NEWS FROM….

CONGRESSMAN LANE EVANS

RANKING DEMOCRATIC MEMBER

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

    U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FOR RELEASE: October 5, 1999

Washington, DC – Lane Evans of Illinois, Democratic Leader of the House Veterans Affairs Committee today announced House adoption of the National Medal of Honor Memorial Act, H.R. 1663. "I am very proud to be an original cosponsor of this legislation," says Evans, "which was considered under a request of the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs."

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. Established during the Civil War, only 3,429 Medals of Honor have been awarded since that time. "Because of the extraordinary nature of this medal and those extraordinary Americans who have earned it," Evans comments, "it is fitting that Medal of Honor recipients be honored at designated Medal of Honor sites."

The legislation designates three locations as national Medal of Honor sites:

1. The memorial under construction at Riverside, CA, scheduled to be dedicated November 5, 1999.
2. The memorial dedicated May 28, 1999, at the White River State Park in Indianapolis, IN.
3. The Congressional Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, SC, currently situated on the ex-USS Yorktown (CV-6).

"I particularly commended Representative Julia Carson (D-IN) for her help in crafting the final bill," Evans says. He noted that the Congressional Medal of Honor Society has expressed "enthusiastic support" for the legislation.

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