Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last week, I received a notice from the Chief Administrative Officer and the Architect of the Capitol directing me to remove a memorial located outside of my office that honors fallen Marines from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The notice stated that the Faces of the Fallen memorial does not comply with the new hallway policy of the House.

However, memorials to honor the lives of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are respectfully displayed and should not fall under the Hallway Policy's jurisdiction.

In 2004, Congressman RAHM EMANUEL and I introduced legislation calling for an exhibit in the Capitol Rotunda to honor U.S. servicemembers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our legislation was never considered. Instead, House Speaker Dennis Hastert directed the construction of a memorial listing names of the fallen in the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Because we believed more should be done to honor the lives of our fallen servicemembers, I, along with other Members of Congress, began to display more proper memorials outside our individual offices.

Hundreds of visitors from my district and others have stopped to view the faces of fallen Marines from Camp Lejeune displayed outside my door. It is seeing the faces of these Marines, the fathers, the mothers, the sisters, the brothers, the sons and the daughters that deeply impact these visitors.

Since the media has reported the attempt to remove the Faces of the Fallen memorial displayed outside my office, I have heard from constituents and people across the country who believe these memorials should remain on display.

An article published yesterday in the Jacksonville Daily News distributed in the area surrounding Camp Lejeune quoted two women who understand what it means to lose a loved one who has served our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit the article for the Record.

The article quotes Deborah May, a woman whose husband was killed in Iraq in 2003. She told the Jacksonville Daily News that she has walked through the hallways of the House office buildings and she supports the memorials on display. And I quote Mrs. May: ``When I go, I take my small children with me. The very least they could do is put a picture there to show my children that my husband is remembered and that this is what our government is about and our country and the freedoms we have.''

The article also quotes Vivianne Wersel, the president of the Surviving Spouses Support Group at Camp Lejeune, who said that the memorial is as much as an icon as the American flag. And I quote her: ``These servicemembers have given their lives for a conflict and something they believed in. I think that it is a reminder for those that are visiting Congress and that is what America is all about. They can walk the halls of Congress because of these young men that have given them the freedom to speak and the freedom to live.''

Last week, I wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to explain the history behind these memorials and to ask her support in preserving their display. I know she understands the importance of honoring the servicemembers who have sacrificed for our Nation. And I thank her for honoring my request that the House observe a moment of silence each month to remember those killed

[Page: H6450] GPO's PDF or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope that Speaker Pelosi will agree with many of us in Congress and people across this Nation that these memorials should remain on display. And before closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to show a picture of a child whose father died in Iraq for this country. This is a picture of Tyler Jordan whose father, Phillip Jordan, was a gunnery sergeant with the United States Marine Corps. And this young man is receiving the flag on his father's grave on his coffin. Four years ago, I had this picture sent to me so I could blow it up. And I want to say this to Tyler Jordan: Your daddy, Phillip Jordan, is on this poster. He was killed along with others in the year 2003.

A name means a lot to those who are not here any longer. But nothing means more than for a child to come to Washington and to see his father's face outside a congressional office.

So again I have great respect for Speaker Pelosi. And I hope she will agree with us that these posters should remain outside the Members of Congress' office.

And with that, Mr. Speaker, I ask God to please bless our men and women in uniform and to please bless the families of our men and women in uniform. And I ask God to please bless America and help us to see the way to always remember those who died for this country and not forget them.

God bless America.

[From the Jacksonville Daily News, July 13, 2008] Jones Stands Ground on Lejeune Memorial in Hall Outside Office

(By Molly Dewitt) A memorial honoring Camp Lejeune's fallen service members may have to come down.

A ``Hallway Policy'' approved by Nancy Pelosi, house speaker and chair of the House Office Building Commission, limits the display and placement of items in hallways of the House of Representatives office buildings. That includes a display erected by Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) outside his office.

Jones's Faces of the Fallen memorial consists of several easels displaying 3-by-l posters bearing the names and faces of Marines from Camp Lejeune who died while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

The policy specifically prohibits easels from being placed in a hallway.

``We're not talking about posters. We're not talking about things in the hall,'' Jones said. ``We're talking about men and women that died for this country.

The hallway policy, instituted on April 17, was ``developed to improve House compliance with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act as applied to Congress by the Congressional Accountability Act, and the Life Safety Code,'' according to the policy.

``This is just typical bureaucratic malarkey,'' Jones said.

No one has ever complained about loss of hallway accessibility due to the memorial, Jones said.

``I've never had anybody come in and tell me that they had trouble getting through the hall,'' he said.

``I've seen people with wheelchairs, I've seen a large number of people walk by and it's never impeded anyone from getting through the hall.''

Deborah May, whose husband Staff Sgt. Donald C. May Jr. was killed March 25, 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, said she's walked the hallways in the House of Representatives office buildings.

``You could have a wheelchair race down those halls, because they're very wide,'' she said.

She wants the memorial display to remain.

``When I go, I take my small children with me. The very least they could do is put a picture there to show my children that my husband is remembered and that this is what our government is about and our country and the freedoms we have.'' May said, tearing up.

The memorial has been displayed outside of Jones' various office locations for the past five years and several years ago an initial attempt to remove them was made, he said.

``Those that write the rules just don't have the respect for those who have given their life for their country,'' Jones said.

``As far as I'm concerned this is disrespectful to those who have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.''

Jones believes Pelosi will make an exception for the memorial.

``When we're having men and women dying every day and every week in Afghanistan and in Iraq--my God, the least that we can do is have people walk by and see the face of one that never came back home,'' Jones said. ``I think Ms. Pelosi will understand.''

Jones sent a letter to Pelosi on Wednesday regarding the matter.

It has been suggested to Jones that a listing of the names of the fallen be placed in an entrance foyer, but he believes that to be insufficient, he said in the letter to Pelosi.

Jones said, regardless of her decision, he plans to stand his ground in the situation.

``We're not going to let this be an issue, were going to do what's right,'' Jones said. ``I told them they'll have to remove me with the posters.''

Vivianne Wersel, the president of the Surviving Spouses Support Group at Camp Lejeune, said the memorial is as much an icon as the American flag.

``These service members have given their lives for a conflict and something that they believe in,'' she said. ``I think that it is a reminder for those that are visiting Congress and that is what America is all about. Whether my husband's picture is in it or not, it plays a role to remind those that walk the hall of Congress. They can walk the halls of Congress because of these young men that have given them the freedom to speak and the freedom to live.''