Mark Takano: “I rise in support of H.R. 2701, the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act, as amended. Oftentimes…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 2701, the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act, as amended. Oftentimes veterans who were buried overseas during World Wars I and II were put to rest on foreign soil without the full picture of who they were as people. In life, these servicemen and - women showed courage, honor, respect, dignity, and sacrifice. In death, some have been unfortunately misrepresented. Not because of malice, but more often circumstances of time, space, and uncertainty, roughly 900 American-Jewish servicemembers were buried under a Latin cross that does not accurately reflect their religious heritage. The Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act seeks to correct this oversight. It formalizes a program with the American Battle Monuments Commission to identify and establish contact with descendants of those fallen servicemembers who were mistakenly buried under the Latin cross and works in partnership with a nonprofit organization to obtain the grave marker that accurately represents their religious heritage and replace the inaccurate headstone. Acts like this provide a structure to identify our veterans not merely as markers in cemeteries, but as whole humans, with their belief in something greater than even their service--their creator.”