Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1808) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, as the ``Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I'm going to allow the author of the legislation, Mr. Kingston, to go into the career of our good friend Charlie Norwood.

I just want to say that we all loved him as a Member. I didn't know he had this incredible career in the United States Army in the dental corps, and I will let you go through that, but it was a very incredible story of his devotion to our Nation.

We saw his heart and soul here. He always wanted to take care of veterans, and I'm pleased to support your motion to name the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, as the Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my support of H.R. 1808, a bill to name the VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, after our former colleague, Charlie Norwood.

Charlie Norwood served as a Captain in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969, beginning with an assignment to the U.S. Army Dental Corps at Sandia Army Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1968 he was transferred to the Medical Battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam and served a combat tour at Quin Yon, An Khe, and LZ English at Bon Son.

During his tour, he participated in experimental military dental practices that are now standard procedure for the armed forces. Captain Norwood was one of the first participants in the Army's outreach program that delivered dentists to forward fire bases in lieu of transferring patients to rear treatment areas. He provided some of the first field-based dental treatment of military guard dogs, and assisted in non-dental trauma care in Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals.

In recognition of his service under combat conditions, he was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and two Bronze Stars. After Vietnam, Captain Norwood was assigned to the Dental Corps at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where he served until his discharge in 1969.

He remained a member of The American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Military Order of the World Wars until his death. H.R. 1808 would name the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, as the ``Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.

Naming a VA facility after this hero and strong veterans advocate is a proper honor for an honorable soldier.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Boozman, if you need more time, we will be happy to yield to you.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1808.

Mr. Speaker, I just heard from Charlie, and he said, in his typical way, I wish all those guys saying such nice things about me would have voted for my patients' bill of rights.

But naming a VA facility after this hero and a strong veterans advocate is certainly a proper honor for an honorable soldier and for a Congressman we all loved.

Mr. Speaker, I have no future requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2408) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to my distinguished colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Kagen) to speak about the bill which he has authored to name the outpatient clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after this great hero.

Mr. Speaker, I again ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2408.

I want to thank Mr. Kagen for bringing this story and history of a brave American and a great hero for Wisconsin. I wish your guys from Green Bay, whether they be quarterbacks or heroes, would have names we could pronounce. But we thank you for telling us the story of Milo Huempfner, and we look forward to the naming of the facility in Green Bay after him.

Mr. Speaker, the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) was established in 1918 by President Woodrow Wilson. It is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army and surpassed only by the Medal of Honor in order of precedence.

The DSC is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life and this extraordinary heroism must take place while the individual is engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. The act of heroism must be so notable and involve risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his comrades.

It is an honor for me to stand before you today to talk about one such individual--Milo C. Huempfner.

Mr. Huempfner was the most decorated serviceman in Brown County during World War II. In 1944, PFC Huempfner committed acts of extraordinary bravery and heroism during the final European campaign of World War II.

On December 20, 1944, in Belgium, PFC Huempfner was driving a truck loaded with ammunition that went off the road. Sending his only comrade back to seek help and safety, Huempfner proceeded over the next 4 days and nights to wage war, single-handedly, against an entire German armored column.

During this time, he warned off numerous American and British troops from the area who otherwise would have been slaughtered by the Germans occupying the area.

After his military service he remained heavily involved in veterans activities.

H.R. 2408 would name the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Milo C. Huempfner Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.

Given his unselfish service to his country, it is only fitting that we name a Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in his honor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague of Wisconsin, Steve Kagen, for introducing this bill and I urge the support of my colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 680) condemning the actions of September 7, 2007, resulting in damage to the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might consume.

I rise in strong support of this bill which condemns the action that resulted in damage to our Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We all know that this memorial recognizes and honors the men and women who are veterans of our Nation who served in one of America's most divisive wars. The memorial grew out of a need to try to heal the Nation's wounds as America struggled to reconcile its different moral and political points of view on this war. In fact, the memorial was conceived and designed to make no political statement about the war. It was designed to bring us together. It was designed as a place where everyone, regardless of their opinion of the war, could come together, remember and honor those who served and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country. I think all of us, wherever we were during that terribly divisive time,

feels at peace and feels a relationship to those people who served our Nation.

The memorial, as I said, has paved the way towards reconciliation and healing, a process that still continues. That's why, Mr. Speaker, I think we were all so disturbed when we heard about the senseless act of vandalism that happened earlier this year. Someone walked along that memorial with some type of oil applying it secretly on the wall as they walked by. The unknown oil has done real damage to the polished granite surface. But it did more than damage the wall, Mr. Speaker. It damaged the respect we have for our Nation's veterans and their sacrifice, damaging the healing process; and it takes us, as a Nation, back to a time when we did not honor or take care of our returning Vietnam veterans.

It takes us back to a time when many people in this country confused the war and the warrior. If you did not like the war, you said to heck with the warrior. That was a deep mistake on our part, Mr. Speaker, a tragic mistake, and one, as a Nation, we still suffer from today.

