[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11493-11494]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           DOUGLAS A. MUNRO COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS BUILDING

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2611) to designate the headquarters building of the Coast Guard

[[Page 11494]]

on the campus located at 2701 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue Southeast 
in the District of Columbia as the ``Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard 
Headquarters Building'', and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2611

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The headquarters building of the Coast Guard on the campus 
     located at 2701 Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue Southeast in 
     the District of Columbia shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the building referred 
     to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 2611.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us, H.R. 2611, would designate the 
United States Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., as the 
Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building.
  Douglas Munro was born in Vancouver, Canada, of American parents on 
October 11, 1919, and grew up in Washington State. He attended the 
Central Washington College of Education for a year and left to enlist 
in the United States Coast Guard in 1939. He served the country during 
World War II, rising to the rank of signalman first class.
  Douglas Munro was killed in action at Guadalcanal on September 27, 
1942, shielding 500 United States marines from enemy fire during an 
evacuation. He volunteered to head the boats for the evacuation, and he 
placed himself and his boats as cover for the last marine to leave. 
During this time, Douglas Munro was fatally wounded. Reportedly, he 
remained conscious long enough to say four words: ``Did they get off?''
  Douglas Munro was awarded the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart. 
The bravery and sacrifice of Douglas Munro saved hundreds of marines, 
and he should be honored and remembered. I think it's appropriate to 
ensure that he will always be remembered by naming the United States 
Coast Guard headquarters in his honor.
  Therefore, I support the passage of this legislation, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his remarks.
  The timing on this bill could not be more appropriate. Later this 
month, we will cut the ribbon for the new Coast Guard building, the 
first building the Coast Guard has ever owned.
  Next month, Coast Guard employees will begin moving into the building 
located on the old Saint Elizabeths Hospital campus in southeast 
Washington, D.C. It is only fitting that the Coast Guard should be 
moving into a building named for one of their own, Signalman First 
Class Douglas Albert Munro. Signalman First Class Munro is the U.S. 
Coast Guard's only Medal of Honor recipient. The Coast Guard 
specifically requested that I write this bill in time for the opening 
of the Coast Guard headquarters.
  I want to express my appreciation to my good friends on the other 
side for promptly passing this bill in committee last week and then 
seeing to it that it got to the floor this week.
  Munro died heroically on Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, after succeeding in 
his volunteer assignment to evacuate a detachment of marines that had 
been overwhelmed by the enemy. Signalman First Class Munro had an 
outstanding record as an enlisted man and was promoted rapidly through 
the various ratings to a signalman first class. In addition to being a 
Medal of Honor recipient, Signalman First Class Munro was also 
posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal and was eligible for the 
American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Area Campaign 
Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. He, indeed, was a hero.
  Signalman First Class Munro is an excellent example of the commitment 
to service and bravery that our men and women of the Coast Guard still 
provide today, much of it here at home. It is an honor to be the lead 
sponsor of this bill to name the building in honor of a true American 
hero.
  The new Coast Guard headquarters building that would be named for 
Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro will be a 1.1-million-square-
foot building and will house up to 3,700 members of the U.S. Coast 
Guard and civilian employees. This building, which will be the first 
office building completed for the Department of Homeland Security 
headquarters consolidation, will mark the first time that a Federal 
agency will be located east of the Anacostia River.
  I believe Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro's outstanding 
service to his country and his unique status as the only member of the 
U.S. Coast Guard to win the Medal of Honor ensures that it is 
particularly fitting to name the new U.S. Coast Guard headquarters the 
Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I want to say in 
closing, Mr. Speaker, that we honor Signalman First Class Munro by 
naming a first class, extraordinary, state-of-the-art building after 
him. But in honoring Signalman First Class Munro, I think we also honor 
members of the Coast Guard. These are, to coin a cliche, real unsung 
heroes in our society. They are the men and women who save men and 
women and children every year right here in our country as part of 
their duties here. In a real sense, when we name this building for the 
only Medal of Honor winner, I think it will make Americans understand 
there are many heroes of the Coast Guard who also serve them every day 
of every year.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2611.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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