HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

17

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

congratulating Dr. ernest james harris on being awarded the congressional GOLD MEDAL.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, a Congressional Gold Medal, one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, is an award bestowed by the United States Congress as its expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions; and

 

     WHEREAS, on the 25th of June in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order No. 8802, establishing fair employment practices that began to erase discrimination in the Armed Forces; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive giving African-Americans an opportunity to be recruited into the Marine Corps; however, these individuals were not sent to the traditional boot camps, but were segregated from the general Marine Corps population and sent to Montford Point, a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for their basic training; and

 

     WHEREAS, upon graduating magna cum laude from an all-black public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, DR. ERNEST JAMES HARRIS was among the first wave of African-Americans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, with aspirations to serve his country and embark on an exciting career in the Marine Corps; and

 

     WHEREAS, on November 23, 2011, the United States Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Montford Point Marines in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service to their country; and
     WHEREAS, on November 12, 2016, DR. ERNEST JAMES HARRIS, a distinguished member of the Montford Point Marines, was presented the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony at Washington Place, Honolulu, Hawaii; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that this body hereby recognizes and congratulates DR. ERNEST JAMES HARRIS on being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, commends him for his bravery and courage in defense of our nation, and extends to him its warmest aloha and best wishes.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Congratulating Dr. Ernest James Harris