IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 119

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a commemorative postage stamp

should be issued in honor of the U.S.S. New Jersey and all those

who served aboard her.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 26, 1999

Mr. FRANKS of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. SMITH of New

Jersey, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. PAYNE,

Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. ANDREWS, and Mrs.

ROUKEMA) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that a commemorative

postage stamp should be issued in honor of the U.S.S.

New Jersey and all those who served aboard her.

Whereas the Iowa Class Battleship, the U.S.S. New Jersey

(BB–62), is the most decorated warship in United States

naval history, with 16 battle stars and 20 citations, medals, and ribbons during her 56 years of service;

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey was launched on December

7, 1942, by the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard; sponsored

by Mrs. Charles Edison, wife of then-Governor Edison of

New Jersey, former Secretary of the Navy; and commis-
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sioned at Philadelphia on May 23, 1943, Captain Carl F.

Holden in command;

Whereas her first action as a flagship for Admiral William

‘‘Bull’’ Halsey’s Third Fleet was a bold 2-day surface

and air strike by her task force against the supposedly

impregnable Japanese fleet base on Truk in the Caroline

Islands, thereby interdicting Japanese naval retaliation in

response to the conquest of the Marshall Islands;

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey provided crucial firepower

for the assault on Iwo Jima;

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey gave the same crucial service

for the first major aircraft carrier raid on Tokyo;

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey’s guns opened the first shore

bombardment in Korea at Wonsan, and served with distinction throughout the remainder of the Korean conflict;

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey participated in bombardment

and fire support missions along the Vietnamese coast

during the Vietnam era;

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey earned the Navy Unit Commendation for Vietnam service, received 9 battle stars for

World War II, 4 for the Korean conflict, and 3 for the

Vietnam era;

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey supported the Marine operation with the Multinational Peacekeeping Force in Beirut, Lebanon;

Whereas, in 1991, the U.S.S. New Jersey became the first

United States battleship to enter and operate in the Persian Gulf; and

Whereas the U.S.S. New Jersey, after being decommissioned

on February 8, 1991, and due in no small part to the
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efforts of the U.S.S. New Jersey Battleship Foundation,

will be heading home in the fall of 1999 to become a

floating monument and an educational museum: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) a commemorative postage stamp should be

4 issued by the United States Postal Service in honor

5 of the U.S.S. New Jersey and all those who served

6 aboard her; and

7 (2) the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee

8 should recommend to the Postmaster General that

9 such a postage stamp be issued.

Æ