[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 14 (Friday, January 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E95]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE APOLLO 1 MEMORIAL ACT

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                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 27, 2017

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
introduce the ``Apollo 1 Memorial Act''. Today is the 50th Anniversary 
of the tragedy which claimed the lives of three brave American heroes. 
This piece of legislation is meant to honor their legacy and ensure we 
never forgot by creating a memorial for them in our national shrine for 
heroes, Arlington National Cemetery.
  On January 27, 1967, Astronauts Command Pilot Virgil I. ``Gus'' 
Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White II, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee 
were killed in an electrical fire that broke out inside their Apollo I 
Command Module on Launch Pad 34 at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape 
Canaveral, Florida. The accident led to a detailed internal 
investigation and congressional hearings. As a result of their 
sacrifice NASA made improvements and changes to the Apollo program 
which ultimately resulted in Apollo 11 landing on the moon two years 
later.
  Although all three astronauts were posthumously awarded the 
Congressional Space Medal of Honor, these three fearless astronauts who 
were set to be the first Americans into space under the Apollo program 
have not received a memorial at Arlington as was done for the Space 
Shuttle Challenger and Columbia crews.
  This bill would redress that unfortunate omission which continues to 
be a burden on the hearts of those who loved them. Arlington National 
Cemetery is where we recognize heroes who have passed in the service of 
the Nation. It is fitting that on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo I 
accident we acknowledge these astronauts by building a memorial in 
their honor. This bill would direct the Secretary of the Army, in 
consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration (NASA), to construct at an appropriate place in 
Arlington National Cemetery, a memorial marker honoring these three 
heroic men.
  In addition to $500,000 from the Army's fiscal year 2017 operations 
and maintenance appropriated funds, the bill provides the NASA 
Administrator with the authority to accept donations of services, 
money, and property to help allay the cost of the memorial marker.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 
accident, we have the opportunity to honor these three brave men and 
their contribution to America's preeminence in human spaceflight. It is 
time to build a memorial so that current and future Americans never 
forget their sacrifice. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
can come together to support this legislation honoring these heroes.

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