply with respect to--
(A) the remains of a person that are not formally interred
or inurned as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(B) a person who dies on or after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
(2) Formally interred or inurned defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``formally interred or inurned'' means
interred or inurned in a cemetery, crypt, mausoleum,
columbarium, niche, or other similar formal location.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON CAPACITY OF ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall submit to the
Committees on Veterans' Affairs and the Committees on Armed
Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a
report on the interment and inurnment capacity of Arlington
National Cemetery, including--
(1) the estimated date that the Secretary determines the
cemetery will reach maximum interment and inurnment capacity;
and
(2) in light of the unique and iconic meaning of the
cemetery to the United States, recommendations for
legislative actions and nonlegislative options that the
Secretary determines necessary to ensure that the maximum
interment and inurnment capacity of the cemetery is not
reached until well into the future, including such actions
and options with respect to--
(A) redefining eligibility criteria for interment and
inurnment in the cemetery; and
(B) considerations for additional expansion opportunities
beyond the current boundaries of the cemetery.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) each
will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H1529]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and add extraneous material on H.R. 4336, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge all Members to support H.R. 4336,
as amended.
This bill, which was introduced by our colleague, the gentlewoman
from Arizona (Ms. McSally), would ensure that Active Duty designees,
including women Air Force pilots, are eligible for inurnment with full
military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
Active Duty designees are members of civilian groups who served
alongside the regular Armed Forces during World Wars I and II. These
brave men and women were often located in combat zones, where they
risked their lives to protect the freedom that we should never take for
granted.
Their contributions to the war effort was so vital that they have
been granted the most prestigious title our Nation can bestow--that of
veteran. As such, they are eligible to be laid to rest in any cemetery
administered by the National Cemetery Administration of the Department
of Veterans Affairs.
However, Arlington National Cemetery is run by the Department of the
Army. Between 2002 and last year, the Army inurned Active Duty
designees with military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
Unfortunately, last March, then-Secretary McHugh, reversed this policy,
which means that many of those courageous individuals can no longer
choose to be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
H.R. 4336, as amended, would reverse this decision and require the
Army to provide Active Duty designees inurnments with military honors
in Arlington National Cemetery.
Mr. Speaker, it is our duty as a Nation to ensure that those who have
served our Nation are treated with the utmost respect and dignity,
especially after they pass on.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4336, as amended.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 4336, as amended.
Arlington National Cemetery has been called our Nation's most
hallowed ground. Since the first military burial took place on May 13,
1864, Arlington is the final resting place for over 400,000 Active Duty
servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
H.R. 4336, as amended, would overturn a recent change in Army policy
and restore the right of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War
II, or WASP, to be buried in Arlington. These brave women volunteered
for duty, and their service made a major contribution to our victory in
World War II.
In addition, H.R. 4336 would restore the right of others who assisted
in the war and whose service and sacrifice was recognized with the
enacting of the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977.
I applaud my colleagues, Representatives Martha McSally and Susan
Davis, for introducing this important bill and leading the fight, a
fight that has widespread support and bipartisan support, to recognize
the service of these brave women and others who helped us defeat the
Axis Powers in World War II.
That we are bringing this to the floor during Women's History Month
is a fitting tribute to women who served our Nation in the past and the
women who today serve in our Active Duty forces. This is a matter of
justice and a matter of fairness.
In 2009, we recognized the service and sacrifice of these brave men
and women when we awarded a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women
Airforce Service Pilots. Today, we have the opportunity to do it again.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally), the sponsor of this
legislation, a combat veteran herself, a pilot of the A-10 Warthog from
the Second District of Arizona.
Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in wholehearted support of
H.R. 4336, the Women Airforce Service Pilot Arlington Inurnment
Restoration Act. This is the right thing to do.
I want to thank the chairman for quickly moving this through the
committee and to the floor, and Chairman Thornberry for signing off on
it, so that we could do the right thing to allow these amazing women
and these pioneers who went before us and who opened the door for so
many of us women in the military to serve, that they could be laid to
rest in a place of honor and a place of rest for the most hallowed, the
most amazing men and women who have served and gone before us. The fact
that these women were denied this right is unconscionable and, quite
frankly, infuriating when we heard about it.
Let me tell you a little bit about the WASPs. The WASPs during World
War II raised their right hand and said: I will support.
We needed pilots, we needed men and women to do whatever it took for
the war effort. So these women went through training--1,074 of them
went through training. An additional 28 actually already had flying
experience and were directly brought in. So it was actually 1,102 that
said: I am going to be a pilot. I am going to support the effort.
