[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14849-14850]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      FACES OF THE FALLEN MEMORIAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last week, I received a 
notice from the Chief Administrative Officer and the Architect of the 
Capitol directing me to remove a memorial located outside of my office 
that honors fallen Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The 
notice stated that the Faces of the Fallen memorial does not comply 
with the new hallway policy of the House.
  However, memorials to honor the lives of those killed in Iraq and 
Afghanistan are respectfully displayed and should not fall under the 
Hallway Policy's jurisdiction.
  In 2004, Congressman Rahm Emanuel and I introduced legislation 
calling for an exhibit in the Capitol Rotunda to honor U.S. 
servicemembers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our legislation 
was never considered. Instead, House Speaker Dennis Hastert directed 
the construction of a memorial listing names of the fallen in the foyer 
of the Rayburn House Office Building.
  Because we believed more should be done to honor the lives of our 
fallen servicemembers, I, along with other Members of Congress, began 
to display more proper memorials outside our individual offices.
  Hundreds of visitors from my district and others have stopped to view 
the

[[Page 14850]]

faces of fallen Marines from Camp Lejeune displayed outside my door. It 
is seeing the faces of these Marines, the fathers, the mothers, the 
sisters, the brothers, the sons and the daughters that deeply impact 
these visitors.
  Since the media has reported the attempt to remove the Faces of the 
Fallen memorial displayed outside my office, I have heard from 
constituents and people across the country who believe these memorials 
should remain on display.
  An article published yesterday in the Jacksonville Daily News 
distributed in the area surrounding Camp Lejeune quoted two women who 
understand what it means to lose a loved one who has served our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit the article for the Record.
  The article quotes Deborah May, a woman whose husband was killed in 
Iraq in 2003. She told the Jacksonville Daily News that she has walked 
through the hallways of the House office buildings and she supports the 
memorials on display. And I quote Mrs. May: ``When I go, I take my 
small children with me. The very least they could do is put a picture 
there to show my children that my husband is remembered and that this 
is what our government is about and our country and the freedoms we 
have.''
  The article also quotes Vivianne Wersel, the president of the 
Surviving Spouses Support Group at Camp Lejeune, who said that the 
memorial is as much as an icon as the American flag. And I quote her: 
``These servicemembers have given their lives for a conflict and 
something they believed in. I think that it is a reminder for those 
that are visiting Congress and that is what America is all about. They 
can walk the halls of Congress because of these young men that have 
given them the freedom to speak and the freedom to live.''
  Last week, I wrote a letter to Speaker  Nancy Pelosi to explain the 
history behind these memorials and to ask her support in preserving 
their display. I know she understands the importance of honoring the 
servicemembers who have sacrificed for our Nation. And I thank her for 
honoring my request that the House observe a moment of silence each 
month to remember those killed or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. I 
hope that Speaker Pelosi will agree with many of us in Congress and 
people across this Nation that these memorials should remain on 
display.
  And before closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to show a picture of a child 
whose father died in Iraq for this country. This is a picture of Tyler 
Jordan whose father, Phillip Jordan, was a gunnery sergeant with the 
United States Marine Corps. And this young man is receiving the flag on 
his father's grave on his coffin. Four years ago, I had this picture 
sent to me so I could blow it up. And I want to say this to Tyler 
Jordan: Your daddy, Phillip Jordan, is on this poster. He was killed 
along with others in the year 2003.
  A name means a lot to those who are not here any longer. But nothing 
means more than for a child to come to Washington and to see his 
father's face outside a congressional office.
  So again I have great respect for Speaker Pelosi. And I hope she will 
agree with us that these posters should remain outside the Members of 
Congress' office.
  And with that, Mr. Speaker, I ask God to please bless our men and 
women in uniform and to please bless the families of our men and women 
in uniform. And I ask God to please bless America and help us to see 
the way to always remember those who died for this country and not 
forget them.
  God bless America.

           [From the Jacksonville Daily News, July 13, 2008]

     Jones Stands Ground on Lejeune Memorial in Hall Outside Office

                           (By Molly Dewitt)

       A memorial honoring Camp Lejeune's fallen service members 
     may have to come down.
       A ``Hallway Policy'' approved by Nancy Pelosi, house 
     speaker and chair of the House Office Building Commission, 
     limits the display and placement of items in hallways of the 
     House of Representatives office buildings. That includes a 
     display erected by Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) 
     outside his office.
       Jones's Faces of the Fallen memorial consists of several 
     easels displaying 3-by-l posters bearing the names and faces 
     of Marines from Camp Lejeune who died while serving in 
     Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
       The policy specifically prohibits easels from being placed 
     in a hallway.
       ``We're not talking about posters. We're not talking about 
     things in the hall,'' Jones said. ``We're talking about men 
     and women that died for this country.
       The hallway policy, instituted on April 17, was ``developed 
     to improve House compliance with the requirements of the 
     Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety 
     and Health Act as applied to Congress by the Congressional 
     Accountability Act, and the Life Safety Code,'' according to 
     the policy.
       ``This is just typical bureaucratic malarkey,'' Jones said.
       No one has ever complained about loss of hallway 
     accessibility due to the memorial, Jones said.
       ``I've never had anybody come in and tell me that they had 
     trouble getting through the hall,'' he said.
       ``I've seen people with wheelchairs, I've seen a large 
     number of people walk by and it's never impeded anyone from 
     getting through the hall.''
       Deborah May, whose husband Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr. was 
     killed March 25, 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, said 
     she's walked the hallways in the House of Representatives 
     office buildings.
       ``You could have a wheelchair race down those halls, 
     because they're very wide,'' she said.
       She wants the memorial display to remain.
       ``When I go, I take my small children with me. The very 
     least they could do is put a picture there to show my 
     children that my husband is remembered and that this is what 
     our government is about and our country and the freedoms we 
     have.'' May said, tearing up.
       The memorial has been displayed outside of Jones' various 
     office locations for the past five years and several years 
     ago an initial attempt to remove them was made, he said.
       ``Those that write the rules just don't have the respect 
     for those who have given their life for their country,'' 
     Jones said.
       ``As far as I'm concerned this is disrespectful to those 
     who have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.''
       Jones believes Pelosi will make an exception for the 
     memorial.
       ``When we're having men and women dying every day and every 
     week in Afghanistan and in Iraq--my God, the least that we 
     can do is have people walk by and see the face of one that 
     never came back home,'' Jones said. ``I think Ms. Pelosi will 
     understand.''
       Jones sent a letter to Pelosi on Wednesday regarding the 
     matter.
       It has been suggested to Jones that a listing of the names 
     of the fallen be placed in an entrance foyer, but he believes 
     that to be insufficient, he said in the letter to Pelosi.
       Jones said, regardless of her decision, he plans to stand 
     his ground in the situation.
       ``We're not going to let this be an issue, were going to do 
     what's right,'' Jones said. ``I told them they'll have to 
     remove me with the posters.''
       Vivianne Wersel, the president of the Surviving Spouses 
     Support Group at Camp Lejeune, said the memorial is as much 
     an icon as the American flag.
       ``These service members have given their lives for a 
     conflict and something that they believe in,'' she said. ``I 
     think that it is a reminder for those that are visiting 
     Congress and that is what America is all about. Whether my 
     husband's picture is in it or not, it plays a role to remind 
     those that walk the hall of Congress. They can walk the halls 
     of Congress because of these young men that have given them 
     the freedom to speak and the freedom to live.''

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