WHEREAS, On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport vessels loading ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on the Sacramento River in California were suddenly engulfed in a gigantic explosion, the incredible blast of which wrecked the naval base and heavily damaged the town of Port Chicago, located 1.5 miles away; and

WHEREAS, Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was killed instantlysome 320 American naval personnel, 200 of whom were African American enlisted men; and another 390 military and civilian personnel were injured, including 226 African American enlisted men; and

WHEREAS, The two ships and the large loading pier were totally annihilated and an estimated $12,000,000 in property damage was caused by the huge blast; and

WHEREAS, This single, stunning disaster accounted for nearly one-fifth of all African American naval casualties during the whole of World War II and was the worst home-front disaster of the war; and

WHEREAS, The specific cause of the explosion was never officially established by a Court of Inquiry, in effect clearing the officers-in-charge of any responsibility for the disaster and, insofar as any human cause was invoked, laying the burden of blame on the shoulders of the African American enlisted men who died in the explosion; and

WHEREAS, Following the incident, many of the surviving African American sailors were transferred to nearby Camp Shoemaker where they remained until July 31, 1944, when two of the divisions were transferred to naval barracks in Vallejo near Mare Island and another division returned to Port Chicago to help with cleaning up and rebuilding the base; and

WHEREAS, Many of these men were in a state of shock, troubled by the vivid memory of the horrible explosion; however, they were provided no psychiatric counseling or medical screening, except for those who were obviously physically injured; none of the men, even those who had been hospitalized with injuries, were granted survivor leaves to visit their families before being reassigned to regular duties; and none of these survivors were called to testify at the Court of Inquiry; and

WHEREAS, Captain Merrill T. Kinne, Officer-in-Charge of Port Chicago, issued a statement praising the African American enlisted men and stating that the men displayed creditable coolness and bravery under those emergency conditions; and

WHEREAS, After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 days leave to visit their familiesaccording to survivors, this was the standard for sailors involved in a disasterwhile only African American sailors were ordered back to work the next day to clean and remove human remains; and

WHEREAS, After the disaster, the preparation of Mare Island for the arrival of African American sailors included moving the barracks of white sailors away from the loading area in order to be clear of the ships being loaded in case of another explosion; and

WHEREAS, The survivors and new personnel who later were ordered to return to loading ammunition expressed their opposition, citing the possibility of another explosion; the first confrontation occurred on August 9, 1944, when 328 men from three divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; the great majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were arrested and confined for three days on a large barge tethered to the pier; and

WHEREAS, Fifty of these men were selected as the ringleaders and charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, after only 80 minutes of a military court, all 50 men were found guilty of mutinyl0 were sentenced to 15 years in prison, 24 sentenced to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10 years, and 5 sentenced to 8 years; and all were to be dishonorably discharged from the Navy; this was the largest mass mutiny trial in the United States to this day; and

WHEREAS, After a massive outcry the next year, in January 1946, 47 of the Port Chicago men were released from prison and exiled for one year overseas before returning to their families; and

WHEREAS, In a 1994 investigation, the United States Navy stated that there is no doubt that racial prejudice was responsible for the posting of only African American enlisted personnel to loading divisions at Port Chicago; and

WHEREAS, In the 1994 investigation, the United States Navy, prompted by Members of Congress, admitted that the routine assignment of only African American enlisted personnel to manual labor was clearly motivated by race; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress reduced the death benefit to those killed in Port Chicago from $5,000, the normal amount given, to $3,000, simply because the sailors were African American; and

WHEREAS, In many cases, families of sailors killed in the disaster were never told they were entitled to consideration for the death of their relative; and

WHEREAS, In 2009, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial site was designated as part of the National Park Service; and

WHEREAS, Despite the gross injustice faced by these sailors, only one of the men charged with mutiny was given a pardon by President Clinton in 1998; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate urges the President and the Congress of the United States to take all necessary action to restore honor to, and rectify the mistreatment by the United States Military of, any sailors who were unjustly blamed for and convicted of mutiny after the Port Chicago disaster, which occurred in the town of Port Chicago, California, in 1944; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate further urges the President and the Congress of the United States to take action to ensure that the treatment of sailors by the United States Military after the Port Chicago disaster is rectified by providing for the full exoneration of all those who were wrongfully court-martialed and having the military records of those involved cleared of any wrongdoing or discharge references that were other than honorable, regardless of whether those sailors are alive or deceased; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.