General Hap Arnold, at the time the head of the Army Air Corps, had
intended that they be militarized. They went through military training,
they marched, and they slept in barracks. They went through everything
that the men alongside them did. The intent was to be militarized. The
only reason they weren't militarized was because of hang-ups and sexism
about the role of women in the military back then. Heaven forbid we
have women military pilots. We couldn't handle it back then.
These women served anyway. They flew 60 million miles ferrying
airplanes all over the theater. They towed targets for the ground
gunners to practice shooting at targets. They trained male pilots to
then head off to the war effort. Thirty-eight of them perished in
training in the line of duty. Yet they still were in this quasi-
civilian military status. They had no veterans benefits. They were
passing the hat around to support getting their bodies back to their
families. There was no recognition at the time, but they still served.
At the end of the war, they were discharged and told to go home--the
men needed the cockpits. It wasn't until 1977 that this Congress passed
a law finally giving them veterans' rights so that they would be
treated as veterans. After the fact, they were given honorable
discharges and they were given the medals that they deserved at the
time.
We thought that this was finally over, the fight was over, that they
would be recognized for all that they deserved, and they would be able
to be laid to rest with full military honors. But a bureaucratic,
technocratic glitch created another door that shut to them.
This is an extraordinary example, by the way, of somebody taking
action to bring a wrong to our attention and for us to be able to make
it right.
I want to highlight Elaine Harmon, who passed away, as one of the
WASPs. She passed away last year. I met with her family and I read her
hand-written will. She wanted to have her ashes in Arlington. She
requested it. We thought that they were allowed, so the family put in a
request. It wasn't until they got a letter back saying, ``Denied, WASPs
are not allowed in Arlington,'' that they didn't just accept that no.
In the legacy of Elaine Harmon--and, by the way, these women were
feisty; they were strong; they were not going to take no for an answer.
In that spirit, her children and her granddaughter--and Erin Miller is
with us in the gallery today--said, ``We are not going to take no for
an answer. We are going to get awareness on this, and we are going to
get my grandmother and the WASPs the right that they deserve.''
I first heard about this through the media in early January. We
sprung into action working with our colleague, Susan Davis, getting
sponsors.
[[Page H1530]]
We are over 190 right now. This has been fast-tracked through the
committee in order to allow them to be laid to rest there. Elaine
Harmon's ashes are sitting on a shelf in her granddaughter's closet. We
need to make this right as quickly as possible.
Let me just say, Mr. Chairman, this isn't just about the pioneers
that we read about in history books. These WASPs were personal mentors
to me. When I first went through combat training, we didn't really have
any women we could look up to, and these amazing women came alongside
me as wing-women to encourage me and to mentor me. I had three of them
sitting in my front row at my chain of command ceremony when I took
over command of an A-10 squadron. Dawn Seymour, Ruth Helm, and Eleanor
Gunderson, they personally supported and encouraged me along the way.
It is because of their service that the doors were opened for those of
us in the military to serve. It is ridiculous that Arlington would
close the gates to them at the very time they were opening up all
positions to women in the military.
{time} 1430
This is the right thing to do. I urge all of my colleagues to support
this legislation, especially during Women's History Month. The least we
can do is allow the WASPs, including Elaine Harmon, to be laid to rest
in Arlington as quickly as possible. Let's get this passed today. Let's
get it through the Senate and onto the President's desk so that she can
be laid to rest.
As for the rest who remain who choose to have their ashes laid to
rest in Arlington, this is their right. The only reason they were not
Active Duty at the time was due to sexism. It is time for us to shut
this remaining door and give them this final resting place.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to not make references
to occupants of the gallery.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster), who is on the Veterans'
Affairs Committee.
Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle for acknowledging the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
My father was a P-47 fighter pilot in World War II, and he was able
to access the benefits that were due him in terms of his military
career. It is only fitting now, during Women's History Month, that we
begin to finally get the opportunity for the WASPs to be interred at
Arlington National Cemetery.
I acknowledge my colleague Representative McSally, in her great
service to this country, and my colleague Tammy Duckworth, a combat
helicopter pilot. I also acknowledge the veterans who serve on our
Veterans' Affairs Committee's staff.
We recently had a ceremony with Brigadier General Wilma Vaught. She
was the first woman to reach the brigadier general status and was the
first woman to deploy within the Air Force bomber unit. She is an
inspiration to us.
