Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 873) to authorize the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation to establish the National Global War on Terrorism Memorial as a commemorative work in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days 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. 873, the Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act, authored by Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, would authorize the Global War on Terror Memorial Foundation to begin the lengthy Commemorative Works Act process to establish a Global War on Terrorism Memorial on Federal land in the District of Columbia. The memorial will recognize and honor the men and women who have served on Active Duty in the United States Armed Forces since the attack on our country on September 11, 2001.

The global war on terrorism is the longest conflict ever fought by the United States, and there is still no end in sight. We can and should debate the policies that have prolonged this war and denied our troops the full might and resources of our Nation. But one thing is far above and beyond any debate, and that is the heroism, selflessness, devotion, and patriotism of the men and women of our Nation who stepped forward from the safety, security, and comfort of hearth and home and into harm's way when our Nation called.

The Commemorative Works Act requires that a war be ended for at least 10 years before planning can commence on a national memorial. There is good reason for this requirement: it gives history the insight to place the war in an historic context and to begin to fully appreciate its full significance to our country and future generations.

But the war on terrorism has been fought in a decidedly different way than our past wars. We are now approaching the 16th anniversary of the attack on New York and Washington. The veterans who sacrificed so much to keep that war away from our shores deserve some tangible and lasting tribute to their patriotism and altruism while they, their families, and their fellow countrymen can know it. The Gold Star families of our fallen heroes for whom the war will never end deserve some assurance that their sons and daughters will never be forgotten by a grateful Nation.

We should remember that many of our Nation's heroes from World War II never lived to see the completion of the World War II Memorial, which was completed 59 years after the end of that conflict.

For these reasons, this measure suspends the 10-year period in current law. It doesn't repeal it. It merely sets it aside for the unique circumstances of the current war on terrorism.

I am confident that the Memorial Commission will respect and appreciate the fact that many may have yet to serve in this war, and history has not yet had time to reflect on its significance to our Nation and, indeed, to the future of Western civilization. I am sure the design they recommend will respect these facts and provide significant latitude for the completion of the memorial after this bane of Islamic terrorism has been extirpated from our planet and the long- suffering people of the Middle East have been liberated from it by the brave fighting men and women of the United States Armed Forces that this memorial will honor and thank.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a July 28, 2017, letter from the Congressional Budget Office providing a cost estimate for this bill.

Congressional Budget Office,

U.S. Congress,

Washington, DC, July 28, 2017.

Hon. Rob Bishop,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has

prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 873, the Global

War on Terrorism War Memorial Act.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be

pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani

Shankaran.

Sincerely,

Mark P. Hadley,

(For Keith Hall, Director).

Enclosure.

H.R. 873--Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on July

26, 2017

H.R. 873 would authorize the Global War on Terror Memorial

Foundation, a non-profit organization, to establish a

memorial in the District of Columbia and its environs to

commemorate members of the armed forces who served on active

duty in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

Because H.R. 873 would prohibit the use of federal funds to

establish the memorial, CBO estimates that implementing the

legislation would result in no significant costs to the

federal government.

Enacting H.R. 873 would affect direct spending; therefore,

pay-as-you-go procedures apply. The memorial project would be

subject to the requirements of the Commemorative Works Act.

Under that act, any entity that receives a permit to

construct a memorial must donate to the National Park

Foundation (a nonprofit organization) an amount equal to 10

percent of the memorial's estimated construction cost. That

amount, as well as any project funds remaining after

construction of the memorial, would be available in future

years for maintenance of the memorial.

Based on the experience of similar commemorative projects,

CBO expects that any amounts collected by the federal

government for maintenance would not be received for several

years and would be offset by an expenditure soon thereafter.

On net, CBO estimates that such effects would be

insignificant. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 873 would not increase net

direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four

consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.

H.R. 873 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and

would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani

Shankaran. The estimate was approved by Theresa A. Gullo,

Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher), the author of this measure, one of the many thousands of Americans who stepped forward to answer their country's call.

