[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 16381-16382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS NATIONAL MEMORIAL ACT

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 330) to designate a Distinguished Flying Cross 
National Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, 
California.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 330

       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 ``Distinguished Flying Cross 
     National Memorial Act''.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS NATIONAL 
                   MEMORIAL IN RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) The most reliable statistics regarding the number of 
     members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the 
     Distinguished Flying Cross indicate that 126,318 members of 
     the Armed Forces received the medal during World War II, 
     approximately 21,000 members received the medal during the 
     Korean conflict, and 21,647 members received the medal during 
     the Vietnam War. Since the end of the Vietnam War, more than 
     203 Armed Forces members have received the medal in times of 
     conflict.
       (2) The National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, 
     Missouri, burned down in 1973, and thus many more recipients 
     of the Distinguished Flying Cross may be undocumented. 
     Currently, the Department of Defense continues to locate and 
     identify members of the Armed Forces who have received the 
     medal and are undocumented.
       (3) The United States currently lacks a national memorial 
     dedicated to the bravery and sacrifice of those members of 
     the Armed Forces who have distinguished themselves by heroic 
     deeds performed in aerial flight.
       (4) An appropriate memorial to current and former members 
     of the Armed Forces is under construction at March Field Air 
     Museum in Riverside, California.
       (5) This memorial will honor all those members of the Armed 
     Forces who have distinguished themselves in aerial flight, 
     whether documentation of such members who earned the 
     Distinguished Flying Cross exists or not.
       (b) Designation.--The memorial to members of the Armed 
     Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, 
     located at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, 
     is hereby designated as the Distinguished Flying Cross 
     National Memorial.
       (c) Effect of Designation.--The national memorial 
     designated by this section is not a unit of the National Park 
     System, and the designation of the national memorial shall 
     not be construed to require or permit Federal funds to be 
     expended for any purpose related to the national memorial.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Alaska (Mr. Young) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska.


                             General Leave

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Alaska?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 330 designates the memorial located at March Field Air Museum in 
Riverside, California, as the Distinguished Flying Cross National 
Memorial in honor of current and former members of the Armed Forces who 
have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  This national memorial will not be a unit of the National Park 
System, and the designation does not require or permit any expenditures 
of Federal funds.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 330, which has passed the House 
as part of the most recent Department of Defense authorization bill, as 
well as a stand-alone bill in the 112th Congress by a vote of 392-1.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 330, designates the memorial at the March Field Air Museum in 
Riverside, California, as the Distinguished Flying Cross National 
Memorial.
  The memorial to recipients of the U.S. Air Force's Distinguished 
Flying Cross was dedicated on October 27, 2010, and since then, it 
stands as a proud symbol of remembrance and honor for all members of 
the U.S. Armed Forces who have demonstrated heroism or extraordinary 
achievement.
  The Distinguished Flying Cross is the oldest military award for 
aviation, but there is no national memorial to recognize the sacrifice 
and commitment of these brave men and women.
  We support H.R. 330 and urge its passage by the House today.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), the author of 
the bill, an outstanding Member from California.
  Mr. CALVERT. I thank the gentleman from Alaska.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 330, a bill to designate a 
national Distinguished Flying Cross memorial in Riverside, California.
  The memorial honors all current and former members of the Armed 
Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  For the past two Congresses, the House has overwhelmingly passed this 
bill, and today I stand again in support of H.R. 330, which would 
designate the memorial at March Field Air Museum as the Distinguished 
Flying Cross National Memorial.
  The legislation is supported by the Distinguished Flying Cross 
Society, the Military Officers Association of America, the Air Force 
Association, the Air Force Sergeants Association, the Association of 
Naval Aviation, the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, and the 
China-Burma-India Veterans Association. I would like to point out that 
the language in the bill specifically states that the designation shall 
not be construed to require or permit Federal funds to be expended for 
any purpose related to the national memorial. Funds have been and will 
continue to be raised through private means for these purposes.
  Distinguished Flying Cross recipients have received the prestigious 
medal for their heroism or extraordinary achievement while 
participating in aerial flight while serving in any capacity within the 
United States Armed Forces. There are many well-known people that have 
played a vital role in the history of military aviation that have 
received the award. This renowned group includes Captain Charles L. 
Lindbergh, former President George H.W. Bush, Brigadier General Jimmy 
Doolittle, General Curtis LeMay, Senator John McCain, Senator George 
McGovern, Jimmy Stewart, and Admiral Jim Stockdale, just to name a few.
  The March Air Reserve Base, which hosts the C-17As of the 452nd Air 
Mobility Wing, is adjacent to the location of the memorial at March 
Field Air Museum. Visitors are able to witness active operational air 
units providing support to our troops around the world, which is an 
appropriate setting that honors the many aviators who have 
distinguished themselves by deeds performed in aerial flight.
  I would like to thank those who have worked tirelessly to ensure this 
memorial was built and is properly designated in honor of the 
distinguished aviators who have served this great Nation. In 
particular, I would like to recognize Jim Champlin; his late wife, 
Trish; Distinguished Flying Cross Society's president, Chuck Sweeney; 
and the society's historian, Dr. Barry Lanman, who was instrumental in 
this effort.

[[Page 16382]]

  Again, I hope you will join me in supporting the designation of the 
Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial at the March Field Air 
Museum and H.R. 330.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Riverside, California (Mr. Takano), an original 
sponsor of this legislation.
  Mr. TAKANO. I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Distinguished Flying Cross 
National Memorial Act, which would designate the Distinguished Flying 
Cross Memorial currently under construction at March Air Field Museum 
in Riverside County as a national memorial.
  Established by Congress in 1926, the Distinguished Flying Cross has 
been awarded to tens of thousands of Americans and gives recognition to 
members of our Armed Forces for heroism in aerial flight. This 
legislation could not be more important as there is no national 
memorial for these brave men and women. I believe that it is our duty 
to properly honor our heroes for their service.
  In addition to its bipartisan support, this legislation also has the 
backing of countless veterans and military organizations, including the 
Distinguished Flying Cross Society, the Military Officers Association 
of America, the Air Force Association, the Air Force Sergeants 
Association, the Association of Naval Aviation, and the Vietnam 
Helicopter Pilots Association.
  I was proud to introduce this legislation with my Republican 
colleague from the Inland Empire, Representative Ken Calvert, and hope 
we can continue to work together on issues such as this because our 
region has deep military roots.
  I would also like to express my gratitude to California Senators 
Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, along with Senator Bill Nelson of 
Florida, who introduced the Senate version of this bill.
  Let's honor these heroes, Mr. Speaker, and pass the Distinguished 
Flying Cross National Memorial Act.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 330.
  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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