We did not provide these veterans the care they needed. We didn't welcome them back with honor and dignity and respect, and we're paying a price today. More than half of the homeless on the streets throughout America tonight, are Vietnam vets, over 200,000. Others still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, other ailments. And as I said earlier, as many Vietnam veterans have now committed suicide as died in the original war. We, as a Nation, have to rectify this wrong. We have to take care and provide the health care, the treatment and the support that our Vietnam veterans deserve and need. We have to say that we are sorry for the treatment that they received when they came home, and honor these courageous men and women for their sacrifice to this Nation.

Anything that subtracts from this healing process is an outrage to the honor and memory of these brave veterans who fought and died for our country. And that is exactly what the senseless, needless act of vandalism that was perpetrated on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial does. It rubs salt into the wounds of our veterans that are still healing, and dishonors those that deserve nothing less than our Nation's honor and gratitude.

So, Mr. Speaker, through this resolution we condemn this act. We condemn those who are responsible. The oil is not just a stain on a piece of granite; it is a stain on the fabric of our Nation, a Nation still healing from a divisive war but a Nation that honors the sacrifices of its soldiers and veterans.

Maya Ying Lin, who designed the Memorial, said, `` . . . this Memorial is for all those who have died, and for us to remember them.''

Mr. Speaker, let us remember their patriotism and valor and let us condemn the discordant acts of those who seek to tarnish them.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to another hero of the Vietnam War, a man who served two tours in Vietnam, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell).

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to hearing the words of our great Vietnam hero, Mr. Johnson, who was, of course, a POW in Vietnam for many, many years. But I will let Mr. Boozman introduce him.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 680.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Carter. I thank all the Members who spoke on this legislation. It is an important bill. But I must say, we ought to go further than this resolution.

Mr. Poe said voting for this resolution means we're standing up for our troops. Well, I just spoke recently to the Annual Convention of the Vietnam Veterans of America. I'll tell you what they define as standing up for our troops--and there will be legislation embodying all of this soon. It would mean that we would look at the 200,000 Vietnam vets who are on the street homeless tonight and solve that moral blot on our record.

Most of us go to Stand-Downs every year, where the whole community comes around for 3 days and provides security and comfort, medical attention, dental health, legal assistance, clothes for the homeless vets in that community. The community comes together and has a holistic approach of drug and alcohol abuse and job counseling. So we know what to do for those 3 days. But the last five or eight Stand-Downs that I've addressed I said, I'm tired of coming to Stand-Downs. We should have Stand-Downs 365 days a year. That's what the Veterans Administration ought to do. With a $100 billion budget, you would think we could take care of the Vietnam vets who are homeless. That would be standing up for the troops.

In addition, many of them have been fighting for decades to get compensation for an agent orange disability. And the law, while we have extended the areas to which presumption applies and give these brave veterans health care and disability compensation, there is still too many areas that are not awarded a claim.

At this stage (I would like to talk to Mr. Johnson later about this), I would say all these agent orange claims, if they have medical backing and help by a veteran service officer, are presumptive, and have them stop fighting after all these decades and get the care and attention that they need.

I will tell you, I have just got a list of 500 veterans from one State, Vietnam vets, who got Parkinson's disease in their early fifties. That's way earlier than the average age of on set for the general population. So it's obviously Vietnam that was the cause. Yet the law says there is no proof that agent orange caused Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease, and so they're shut out. That's a shame. They served us; we should serve them. Let's grant all these agent orange claims.

And we ought to, according to the representatives at the convention, give the status of ``mandatory'' or ``assured funding'' to the health care for our veterans. Right now, health care in our budget is called ``discretionary.'' We fight over it every year, Democrats, Republican, House, Senate, VA Committee versus everybody. We should not play politics with veterans health care, and we should have a guaranteed mandatory budget.

Those are the things that would really tell our Vietnam vets that we care about them. So let's pass this resolution. The wall is, as we've heard today, so important to our memories, to our healing, to those brave men who fought for us. But let's go further and really give the Vietnam vets a thank you and pass legislation that will not only end homelessness and grant the agent orange claims, but give mandatory funding for the VA health care budget.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 237) supporting and encouraging greater support for Veterans Day each year.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield for as much time as he may consume to the author of this legislation, an Army veteran of the Vietnam era, the gentleman from California (Mr. Baca).

Mr. Speaker, I would yield such time as he may consume to our Vietnam aviator, Mr. Boswell of Iowa.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 237.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important resolution, and we have heard the many reasons why, and I thank Mr. Baca for bringing this resolution to the floor. But after we give our speeches on Veterans Day, after we have given all the tributes, let's come back and do some real work that we have to do to really honor our veterans.

I agree with the gentleman from Arkansas. Let's pass that appropriations bill. If you add the money that is in the appropriations bill for 2008 with the continuing resolution we did earlier this year and the supplemental resolution we did earlier, we have added more than $13 billion for the health care of our veterans for this year over last year. That is a 30 percent increase. That is unprecedented in the history of the VA and will put in place all the programs that many of us want and know that they are needed, deserved and earned.

But let's go further than that. Let's pass together a GI Bill for the 21st century, a bill that not only increases the benefits to a realistic fashion for education and home loans, but brings in

the Guard and Reserve units to be eligible for the GI Bill's benefits. They are doing half the fighting in Iraq and yet do not have full benefits when they return home. So let us include the Guard and Reserve.

