[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H8761-H8763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FALLEN WARRIOR BATTLEFIELD CROSS MEMORIAL ACT
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1424) to amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs permits the display of Fallen Soldier
Displays in national cemeteries.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1424
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fallen Warrior Battlefield
Cross Memorial Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR FALLEN SOLDIER DISPLAYS IN NATIONAL
CEMETERIES.
Section 2403 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(d)(1) Subject to standards established by the Secretary,
the Secretary shall permit the display of a Fallen Soldier
Display in any national cemetery.
``(2) In this subsection, the term `Fallen Soldier Display'
means a memorial monument in honor of fallen members of the
Armed Forces that may include a replica of an inverted rifle,
boots, helmets, and identification tag.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P.
Roe) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to insert extraneous material on H.R. 1424.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1424, the Fallen Warrior
Battlefield Cross Memorial Act, introduced by Representative Anthony
Gonzalez of Ohio.
This act permits the Secretary of the VA to allow the Fallen Soldier
Display, also known as the Battlefield Cross Memorial, in national
cemeteries.
Battlefield crosses honor fallen soldiers using symbols of their
service. These symbols have evolved since their
[[Page H8762]]
initial use in the American Revolutionary War when they were used as a
crude marker as the position of a fallen soldier. The cultural position
remains today, as units in theater traditionally hold a remembrance
ceremony in country to allow the unit to pay last respects to those
killed in action.
These displays are meant to honor those who lost their lives in
service by featuring replicas of inverted rifles, boots, helmets, and
identification tags. A U.S. Army field manual states: ``The helmet and
identification tags signify the dead soldier. The inverted rifle with
bayonet signals a time for prayer, a break in the action to pay tribute
to our comrade. The combat boots represent the final march of the last
battle.''
VA's National Cemetery Administration currently allows for display of
a cross, but it has not specifically addressed the Battlefield Cross
Memorial. In fact, in 2017, a Battlefield Cross Memorial was removed
from the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery.
Though the cemetery ultimately decided to restore the memorial, this
legislation would ensure the Battlefield Cross Memorial would also be
permitted at national cemeteries and prevent future misinterpretations.
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the sacrifices of the women and men who
gave their lives in service to our Nation and the right of a community
to honor its fallen heroes. I urge all Members to support H.R. 1424,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time
as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1424, the Fallen Warrior
Battlefield Cross Memorial Act. This bill would require the Department
of Veterans Affairs' national cemeteries to allow the display of the
battlefield cross, which is a monument that depicts a fallen
servicemember by an inverted rifle with a helmet and dog tags on top
and a pair of combat boots at the bottom. We have all seen this.
In 2017, a VA employee misinterpreted VA policy and removed a
battlefield cross from the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, as
well as two other similar memorials in cemeteries in Illinois and
Michigan. The objection to the memorials were that they contained
realistic depictions of firearms.
As one Ohio veteran described, this image is one that veterans ``have
seen in battlefields, on ships, on aircraft carriers, wherever we lost
men. It's a symbol of respect and thanks. . . . It means a lot to
veterans.''
I could not have said it better myself, Mr. Speaker; although, I do
note that the battlefield cross is a powerful symbol that is used to
honor all of our fallen warriors, both men and women.
In response to veterans' and congressional concerns over the
incident, the Department reinstated the memorial monuments and
clarified that VA cemeteries can display this image. However, this bill
is necessary to codify that policy and to ensure that VA does not ban
this image ever again.
This bill has my full support, and I appreciate Congressman Anthony
Gonzalez from Ohio for introducing it and for his leadership on this
issue.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to
close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez), the author of this bill. I
appreciate the gentleman is a new Member, but it didn't take him long
to jump into gear and to recognize a wrong and to right that wrong.
Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1424, the Fallen Warrior
Battlefield Cross Memorial Act is the first piece of legislation I
introduced as a Member of Congress, and it is fitting that we discuss
it on the floor today, just one day after Veterans Day.
This bipartisan legislation would protect the display of these
memorials at our national cemeteries and bar the Department of Veterans
Affairs from removing these tributes, as they did in national
cemeteries across the Midwest in 2017. This legislation comes straight
from the veteran community and my northeast Ohio district.
Over the past several years, Elton Boyer, the president of the 555th
Honors Detachment, made this bill his mission as he worked to erect a
Battlefield Cross Memorial at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in
Seville. He and the honors detachments at Western Reserve collected the
spent brass from the military funerals they oversaw at the cemetery
with the goal to someday melt them down and form them into a
heartwarming tribute to the fallen warriors laid to rest.
When Battlefield Cross Memorials were removed from the cemetery in
the fall of 2017, Elton's work was put at risk. Elton wrote my
predecessor, Congressman Jim Renacci, for help, stating: ``It has been
said that the soldier's cross is a symbol for caring, honoring,
and remembering. `No one is left behind.'''
Elton passed away last month, but I know that he is looking upon this
House today, proud of the vote we are about to take. His efforts were
not in vain.
Battlefield Cross Memorials stand in cemeteries across our Nation as
a tribute to the service of fallen soldiers who have given their lives
for our country. They depict the soldier's boots, helmet, dog tag, and
inverted rifle, and have been a noncontroversial, time-honored
tradition since at least the Civil War.
As Strongsville, Ohio, VFW Commander Tim Zvoncheck told me: ``It's
imperative that this custom continues to be displayed for as long as
the sons and daughters of this Nation are willing to give their lives
in its defense.''
Michael Kuhn, a combat veteran from Massillon, Ohio, explained to me
what this memorial means to him:
The battlefield cross encapsulates so many of the most
important things to a combat vet: the rifle, the boots, the
tags, and, most of all, the fallen comrade. It's extremely
important for us to have those things wrapped up in one
memorial for us to kneel to, grieve with, and talk to our
brothers in arms that have died the ultimate death in laying
down their life for us and their country. As a combat vet,
you relate to very little outside of that world and always
feel like an outsider. Whenever you see that combat cross, it
brings a somber, quiet feeling of peace for that moment that
you have that direct line to your fallen comrade.
I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Roe for bringing H.R. 1424
to the floor today and recognizing how important this legislation is to
our veteran communities, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of
the bill, H.R. 1424.
Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I have no further
speakers. I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Speaker, I can think of no other time better than the day right
after Veterans Day to bring this up and to vote on this legislation.
I have lost friends in combat in the Vietnam War and know many
families, as most of us have visited with families who have lost
members.
I also want to say that nowhere in the country--really, in the
world--do we honor our cemeteries more than the VA does. The VA does a
phenomenal job in our national cemeteries. And I have had an
opportunity to travel to Europe and visit those cemeteries in Normandy,
Flanders Field, Chateau-Thierry, and many others.
It is really a place of sacred honor, these cemeteries are, and it is
only appropriate that we allow and have this symbol there codified by
law.
I thank Congressman Gonzalez for his first bill. He can take great
pride in having this bill passed and signed into law by the President.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of our Members to support H.R. 1424, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I wish to associate myself with the remarks
of the ranking member regarding the beautiful work that our Cemetery
Administration does for our veteran cemeteries and the National Battle
Monuments Commission for the work they do with our cemeteries abroad.
They are truly the pride of our country and fitting ways to show our
gratitude and respect for those who have fallen in the service of our
country.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Gonzalez for his work on this
bill. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 1424, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
{time} 1745
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr.
[[Page H8763]]
Takano) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1424.
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.
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