One of the important reasons for doing this bill now is that we
learned recently during a hearing in the Veterans' Affairs Committee
that women are the fastest growing group of veterans but that, often,
our women veterans do not access the VA benefits, including health
benefits and cemetery benefits, to which they are entitled. We need to
encourage women who have served the country. You have served us, and
now it is our turn to serve you. We need to encourage our women
veterans to come forward for the benefits they deserve.
I thank my colleague from Arizona, and I thank my colleagues on both
sides of the aisle for bringing this bill forward. It is an important
bill, and it is a great time to do it.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman
from Sixth District of Colorado (Mr. Coffman), another combat veteran
and a member of our Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4336.
In Colorado Springs, Colorado, a monument stands to honor the Women
Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs. With this legislation, we salute
them today, and we recognize that we neglected to salute them for far
too long.
During World War II, more than 1,000 WASPs flew over 60 million air
miles. Without official military recognition, families were forced to
pay out of pocket to send 36 fallen comrades home. After the war, the
United States continued to deny them military status despite their
extraordinary service to our country.
Today, we can help correct some of that injustice. H.R. 4336 would
restore the right for these women to be buried at Arlington. These
women paved the way for the women in uniform today. They endured
gender-based discrimination for years, and they served and died just as
other members of the military did. I believe they belong in Arlington.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for giving
me this opportunity to stand up here during Women's History Month and
to say this is a bipartisan piece of legislation that is well done and
overdue.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud that there were women who went before me who
were brave and who were courageous and who did all of the jobs that
were asked of them in a manner that was of high standard. They gave and
sacrificed on my behalf, and now we have the opportunity to eliminate
some of the last vestiges of disparate treatment or secondary
treatment, or treating them as second-class citizens.
I rise in support of this legislation, and I congratulate my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle for having brought this to our
attention and for giving us the opportunity to express our support.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Abraham), a veteran himself and the
chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial
Affairs on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Mr. ABRAHAM. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I am here to urge my colleagues to support this
important piece of legislation that recognizes the services of certain
groups of men and women who have valiantly served their country.
When the GI Bill Improvement Act became law in 1977, it contained
language that was championed by Senator Barry Goldwater and by
Louisiana's own Lindy Boggs that deemed certain groups of women,
civilians, and foreigners who served the United States as Active Duty
in order to qualify for benefits administered by the VA. Ultimately,
nearly 35 groups have been made eligible for benefits through that law.
These include the Women Airforce Service Pilots, the U.S. merchant
seamen who served on blockships in Operation Mulberry on D-Day, male
civilian ferry pilots, U.S. civilians of the American Field Service,
and many, many more.
In recognition of their service, the cremated remains of these groups
may be inurned in all cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the VA.
However, Arlington National Cemetery is under the jurisdiction of the
Department of Defense, not of the VA. This bill recognizes all of the
individuals who are eligible to have their cremated remains inurned in
Arlington National Cemetery to include groups that have been given
veteran status in the GI Bill Improvement Act, including the WASPs.
Decades after Congresswoman Boggs championed this legislation, I am
proud to continue Louisiana's long tradition of support for these
groups by cosponsoring this bill.
I thank, most greatly, Congresswoman McSally for introducing this
very important piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues to
support it. It is long past due that we recognize these women and men
who have served this country.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman
from the 12th District of Illinois (Mr. Bost), a marine and a member of
our Veterans' Affairs Committee.
Mr. BOST. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Speaker, World War II was a time when Americans came together to
defend this Nation against evil. Entire families enlisted in this
effort, which included many brave and dedicated women of the Women
Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs.
[[Page H1531]]
The WASPs flew military aircraft in noncombat roles, and they served
as instructors for male pilots. When the WASP program was created, it
was intended that these women would receive full military status.
Sadly, this goal has not been achieved. That is why H.R. 4336 is so
important. It overturns a previous Army directive and restores the
burial rights in Arlington National Cemetery for WASP veterans.
I ask that all of my colleagues join me in supporting these women's
rights of putting them in the place they need to be and in receiving
those full military benefits.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from the Second District of Texas (Mr. Poe).
Mr. POE of Texas. I thank the chairman for yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, during the peak of World War II, Sandy Thompson, now a
Houston resident, left her teaching job and received her aviation wings
on September 11, 1943. She had just volunteered for the Women Airforce
Service Pilots, known as the WASPs.
