Political Quotes

“I want to thank Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions for making this amendment in order, and I want to thank Chairman McKeon for his service and for allowing this amendment to be part of the en bloc package. My amendment adds the voice of the House to those of many Americans, including Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who would like to see the names of the 74 sailors lost aboard the USS Frank E. Evans added to the Vietnam Memorial. The USS Frank Evans, a destroyer, was launched near the end of World War II and was recommissioned for the Korea and Vietnam conflicts. After participating in combat off the coast of Vietnam, the Evans was deployed for the Operation Sea Spirit training exercise in the South China Sea. On the morning of June 3, 1969, the Evans was training with an Australian navy carrier when the two ships collided. {time} 2100 The Melbourne ripped the American destroyer in two. The bow sank in just 3 minutes, leaving only a stern section afloat. Seventy-four sailors perished. Although they were in the South China Sea, these sailors' names have been excluded from the Vietnam Memorial because the Evans was outside the designated combat zone which determines inclusion on the wall. Although these men did not die in direct combat, they were instrumental in advancing military objectives in Vietnam and participated in the conflict just days before the collision.…”