MOMUMENTS MEN RECOGNIZED BY HOUSE
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Defense Authorization Act passed the House today by a vote of XX-XX. Included in the bill was language supported by Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Fort Worth) that recognizes a group of veterans known as the “Monuments Men.” The Monuments Men were a group of World War II soldiers from over 13 nations, most of whom were American, who were able to locate, preserve and return more than five million cultural items, including many of the world’s greatest works of art, to their rightful owners.
“It’s important that we pay tribute to the Monuments Men for their significant contribution in retrieving some of the world’s most valued art treasures from the Nazis. Their efforts were significant and they deserved to be honored for it,” said Granger.
Congresswoman Kay Granger introduced H.Con.Res. 48 to honor these men on January 31. During the Armed Services Committee markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Congressman Robin Hayes offered the resolution as an amendment to the authorization bill. The amendment was approved by the Committee, and language honoring the Monuments Men was included the Defense Authorization Act that passed the House by a vote of 397 to 27 on May 17. Congresswoman Granger worked to have the language that was included in the House-passed bill included in the final conference report, and it was.
The soldiers were nicknamed the “Monuments Men” by other American GI’s. They rescued tens of thousands of pieces of art and monuments from Hitler and the Nazis including some of the most famous works of Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael, Vermeer, Picasso and Da Vinci. There are currently only 12 living Monuments Men in the United States. One of the last living men, Henry Ettlinger, was in Washington, D.C. last December to help celebrate the resolution’s introduction.
Granger sits on the Appropriations Committee and serves on the Energy and Water Development, Homeland Security and Military Construction/Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittees. Granger is the first and only female Republican to serve in the Texas House delegation. Granger represents the 12th District of Texas and is currently serving her sixth term in Congress.