Mr. Gallagher. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership on this issue, for working with us, and I ask that he please extend our thanks to every member of the Natural Resources Committee for its effort in getting this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank the gentleman from Arizona for his words and for his service. It is my honor to call him my fellow marine. As an officer, I did my best just not to get in the way of my enlisted marines, who were doing the real work. Maybe we can bring some of that same ethos here to Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this bill that honors our post-9/11 veterans and secures their rightful place in our Nation's Capital.

Earlier this summer, I had the honor of welcoming a group of American heroes who journeyed from northeast Wisconsin to Washington, D.C., aboard the Old Glory Honor Flight. That is one of the truly incredible things we get to do as Members of Congress.

Just to watch generation after generation of veterans representing every major conflict since World War II visiting the very memorials that honor their sacrifice, their service, their commitment, their courage in those conflicts was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.

Just as these veterans visited their respective memorials, so, too, should the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve in the ongoing war on terrorism have a memorial one day to honor their courage, their sacrifice, their commitment. But as the chairman laid out, current law does not allow for the creation for a memorial for the war on terror.

The 1986 Commemorative Works Act requires that monuments in honor of a ``. . . limited military engagement or a unit of an armed force may not be authorized . . . until at least 10 years after the officially designated end of such war or conflict.''

But as we know, this is a conflict unlike many others that have preceded it. This war will have no clear end date, no V Day or V-J Day. Threats continue to rise, so the longest ongoing conflict in our Nation's history continues. After 15 years, after over 6,800 American lives lost, there is still no end in sight.

So this memorial is for the men and women who have died fighting, those who continue to fight, those who are still joining the fight against terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to take a second to recognize the dedicated members of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation, many of whom are with us here today, especially Andrew Brennan, George Chewning, Chad Longell, and Matt Gannon. They have been tireless in their commitment to getting this done. Today we are taking an important step forward, but we still need to get it across the finish line, so I want to recognize their efforts.

I just want to say, Mr. Speaker, like most, I struggle with how to truly honor the men and women whose sacrifices far exceed my own. I was lucky. I had great marines that kept me safe, and we all came home safe. But my hope is that this memorial will serve as not only a way to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifices, but also as a call to action for us, the living.

I believe that those we will pay tribute to through this memorial didn't risk everything just so we would sit back and praise them for keeping us safe. I would submit to you that the fallen don't want our praise. They want our participation in this incredible experiment in self-government.

If we are going to continue passing the torch of democracy from one generation to the next, then we need to build this memorial so that future generations never forget their duty to do the same, so that future generations never forget the cost of liberty.

Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to support this legislation to memorialize the service of the brave men and women who have fought in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher), who has brought this legislation before us today.

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

With this vote, we will begin proceeding on this memorial and begin a process of planning a great work to honor the bravery, sacrifice, and patriotism to those who have defended Western civilization from the medieval barbarism that has reappeared in our time.

But even more importantly, we begin work on a tangible promise for future generations, a promise animated by the heroic deeds of these veterans, the promise of a coming age of liberty and justice, of peace and tolerance that will surely come. I ask for adoption of this measure.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in favor of the Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act. This act will initiate the process for constructing a memorial to the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who have fought and, too often, died for this country in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

As a veteran of the Iraq war, I am extremely proud to be on the floor today as we memorialize the bravest and best of Americans: the ones who volunteered to put themselves in harm's way and did not come back.

I want to commend my fellow Marines, Mr. Moulton and Mr. Gallagher, for sponsoring this act. As you know, Mr. Speaker, it takes a lot for an enlisted marine like me to speak very highly of any officer, let alone Marine Corps officers, but there are always exceptions.

Mr. Speaker, as we consider this legislation, I hope every Member of this body will take a quiet moment today to think about the courageous men and women we have lost over the past 16 years. When I cast my vote today, I know I will be thinking about my close friends, including Corporal Andre Williams and Lance Corporal Christopher Lyons, who died 12 years ago today in Cykla, Iraq.

This memorial will honor thousands of our countrymen who have been killed and wounded in Iraq and around the world. It will memorialize the service of those who have survived the battle only to fall victim to the mental and emotional demons of post-traumatic stress. And it will represent a token of thanks to the family and friends who have served by supporting their loved ones in uniform.

For as long as this memorial stands, it will continue the proud tradition of America honoring its sons and daughters who have given their last full measure of devotion.

I look forward to commencing design and to the day when the memorial passes from an idea on a piece of paper to a landmark on the National Mall.

I thank Congressman Moulton and Congressman Gallagher for their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Moulton).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta). To show our bipartisan nature, we are going to allow somebody from the Army to speak also on this bill.

That is worse.

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

Again, I thank Congressman Gallagher, Congressman Moulton, and all of the veterans who have sponsored this bill in remembrance of our brothers and sisters from the global war on terrorism.

I would like to speak a couple more minutes just because I rarely have the opportunity to speak about the guys that I served with. It was a group called Lima 325 out of Ohio. It was one of the best groups of men who I probably have ever met. We were nice young men from New Mexico that were suddenly added to these country boys and city boys from Ohio and sent to the middle of nowhere, Iraq. And from there, we saw a lot of combat. We lost a lot of friends.

In section 60, many of us veterans have this tradition where we go and we put our quarters on the headstones of the men we served with. And I, unfortunately, have to put down a lot of quarters.

But one of the things that I will always remember is that this unit, Lima 325, really brought people from all walks of life in America. You had African Americans, you had country boys from Ohio, you had Navajo from the Navajo Nation and other parts of our Tribal Nations, you had Latinos.

We even taught some of the Ohio boys how to cook since they don't really have good taste. We introduced them to the idea of green chili, which I have heard has now taken off in Oliver, Ohio. And we lived together for 7 months, going from house to house, from hole to hole. And even today, though many of us cannot see each other, we still live with each other in our spirits and in our souls.

These types of memorials matter. For many of us, this generation is not the generation that served together on a base. Many of us actually served from different parts of the world. We dropped our jobs and what we were doing, our school sometimes, to join in, leave our families, leave the comfort and safety of the United States to go and defend what we believed was important to this country and to honor our commitment.

Sometimes it is these types of memorials that are the only thing that actually bring us together. I recently was lucky enough to have my 10- year reunion with the guys from Lima Company, and that is the first time I had seen many men that I had lived with for so long. It was a very inspiring as well as moving, and really consoling thing for me.

I believe that having a memorial of this nature would be extremely important for many men and women to be able to see, to be able to come and maybe not necessarily physically meet with their partners, with their comrades, but to at least be able to spiritually have a place to meet with their comrades, with the people that they served with in arms.

Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, but like a typical marine, he actually got it wrong. I was actually in the Navy.

I was a Navy officer. I am sure that was on purpose.

So standing here actually as a Navy officer, being asked to address this bill, H.R. 873, and to support this bill, being asked by a bunch of marines is a true honor, and it is very humbling at the same time.

Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of H.R. 873, the Global War on Terrorism War Memorial Act, to create the foundation, which will then provide for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial right here on the National Mall.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Gallego from Arizona; Mr. Moulton from Massachusetts; and, of course, Mr. Gallagher from Wisconsin, my classmate here in the 115th Congress, a fellow freshman. Again, it is quite a privilege to stand here with these fellow veterans as peers, but also as a true sign of bipartisanship in the House of Representatives.

Now, I had remarks prepared yesterday to address the House about this topic, but last night I went to Arlington National Cemetery. I took my two daughters, who are here in town. We saw what people normally see, the changing of the guard, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the tomb of President Kennedy. But I made it a point to go to area 60, the area where there are many recent interments from the people, from our veterans, from our brethren, who have served in the global war on terrorism.

On that hallowed ground, I made it a point to seek out someone I served with, a gentleman by the name of Brendan Looney. I served with Mr. Looney in Korea. He was an intelligence officer back then. Both of us made sure that we wanted to do more. I went forward, but Brendan Looney wanted to do more than just that: he wanted to become a SEAL, and he did. He served in Iraq and he served in Afghanistan. It was in 2010 when the Blackhawk he was riding in went down and crashed, killing everybody onboard.

Now, Brendan is interred in area 60 at Arlington National Cemetery right along with his brethren, with his brother in arms, Travis Manion. I looked at Travis Manion's tombstone, and on that tombstone is a quote that I would like to share. On that tombstone, it says:

If not me, then who?

