Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to announce that 290 of my colleagues in the House from both parties have joined me as colleagues of cosponsors of H.R. 24--legislation to redesignate the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. I'm grateful for the widespread support for this change among my House colleagues, and I also thank Chairman Ike Skelton who will include the language of H.R. 24 in the National Defense Authorization Act markup tomorrow.

For the past 7 years, the language of this bill has been part of the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Each year, the full House of Representatives has supported this change. This year, I'm also grateful to have the support of Senator PAT ROBERTS, a former marine, who introduced the same bill in the Senate, S. 504. With his help, I'm hopeful that this will be the year that the Senate supports the House position and joins in bringing proper respect to the fighting team of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Over the course of the Marine Corps history, including their present-day service in Afghanistan and Iraq, those three words, ``and Marine Corps,'' have been earned through blood and sacrifice. The Navy and Marine Corps have operated as one entity for more than two centuries, and H.R. 24 would allow the name of this department to illustrate that fight.

This legislation is not about changing the responsibilities of the Secretary of the Navy Department, reallocating resources, or altering missions. This change is all about respect and gratitude to the Marine Corps. As symbolic as this change might be, the Marine Corps has earned the right to be recognized in the Department's name. Over the past several years, this change has received support from three former Navy Secretaries, the Marine Corps League, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Fleet Reserve Association, and many other individuals and groups.

In 2004, at a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Navy Admiral Stansfield Turner described his support for this change, and he said, ``I think this change in title enhances the prestige and pride of the people in the Marine Corps, and it does not necessarily take anything away from the Navy in that process. I am particularly impressed today ..... [by] the degree of cooperation between the armed services of our country.''

And Admiral Turner further stated, ``Emphasizing that this is a Navy-Marine Corps team is a very important part of keeping that kind of sight on the objective of teamwork in combat.''

Madam Speaker, the Marines who are fighting today deserve this recognition.

In closing, I would like to show the change.

Madam Speaker, on this first poster was actually a letter that was sent by the Secretary of the Navy to a Marine wife who was killed. I certainly have taken out the name of the Marine Corps's wife's name, and I want to read this part to you and to those on the floor: On behalf of the Department of the Navy, please accept my very sincere condolences in the loss of your husband, Captain so-and-so, Marine.

Madam Speaker, the important part of reading this is this. If this bill becomes law, this fighting team will recognize this Marine family in this way: The Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. Dear Marine Corps family, On behalf of the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. Madam Speaker, that's all that it does, but it's very important that the Marine Corps receive this recognition.

And before closing, Madam Speaker, as I do frequently, I ask God to please bless our many men and women in uniform, I ask God to bless the families of our men and women in uniform, and I ask God in his loving arms to hold the families who have given a child dying for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. And, Madam Speaker, I ask three times, God, please, God, please, God, please continue to bless America.