Samuel Nunn

Mr. NUNN

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I believe this has been cleared, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, this amendment has been cleared, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, my understanding is that this has been cleared.

Mr. NUNN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4427 (Purpose: To authorize $20,000,000 to be appropriated for the DARPA Optoelectronic Centers)

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, it has been cleared. I urge its adoption.

Mr. NUNN

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, the national defense authorization bill under consideration by the Senate contains a very special provision that, once enacted, will clear the way for the President to award the Medal of Honor to seven African-Americans who served their Nation with the utmost distinction in combat during World War II. Pvt. George Watson of Birmingham, AL, was on board a ship which was attacked by enemy bombers. When the ship was abandoned, Private Wilson remained and assisted several soldiers who could not swim to reach the safety of a liferaft. This heroic action subsequently cost him his life but resulted in saving the lives of his comrades. Capt. Charles L. Thomas of Detroit, MI, though grievously wounded when his scout car was subjected to intense enemy artillery, self- propelled gun, and small arms fire, directed the emplacement of two antitank guns to return enemy fire. Only after he was certain that a subordinate was in full control of the situation did he permit himself to be evacuated. S.Sgt. Ruben Rivers of Oklahoma City, OK, though severely wounded when his tank hit a mine, refused medical treatment, took command of another tank, and advanced to the objective. Repeatedly refusing evacuation, Sergeant Rivers continued to direct his tank fire at enemy positions through the next day until he was killed by the enemy. S.Sgt. Edward A. Carter, Jr., of Los Angeles, CA, while attempting to lead a three-man group was wounded five times and finally was forced to take cover. As eight enemy riflemen attempted to capture him, Sergeant Carter killed six of them and captured the remaining two. First Lieutenant John R. Fox of Cincinnati, OH, and some other members of his observer party voluntarily remained on the second floor of a house to direct defensive artillery fire while the majority of U.S. forces withdrew in the face of overwhelming numbers. As the Germans continued to press the attack toward the area that he occupied, he adjusted the artillery fire into his own position knowing that this was the only way to stop the enemy attack. Lieutenant Fox's body was later found along with the bodies of approximately 100 German soldiers. First Lieutenant Vernon J. Baker, of Cheyenne, WY, destroyed enemy installations, personnel, and equipment during his company's attack against a strongly entrenched enemy in mountainous terrain. When his company was stopped by the concentrated fire from several machinegun emplacements, he destroyed three machinegun nests and an enemy observation post. He then covered the evacuation of the wounded personnel of his company by occupying an exposed position and drawing the enemy's fire. Pfc. Willy F. James, Jr., of Kansas City, KS, as lead scout was the first to draw enemy fire. After being pinned down for over an hour, he returned to his platoon, and led a squad in the assault, accurately designating targets as he advanced, until he was killed by enemy machinegun fire while going to the aid of his fatally wounded platoon leader. These seven heroes have many things in common: their selfless dedication to their comrades, their unwillingness to give up despite overwhelming odds, their leadership in the face of certain death, and their race. A study, commissioned in 1993 by the Acting Secretary of the Army to review the Medal of Honor processing procedures as applied to African- American soldiers in World War II, revealed that no African-American soldier was recommended for the Medal of Honor for service in World War II. Concluding, in part, that this was reflective of the national racial climate and the use of African-American soldiers in World War II, the study recommended that 10 African-Americans be considered for the award of the Medal of Honor. The Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of Defense, and the President recommended legislation that would permit the award of the Medal of Honor to the seven heroes I previously mentioned. This marks the end of a long journey for these seven men--six of whom who have died before they could realize this great honor. It is not the end of a journey, however, for our military services as they continue to lead the Nation in matters of equal opportunity, elimination of racial and gender discrimination, and creation of an environment that is, in fact, based on individual merit and performance. I have always been proud of the way our military services were able to recognize the importance of eliminating discrimination and prejudice. I have always been proud of the tremendous efforts that have been made and that will continue to be made in this area. Surely, 100-percent success has yet to be achieved, but the U.S. military is clearly a beacon lighting the way for the rest of the Nation. So, too, today I am proud of what these heroes have done. But I am also proud of how we as a nation can look back into our history and, seeing something that just is not quite right, can and will fix it. I regret that six of our seven heroes are no longer with us. I hope and pray that their families and loved ones will realize the significance of what these courageous men accomplished and permit our Nation to honor them in this way. Mr. President, I thank the Chair. I yield the floor. Mrs. KASSEBAUM addressed the Chair.

Mr. NUNN

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, this has been cleared, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. NUNN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4405 (Purpose: To authorize $8,900,000 for construction at the Undersea Weapons Systems Laboratory at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport Division, Newport, Rhode Island)

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mr. NUNN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4410 (Purpose: To strengthen certain sanctions against nuclear proliferation activities)

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk on behalf of Senator Glenn and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. NUNN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4411 (Purpose: To establish a 1-year pilot program for online transfer of defense technology information from institutions of higher education to private businesses through an interactive data network involving institutions of higher education)

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mr. NUNN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to. Amendment No. 4412 (Purpose: To make technical corrections)

Mr. NUNN. Madam President, I would think that it would be the regular order, is that correct? I do not know that there has been an amendment submitted yet as a second degree. So perhaps the regular order is to bring back the Nunn amendment.

Mr. NUNN. The Nunn amendment?

Mr. NUNN. This will be the amendment sponsored by myself, Senator Hutchison, Senator Bradley, Senator Cohen, Senator Kassebaum, on NATO enlargement.

Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I urge adoption of the amendment.

Mr. NUNN. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. NUNN

Mr. NUNN. I am pleased by the statement of the Senator from Utah today because I found the comments that I read in the paper attributed to Mr. Lebed both disturbing and very dangerous. I'm hoping that President Yeltsin and others will denounce this kind of rhetoric, which, no matter what its purpose, if it was simply posturing for political purposes leading up to the election, is inexcusable language. It can set up very dangerous kinds of activities in Russia against Mormons, against Jews, and against others. I think it is very timely for the Senator to make this announcement. I identify with his statement, and I hope there will be corrective action taken by the Russian officials in terms of making it clear that this kind of rhetoric is unacceptable.