[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 10, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S6545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3861. Mr. KELLY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 3748 proposed by Mr. Wicker (for himself and Mr. Reed) to 
the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle H of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 586. AUTHORIZATION FOR POSTHUMOUS AWARD OF MEDAL OF 
                   HONOR TO EDWIN O'HARA FOR ACTS OF VALOR DURING 
                   WORLD WAR II.

       (a) Waiver of Time Limitations.--Notwithstanding the time 
     limitations specified in section 8298 of title 10, United 
     States Code, or any other time limitation with respect to the 
     awarding of certain medals to persons who served in the Armed 
     Forces, the President may award the Medal of Honor under 
     section 8291 of such title to Edwin O'Hara for the acts of 
     valor described in subsection (b) while Mr. O'Hara was a 
     member of the United States Naval Reserve.
       (b) Acts of Valor Described.--The acts of valor described 
     in this subsection are the actions of Edwin O'Hara on 
     September 27, 1942, for which he was previously awarded the 
     Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal, while serving as 
     a Merchant Marine engine cadet and midshipman in the Merchant 
     Marine Reserve aboard the S.S. Stephen Hopkins, when he was 
     killed by enemy fire shortly after delivering the last five 
     blows to the HSK Stier, the only naval cruiser ever sunk in 
     combat by a merchantman, and the only German surface warship 
     destroyed by a United States ship in World War II.
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