Sec. 593. Support for designation of 2015 as the Year of the Military Diver
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Congress finds the following: Military divers are serving and have served in the noble and self-sacrificing profession of military diving in the Armed Forces. Military divers were created at the turn of the twentieth century, the trademark of diving is the Mark Five Dive Helmet created in 1915. Military divers perform a dangerous and selfless task often without recognition, risking their lives on behalf of the United States. The United States will forever be in debt to personnel in the profession of military diving for their bravery and sacrifice in times of peace and war.
People in the United States should express their recognition and gratitude for military divers and the diving profession. In 1939, when the submarine U.S.S. Squalus sank, Navy divers used an experimental rig to rescue all 33 sailors aboard the vessel who survived the initial sinking, and the divers were awarded the Medal of Honor for their role in the rescue. In 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Navy divers raised every battleship that was sunk at Pearl Harbor, to the surface (with the exception of the U.S.S.
Arizona, U.S.S. Utah, and the U.S.S. Oklahoma). The raised ships were repaired and sent back out to fight the Imperial Japanese Navy. In 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, Navy divers recovered the remains and debris. When TWA Flight 800, Swissair Flight 111, and EgyptAir Flight 990 crashed, among others, Navy divers recovered the remains and debris. In 1999, when John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette, and Lauren Bessette died in a plane crash, Navy divers recovered their remains and debris.
In 2003, during the Quecreek Mine Rescue in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Navy divers treated the recovered miners in Fly Away Recompression Chambers. 2015 would be an appropriate year to highlight the achievements of the military diver. In light of the findings under subsection (a), Congress— reaffirms its support for the sacrifices made by military divers during the past 100 years; recognizes the sacrifices of those who have volunteered as military divers for their bravery; and encourages and supports the Department of Defense to designate 2015 as the Year of the Military Diver to honor those who are serving and have served in the noble and self-sacrificing profession of military diving in the Armed Forces.