Portman Introduces Bill to Commemorate FDR's D-Day Prayer with the Nation at the WWII Memorial

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today introduced legislation that would direct the Interior Secretary to install a plaque or inscription at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.

"On D-Day, courageous Americans risked and sacrificed their lives to preserve our freedoms and end tyranny abroad," said Portman. "That morning, President Roosevelt asked our nation to come together to pray for the men overseas. His words brought strength and comfort to many during one of the most challenging times for our nation and will forever be etched in our history.

"This bill ensures that FDR's prayer will become a permanent reminder of the sacrifice of those who fought in World War II, and of the power of prayer through difficult times," he added. "I encourage the Senate to take it up and pass it quickly."

Portman's bill, the World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2012, would require placement of the prayer to be subject to a commemorative works approval and review process. A companion bill, led by Ohio Congressman Bill Johnson, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year.

President Roosevelt's prayer was read to the nation by radio address during the evening of D-Day, June 6, 1944, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France's Normandy region.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source