Let us include an absolute right to mental health treatment. We cannot neglect mental health, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and other mental conditions. While we can deal with the visible wounds a lot easier, we cannot forget the invisible ones.

Let us work together to end that atrocious claims backlog. Over 600,000 claims for disability compensation are pending at the VA. People have died while waiting for their claim to be adjudicated. Others have lost their home because they didn't have the income. We can cut through that bureaucracy, not just add, as the budget has, 1,000 more people, but really look at a whole new way, a nonadversarial way of dealing with the claims for disability. We can do that.

For too many people, VA means ``veterans adversary.'' VA should mean ``veterans advocate''. We can do that. Let us make sure that every young man and woman that comes back from Iraq and Afghanistan is diagnosed for both traumatic brain injury and PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. We are going to let tens of thousands of young men and women out of the service without adequately understanding these wounds, some of whose symptoms are invisible for some time. They are ticking time bombs that, coming back to society, will create enormous problems for our social structure. So let's diagnose it. Let's treat it early. Let's bring the family in. Let's make sure that we have treated the mental illness that is so prominent in a war like this that we are unfortunately pursuing.

Let us end homelessness for our veterans in America. We can do this. This is not rocket science. We know what it takes. We have all, as I said earlier, been to Stand-Downs. We know how to bring the community together to give homeless veterans the support they need to reintegrate. And I tell you, we are already seeing the problems that we saw in Vietnam. We have suicide rates of our current vets that are the highest rates since Vietnam. We have homeless Iraqi vets on the street. So let us not make the same mistake again that we did in Vietnam, but let us remember we have both new veterans and older veterans. We have to serve both. This Nation can do it, we should do it, and working together, we will do it.

Each year on Veterans Day, Americans come together to honor our Nation's heroes: the 25 million veterans that have served our country.

House Resolution 237 encourages Americans to demonstrate their support for veterans. It is important to let these heroes know that this grateful Nation honors their service to our country.

On this 88th Veterans Day, I urge all Americans to take the time to show appreciation to those who have answered the call to duty.

Although, we can never adequately thank them for their service and sacrifice to our Nation, today, on Veterans Day and everyday, we can humbly salute our brave veterans and soldiers.

Our nation has a proud legacy of supporting the men and women who have worn the uniform in defense of this country.

As a nation, we have a sacred pact with all those who served in uniform and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

Our country is founded on the principles of democracy, American values and faith that those who fight for freedom will defeat those whose cause is unjust.

I know I speak for the Nation when I say that we stand united behind our courageous men and women in uniform.

We must be united in seeing that every soldier, sailor, airman and marine is welcomed back with all the care and compassion this grateful Nation can bestow.

No other group of Americans has stood stronger and braver for our democracy than our troops and veterans.

Veterans Day should not be observed just once a year--our Nation's heroes must be celebrated, honored and remembered for their service to our Nation--the whole year through.

Veterans have kept their promise to serve our Nation--and we, as a free and democratic country, must keep our promises to our veterans.

As Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, it is my honor to serve the veterans of this Nation and I encourage my fellow Americans to do the same.

I encourage all Americans to reach out to veterans. Thank them and their families for their amazing sacrifice. Learn more about their great contributions to our country and gain the wisdom of their personal stories of our nation's history.

Americans have learned, again, the truth behind the inscription on the Korean War Memorial--``Freedom is not free.'' And no one has paid a higher price and sacrifice for our freedom than our veterans.

Pause to remember the noble service and high sacrifices of those who have worn this Nation's uniform.

On Veterans Day and the whole year through, join me and take the time to show your gratitude to those who have answered the call to duty.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Announcement By the Speaker Pro Tempore

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge support for two bills I have just reintroduced, the ``Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act'' (H.R. 3794) and the ``You Were There, You Get Care Act'' (H.R. 3795).

The Recognition of Forgotten Atomic Veterans and their Surviving Spouses Act (H.R. 3794) directs the Department of Justice to obtain the records of all Atomic Veterans from the Department of Energy Operations Office in Nevada. Using these records, they are to locate and advise all veterans or their surviving widows of their rights under RECA and guide them in filing a claim for the compensation that is due them.

RECA is the program passed by Congress in 1990 (P.L. 101-426) that provides compassionate payments to individuals who contract cancers and other serious diseases as a result of their exposure to radiation from above ground tests of nuclear weapons or from employment in underground uranium mines.

Because the VA did not provide medical care to Atomic Veterans in many cases, many died at an early age. So there are thousands of widows, many on fixed incomes, who have never heard of RECA and do not know that they may be eligible for compensation. My bill will help them apply and receive substantial compassionate payments to ease their burden.

The You Were There, You Get Care Act (H.R. 3795) ensures that veterans who served in the 1991 Gulf War and subsequent conflicts will be considered ``service-connected disabled'' for any illnesses currently covered by RECA and other diseases found by the Veterans Affairs Secretary to result from depleted uranium exposure.

