On the recordJune 23, 2014
As Chairman Hastings has said, S. 1044 directs the Secretary of the Interior to install a plaque or an inscription in the area of the World War II Memorial with the 500-word prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed to the Nation shortly after the D-day invasion began. This bill authorizes the use of private contributions for the completion of this work and prohibits the use of Federal funds. I have several concerns with this legislation, including the fact that the addition of the prayer could take away from the original intent of the existing memorial, which is to honor the brave members of the Armed Forces who served in World War II, including my father, who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, I would like to thank the sponsors of the bill for their willingness to work with the administration to allow for flexibility in determining the design and location of the plaque and inscription. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
