thedrifter
06-24-09, 08:24 AM
Eye Opener: Dept. of Navy Name Change Soon?
Happy Wednesday! A proposal to rename the Department of the Navy to the Department of Navy and Marine Corps now has 300 cosponsors in the House, a feat rarely achieved by any piece of legislation.
Less than ten of the nearly 3,000 bills introduced in the House so far this session have garnered such support, according to the office of Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.), who has introduced similar versions of the bill during every Congress since 2001.
“This is an issue close to my heart,” Jones said in a statement. “The Marine Corps is not a subordinate arm under the Navy, but rather an equal member of a team that deserves equal recognition."
As The Eye has previously reported, Jones' district includes the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base. The lawmaker wants the change as a way to extend a courtesy to the families of Marines killed in action. They currently receive condolence letters printed on Department of the Navy letterhead that begin with the sentence, "On behalf of the Department of the Navy..." with no explicit mention of the Marine Corps anywhere in the letter.
The bill would also reclassify the Secretary of the Navy as the “Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps." It's once again part of the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, the massive bill that handles military spending. Its big test comes when it crosses over to the Senate, which has stripped the proposal from previous authorization acts. Jones thinks a new political environment and the retirement of some key Senate opponents could finally make it happen.
Rarely does a bureaucratic name change invoke any confidence or clear sense of a change in mission (see: the name changes associated with Homeland Security agencies). Still, despite the cost of changing logos, letterhead and signage (which could climb into the millions), this change will have great meaning and significance for Marine veterans and their families.
Ellie
Happy Wednesday! A proposal to rename the Department of the Navy to the Department of Navy and Marine Corps now has 300 cosponsors in the House, a feat rarely achieved by any piece of legislation.
Less than ten of the nearly 3,000 bills introduced in the House so far this session have garnered such support, according to the office of Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.), who has introduced similar versions of the bill during every Congress since 2001.
“This is an issue close to my heart,” Jones said in a statement. “The Marine Corps is not a subordinate arm under the Navy, but rather an equal member of a team that deserves equal recognition."
As The Eye has previously reported, Jones' district includes the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base. The lawmaker wants the change as a way to extend a courtesy to the families of Marines killed in action. They currently receive condolence letters printed on Department of the Navy letterhead that begin with the sentence, "On behalf of the Department of the Navy..." with no explicit mention of the Marine Corps anywhere in the letter.
The bill would also reclassify the Secretary of the Navy as the “Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps." It's once again part of the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, the massive bill that handles military spending. Its big test comes when it crosses over to the Senate, which has stripped the proposal from previous authorization acts. Jones thinks a new political environment and the retirement of some key Senate opponents could finally make it happen.
Rarely does a bureaucratic name change invoke any confidence or clear sense of a change in mission (see: the name changes associated with Homeland Security agencies). Still, despite the cost of changing logos, letterhead and signage (which could climb into the millions), this change will have great meaning and significance for Marine veterans and their families.
Ellie