Depleted uranium is an incredibly effective weapon, but its residue has a half-life of 4 billion years and many believe that it is a carcinogen. We simply cannot allow another generation of veterans to be treated as were the Atomic Veterans.

In addition, this bill calls for an in-depth medical study to be conducted by independent civilian medical entities, independent of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, to determine other diseases that may result from exposure to depleted uranium.

We need to ensure that veterans from the Gulf War and all wars waged since will not die an early and painful death without the health care and compensation they need and deserve.

Taken together, my bills make a bold statement--that when young men and women volunteer for service, they can count on their government to compensate them and care for them if their service lends to illnesses. These assurances are so important and so necessary and should aid in the recruitment and retention of military personnel.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation (H.R. 3649) that would require mercenary training be conducted only on property owned by the Federal Government.

As you may know, Blackwater USA, a private military security contractor, already operates two private military-style training facilities: one in Moyock, North Carolina and the other in Mount Carroll, Illinois. Blackwater USA is also seeking to open a third facility in Potrero, California.

It is outrageous to allow private individuals or corporations to establish private military bases anywhere in the United States! The military-style training conducted at these facilities has no place in our backyards.

The Federal Government and U.S. military have also become too reliant on these private security contractors, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must stop this trend!

However, in the meantime, my bill will take the modest step of requiring government contractors, like Blackwater USA, to train only on property owned by the Federal Government, such as our military bases.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 854, I was away on official business in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Jaime Barton for receiving the ``John's Labor Leader of the Year Award'' from the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO.

Jaime Barton began his career with the Cement Masons Local 744 San Diego in 1982 right out of high school. In 1988, Jaime was approached by the financial secretary of the local to become the apprenticeship coordinator for the Cement Masons apprenticeships. In 1990, Jaime was elected as a business agent for the local, a position that he currently serves in today.

In 1999, Jaime graduated from Mesa College with an associate degree and continued his educational quest at the George Meany Labor College with a bachelors degree in the political economics of labor. In addition, Jaime has been a trustee of the San Diego County Cement Mason Trusts Funds since 1992. Jaime is also a speaker, moderator and trustee committee member of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits.

Jaime has been closely involved with the Cement Mason Apprenticeship Dedicated Donation's Projects which helps many non-profit organizations in San Diego County. Projects completed included the San Diego Blind Center, San Diego Children's Museum, Habitat for Humanity, several Little League ball parks, elementary schools, Disabled Children's Homes of San Diego County, the Sheriff's County SWAT White House Project and at several churches of all denominations.

Jaime recently became a member of the LEAD San Diego Graduate Program, which develops future leaders of San Diego County. Jaime also sits on many boards and commissions, including the San Diego County Building and Trades Council, San Diego Labor Council, the John S. Lyons Memorial Foundation, the City of San Diego Housing and Advisory and Appeals Board, the United Way of San Diego County and the American Red Cross of San Diego County.

Jaime Barton is highly deserving of this award and he received it from a very distinguished labor council that goes far beyond the call of duty on behalf of all working men and women who reside in San Diego County.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 23) to amend title 46, United States Code, to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) during World War II, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, before I get to these specific bills, let me just say, as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, we are at a critical time in our Nation in dealing with our veterans. George Washington said it best over 200 years ago when he stated that ``the morale of our active duty troops depends foremost on how they sense they're going to be treated when they come home.'' So we have a lot of work to do.

We have a Secretary who has announced his resignation. Recently, just last week, the Dole-Shalala Commission released its report on some major changes for the VA and the DoD for the way we deal with our veterans and our wounded warriors. We need someone in that position, I think, who will shake things up a bit, who will not only do the Dole- Shalala recommendations, but go further and really talk to two bureaucracies that have to do business far better than what they do. Too often, VA means for our veterans ``veterans adversary'' instead of ``veterans advocate.''

We have older veterans, like we're going to be dealing with in the bill up now, and we are going to have hundreds of thousands of new veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a critical job that we must do. And I always say, no matter where we are in the war in Iraq, we're going to make sure that every young man and woman who comes back from the war gets all the love, the care, the attention, the honor, the dignity that a Nation can bestow.

So we have a big job to do. And this package of bills we have today addressed both older veterans that we still have to care for and make sure any injustices that came up in their treatment are taken care of, as well as the needs that are so critical, whether they be brain injury or PTSD of the new veterans. We have to deal with both groups, and we have to do it right.

I want to speak now on H.R. 23, the Belated Thank You to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act.

This is a bill that is six decades overdue, Mr. Speaker. And I think today we are on the verge of doing a historic thing, that is, providing a way to finally give the heroic merchant mariners of World War II the belated compensation that they've so richly earned and deserve.

I think this Congress not only has to treat those new veterans coming back from Iraq, but we have the responsibility to correct the wrongs of the past, and this is one of the grave injustices that deserves rectification.

There are over 250 Members of this House who have cosponsored H.R. 23. But for those who haven't, let me tell you about the sad history of these forgotten heroes. The Merchant Mariners of World War II traversed the dangerous U-boat laden waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, faced down fierce attacks from enemy aircraft, and were instrumental in every theater of war by carrying 95 percent of all tanks, supplies and troops during World War II. As a result, they suffered the highest casualty rate of any of the military branches.