WHEREAS, On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport vessels loading ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on the Sacramento River in California were suddenly engulfed in a gigantic explosion, the incredible blast of which wrecked the naval base and heavily damaged the town of Port Chicago, located 1.5 miles away; and

WHEREAS, Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was killed instantlysome 320 American naval personnel, 200 of whom were African American enlisted men; and another 390 military and civilian personnel were injured, including 226 African American enlisted men; and

WHEREAS, The two ships and the large loading pier were totally annihilated and an estimated $12,000,000 in property damage was caused by the huge blast; and

WHEREAS, This single, stunning disaster accounted for nearly one-fifth of all African American naval casualties during the whole of World War II and was the worst home-front disaster of the war; and

WHEREAS, The specific cause of the explosion was never officially established by a Court of Inquiry, in effect clearing the officers-in-charge of any responsibility for the disaster and, insofar as any human cause was invoked, laying the burden of blame on the shoulders of the African American enlisted men who died in the explosion; and

WHEREAS, Following the incident, many of the surviving African American sailors were transferred to nearby Camp Shoemaker where they remained until July 31, 1944, when two of the divisions were transferred to naval barracks in Vallejo near Mare Island and another division returned to Port Chicago to help with cleaning up and rebuilding the base; and

WHEREAS, Many of these men were in a state of shock, troubled by the vivid memory of the horrible explosion; however, they were provided no psychiatric counseling or medical screening, except for those who were obviously physically injured; none of the men, even those who had been hospitalized with injuries, were granted survivor leaves to visit their families before being reassigned to regular duties; and none of these survivors were called to testify at the Court of Inquiry; and

WHEREAS, Captain Merrill T. Kline, Officer-in-Charge of Port Chicago, issued a statement praising the African American enlisted men and stating that the men displayed creditable coolness and bravery under those emergency conditions; and

WHEREAS, After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 days leave to visit their familiesaccording to survivors, this was the standard for sailors involved in a disasterwhile only African American sailors were ordered back to work the next day to clean and remove human remains; and

WHEREAS, After the disaster, the preparation of Mare Island for the arrival of African American sailors included moving the barracks of white sailors away from the loading area in order to be clear of the ships being loaded in case of another explosion; and

WHEREAS, The survivors and new personnel who later were ordered to return to loading ammunition expressed their opposition, citing the possibility of another explosion; the first confrontation occurred on August 9, 1944, when 328 men from three divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; the great majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were arrested and confined for three days on a large barge tethered to the pier; and

WHEREAS, Fifty of these men were selected as the ringleaders and charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, after only 80 minutes of a military court, all 50 men were found guilty of mutinyl0 were sentenced to 15 years in prison, 24 sentenced to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10 years, and 5 sentenced to 8 years; and all were to be dishonorably discharged from the Navy; this was the largest mass mutiny trial in the United States to this day; and

WHEREAS, After a massive outcry the next year, in January, 1946, 47 of the Port Chicago men were released from prison and exiled for one year overseas before returning to their families; and

WHEREAS, In a 1994 investigation, the United States Navy stated that there is no doubt that racial prejudice was responsible for the posting of only African American enlisted personnel to loading divisions at Port Chicago; and

WHEREAS, In the 1994 investigation, the United States Navy, prompted by Members of Congress, admitted that the routine assignment of only African American enlisted personnel to manual labor was clearly motivated by race; and

WHEREAS, The United States Congress reduced the death benefit to those killed in Port Chicago from $5,000, the normal amount given, to $3,000, simply because the sailors were African American; and

WHEREAS, In many cases, families of sailors killed in the disaster were never told they were entitled to consideration for the death of their relative; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial site was designated as part of the National Park Service; and

WHEREAS, Despite the gross injustice faced by these sailors, only one of the men charged with mutiny was given a pardon by President Clinton in 1998; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate urges the President and the Congress of the United States to take all necessary action to restore honor to, and rectify the mistreatment by the United States Military of, any sailors who were unjustly blamed for and convicted of mutiny after the Port Chicago disaster, which occurred in the town of Port Chicago, California, in 1944; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate further urges the President and the Congress of the United States to take action to ensure that the treatment of sailors by the United States Military after the Port Chicago disaster is rectified by providing for the full exoneration of all those who were wrongfully court-martialed and having the military records of those involved cleared of any wrongdoing or discharge references that were other than honorable, regardless of whether those sailors are alive or deceased; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States.

