Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TAKANO. I thank the gentleman from Arizona for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act, which would designate the Distinguished Flying Cross Memorial currently under construction at March Air Field Museum in Riverside County as a national memorial.

Established by Congress in 1926, the Distinguished Flying Cross has been awarded to tens of thousands of Americans and gives recognition to members of our Armed Forces for heroism in aerial flight. This legislation could not be more important as there is no national memorial for these brave men and women. I believe that it is our duty to properly honor our heroes for their service.

In addition to its bipartisan support, this legislation also has the backing of countless veterans and military organizations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, the Military Officers Association of America, the Air Force Association, the Air Force Sergeants Association, the Association of Naval Aviation, and the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association.

I was proud to introduce this legislation with my Republican colleague from the Inland Empire, Representative Ken Calvert, and hope we can continue to work together on issues such as this because our region has deep military roots.

I would also like to express my gratitude to California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, along with Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, who introduced the Senate version of this bill.

Let's honor these heroes, Mr. Speaker, and pass the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act.

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