S 2610 IS

For Immediate Release

Thursday, February 7, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Stephanie Valencia (Salazar) 202-228-3630

Ken Lundberg (Martinez) – (202) 228-5957

Sens. Salazar and Martinez Introduce Bill to Preserve the Memory of Our Nation’s Heroes

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, in an effort to honor our Nation’s heroes by preserving the memory of their contributions and sacrifices, United States Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO) and Mel Martinez (R-FL) introduced the Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2008 that would create the first-ever searchable database containing the names and citations of those brave individuals who have been awarded the Medal of Honor or any other medal authorized by Congress. Congressman John T. Salazar (CO-03) and twenty-four members of the House of Representatives sponsored the bill in the House and it is supported by The Military Order of the Purple Heart.

The Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2008 requires the Department of Defense to establish a searchable database containing the names and citations of members of the Armed Forces who have been awarded our nation’s highest military honors. Currently no comprehensive database exists for these records.

“It is time that we bring the record-keeping for our veterans’ honors into the 21st century by creating a publicly searchable database that shows the honors and distinctions our veterans have earned,” said Senator Salazar. “This database will help ensure that we are properly honoring our nation’s heroes; it will also allow law enforcement to crack down on those who falsify records and claim service they did not perform.”

“This database will ensure there is a reliable tool available to thwart military medal fraud,” said Martinez. “This will also serve as an important reminder of the bravery of true soldiers who live among us, have come before or gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.”

While copies of these original records exist (for Army and Air Force Awards), many remain in storage at the National Archives and are filed by command, number, and date. Each record usually contains the names and citations of a dozen or more recipients, but no index exists to enable a search by name. For this reason a family member or researcher is required to request a citation by those criteria, which are usually unknown to them, or to pay a researcher to sort through tens of thousands of pages.

Even when this information is known, records often have to be requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a process that can take a year or more before the individual receives the requested documents. Awards to members of the Navy and Marine Corps are preserved on nearly half-a-million index cards housed at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., where access to the general public is extremely limited.

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Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2008 (Introduced in Senate)

S 2610 IS

110th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. 2610

To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the establishment of a searchable database containing the names and citations of members of the Armed Forces, members of the United States merchant marine, and civilians affiliated with the Armed Forces who have been awarded the medal of honor or any other medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces, the United States merchant marine, or affiliated civilians.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 7 (legislative day, February 6), 2008

Mr. SALAZAR (for himself and Mr. MARTINEZ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

A BILL

To amend title 10, United States Code, to require the establishment of a searchable database containing the names and citations of members of the Armed Forces, members of the United States merchant marine, and civilians affiliated with the Armed Forces who have been awarded the medal of honor or any other medal authorized by Congress for the Armed Forces, the United States merchant marine, or affiliated civilians.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Military Valor Roll of Honor Act of 2008'.

SEC. 2. MILITARY VALOR ROLL OF HONOR.

(a) Establishment- Chapter 57 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

`Sec. 1135. Military Valor Roll of Honor

`(a) Establishment Required- The Secretary of Defense shall establish and maintain a database, to be known as the `Military Valor Roll of Honor', which shall contain the names and citations of all members of the armed forces, members of the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service), and civilians affiliated with the armed forces who have been awarded the medal of honor or any other medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces, the United States merchant marine, or affiliated civilians. The Military Valor Roll of Honor shall include the names of those members recorded on the `Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard Medal of Honor Roll' maintained pursuant to section 1560 of title 38.

`(b) Sources of Information- The Secretary of Defense shall develop the Military Valor Roll of Honor using the records of the military departments and such other sources of information as the Secretary considers to be appropriate and accurate. The Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to the Coast Guard, and the Secretary of Transportation, with respect to the United States merchant marine, shall provide the Secretary of Defense with information regarding the names and citations of members of the Coast Guard and United States merchant marine for inclusion in the Military Valor Roll of Honor.

`(c) Public Availability- The Military Valor Roll of Honor shall be a searchable database and available for public inspection.'.

(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

`1135. Military Valor Roll of Honor.'.

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