E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 106 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

Vol. 146 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2000 No. 78 House of Representatives The House met at 9 a.m. and was ary 19, 1999, the Chair will now recog- The next morning as they were called to order by the Speaker pro tem- nize Members from lists submitted by watching Saturday cartoons, the friend pore (Mr. ISAKSON). the majority and minority leaders for suggested again that they play with f morning hour debates. The Chair will this gun. Kevin was evidently forceful alternate recognition between the par- in indicating that one should not play DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO ties, with each party limited to not to with guns. It angered his 11-year-old TEMPORE exceed 25 minutes, and each Member, classmate, who went to his parents’ The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- except the majority leader, the minor- room while his mother was putting on fore the House the following commu- ity leader, or the minority whip, lim- makeup, marched out of the room with nication from the Speaker: ited to not to exceed 5 minutes, but in a rifle, announcing, ‘‘Kevin, you are WASHINGTON, DC, no event shall debate continue beyond dead.’’ June 20, 2000. 9:50 a.m. He fired a bullet that went through I hereby appoint the Honorable JOHNNY The Chair recognizes the gentleman Kevin’s shoulder. His little sister who ISAKSON to act as Speaker pro tempore on from Oregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 was there helped carry him to the car, this day. minutes. and Kevin bled to death on the way to J. DENNIS HASTERT, Speaker of the House of Representatives. f the hospital. f Kevin Imel’s parents are well-known PUTTING A FACE ON THE VICTIMS in my community. His mother is char- MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE OF GUN VIOLENCE acterized with courage and warmth, A message from the Senate by Mr. Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I who helps others by deed and leads by Lundregan, one of its clerks, an- am proud to have spent my adult life in example in terms of leadership of what nounced that the Senate has passed public service, but one element that people in the disabled community can with an amendment in which the con- disappoints me is the failure of our so- do. currence of the House is requested, a ciety to address the critical problem of Lon, the father, was a labor leader. bill of the House of the following title: reducing gun violence in our society. He worked for our former colleague, H.R. 4475. An act making appropriations Since I started my career, over 1 mil- Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, and for the Department of Transportation and lion Americans have become victims to he too has been active in the commu- related agencies for the fiscal year ending gun violence. This is more than all the nity. Their service is all the more September 30, 2001, and for other purposes. Americans who have died in all the poignant, I think, because their son The message also announced that the battles since the Civil War. Kevin today is a series of warm memo- Senate insists upon its amendment to One of the reasons, I think, that we ries and a life tragically cut short rath- the bill (H.R. 4475) ‘‘An Act making ap- have failed to make progress in reduc- er than growing into adulthood and propriations for the Department of ing this epidemic of gun violence is be- being productive and carrying forward Transportation and related agencies cause we have failed to put a face on a himself. for the fiscal year ending September 30, million victims. One of the things that It is time for America to remember 2001, and for other purposes,’’ requests I would like to do, as a small contribu- the Kevin Imels of this world, to put a a conference with the House on the dis- tion towards the reduction of this gun face on those million victims. I do agreeing votes of the two Houses there- violence, is to help put faces on those think that it is time for our friends in on, and appoints Mr. SHELBY, Mr. victims. We cannot afford for them to the Republican leadership in this Con- DOMENICI, Mr. SPECTER, Mr. BOND, Mr. be anonymous. gress to allow us to deliberate on items GORTON, Mr. BENNETT, Mr. CAMPBELL, Today I would like to spend a couple that would reduce gun violence. For al- Mr. STEVENS, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. of minutes talking about young Kevin most a year now, the conference com- BYRD, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. REID, Mr. Imel. He was visiting a school mate mittee on juvenile crime has not met. KOHL, Mrs. MURRAY, and Mr. INOUYE, to during spring vacation. The evening be- The provisions that have passed the be the conferees on the part of the Sen- fore, an 11-year-old friend had been Senate, three simple common sense ate. playing with his parents’ gun. The guns provisions that would help reduce gun f were not safely stored. They did not violence, that are supported by the have trigger locks. They had bullets. overwhelming majority of the Ameri- MORNING HOUR DEBATES Kevin was not comfortable and would cans and indeed of American gun own- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- not play with his friend and made it ers, have not been deliberated. It is ant to the order of the House of Janu- clear to him. time for the Republican leadership to

b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.

