Honoring the life of Petty Officer Raul Guerra of Montebello, California, who perished on October 8, 1967, during military operations off northern Vietnam, and the work of the Bring Raul Home Committee to have Petty Officer Raul Guerra's remains laid to rest in California.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 529 Honoring the life of Petty Officer Raul Guerra of Montebello, California, who perished on October 8, 1967, during military operations off northern Vietnam, and the work of the Bring Raul Home Committee to have Petty Officer Raul Guerra’s remains laid to rest in California. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 25, 2019 Ms. SA´NCHEZ (for herself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. GOMEZ, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. COX of Cali- fornia, and Mr. THOMPSON of California) submitted the following resolu- tion; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Honoring the life of Petty Officer Raul Guerra of Montebello, California, who perished on October 8, 1967, during military operations off northern Vietnam, and the work of the Bring Raul Home Committee to have Petty Officer Raul Guerra’s remains laid to rest in California. Whereas Petty Officer Guerra was born on December 18, 1942, in Montebello, California; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra graduated from Montebello High School in 1963 and attended East Los Angeles Col- lege; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra was beloved by his friends and family, and known for his love of journalism; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:38 Jul 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR529.IH HR529 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 529 IH Whereas Petty Officer Guerra enlisted in the Navy Reserves in July of 1965; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra completed basic training and his unit was activated to fight in Vietnam; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra was deployed as a Navy jour- nalist; Whereas, on the evening of October 8, 1967, Petty Officer Guerra volunteered to join a combat mission to support a major air strike over northern Vietnam; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra’s plane was shot down and crashed, and, due to heavy terrain and hostile territory, he was pronounced Killed in Action and his remains were not recovered; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra was decorated with the Na- tional Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra was promoted to Journalist 3rd Class posthumously; Whereas, in 2007, the Whitter Daily News reported ‘‘Local Navy Seaman’s Remains Found’’, which was the start of a long process to return Petty Officer Guerra’s remains to the United States; Whereas Petty Officer Guerra’s former classmates, Ruben Valencia and Donna and Gary Peterson, formed the Bring Raul Home Committee; Whereas, for over 12 years, the Bring Raul Home Committee diligently spread the news and the story of Petty Officer Guerra to fellow veterans and their communities, searched for family members, and held several meetings VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:38 Jul 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR529.IH HR529 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 529 IH with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (herein- after ‘‘DPAA’’); Whereas, in February 2019, the DPAA notified the Bring Raul Home Committee that Petty Officer Guerra’s re- mains would finally return home; Whereas, in March 2019, the United States Navy made the final arrangements for Petty Officer Guerra’s remains; Whereas, on April 25, 2019, Petty Officer Guerra was finally laid to rest after 52 years; and Whereas Petty Officer Guerra made the ultimate sacrifice de- fending the United States with honor: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) extends its deepest sympathies to the 2 friends and loved ones of fallen Petty Officer Raul 3 Guerra of Montebello, California, in their bereave- 4 ment; 5 (2) honors the courage and character of this 6 brave Petty Officer for protecting the United States 7 and defending the freedom of all Americans; and 8 (3) recognizes the dedication and years of work 9 shown by the Bring Raul Home Committee to finally 10 have Petty Officer Raul Guerra laid to rest in Cali- 11 fornia. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:38 Jul 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR529.IH HR529 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS