To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.

I want to take a moment to thank the Chairman Pombo and Chairman Saxton and Ranking Members Rahall and Christensen for their willingness to support and their generous help of their staffers who have worked hard to bring the St. Louis Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum bill to the floor today.

H.R. 452, which I sponsored along with Representatives Skelton and Carnahan, will authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of the feasibility of including the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis among the National Park Service's inventory of Federal monuments.

At a time when our soldiers are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American people feel a very special connection to our military forces, and the citizens of our Nation have a very real need to visit shrines that honor our Nation's veterans.

The St. Louis Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum is a treasured monument to our Nation's veterans. I believe this landmark is truly one of the most outstanding memorials ever built in tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives in service to our Nation.

The St. Louis Soldiers' Memorial was initiated by residents of St. Louis in the 1920s to honor the brave Americans who lost their lives in World War I. After several years of fundraising for land acquisition and construction, the monument was dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on October 14, 1936, and officially opened to the public on Memorial Day, 1938.

The Soldiers' Memorial was a unique place in our Nation's history as it is the only structure in St. Louis that is

known to have been dedicated by a sitting U.S. President. The Soldiers' Monument is a national treasure and an architectural masterpiece. Designed by one of the 20th Century's foremost art deco sculptors, Mr. Walker Hancock, its entrance is flanked by four limestone sculptures which symbolize the most important virtues in a soldier's life: courage, loyalty, sacrifice and vision, while its ceiling displays a mosaic tile in the shape of a large gold star that is dedicated to our Nation's Gold Star Mothers.

The Soldiers' Memorial is an important cultural resource and gathering place. It attracts nearly 48,000 visitors each year and provides the setting for more than 20 ceremonies annually, including changing of command and retirement ceremonies and many patriotic events hosted by veterans groups. It is the center of an annual Veterans Day Parade and Observance, which is the largest of its kind in the Midwest, drawing participants from several surrounding States and presenting more than 100 marching units.

In recent years, the memorial has received support and contributions from active military personnel and veterans to help the city of St. Louis maintain this cherished structure.

At this time in our history, we are engaged in a war against terrorism. The people of our Nation are mourning more than 2,000 American service men and women who have given their lives in the Iraq War. The American people are anxious to pay tribute to the Nation's veterans, and they should have national shrines to commemorate their friends and family members who have lost their lives for our Nation.

It is time for the Federal Government to consider acquiring the St. Louis Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum in its inventory of national monuments. I believe that a study of this monument would show that it is an historically important structure with a national significance.

H.R. 452 is strongly supported by veterans groups and other civic organizations. I hope the Members of this body will endorse this important effort to help create a Federal monument to honor our Nation's veterans. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 452) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum located in St. Louis, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 452 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating a military memorial in St. Louis as a unit of the National Park System.

In 1923, the City of St. Louis voted to spend $6 million to purchase a memorial plaza and building dedicated to citizens of St. Louis who lost their lives in World War I. The purchase of the memorial site exhausted the funds. In 1933, the city government raised another $1 million to construct a memorial building on the site. On October 14, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially dedicated the site, and the building was open to the public on Memorial Day, 1938.

Currently, the memorial is administered by the City of St. Louis with a budget of $192,000. Local officials have expressed that the memorial faces an uncertain future without Federal assistance and would like a Federal agency to administer the site. Again, this bill only proposes a study of this memorial and the possibility of its becoming a unit of the National Park System.

I urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to share my support for H.R. 452, a bill introduced by my good friend and Missouri colleague, Congressman Lacy Clay. I was pleased to cosponsor this legislation, which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of including the St. Louis Soldiers' Memorial Military Museum as a part of the National Park System.

Through the years, the people of St. Louis and the surrounding area have visited the St. Louis Soldiers' Memorial to pay tribute to the selfless sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. Originally constructed to honor Americans who lost their lives during the first World War, the monument was dedicated by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 and opened to the public in 1938. Since that time, the memorial has held a unique place in the history of our state and our country.

As such, it seems fitting that Congress authorize the Interior Secretary to determine whether the St. Louis Soldiers' Memorial should be included in America's inventory of national monuments. I hope my colleagues agree and will support this sensible legislation offered by the gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Clay.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the majority has already explained the purpose of H.R. 452, which was introduced by my friend and colleague from Missouri (Mr. Clay). The gentleman from Missouri is to be commended for his efforts to preserve this memorial and museum, which was built to honor those who lost their lives in service to our country.

It is our expectation that the study authorized by H.R. 452 will help determine the most appropriate means to preserve and maintain the Soldiers' Memorial and thus help to continue to honor the sacrifice of those who have fought and died for our country.

Mr. Speaker, we support H.R. 452 and urge its adoption by the House today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.