Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 3.djvu/90

 112 STAT. 1920 PUBLIC LAW 105-261—OCT. 17, 1998 Public Law 105-261 105th Congress An Act To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1999 for military activities of the Oct. 17, 1998 Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of [H.R. 3616] for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes. Strom Thurmond Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of National Defense fhe United States of America in Congress assembled, Authorization Act for FW SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. Year 1999. (a) SHORT TITLE. —This Act may be cited as the "Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999". (b) FINDINGS. —Congress makes the following findings: (1) Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina first became a member of the Committee on Armed Services of the United States Senate on January 19, 1959. Senator Thurmond's continuous service on that committee covers more than 75 percent of the period of the existence of the committee, which was established immediately after World War II, and more than 20 percent of the period of the existence of military and naval anairs committees of Congress, the original bodies of which were formed in 1816. (2) Senator Thurmond came to Congress and the committee as a distinguished veteran of service, including combat service, in the Armed Forces of the United States. (3) Senator Thurmond was commissioned as a reserve second lieutenant of infantry in 1924. He served with great distinction with the First Army in the European Theater of Operations during World War II, landing in Normandy in a glider with the 82nd Airborne Division on D-Day. He was transferred to the Pacific Theater of Operations at the end of the war in Europe and was serving in the Philippines when Japan surrendered. (4) Having reverted to Reserve status at the end of World War II, Senator Thurmond was promoted to brigadier general in the United States Army Reserve in 1954. He served as President of the Reserve Officers Association beginning that same year and ending in 1955. Senator Thurmond was promoted to major general in the United States Army Reserve in 1959. He transferred to the Retired Reserve on January 1, 1965, after 36 years of commissioned service. (5) The distinguished character of Senator Thurmond's military service has been recognized by awards of numerous decorations that include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star medal with "V" device, the Army Commendation Medal, the Belgian
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