 THIRD READING 

Bill No: SR 69

Author: Glazer (D), Hall (D), Huff (R), and Mitchell (D)

Introduced: 3/15/16

Vote: Majority

SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 5-0, 4/12/16

AYES: Nielsen, Hueso, Allen, Nguyen, Roth

SUBJECT:

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST: This resolution urges the President and the Congress of the United States to exonerate, clear the records of, restore honor to, and rectify federal military mistreatment of, African-American sailors unjustly convicted of mutiny regarding the 1944 Port Chicago disaster.

ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings:

1. On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport vessels loading ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on the Sacramento River in California were suddenly engulfed in a gigantic explosion, the incredible blast of which wrecked the naval base and heavily damaged the nearby town of Port Chicago.
2. Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was killed instantly—some 320 American naval personnel, 200 of whom were African American enlisted men; and another 390 military and civilian personnel were injured, including 226 African American enlisted men.
3. The two ships and the large loading pier were totally annihilated and an estimated $12,000,000 in property damage was caused by the huge blast.
4. This disaster accounted for nearly one-fifth of all African American naval casualties during the whole of World War II and was the worst home-front disaster of the war.
5. The specific cause of the explosion was never officially established by a Court of Inquiry, in effect clearing the officers-in-charge of any responsibility and, insofar as any human cause was invoked, laying the burden of blame on the shoulders of the African American enlisted men who died in the explosion.
6. After the incident, many surviving African American sailors were transferred to Camp Shoemaker where they remained until July 31, 1944, when two of the divisions were transferred to naval barracks near Mare Island and another division returned to Port Chicago to help clean up and rebuild the base.
7. Many of the men were in shock, troubled by the vivid memory of the horrible explosion; however, they were provided no psychiatric counseling or medical screening, except for those who were obviously physically injured; none of the men, even those who had been hospitalized with injuries, were granted survivor leaves to visit their families before being reassigned to regular duties; and none of these survivors were called to testify at the Court of Inquiry.
8. Captain Merrill T. Kline, Officer-in-Charge of Port Chicago, publicly praised the African American enlisted men and stated that “the men displayed creditable coolness and bravery under those emergency conditions.”
9. After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 days’ leave to visit their families—according to survivors, this was the standard for sailors involved in a disaster—while only African American sailors were ordered back to work the next day to clean and remove human remains.
10. After the disaster, the preparation of Mare Island for the arrival of African American sailors included moving white sailors’ barracks away from the loading area to be clear of ships being loaded in case of another explosion.
11. The survivors and new personnel who later were ordered to return to loading ammunition expressed their opposition, citing the possibility of another explosion; the first confrontation occurred on August 9, 1944, when 328 men from three divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; the great majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were arrested and confined for three days on a large barge tethered to the pier.
12. Fifty of these men were selected as the ringleaders and charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, after only 80 minutes of a military court proceeding, all 50 men were found guilty of mutiny—l0 were sentenced to 15 years in prison, 24 sentenced to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10 years, and 5 sentenced to 8 years; and all were to be dishonorably discharged from the United States Navy; this was the largest mass mutiny trial in the United States to this day.
13. After a massive outcry, in January, 1946, 47 of the sailors were released from prison and “exiled” for one year overseas before returning to their families.
14. In a 1994 investigation, the Navy stated that “there is no doubt that racial prejudice was responsible for the posting of only African American enlisted personnel to loading divisions at Port Chicago.”
15. In the 1994 investigation, the Navy, prompted by Members of Congress, admitted that the routine assignment of only African American enlisted personnel to manual labor was clearly motivated by race.
16. Congress reduced the death benefit to those killed in Port Chicago from $5,000 (normal amount) to $3,000, merely because they were African American.
17. In many cases, families of sailors killed in the disaster were never told they were entitled to consideration for the death of their relative.
18. In 2010, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial site was designated as part of the National Park Service.
19. Despite the gross injustice faced by these sailors, only one of the men charged with mutiny was given a pardon by President Clinton in 1998.