It is indisputable that the allied forces would not have been able to begin, sustain or end World War II in victory without their valiant and selfless service. It is also indisputable, Mr. Speaker, that these men now are entitled to be compensated for their service.

After the war, they did not receive the recognition as veterans, or the benefits of the unprecedented GI Bill of

1944, which, in many people's minds, they had earned. We all know the profound effects of that GI Bill on building the middle class. We all know that the education and ability to buy homes led to the creation of the success of the generations following World War II.

At the signing of that bill in 1944, the GI Bill, which gave these veterans unprecedented education, housing, small business loans and health benefits, President Roosevelt himself declared, ``I trust Congress will soon provide similar opportunities to members of the merchant marine, who have risked their lives time and time again during war for the welfare of their country.'' Succeeding Congresses up until now have never done that.

Their fight for equity continued for all the time since then, and even for the time after they finally attained veteran status after a lengthy court battle that was decided in 1987, which by then, 40 years after the war, over 125,000 merchant mariners had died.

We've had the distinct privilege at the Veterans' Affairs Committee of receiving the heart-wrenching testimony of some of these veterans, one of whom was a named party in the lawsuit which finally gave him veteran status, a merchant mariner named Stanley Willner. Stanley was captured, interned, beaten, starved and tortured as a POW for 3 years. In fact, he was actually one of the unfortunate groups of allied forces that were forced to build the infamous bridge over the River Kwai. Upon release, he weighed a mere 74 pounds. When he returned home, his wife didn't recognize him, but neither did his country. He received just 2 weeks of medical care and little else for his service to this Nation. What a miscarriage of justice.

Mr. Speaker, it was only due to a sad confluence of powerful events after the war that this country did not bestow the brave men of the World War II Merchant Marine with veteran status. Their service was recognized by all the leaders of the Allied Forces from Generals MacArthur to Eisenhower.

I will include a list of quotes regarding their courageous service in the Record. I will also add a letter from the four maritime unions, the American Maritime Officers, the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots, the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, and the Seafarers International Union, expressing their strong support for H.R. 23, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, the time has come to right this enduring wrong. To me, failing to correct the injustice suffered by the merchant mariners for the past six decades is equivalent to an employer telling a group of 20-year-olds at the same company doing the same job that 85 percent of them will receive additional health, education, housing, and loan assistance benefits for the rest of their lives for their service, but the remaining 15 percent would not. Then, over 40 years later, the employer is forced to recognize the mistake and informs the 15 percent, sorry, we will give you what has not expired, but nothing else.

Where is the fairness? Where is the equity? How do you measure the loss of these benefits, the missed opportunities and the dreams unrealized? That is what H.R. 23 tries to make up for, to create the semblance of equity that the mariners of World War II so richly deserve by providing a monthly stipend to qualifying mariners on a first-come- first-served basis.

July 27, 2007.

Hon. Bob Filner,

Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: We are writing on behalf of the

undersigned American maritime labor organizations to express

our strong support for H.R. 23, the ``Belated Thank You to

the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2007'' as

amended. The organizations we represent have the privilege of

including among our retired and active seagoing members

individuals who served our country with honor and distinction

during World War II. These World War II merchant mariners are

truly representative of the ``Greatest Generation'', and we

are extremely proud of them and the example they have set for

all merchant mariners who continue to respond to our Nation's

call whenever and wherever they are needed.

General Colin Powell, following the Persian Gulf War, said

that: ``Since I became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

I have come to appreciate first-hand why our Merchant Marine

has long been called our Nation's fourth arm of defense. The

American seafarer provides an essential service to the well-

being of our Nation as was demonstrated so clearly during

Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm . . .''

We agree wholeheartedly with you that the enactment of H.R.

23 is necessary ``to correct an injustice that has been

inflicted upon a group of World War II veterans, the World

War II United States merchant mariners.'' We sincerely thank

you, Mr. Chairman, for your initiative in working to address

this injustice by sponsoring legislation to provide long-

overdue recognition and benefits to World War II merchant

mariners. We are also grateful to your colleagues who have

cosponsored H.R. 23 and for their decision to add their names

to the bipartisan supporters who are committed to working

with you and with us for the enactment of H.R. 23 this year.

There is not, nor should there be, any debate as to the

invaluable service given by American merchant mariners during

World War II. In fact, World War II merchant mariners

suffered the highest casualty rate of any of the branches of

the Armed Forces, other than the United States Marine Corps,

as they delivered troops, tanks, food, fuel and other needed

equipment and material to every theater of World War II.

Enemy forces sank more than 800 merchant vessels between 1941

and 1944 alone.

As General of the Army, Allied Expeditionary Forces in

Europe, Dwight David Eisenhower stated, ``When final victory

is ours there is no organization that will share its credit

more deservedly than the Merchant Marine.'' Fleet Admiral

Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Theater, said

that ``The Merchant Marine . . . has repeatedly proved its

right to be considered as an integral part of our fighting

team.''

