[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 176 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H7276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    75TH ANNIVERSARY OF PEARL HARBOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah 
(Mr. Stewart) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, as I think all of us know, today marks the 
75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor; a devastating event 
that took the lives of more than 2,300 Americans and ultimately led, of 
course, to the United States' entrance into World War II.
  Though it is painful to think of all the brave men and women we lost 
that day, I am grateful for this heroic generation of soldiers, 
including my own father, who served in defense of the freedoms of our 
country during World War II. I wear my father's wings. I have them on 
today. I wear them every day. My mom and dad love their country and 
they, like so many others, sacrificed so much. It was examples of 
heroes such as these that led me to make the decision when I was a 
young man to become a pilot in the Air Force.
  I would like to take a moment and share the story of one brave Utahn, 
Mervyn Bennion, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor on the day of the 
attack. After graduating from high school in Salt Lake City, Bennion 
accepted his appointment to the United States Naval Academy, where he 
graduated near the top of his class. He later assumed command of the 
USS West Virginia in July of 1941.
  The ship was moored with other vessels on Battleship Row on that 
Sunday morning. Just shy of 8 a.m., Japanese forces struck the USS West 
Virginia with at least six torpedoes and two bombs.
  Under attack and struggling to organize a defense from the bridge, 
Captain Bennion was struck with shrapnel from one of these bombs; but, 
still, he continued to direct the ship's battle while using one of his 
hands to hold his own wounds closed. Several sailors attempted to 
convince him to go to the first-aid station and seek medical attention, 
but he refused to leave his post. Sadly, he later died from a loss of 
blood.
  Captain Bennion was recognized with the Medal of Honor--our Nation's 
highest military honor--for his ``conspicuous devotion to duty, 
extraordinary courage, and complete disregard for his own life.''
  Today, on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, let us 
remember not only the brave men and women who lost their lives in that 
attack, but also those who have continued to fight for our freedoms for 
the last 75 years.
  In dark and dangerous places all around the globe, American soldiers, 
sailors, and airmen are doing what they can to bring stability and 
safety to many parts of the world. We should remember them. We should 
thank them. We should keep them and their families in our prayers. What 
we have asked them to do is not easy. They deserve our gratitude and 
our respect.


   Congratulating Completion of the Freedmen's Bureau Records Project

  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few minutes to 
congratulate the completion of the Freedmen's Bureau Records Project.
  The Freedmen's Bureau was organized by Congress in 1865 at the 
conclusion of the Civil War. It offered assistance to freed slaves in a 
variety of ways. The Bureau opened schools to educate the illiterate. 
It managed hospitals, it rationed food and clothing for the destitute, 
and it even solemnized marriages. In the process, it gathered priceless 
handwritten personal information on potentially 4 million African 
Americans.
  Due to the work and commitment of over 25,000 volunteers, with the 
help of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and 
FamilySearch International, they have been able to uncover the names 
and stories of over 1.9 million freed slaves. In some cases, for the 
very first time, African Americans are able to discover their Civil 
War-era families through an online and searchable database.
  I was especially pleased to attend an event yesterday where the newly 
indexed database of the Freedmen's Bureau Records was delivered to the 
Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and 
Culture.
  If I could just divert for a moment, I would like to share a story 
from this experience from one of the leaders of the museum, and I hope 
he will forgive me for stealing his story and repeating it to you. This 
gentleman told of how his grandparents passed away when he was very 
young. He had no memory of his grandparents, except for going to his 
grandmother's house and watching her cook on some old tin cookie 
sheets.
  But as he was able to, for the first time, research his own family 
records, he found the records of one of his ancestors who was a slave; 
and part of those records was an accounting of money that was paid to 
her and some of the things that she was able to purchase. One of them 
was a line which recorded that she paid 22 cents for a set of tin 
cookie sheets. What an emotional moment it was for him to have that 
connection now with his ancestors that he would not have been able to 
otherwise.
  The Freedmen's Bureau Records Project allows families to discover 
their ancestors. It allows them to connect with them. It allows them to 
see the heroes among their ancestors that so many of them have.
  I would like to congratulate and thank the thousands of volunteers 
who sacrificed their time in this wonderful project.

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