Dedication of the National World War II Memorial on May 29, 2004-S. Res. 362
DEDICATION OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL ON MAY 29, 2004-S. RES. 362
RECOGNIZING THE VETERANS WHO SERVED DURING WORLD WAR II-H. CON. RES. 409
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, on behalf of the Senate leadership-both the majority and minority-I am privileged to ask the Senate to act on resolutions relating to the World War II Memorial. It is coincidental that the Presiding Officer at this time is the distinguished Senator from North Carolina, whose husband has had an instrumental role in the preparation and planning of the memorial, which will be dedicated a week from tomorrow, on May 29.
At this time, I ask that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 362 and H. Con. Res. 409, en bloc.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will state the resolutions by title.
The assistant journal clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 362) expressing the sense of the Senate on the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on May 29, 2004, in recognition of the duty, sacrifices, and valor of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in World War II.
A resolution (H. Con. Res. 409) recognizing with humble gratitude the more than 16,000,000 veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II and the Americans who supported the war effort on the home front and celebrating the completion of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in the District of Columbia.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolutions.
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, en bloc, and that any statements relating to the resolutions be printed in the
RECORD.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolutions (S. Res. 362 and H. Con. Res. 409) were agreed to.
The preambles were agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 362), with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. RES. 362
Whereas the National World War II Memorial is being dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004, on the National Mall in Washington, District of Columbia;
Whereas the National World War II Memorial, a monument of granite and bronze, has a fitting location on the National Mall situated between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial and flanked by memorials dedicated to the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served and died in the Korean War and in the Vietnam era;
Whereas the National World War II Memorial is dedicated to the more than 16,000,000 individuals from the 48 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories and possession of the United States who served in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine in World War II;
Whereas on May 29, 2004, hundreds of thousands of veterans, and their families and friends, from across the United States will gather on the National Mall to join in the dedication of the National World War II Memorial and to pay homage to the memory of the more than 400,000 members of the Armed Forces of the United States who died while serving during World War II and the more than 10,000,000 veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States in World War II who have died since the end of World War II;
Whereas on May 29, 2004, the Nation will pay tribute to all the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in World War II;
Whereas on May 29, 2004, the Nation will remember the duty, sacrifices, and valor of the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served on land and sea and in the air in the more than 89 campaigns conducted in the European and Pacific theaters of operations in World War II;
Whereas on May 29, 2004, the Nation will acknowledge that the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of the United States in World War II came from all the States, the District of Columbia, and all the territories and possessions of the United States and represented men and women of all races, religions, ethnic groups, professions, educational attainments, and backgrounds, all united in the goal of serving their Country and preserving freedom; and
Whereas construction of the National World War II Memorial would not have been possible without the donations of hundreds of thousands of individual Americans, as well as corporations, foundations, veterans groups, professional and fraternal organizations, communities, and schools, who all acknowledged that a memorial should be constructed in the National Capital to recognize and pay tribute to the duty, sacrifices, and valor of all the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in World War II: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate-
(1) to express the grateful thanks of the Nation to the more than 16,000,000 individuals who served in the Army, Army Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine in World War II and to the millions of Americans on the home front who contributed to the war effort during World War II; and
(2) to recognize the dedication of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, District of Columbia, on May 29, 2004, as an occasion to acknowledge and pay tribute to the duty, sacrifices, and valor of all the members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in World War II, a group known collectively as the "Greatest Generation".
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I will address briefly these resolutions. I ask unanimous consent that I be made a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 409.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. WARNER. This particular resolution and preamble, in part, states as follows:
Recognizing with humble gratitude the more than 16,000,000 veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II and the Americans who supported the war effort on the home front and celebrating the completion of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in the District of Columbia.
Whereas, the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in the District of Columbia will be the first national memorial to both recognize the courage, bravery, and unselfish dedication of the members of the United States Armed Forces who served in World War II and those who served on the home front and acknowledge the commitment and achievement of the entire American people in that conflict;
Whereas, World War II veteran Roger Durbin of Kerkey, Ohio, first proposed the construction of the National World War II Memorial, and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio introduced the legislation to establish the memorial in the District of Columbia to honor members of the Armed Forces who served in World War II and to commemorate the participation of the United States in that war;
Whereas, in Public Law 103-32, approved May 25, 1993, Congress authorized the American Battle Monuments Commission, an independent Federal agency, to design and construct the memorial.
The resolution goes on in great detail and lays out the legislative history of how this magnificent memorial came into being. Of course, it will be in the RECORD. The last resolving clause is:
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress recognizes with humble gratitude the more than 16,000,000 veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II and the Americans who supported the war effort on the home front and celebrates the completion of the National World War II Memorial on the National Mall in the District of Columbia. And then action now by the Senate.
I make these remarks on behalf of those Members of the Senate who served in World War II-Senator Inouye, Senator Hollings, Senator Stevens, Senator Lautenberg, Senator Akaka, and myself, all of whom with humble pride have participated in this legislation through these many years and joined with our former distinguished colleague, Senator Dole, who showed absolute extraordinary leadership in this entire sequence of legislative steps, and particularly raising the needed funds. I will address that momentarily.
Resolution 362 expresses the sense of the Senate on the dedication of the National World War II Memorial, May 29, 2004, in recognition of the duty, sacrifices, and valor of members of the Armed Forces of the United States who served in World War II. The resolution goes on to lay out, again, other aspects of the legislative history and the role of the Congress and others in this magnificent memorial.