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, speaking of the

merchant seamen who supported the liberation of the

Philippines, stated that ``With us they have shared the

heaviest enemy fire. On these Islands I have ordered them off

their ships and into foxholes when their ships became

untenable targets of attack. At our side they have suffered

in bloodshed and death . . . They have contributed

tremendously to our success. I hold no branch in higher

esteem than the Merchant Marine Service.''

Finally, President Franklin Roosevelt eloquently and

accurately summed up the contributions of America's World War

II merchant mariners, telling the country and the world that

they ``have written one of its most brilliant chapters. They

have delivered the goods when and where needed in every

theater of operations and across every ocean in the biggest,

the most difficult and most dangerous job ever taken.''

Yet despite this record of exemplary, indispensable service

to America's war efforts, merchant mariners were not given

the formal recognition and benefits granted other services by

the Congress through the G.I. Bill of Rights in 1945. In

fact, no legislation to recognize the contributions made by

World War II merchant mariners was enacted until Congress

extended limited veterans' status to these gallant American

citizens in 1988.

We believe, as you have stated Mr. Chairman, that it is

time to correct this injustice. We believe our country has an

obligation to the remaining World War II merchant mariners to

fully acknowledge their service and to give them the measure

of benefit called for in H.R. 23. We ask you and your

colleagues to take the first step in righting this wrong by

voting to pass H.R. 23 during its consideration by the House

of Representatives.

We again thank you and the Members of your Committee for

the support you have shown for the World War II merchant

mariners. We stand ready to provide whatever additional

information you may need.

Sincerely,

Thomas Bethel,

President, American Maritime Officers.

Timothy A. Brown,

President, International Organization of Masters, Mates &

Pilots.

Ron Davis,

President, Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association.

Michael Sacco,

President, Seafarers International Union.

Mr. Speaker, we have a new Member from New Hampshire that I will call the ``not-so-gentle-lady'' because she has been incredibly active and taken a leadership role in passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she might consume to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his endorsement, support, and leadership on our committee. He has raised some very good questions that I hope our committee will deal with.

Mr. Speaker, without a doubt, these men, now all of them are in their eighties, the average age is 83, in fact, of the remaining 10,000 that are alive, have earned and deserve this delayed compensation. They fought the good fight. They gave our country everything they could.

This is what H.R. 23 will do, provide the merchant mariners with the compensation they earned and have been denied for decades, not just in words, but in deeds.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all the Members of this House for the support of this historic piece of legislation

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1315) to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide specially adaptive housing assistance to certain disabled members of the Armed Forces residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, on this bill, H.R. 1315, and the previous bill, H.R. 23, I would ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad that my colleagues on the committee were able to work together to craft this important piece of legislation. The Chair of our Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Ms. Herseth Sandlin, and her ranking member, Mr. Boozman, provided really strong bipartisan leadership that was important in this bill. As I said when starting this package of bills, we must never forget the great debt we owe to all of them. We have to remember the courage and sacrifice demonstrated daily by those who serve our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, when our servicemembers return home, it is our solemn obligation to protect and serve them with the same commitment and dedication which they protected and served us. H.R. 1315, as amended, would contribute to just that level of commitment.

Under current law, transitioning disabled servicemembers who are temporarily living in housing owned by a family member are barred from receiving financial assistance to make necessary adaptations to their housing. This bill before us clarifies this point of law and ensures those veterans have the resources necessary to enjoy a comfortable and independent lifestyle.

This legislation creates a scholarship for students interested in earning a degree or certification in blind rehabilitation. In return for these scholarships, these students would provide 3 years of service to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The effect of this program will be a needed staff increase to meet the growing needs of our vision-impaired and blind veterans.

I must say, Ms. Herseth Sandlin, we ought to look at this for some other needs of the VA, whether it is nursing or psychiatry or whatever. This way of encouraging and incentivizing those who could serve our veterans is a really fine approach.

The bill will, furthermore, bring more efficiency and accountability to the veteran employment process by facilitating greater coordination among the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor. It allows for a more transparent view of data concerning complaints submitted by the National Guard and Reservists regarding difficulty obtaining employment.

Ensuring that our servicemembers are afforded a seamless transition from active duty to civilian life is an issue that we in the committee are keenly aware of, and I am glad to see needed language in this bill.

Finally, this bill corrects a technical error in current law to increase the U.S. Department of Labor's Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment Training and Employer Outreach by one representative from the existing 15.

We all stand united here in this House in caring for our veterans, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1315, as amended

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Ms. Herseth Sandlin), our Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, who is the energetic, articulate, aggressive and fine spokesman for veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to another great and energetic advocate for veterans, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee)

Mr. Speaker, I need to yield 1 further minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) for some thank-you words.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to conclude by referring to the section that the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) referred to.

Unfortunately, because of scoring rules, we had to remove at the last minute a section that would have given protection from foreclosure, extend the protection from foreclosure on homes from 3 months to 6 months for those who are fighting abroad, whether in the active duty or in the Guard and Reserve units.