This resolution urges the President and the Congress of the United States:

1. To restore honor to, and rectify mistreatment by the military of, sailors unjustly blamed for and convicted of mutiny after the Port Chicago disaster.
2. To provide for full exoneration of those wrongfully court-martialed and to have their military records cleared of any wrongdoing or discharge references other than honorable, for all these sailors, whether still alive or deceased.

Related/Prior Legislation

AJR 33 (Bonilla, 2016) urges recognition that the trial and conviction of the 50 African American sailors of the Navy for mutiny regarding the Port Chicago incident were wrongfully pursued due to racial prejudice, and urges the Congress to exonerate those sailors to further aid in healing the racial divide that continues in the United States. The resolution is pending action in the Assembly.

SJR 21 (Wright, Resolution Chapter 47, Statutes of 2010) memorialized Congress and the President to vindicate the sailors unjustly blamed for and convicted of mutiny following the Port Chicago disaster, and to rectify any related mistreatment.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 6/9/16)

American G.I. Forum of California

American Legion - Department of California

AMVETS - Department of California

California Association of County Veterans Service Officers

California State Commanders Veteran Council

Military Officers Association of America - California Council of Chapters

Veterans of Foreign Wars - Department of California

Vietnam Veterans of American - California State Council

OPPOSITION: (Verified 6/9/16)

None received

Prepared by: Wade Cooper Teasdale / V.A. / (916) 651-1503

6/14/16 16:52:12

**** END ****

 CONSENT  

Bill No: SR 69

Author: , Hall (D), Huff (R), and Mitchell (D)

:

Vote: Majority

SENATE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: 5-0, 4/12/16

AYES: Nielsen, Hueso, Allen, Nguyen, Roth

SUBJECT:

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST: This resolution urges the President and the Congress of the United States to exonerate, clear the records of, restore honor to, and rectify federal military mistreatment of, African-American sailors unjustly convicted of mutiny regarding the 1944 Port Chicago disaster.

ANALYSIS: This resolution makes the following legislative findings:

1. On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport vessels loading ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on the Sacramento River in California were suddenly engulfed in a gigantic explosion, the incredible blast of which wrecked the naval base and heavily damaged the nearby town of Port Chicago.
2. Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was killed instantly—some 320 American naval personnel, 200 of whom were African American enlisted men; and another 390 military and civilian personnel were injured, including 226 African American enlisted men.
3. The two ships and the large loading pier were totally annihilated and an estimated $12,000,000 in property damage was caused by the huge blast.
4. This disaster accounted for nearly one-fifth of all African American naval casualties during the whole of World War II and was the worst home-front disaster of the war.
5. The specific cause of the explosion was never officially established by a Court of Inquiry, in effect clearing the officers-in-charge of any responsibility and, insofar as any human cause was invoked, laying the burden of blame on the shoulders of the African American enlisted men who died in the explosion.
6. After the incident, many surviving African American sailors were transferred to Camp Shoemaker where they remained until July 31, 1944, when two of the divisions were transferred to naval barracks near Mare Island and another division returned to Port Chicago to help clean up and rebuild the base.
7. Many of the men were in shock, troubled by the vivid memory of the horrible explosion; however, they were provided no psychiatric counseling or medical screening, except for those who were obviously physically injured; none of the men, even those who had been hospitalized with injuries, were granted survivor leaves to visit their families before being reassigned to regular duties; and none of these survivors were called to testify at the Court of Inquiry.
8. Captain Merrill T. Kline, Officer-in-Charge of Port Chicago, publicly praised the African American enlisted men and stated that “the men displayed creditable coolness and bravery under those emergency conditions.”
9. After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 days’ leave to visit their families—according to survivors, this was the standard for sailors involved in a disaster—while only African American sailors were ordered back to work the next day to clean and remove human remains.
10. After the disaster, the preparation of Mare Island for the arrival of African American sailors included moving white sailors’ barracks away from the loading area to be clear of ships being loaded in case of another explosion.
11. The survivors and new personnel who later were ordered to return to loading ammunition expressed their opposition, citing the possibility of another explosion; the first confrontation occurred on August 9, 1944, when 328 men from three divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; the great majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were arrested and confined for three days on a large barge tethered to the pier.
12. Fifty of these men were selected as the ringleaders and charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, after only 80 minutes of a military court proceeding, all 50 men were found guilty of mutiny—l0 were sentenced to 15 years in prison, 24 sentenced to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10 years, and 5 sentenced to 8 years; and all were to be dishonorably discharged from the United States Navy; this was the largest mass mutiny trial in the United States to this day.
13. After a massive outcry, in January, 1946, 47 of the sailors were released from prison and “exiled” for one year overseas before returning to their families.
14. In a 1994 investigation, the Navy stated that “there is no doubt that racial prejudice was responsible for the posting of only African American enlisted personnel to loading divisions at Port Chicago.”
15. In the 1994 investigation, the Navy, prompted by Members of Congress, admitted that the routine assignment of only African American enlisted personnel to manual labor was clearly motivated by race.
16. Congress reduced the death benefit to those killed in Port Chicago from $5,000 (normal amount) to $3,000, merely because they were African American.
17. In many cases, families of sailors killed in the disaster were never told they were entitled to consideration for the death of their relative.
18. In 2010, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial site was designated as part of the National Park Service.
19. Despite the gross injustice faced by these sailors, only one of the men charged with mutiny was given a pardon by President Clinton in 1998.