And right next to Mr. Manion's tombstone was another 19-year-old who was interred there, a veteran of the global war on terrorism. And on his tombstone was a quote that I would like to share. It said:

I just want to do my part.

Mr. Speaker, it is this attitude that was inscribed on those tombstones which is the attitude of this generation of veterans who served in the global war on terrorism, my generation, our generation, men and women who didn't step back; instead, they stepped forward. They didn't just step forward; they ran forward, they ran to the fight.

Now, also at Arlington National Cemetery was another quote that I would like to share, and it was from John F. Kennedy. The quote that they had up there by his tomb was from one of his speeches, in which he stated:

In the long history of the world, only a few generations

have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour

of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility.

I welcome it.

The men and women who served in the global war on terrorism did not shrink from that responsibility. They did not run away. They ran forward.

So, Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is important to have this memorial because the families, the friends, the men and women of this country should not just have to go to cemeteries to honor those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice. That is why I stand here, Mr. Speaker, in full support of the memorial here on the National Mall to not just honor, but to celebrate the service and the sacrifice of the veterans of the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues from Wisconsin and Arizona. It is an honor to stand here as fellow marines in support of this bill today.

Today is a big day. It is a milestone in a journey that we started over a year ago. We are taking a major legislative step in the direction of creating a memorial honoring those who have served on Active Duty during the global war on terrorism.

For many, like my colleagues, this bill is personal. None of us will forget where we were on September 11, 2001, and we all continue to live with the aftermath of that tragic day in American history.

It is important to note that the tragic events of 9/11 and the war on terror to follow did not leave us isolated and afraid as a nation. Rather, in true American fashion, they inspired an entire generation to come together and serve.

So many young men and women selflessly answered the call to serve their country in the wake of that tragedy, and I would like to share just one story with you about someone from my district who would be on this memorial.

Captain Jennifer Harris lived in the town of Swampscott. She was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and, sadly, became the first Massachusetts woman killed in the Iraq war.

Jennifer was the epitome of leadership and sacrifice. On flying missions, she had the call sign ``The Dove.'' She would often be called to evacuate our wounded soldiers and marines from the battlefield.

Captain Harris' final mission was to transport blood supplies. She willingly volunteered for it even though she was only just days away from returning home. In fact, she was initially told:

No. You are too close to leaving. Don't go.

But she said:

I want to fly one more time.

Her superiors reluctantly agreed. Captain Harris died on February 7, along with six other crew members after insurgents shot down her helicopter.

In her twenties, with a bright future ahead of her, Captain Harris was on her third tour of duty in Iraq.

I can't help but think today of my grandfather, a World War II veteran. He never got to see the WWII Memorial in his lifetime. He was never afforded the opportunity to have some place to take his family to reflect on his time in the service or remember his colleagues who did not have the opportunity to come home.

Let's not let that history repeat itself. The men and women who have given their all in the war on terror should be afforded a place on the National Mall where their loved ones can pay respects and honor their sacrifice.

Passage of this bill is an important first step in seeing this memorial built in our lifetime.

Let's get this done for Captain Jennifer Harris and the thousands of others like her who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the strongest support possible for this bill to begin the process of establishing a memorial to honor the servicemembers of our longest war.

5,799 days ago, on a crystal blue September morning, we came face to face with an evil as old as time. Within days, our military was engaged, and within weeks, we sustained our first

casualties. Our latest loss happened this very month.

They came from every walk of American life, from the North, the South, the East, the West, every race, color, and creed, men and women.

The memorial authorized in this bill will allow the Nation to remember not only those who did not come home, but also those with life-changing injuries, visible and invisible, the incomprehensible and too often unnoticed stress on the spouses and children of those deployed, and the sacrifices of those who put their stateside lives on hold to serve.

Mr. Speaker, amidst the divisions in our country today, we need this memorial now more than ever, yes, to remember our fallen, but also to bind us together as we reflect upon their sacrifice for the transcendent ideals upon which this country was founded.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin, the gentleman from Arizona, and the gentleman from Massachusetts for their work on this legislation and for their service to our country.