These pilots had towed targets for live antiaircraft practice. Think
about that, Mr. Speaker. They are in the air, and these young teenagers
are learning how to shoot antiaircraft guns and to aim them at the
targets behind these female pilots who are pulling these--a dangerous
occupation. These pilots helped deliver planes to overseas bases, and
they tested new aircraft that was used in the Pacific and used in
Europe, and, of course, they trained male pilots who went overseas.
Of the 1,000 women who were WASPs, 38 were killed during their
missions, and 16 of these original pilots of World War II now live in
my State of Texas.
They were considered civilians until 1977. Then Congress gave them
veteran status. In 2002, the WASPs were allowed to be cremated and have
their ashes placed in Arlington National Cemetery--right down the
street from this building. Now bureaucrats have decided that these
veterans are not worthy of a proper military burial, and they have
revoked the burial rights at Arlington because of space. This is
disgraceful, shameful, and is a sorry excuse to dishonor them.
Find space to permanently honor these women. As a former member of
the United States Air Force Reserves, I urge that we show respect to
these pilots--give them proper burials, and pass this legislation.
And that is just the way it is.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge).
Ms. FUDGE. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank all of the men and women who have
sacrificed and served this Nation.
I can't imagine why any person of sound mind would deny women the
right to the same benefits, to the same recognition that men get who
serve this Nation. I would think that not one person would deny them
this right. I cannot imagine why those who serve would have to fight
for the dignity that each and every single person who serves this
country should have.
I support this legislation, and I support the people who support it.
Anybody who doesn't should not be in this building.
Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
gentleman from the 27th District of the Lone Star State, Texas (Mr.
Farenthold).
Mr. FARENTHOLD. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Speaker, it shouldn't take an act of Congress for these women to
be inurned in Arlington National Cemetery. We have heard from numerous
people on both sides of the aisle that this is simply the right thing
to do. The Army should have just said, ``Yes, let's get them buried
there.'' The President should have used his pen and phone and ordered
the Army to do it if they wouldn't. Guess what. We are here now, and it
is going to take an act of Congress, and it is going to be a very
strong act of Congress. I can't imagine not passing this out of this
House unanimously, and I suspect we will see similar results in the
Senate.
The remains of this woman should not have to rest in her
granddaughter's closet. They should be inurned in Arlington now. I urge
my colleagues to pass this bill unanimously. I urge the Senate to act
quickly. I urge President Obama to sign this into law. It is, simply,
the right thing to do. We have just got to do it.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
In recent hearings, many of the service organizations have indicated
that this was one of their top priorities. Women have served in every
single war in this country, and they deserve the same benefits and
recognition as men.
I urge my colleagues to support this important and timely bill in
order to honor those brave women and others whose efforts were
essential in the victory of World War II.
I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1445
Again, I encourage all my fellow colleagues to support H.R. 4336, as
amended.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R.
4336, ``Women Airforce Service Pilot Arlington Inurnment Restoration
Act of 2016'' which directs the Department of the Army to ensure that
the cremated remains of persons who served as Women's Air Forces
Service Pilots are eligible for interment in Arlington National
Cemetery with full military honors.
I support this legislation sponsored by Congresswoman Martha McSally
of Arizona, because the women who have devoted their lives to the armed
services deserve appropriate recognition and praise for their
sacrifice.
This important bill provides the remains of a person who dies on or
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and whose service has been
determined to be active duty, eligibility for inurnment in Arlington
National Cemetery.
The Secretary of the Army shall submit to the Committees on Veterans'
Affairs and the Committees on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives and the Senate a report on the interment and inurnment
capacity of Arlington National Cemetery.
With respect to the unique and iconic meaning of the cemetery to the
United States, the Secretary of the Army determines necessary
considerations for additional expansion opportunities beyond the
current boundaries of the cemetery.
The Secretary of the Army must submit the estimated date the cemetery
will reach maximum interment and inurnment capacity.
The Secretary of the Army has the ability to redefine eligibility
criteria for interment and inurnment in the cemetery.
Implementation of the arrangements necessary to facilitate the burial
of the cremated remains should be a priority.
It is our responsibility to ensure that the suitable recognition is
provided to Americans who have devoted their time and physical
assistance towards our freedom.
This bill actively displays our gratitude towards all who
participated in the armed services.
Even after death, we reflect on their contributions with our hearts
and minds for those who put themselves in harm's way to protect our
nation.
I urge all Members to join me in voting to pass H.R. 4336.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4336, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. McSALLY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________