This resolution urges the President and the Congress of the United States:

1. To restore honor to, and rectify mistreatment by the military of, sailors unjustly blamed for and convicted of mutiny after the Port Chicago disaster.
2. To provide for full exoneration of those wrongfully court-martialed and to have their military records cleared of any wrongdoing or discharge references other than honorable, for all these sailors, whether still alive or deceased.

Related/Prior Legislation

AJR 33 (Bonilla, 2016) urges recognition that the trial and conviction of the 50 African American sailors of the Navy for mutiny regarding the Port Chicago incident were wrongfully pursued due to racial prejudice, and urges the Congress to exonerate those sailors to further aid in healing the racial divide that continues in the United States. The resolution is pending action in the Assembly.

SJR 21 (Wright, Resolution Chapter 47, Statutes of 2010) memorialized Congress and the President to vindicate the sailors unjustly blamed for and convicted of mutiny following the Port Chicago disaster, and to rectify any related mistreatment.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 4/13/16)

American G.I. Forum of California

American Legion - Department of California

AMVETS - Department of California

California Association of County Veterans Service Officers

California State Commanders Veteran Council

Military Officers Association of America - California Council of Chapters

Veterans of Foreign Wars - Department of California

Vietnam Veterans of American - California State Council

OPPOSITION: (Verified 4/13/16)

None received

Prepared by:

4/15/16 14:10:36

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Jim Nielsen, Chair

2015 - 2016 Regular

Bill No: Hearing Date: 4/12/16

Subject:

DESCRIPTION

Summary:

Urges the President and the Congress of the United States to exonerate, clear the records of, restore honor to, and rectify federal military mistreatment of African-American sailors unjustly convicted of mutiny regarding the 1944 Port Chicago disaster.

