[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 92 (Friday, May 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE COMMISSIONING OF THE USS ``KANSAS CITY'' (LCS-22)

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 15, 2020

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to recognize and 
celebrate the U.S. Navy's newest addition to its fleet, the 
Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship, USS Kansas City.
  On September 22, 2018, before a large crowd, the USS Kansas City 
(LCS-22) was christened in Mobile, Alabama. She was launched on October 
19, 2018, into the Mobile River. On June 20, 2020, she will be 
commissioned in San Diego, California.
  The Independence variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is testament to 
the hardworking and highly skilled women and men in the United States 
Navy and our nation's shipbuilding and manufacturing industries. It is 
a high-speed, agile, multi-mission ship designed to defeat growing 
littoral threats and provide access and dominance in coastal waters. 
The reconfigurability of the ship makes it a force multiplier in any 
environment for the Navy.
  She is the third ship to be named for Kansas City, the largest city 
in the state of Missouri. The first USS Kansas City (CA-128) was to 
have been a heavy cruiser but was canceled due to the end of World War 
II, just days after the keel laying ceremony. The second USS Kansas 
City (AOR-3) was a Wichita-class replenishment oiler and saw service in 
the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. What the future holds for 
the newest USS Kansas City is anyone's guess.
  What I do know, without a doubt, is that the brave women and men, who 
took an oath to uphold the constitution and protect you and I and the 
liberty we hold so dear, are the true heroes and protagonists of this 
story. They are the ones who will be making history. They are the ones 
who will serve on this ship and who will make all of us from Kansas 
City proud as it sails with our city's name.
  This ship will sail with the support of the entire city. Any sailor 
who steps aboard the USS Kansas City will find themselves an honorary 
Kansas Citian and a constituent of mine. I wish to express my sincere 
and grateful appreciation for the dedicated service provided by all 
current and future crew members of the USS Kansas City, and for the 
selflessness and sacrifices they and their families make in order that 
we may live in safety and freedom.
  Go therefore, USS Kansas City and make your mark, assume your place 
in history. Be proud of your accomplishments and make the most of your 
failures.
  As President Truman through his wit and wisdom once said, ``Men make 
history. History does not make the man.''
  Madam Speaker, please join me in wishing the women and men of the USS 
Kansas City fair winds and following seas.

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