04/03/2012 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

                   SCR 20-DECORATION OF HONOR                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:06:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SADDLER  announced that  the  first  order of  business                                                               
would  be  SENATE  CONCURRENT  RESOLUTION  NO.  20,  Relating  to                                                               
awarding the  Alaska Decoration  of Honor  to certain  members of                                                               
the military.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:06:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BILL WIELECHOWSKI,  Alaska  State Legislature,  informed                                                               
the committee  SCR 20 is a  decoration of honor resolution  - the                                                               
first  of which  was  established  in 2007  -  to award  military                                                               
service members  from Alaska, or  those deployed  while stationed                                                               
in Alaska,  who were  killed in  action or  in support  of combat                                                               
action.  This year the  resolution awards the decoration of honor                                                               
to  25 individuals  who were  killed in  the line  of duty  while                                                               
honorably  serving the  state and  the country  during 2010-2011.                                                               
He  explained  the  legislature   must  authorize  the  award  by                                                               
resolution so the decoration can  be presented to the recipients'                                                               
survivors.   In 2008, the  legislature awarded the  decoration to                                                               
171 individuals for service from statehood up to 2008.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:07:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER asked how the decorations will be awarded.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI expressed  his  hope that  the Joint  Armed                                                               
Services Committee will  hold a ceremony as has been  done in the                                                               
past.   In further response to  Co-Chair Saddler, he said  he was                                                               
unaware if names need to be added for 2012.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:09:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER opened public testimony on SCR 20.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:09:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MCHUGH    PIERRE,   Deputy    Commissioner,    Office   of    the                                                               
Commissioner/Adjutant   General,   Department   of   Military   &                                                               
Veterans' Affairs  (DMVA), expressed the department's  support of                                                               
SCR 20, and  described its responsibility to  provide an accurate                                                               
list of names.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN advised  Mr. Pierre to inform  the sponsor if                                                               
others who  are eligible for  the decoration become known,  as an                                                               
amendment to add a name can be introduced on the House floor.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. PIERRE expressed his confidence in the accuracy of the list.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:11:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SADDLER   asked  whether  other  states   have  similar                                                               
memoriam citations for service members.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  PIERRE estimated  five or  six other  states have  something                                                               
similar.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MILLER  asked  for  a definition  of  "killed  in                                                               
action," and how the names are attained.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. PIERRE explained  the intent of the legislation  was to honor                                                               
those  who  have  paid  the  ultimate  sacrifice  in  defense  of                                                               
freedom.   An effort  was made  to be inclusive,  and there  is a                                                               
case pending  that may allow  death by suicide to  be recognized.                                                               
Otherwise, all  deployed soldiers,  airmen, marines  and sailors,                                                               
National Guard members, reservists,  and Coast Guard members, who                                                               
were born and raised in  Alaska, stationed in Alaska, or deployed                                                               
from Alaska and  died overseas, are included.   The department is                                                               
notified of  the death  of any  military member  who has  ties to                                                               
Alaska  by  the personnel  division  of  the U.S.  Department  of                                                               
Defense (DoD).                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:14:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MILLER  recalled  there  was  a  test  pilot  who                                                               
crashed and died after take-off from Eielson Air Force Base.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. PIERRE  advised the  pilot was not  eligible, because  he was                                                               
not deployed.   In  response to Representative  Lynn, he  said an                                                               
armed  services member  who was  wounded in  combat overseas  and                                                               
subsequently died after returning to the U.S. is eligible.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:16:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Saddler,  after  determining  no  one  else  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:16:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON moved  to report SCR 20  out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no objection,  SCR 20 was reported  from the                                                               
House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.