H4677

. H4678 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE June 20, 2000 honor the memory of people like Kevin ued to lead the platoon and advanced deavored to serve their country. In the begin- Imel, allow us to deliberate, allow us to alone against a machine gun nest that ning of the war, many minority servicemen put these into action, allow us to help had pinned down his men. were relegated to serve only in ``rear echelon'' make sure that those million people He tossed two hand grenades with positions or support positions during the war. who have died to gun violence have not devastating effect before his right arm They served as munitions men, truck drivers, died in vain. was shattered by a German rifle gre- cooks, stewards, and in cleaning and repair f nade at close range, according to the details. I am reminded of Uncle ``Bob'' Lizama, senatorial bio. INOUYE threw his last a native son of Guam who served in the U.S. IN HONOR OF ASIAN PACIFIC grenade with his left hand, attacked Navy as a steward. His naval career spanned ISLANDER VETERANS with a submachine gun, and was finally over 30 years including service in three major The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under knocked down the hill by a bullet in wars. the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- the leg. Minorities also labored in the factories and uary 19, 1999, the gentleman from After 20 months in Army hospitals, farms throughout the United States working to- Guam (Mr. UNDERWOOD) is recognized INOUYE returned home as a captain wards the war effort. In many cases, when in during morning hour debates for 5 min- with a Distinguished Service Cross, the combat zones, the men in these positions utes. Nation’s second highest award for mili- manned weapons and fought honorably side- Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I tary valor, the Bronze Star Medal, Pur- by-side with white soldiers and sailors during rise this morning to recognize the con- ple Heart with oak leaf cluster and 12 furious engagements. tributions of Asian and Pacific Island other medals and citations, and of Later in the war, after tremendous lobbying veterans. Tomorrow, President Clinton course he now has a distinguished ca- efforts by minority civic leaders, combat units will be presenting this Nation’s highest reer in the other body. were established for minority populations. military award for valor, the Congres- Many of these names which I will These brave men and women came from all sional , to 21 Asian enter into the RECORD will add to the walks of life but were bound by a love of the American veterans who previously won Pantheon of true American heroes, principles of duty to God and country. They the Distinguished Service Cross. names like Hajiro, Hayashi, lived in a separate component of American so- President Clinton approved the Kobashigawa, Ono, Wai and Davila, add ciety that was defined by an unfortunate cli- Army’s recommendations for the up- to the great tradition of American mate of prejudice. African-Americans, His- grades this past May. Nineteen of the military history, and it should be panics, native Hawaiians, Chamorros, twenty-one veterans were members of noted, and I have noted here in my ex- Samoans, Asian Americans, Filipinos, Amer- the all-Japanese 100th Infantry Bat- tended remarks, that these men en- ican Indians, and Native Alaskans all served talion, or 442nd Regimental Combat dured, along with many other Asian honorably in many capacities with the U.S. Team. For their size, it was amongst Pacific Islanders during the war, a cli- military to combat the hegemonic forces of the most highest decorated units in mate of racism that continued to per- Germany, Italy and Japan. U.S. military history. Members of this severe, and made their contributions in In segregated units, often led by white offi- noble unit earned an amazing number a number of combat units throughout cers, these noble men distinguished them- of decorations, 18,000 individual decora- the war, men from Pacific Islands like selves in combat and proved to the entire na- tions, including one wartime Medal of American Samoa and Guam, people tion that they too were willing to lay down their Honor, 53 Distinguished Service who served in the Philippine armed lives for freedom. The Tuskegee Airmen, the Crosses, 9,486 Purple Hearts and 7 Pres- services under the American flag, and, famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the idential Unit Citations, the Nation’s of course, many who joined the regular 100th Infantry Battalion, the Navaho Code- top award