,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #di ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #aa1 #bjai,mr4 ,de,saulnier 7for himself and ,ms4 ,lee of ,california7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,recognizing the victims of the ,port ,chicago explosion of ,july #ag1 #aidd1 the #geth anniversary of the greatest homeland loss of life of ,world ,war ,,ii1 and exonerating the #ej ,african-,american sailors unjustly court-martialed by the ,navy4 ,whereas the ,port ,chicago ,naval ,magazine in ,contra ,costa ,county1 ,california1 was a vital supply facility for the ,navy during ,world ,war ,,ii1 shipping ordinance for use in the ,pacific ,theater2 ,whereas under the rules governing the ,navy at the time1 the ,port ,chicago ,naval ,magazine was operated as a segregated facility in which undertrained and poorly equipped ,african-,american sailors1 under the supervision of ,white officers1 exclusively conducted the hazardous task of loading munitions aboard ships2 ,whereas there had been numerous complaints and warnings about the unsafe nature of the loading operations1 including the conduct of contests by ,white officers to achieve the most rapid loading of ships despite the inherent dangers involved in such actions2 ,whereas on the night of ,july #ag1 #aidd1 the ,port ,chicago ,naval ,magazine and much of the town of ,port ,chicago were destroyed by a cataclysmic explosion that killed #cbj men1 #bjb of whom were ,african-,american enlisted men2 ,whereas these losses on a single night represented one-fifth of all ,african-,american naval casualties during ,world ,war ,,ii2 ,whereas following the catastrophe1 none of the ,african-,american survivors was provided survivor leave or other recuperative services provided to the ,white personnel1 including the officers2 ,whereas ,african-,american survivors of the explosion were ordered back to the ,port ,chicago site to conduct cleanup operations2 ,whereas on ,august #i1 #aidd1 with no cause having been determined for the explosion and no additional training having been provided to the ,african-,american loaders1 #cbh men from three divisions were ordered to the loading pier at the nearby ,mare ,island1 which served as the ,port ,chicago replacement facility2 ,whereas many of the men expressed concern about the inadequacy of safety procedures and training1 leading to #beh being arrested and confined for three days on a large barge tiered to the pier2 ,whereas the confined sailors were threatened with prosecution and potential execution1 leading #bjh to return to work2 ,whereas the #ej who refused to return to loading operations were subjected to the largest mass mutiny trial in naval history1 which resulted1 on ,october #bd1 #aidd1 in a conviction on the charge of mutiny and a sentence of up to #ae years imprisonment and dishonorable discharge from the ,navy2 ,whereas after appeals and widespread protests in ,january #aidf1 which included the participation of future ,supreme ,court ,justice ,thurgood ,marshall and former ,first ,lady ,eleanor ,roosevelt1 the ,port ,chicago men were released from prison but their convictions remained on their records2 ,whereas in a #aiid investigation1 the ,united ,states ,navy stated that there is no doubt that racial prejudice was responsible for the posting of only ,african-,american enlisted personnel to loading divisions at ,port ,chicago2 ,whereas the unfairness of the ,port ,chicago mutiny prosecution would ultimately serve as one of the catalysts for the #aidh ,executive ,order requiring desegregation of the ,armed ,services2 ,whereas the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives conducted hearings on the ,port ,chicago case in #aiic and1 in #aiid1 ,congress1 on a bipartisan basis1 passed legislation creating the ,port ,chicago ,national ,memorial as a feature of the ,national ,park ,service1 including plaques commemorating those who lost their lives at the site in #aidd2 ,whereas in #aiii1 a pardon was granted to one of the few surviving members of the ,port ,chicago #ej1 ,freddie ,meeks1 by ,president ,william ,clinton following a thorough review of the case2 ,whereas since #aiii1 substantial legal1 academic1 and journalistic inquiry has documented the inherent racial motivation behind the operations at ,port ,chicago and the prosecution of the ,port ,chicago #ej2 ,whereas on ,december #af1 #bjae1 the ,secretary of the ,navy1 the ,honorable ,ray ,mabus1 wrote to the ,president strongly supporting executive action in favor of the #di remaining ,sailors with general court-martial convictions or the #bjg with summary court-martial convictions ''' in light of the well documented challenges associated with uniformed service by ,african ,americans during that era42 ,whereas in #bjjj1 ,congress approved ,s4,j4 ,res4 #bf to exonerate ,captain ,charles ,b4 ,mc,vay ,,iii1 captain of the ,,uss ,indianapolis1 for his wrongful court martial1 and ,president ,william ,clinton signed that resolution on ,october #cj1 #bjjj2 ,whereas the language of that resolution was enacted as section #ede of the ,floyd ,d4 ,spence ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjja 7,public ,law #ajf-cih71 including language that ,captain ,mc,vay's military record should now reflect that he is exonerated for the loss of the ,,uss ,indianapolis and so many of her crew2 and ,whereas on ,july #ag1 #bjai1 the ,nation will mark the #geth anniversary of the ,port ,chicago disaster1 and the unjust and racially motivated convictions remain on the records of the ,port ,chicago #ej3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that ,congress-- 7#a7 recognizes the service and sacrifice of those who served and perished at ,port ,chicago during ,world ,war ,,ii2 7#b7 hereby and forever exonerates the ,port ,chicago sailors of the charge of mutiny against the ,united ,states and any and all other charges brought against them in the aftermath of the ,july #ag1 #aidd1 explosion2 7#c7 upgrades the general and summary discharges issued to each of the ,port ,chicago sailors to honorable discharges2 and 7#d7 directs the ,secretary of the ,navy to place a letter attesting to these actions in the file of each of the ,port ,chicago sailors and to notify any surviving family members of these actions4