COMMENT

1. Joint Authors: Senators Glazer, Hall, Huff and Mitchell.
2. Legislative Findings:
   1. On the night of July 17, 1944, two transport vessels loading ammunition at the Port Chicago naval base on the Sacramento River in California were suddenly engulfed in a gigantic explosion, the incredible blast of which wrecked the naval base and heavily damaged the town of Port Chicago, located 1.5 miles away.
   2. Everyone on the pier and aboard the two ships was killed instantly—some 320 American naval personnel, 200 of whom were African American enlisted men; and another 390 military and civilian personnel were injured, including 226 African American enlisted men.
   3. The two ships and the large loading pier were totally annihilated and an estimated $12,000,000 in property damage was caused by the huge blast.
   4. This disaster accounted for nearly one-fifth of all African American naval casualties during the whole of World War II and was the worst home-front disaster of the war.
   5. The specific cause of the explosion was never officially established by a Court of Inquiry, in effect clearing the officers-in-charge of any responsibility and, insofar as any human cause was invoked, laying the burden of blame on the shoulders of the African American enlisted men who died in the explosion.
   6. Following the incident, many surviving African American sailors were transferred to nearby Camp Shoemaker where they remained until July 31, 1944, when two of the divisions were transferred to naval barracks near Mare Island and another division returned to Port Chicago to help with cleaning up and rebuilding the base
   7. Many of these men were in a state of shock, troubled by the vivid memory of the horrible explosion; however, they were provided no psychiatric counseling or medical screening, except for those who were obviously physically injured; none of the men, even those who had been hospitalized with injuries, were granted survivor leaves to visit their families before being reassigned to regular duties; and none of these survivors were called to testify at the Court of Inquiry
   8. Captain Merrill T. Kline, Officer-in-Charge of Port Chicago, issued a statement praising the African American enlisted men and stating that “the men displayed creditable coolness and bravery under those emergency conditions
   9. After the disaster, white sailors were given 30 days’ leave to visit their families—according to survivors, this was the standard for sailors involved in a disaster—while only African American sailors were ordered back to work the next day to clean and remove human remains
   10. After the disaster, the preparation of Mare Island for the arrival of African American sailors included moving white sailors’ barracks away from the loading area in order to be clear of the ships being loaded in case of another explosion.
   11. The survivors and new personnel who later were ordered to return to loading ammunition expressed their opposition, citing the possibility of another explosion; the first confrontation occurred on August 9, 1944, when 328 men from three divisions were ordered out to the loading pier; the great majority of the men balked, and eventually 258 were arrested and confined for three days on a large barge tethered to the pier.
   12. Fifty of these men were selected as the ringleaders and charged with mutiny, and on October 24, 1944, after only 80 minutes of a military court, all 50 men were found guilty of mutiny—l0 were sentenced to 15 years in prison, 24 sentenced to 12 years, 11 sentenced to 10 years, and 5 sentenced to 8 years; and all were to be dishonorably discharged from the Navy; this was the largest mass mutiny trial in the United States to this day.
   13. After a massive outcry the next year, in January, 1946, 47 of the Port Chicago men were released from prison and “exiled” for one year overseas before returning to their families.
   14. In a 1994 investigation, the United States Navy stated that “there is no doubt that racial prejudice was responsible for the posting of only African American enlisted personnel to loading divisions at Port Chicago”
   15. In the 1994 investigation, the United States Navy, prompted by Members of Congress, admitted that the routine assignment of only African American enlisted personnel to manual labor was clearly motivated by race.
   16. The United States Congress reduced the death benefit to those killed in Port Chicago from $5,000, the normal amount given, to $3,000, simply because the sailors were African American.
   17. In many cases, families of sailors killed in the disaster were never told they were entitled to consideration for the death of their relative.
   18. In 2010, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine Memorial site was designated as part of the National Park Service
   19. Despite the gross injustice faced by these sailors, only one of the men charged with mutiny was given a pardon by President Clinton in 1998.
3. Resolves:
   1. The Senate of California urges the President and the Congress of the United States to restore honor to, and rectify the mistreatment by the United States Military of, any sailors who were unjustly blamed for and convicted of mutiny after the Port Chicago disaster.
   2. The Senate of California urges the President and the Congress of the United States to provide for the full exoneration of all those who were wrongfully court-martialed and having the military records of those involved cleared of any wrongdoing or discharge references that were other than honorable, regardless of whether those sailors are alive or deceased.
4. Related/Prior Legislation:

AJR 33 (Bonilla & Thurmond, 2016) urges recognition that the trial and conviction of the 50 African American sailors of the United States Navy for mutiny regarding the Port Chicago incident were wrongfully pursued because of racial prejudice, and urges the Congress of the United States to publicly exonerate those sailors in order to further aid in healing the racial divide that continues to exist in the United States. (Pending, Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee)

SJR 21 (Wright, Res. Chapter 47, Statutes of 2010) Memorializes Congress and the President of the United States to act to vindicate the sailors unjustly blamed for, and the sailors convicted of mutiny following, the Port Chicago disaster, and to rectify any mistreatment by the military of those sailors.

POSITIONS

Sponsor: Author

Support:

American G.I. Forum of California

American Legion - Department of California

AMVETS - Department of California

California Association of County Veterans Service Officers

California State Commanders Veteran Council

Military Officers Association of America - California Council of Chapters

Veterans of Foreign Wars - Department of California

Vietnam Veterans of American - California State Council

Oppose: None on file

-- END --