PASCAGOULA, Miss. — The memory of a longtime Pennsylvania congressman was honored on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with the christening of a vessel at Ingalls Shipbuilding.
The John P. Murtha — a 25,000-ton amphibious transport dock — had been under construction for three years.
Murtha was a decorated Marine Corps veteran who retired with the rank of colonel after serving 37 years, including duty in Vietnam. He served Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District from 1974 until his death in 2010. He gained a reputation as a staunch supporter of the military as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Murtha's widow, Joyce Murtha, attended Saturday's ceremonies in Pascagoula. His daughter, Donna S. Murtha, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the ship's bow.
Among the speakers was Murtha's colleague, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
"To watch Chairman Murtha legislate was to see a master at work — but more indicative of his character was to watch him communicate with our men and women in uniform, whether on the battlefield or at their bedside," Pelosi said in prepared remarks.
"He knew how serious a responsibility it is to send our men and women into harm's way, and he was unwavering in his conviction that we must honor their sacrifice not only with our words but our deeds."