It's a very important section, very important protection I think that we have to extend to our men and women in active duty. We will take that up at a later time and try to make sure that that protection is granted

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 1315, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2874) to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the provision of health care to veterans, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, as with the last bill, I want to just thank both the chair, Mr. Michaud of Maine, and the ranking member, Mr. Miller from Florida, for their great leadership and bipartisan cooperation to get an important piece of legislation out.

This bill, the Veterans' Health Care Improvement Act of 2007, combines a lot of different ideas from Members on both sides of the aisle, and we are pleased to have this bill on the floor today.

Certainly, the mental health and well-being of our newest generation of veterans is a serious cause for concern and deserves our fullest attention.

The VA reported in April of this year that of the OEF/OIF veterans who have separated and sought health care through the VA, mental disorders rank second of frequency of possible diagnoses amongst these veterans.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, is the number one health concern. At this point, over 39,000 returning veterans have received a provisional diagnosis of this, and we are looking into, in fact, maybe a systemic underestimation of those who are diagnosed and, therefore, to get treatment.

Mr. Speaker, the composition of the fighting forces in Iraq and Afghanistan today is unique from past conflicts. Guard and Reserve forces make up a large percentage of those fighting, around 50 percent or a little more. Though only 19 percent of the Nation lives in rural America, 44 percent of U.S. military recruits come from rural areas.

We must ensure that their health care and services meet the needs that they deserve and have earned. It must be available and accessible to all, and I would say we will take up as a committee the broad subject of rural veterans sometime in the near future.

This bill requires the VA to award grants to conduct workshop programs to help heal and better the lives of veterans who need it through therapeutic programs such as art, writing and music to name just a few. It establishes a grant program to provide transportation options to veterans living in rural areas that will help to lessen the burden on veterans who are unable to drive long distances due to their disability or illness.

It also provides permanent authority to the VA to treat veterans who are subject to chemical and biological testing. This is an obligation we owe to those who have served.

We provide also for readjustment counseling and mental health services. We include contracting with community mental health centers in areas not adequately served by VA and contracting with nonprofit mental health organizations to train OEF/OIF veterans in outreach and peer support.

We address issues affecting homeless veterans and their families. The VA has now become the largest single provider of direct services to homeless veterans, reaching 25 percent of homeless veterans a year through various programs. Our aim is to make it 100 percent. Many communities have recently gone through what they call stand-downs, 2- or 3-day efforts to bring the whole community in cooperation to provide the services that homeless veterans need, whether they be medical or dental or legal or drug abuse counseling, of course, food and clothing; and we do that in 3 days a year in many communities. It is up to the VA to do that 365 days a year for all our veterans, and we estimate over 200,000 on the streets tonight who served our Nation.

Prior to becoming homeless, a large number of veterans have struggled with PTSD or had addictions acquired during or worsened by their military service, and we want to expand and extend the counseling services for these veterans. We expand programs to 12 locations throughout the Veterans Health Administration and extend this program through 2011.

The VA domiciliary care programs are an essential piece in assisting veterans and providing needed services to help them recover and become productive citizens again. We enhance in this bill the capacity of such domiciliary care programs, for female veterans especially.

Finally, we want to authorize VA to provide financial assistance to provide supportive services for very low-income veteran families who reside in permanent housing.

In short, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2874 takes care of the men and women who have so selflessly taken care of us. It provides our veterans with the quality health care programs and services they need and they so richly deserve. It is another down payment, another measurable piece of keeping our promise to those who have kept their promise to us

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, again, I yield 3 minutes to the Chair of our Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, Ms. Herseth Sandlin.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Rodriguez from Texas has been particularly active and energetic in advocating for the treatment of the mental health needs of our veterans, and I yield 3 minutes to him.

Mr. Speaker, one of our new Members, Congressman Murphy from Pennsylvania, returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom. He gives us the benefit of that experience both as an advocate for our active duty and to the veterans who have served. We welcome you to the Congress. We thank you for your expertise, and I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Again, I thank Mr. Miller and Mr. Michaud for their leadership on the bill and all the Members on both sides of the aisle that have contributed to it.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2874.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy).

I thank the gentleman for his leadership on mental health parity in this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2623) to amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the collection of copayments for all hospice care furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as amended.

I thank Mr. Miller for bringing us this bill, because working with Mr. Michaud of Maine, we have an important piece of legislation that most people would have thought dealt with a problem that didn't exist.

Mr. Speaker, hospice and palliative care is a continuum of comfort- oriented and supportive services provided across settings, including hospitals, extended facilities, outpatient clinics and private residences. The VA offers a complement of hospice and palliative care options as part of a comprehensive health care benefit of provided to all veterans who are enrolled in our system.

Under current law, a veteran receiving hospice care in a nursing home is exempt from any applicable copayments. However, if the hospice care is provided in any other setting, such as an acute-care hospital or at home, the veteran may be subject to an in-patient or out-patient primary care copayment. This policy penalizes a veteran who chooses to remain at home for their hospice care or who, out of medical necessity, receives hospice care in an acute care setting.

Mr. Miller recognizes this injustice, and through H.R. 2623, corrects the inequity by exempting all hospice care provided through VA from copayment requirements. It would also align VA with the Medicare program, which does not impose copayments for hospice care. At the end of life, veterans should not have to worry about paying for the comfort that the hospice care provides.

