HCONRES 16 United States House · 118th Congress

Recognizing the victims of the Port Chicago explosion of July 17, 1944, the 79th anniversary of the greatest homeland loss of life of World War II, and exonerating the 50 African-American sailors unjustly court-martialed by the Navy.

This resolution exonerates 50 African-American sailors who were wrongfully convicted of mutiny by the Navy after the 1944 Port Chicago explosion, clearing their military records. It upgrades their discharges from general/summary to honorable and directs the Navy to update their files and notify surviving families. The bill specifically addresses the historical injustice of their 1944 convictions, which stemmed from racial segregation and unsafe working conditions at the segregated naval facility. It recognizes the 320 sailors (202 Black) who died in the disaster - the greatest U.S. homeland loss in WWII - and honors their service. The resolution does not alter current policy but formally corrects a 79-year-old military record.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2023
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President
Introduced Feb 17, 2023 Last action Feb 17, 2023
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Feb 17, 2023
Committee
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
lower
Feb 17, 2023
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 13 co-sponsors

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