for combat units. armed forces of the U.S. and who were Talkers, the U.S. Navy's Fita Fita Guard (a The upgrading of the medals stems limited to service and transportation U.S. Navy auxiliary unit in American Samoa), from efforts made by Senator DANIEL units. the 1st Samoan Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps, AKAKA of , who authored the The other soldiers who will be honored are: and the Guam Combat Patrol (a U.S. Marine provision in the 1996 Defense Author- Staff Sgt. (later 2nd Lt.) Rudolph B. Davila, Corps auxiliary unit in Guam) are just a few of ization Act mandating a review of the Pvt. Barney F. Hajiro, Pvt. Mikio Hasemoto the organizations where minorities fought val- service records of Asian Pacific Ameri- (posthumous), Pvt. Joe Hayashi, Pvt. Shizuya iantly in some of the most difficult combat as- cans who received the Distinguished Hayashi, Tech. Sgt. Yeiki Kobashigawa, Staff signments anywhere in World War II. Service Cross. Sgt. Robert T. Kuroda (posthumous), Pfc. After WWII, President Harry S. Truman de- The recommendation by Secretary of Kaoru Moto (posthumous), Pfc. Kiyoshi K. segregated the U.S. military. Beginning with the Army Louis Caldera, and the subse- Muranaga (posthumous), Pvt. Masato Nakae the Korean war, minority soldiers, sailors, and quent order by President Clinton, (posthumous), Pvt. Shinyei Nakamine (post- airmen have fought alongside with all Ameri- serves to correct the injustice of racial humous), Pfc. William K. Nakamura (post- cans. Recently, Congress passed a resolution discrimination that was prevalent humous), Pfc. Joe M. Nishimoto (post- honoring all of America's minority veterans. I against Asian Pacific Americans dur- humous), Sgt. (later Staff Sgt.) Allan M. am very pleased to have worked with both ing World War II. Many of the Japanese Ohata, Tech. Sgt. Yukio Okutsu, Pfc. Frank H. Representative SHEILA JACKSON-LEE and Sen- Americans who served in the 442nd vol- Ono (posthumous), Staff Sgt. Kazuo Otani ator EDWARD KENNEDY to ensure that the Pa- unteered from internment camps, (posthumous), Pvt. George T. Sakato, Tech. cific Islanders were represented in the resolu- where their families had been relocated Sgt. Ted T. Tanouye (posthumous), and Capt. tion's text. at the outbreak of the war. These men Francis B. Wai (posthumous). Mr. Speaker, in light of the level of dedica- fought in 8 major campaigns in Italy, In honoring the heroism of these Asian Pa- tion, sacrifice and honor, that minority vet- France and Germany, including battles cific veterans, I am reminded of the sacrifices erans displayed while serving in our nation's at Monte Cassino, Anzio and of all our minority veterans. Today, several military, we must in every way possible ensure Biffontaine. Despite the ferocity of the weeks after Memorial Day, I would like to take that any past instance of wholesale discrimina- fighting they endured and the degree of a few moments to talk about the tens of thou- tion be addressed and corrected. In this light bravery exhibited by these men, the sands of minority Americans who set aside it may be prudent to have legislation that es- climate of racism precluded many from political, economic and social disenfranchise- tablishes a commission to ensure that minority due recognition of their actions under ment, to answer the call to arms against the veterans during the Korean and Vietnam con- fire. Tomorrow’s White House cere- forces of tyranny. flicts were not denied awards for valor on ac- mony will finally redress this past Minorities have served in the American mili- count of the color of their skin or on the basis wrong. tary since the early days of the republic and of their national origin. At the beginning of the One of those honored for valor is Sen- valiantly fought in every major engagement in- 21st Century, we should conclusively and ex- ator DANIEL INOUYE who distinguished cluding the Civil War, Spanish-American War, haustively rectify as many of these past racial himself when leading his platoon WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian injustices so that we can finally proceed for- against the enemy at San Terenzo on Gulf. ward in unity and in the spirit of brotherhood. April 21, 1945. Though hit in the abdo- The moment of truth for most minority vet- The noble sacrifices of our forbearers who men by a bullet that came out his back erans was solidly demonstrated in WWII. Un- fought valiantly for our freedom should never and barely missed his spine, he contin- daunted by discrimination and racism, they en- go unrecognized, nor be tarnished by societal