It's the right thing to do, and I am pleased that my colleague from Florida has taken leadership on this

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2623, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I would state that with bipartisan working arrangements we have brought forward a package of bills today from the Veterans Committee which deals not only with our older veterans, but with our returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, and that's what we will continue to do.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2623, as amended

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 672, I was on official business outside the national Capitol region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Announcement by the Chairman

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 673, I was on official business outside the national Capitol region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Souder

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 674, I was on official business outside the National Capital region in my capacity as chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 675, I was on official business outside the national Capitol region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Westmoreland

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 676, I was on official business outside the national Capitol region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment Offered by Mr. Lewis of Georgia

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 677, I was on official business outside the National Capital region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment No. 62 Offered by Mr. Campbell of California

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 678, I was on official business outside the national Capitol region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 16 Offered by Mr. Flake

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 679, I was on official business outside the national Capitol region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Jordan of Ohio

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 680, I was on official business outside the national capital region in my capacity as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

amendment no. 4 offered by mr. price of georgia

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 681, I was on official business outside the national capital region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 23 Offered by Mrs. Musgrave

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 682, I was on official business outside the national capital region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Campbell of California

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 683, I was on official business outside the national capital region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 67 Offered by Mr. Pence

Madam Chairman, on rollcall No. 684, I was on official business outside the National Capital region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 685, I was on official business outside the national capital region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 686, I was on official business outside the national Capitol region in my capacity as Chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Chairman, I thank the committee for doing so much for veterans in this bill. And I want to add my thanks to Congressman Young from Florida. He and his wife, Beverly, have been an incredible inspiration. So we want to say on the record from our side of the aisle how much we appreciate you and your wife's efforts on behalf of our veterans. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, what this bill does and what our previous bills that we have passed here, the continuing resolution that we've had for this year, the supplemental for the war, added more than 30 percent to the health care budget from last year for the health care of our veterans. That's an unprecedented increase, and it comes at a time when we have unprecedented needs. So your work, Mr. Chairman, has been incredible for all of the veterans and their families in this Nation.

No matter where we stand on the war, and there's a lot of divisiveness in this House about the war, we are united in saying, through this bill, that when every young man and woman comes back from Iraq or Afghanistan, they are going to get all the love, the care, the attention, the dignity, the honor that a Nation can bestow; and we are committed to that.

And we are committed, not only to those veterans who are just coming back, but to those who are with us from World War II, from Korea, from Vietnam, from the first Persian Gulf war. We're going to take care of them all.

We do not think that the problem with the Veterans' Administration is that there are too many veterans. We think we have to get the resources into the VA, and then have the accountability that it's spent wisely.

We have an administration that says, support the troops, support the troops, support the troops; but when they come home, as we have seen in Walter Reed and other places, too many times they're on their own. They slip through the cracks.

Virtually everyone who comes back from this war has evidence of either brain injury or PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and we simply don't have the resources to treat them. There are waiting lists. There are people told to call back, go home.

We had a young Marine in Minnesota who went to his hospital because he thought he had PTSD because he was thinking of suicide. What happened? He was told he was 28th on the waiting list, to go home. And he went home and committed suicide. That is a crime and we are not going to commit those crimes on our returning heroes. We are going to look at not only the brain injuries, not only the PTSD, but to make sure the backlog of pension disability claims is taken down to zero, where it's now at 600,000.

We've got a lot of work to do. We've got a lot of work to handle all these heroes from World War II to the present,

and with your budget, Mr. Chairman, we're going to be able to do this. We thank you. And we're going to work to get the accountability and the work done that lets these heroes know that their Nation is worthy of their sacrifice.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support H. Con. Res. 168, legislation that I have just introduced, which urges the President to authorize the return of two church bells, currently on display at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, to the people of the Philippines.

I am introducing the resolution today, June 12th, because of the historical significance of this date to 85 million Filipinos. It is the 109th yearly celebration of Philippine Independence from Spain. The introduction of this resolution will bring hope for the return of the church bells, especially to the parishioners of Balangiga.

It was a result of a conflict, between Filipino and American soldiers in 1901 in the town of Balangiga on the island of Samar, Philippines, that the bells in the Balangiga church were taken to the United States as war trophies where they have been on display ever since at F.E. Warren Air Force Base.

I am introducing this resolution because of a vote by the Wyoming Veterans Commission in favor of the return of the bells to the church in Balangiga.

The citizens of Balangiga have erected a memorial that includes the names of the Filipino and American soldiers who lost their lives in the 1901 incident, and the town honors these war dead, both those from the Philippines and those from America, on September 28 each year. Filipino people have requested the return of the bells to the original setting in the Balangiga Parish where they could ring again, after 106 years of muteness, as a symbol of this bond.

The acts of conflict that surrounded the Bells of Balangiga are not consistent with the friendship that is an integral part of the relationship between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States. Filipino soldiers have fought side by side with American troops in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and the bells should more properly serve as a symbol of friendship and not of conflict.

For this reason, I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 168.