S. 59 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 59 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 22 (legislative day, January 3), 2013 Mrs. Boxer (for herself, Mr. Nelson, and Mrs. Feinstein) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To designate a Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act. 2. Designation of Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial in Riverside, California (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The Distinguished Flying Cross, which was created by Congress in 1926, is the oldest military award in the United States for achievements in aviation. (2) The most reliable statistics regarding the number of members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross indicate that 126,318 members of the Armed Forces received the medal during World War II, approximately 21,000 members received the medal during the Korean conflict, and 21,647 members received the medal during the Vietnam War. (3) Since the end of the Vietnam War, more than 203 Armed Forces members have received the medal in times of conflict. (4) Since the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, burned down in 1973, many more recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross may be undocumented. (5) Currently, the Department of Defense continues to locate and identify members of the Armed Forces whose award of the medal has not been documented. (6) The United States currently lacks a national memorial dedicated to the bravery and sacrifice of those members of the Armed Forces who have distinguished themselves by heroic deeds performed in aerial flight. (7) An appropriate memorial to current and former members of the Armed Forces has been constructed at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California. (8) The Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial would honor all those members of the Armed Forces who have distinguished themselves in aerial flight, whether documentation of such members who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross exists or not. (b) Designation The memorial to members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross at March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California, is designated as the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial. (c) Effect of designation The national memorial designated by this section is not a unit of the National Park System, and the designation of the national memorial shall not be construed to require or permit Federal funds to be expended for any purpose related to the national memorial.