Bob Filner

Mr. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. 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. FILNER. 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. FILNER

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

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

Mr. FILNER. 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. FILNER. 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. FILNER. 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. FILNER. 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. FILNER. 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. FILNER

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

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

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. Mr. Speaker, before I introduce the author of the legislation, I just want to say in introduction, unfortunately, suicide prevention has become a major part of our responsibilities to both active duty and our veterans. It is a terrible statistic, Mr. Speaker, but as many Vietnam veterans have now committed suicide as died in the original war. That is over 58,000. We have to do as a Nation a better job. The Army just announced recently that the suicide rate among active duty and recently discharged has now reached Vietnam proportions. So we have to do a far better job and we intend to do that. The author of the original legislation, Mr. Boswell from Iowa, saw this very clearly and introduced this bill. Mr. Speaker, one of the top priorities of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs in this Congress is to address the needs of our returning servicemembers. The House passed H.R. 327, the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act, on March 21st of this year. I'm pleased the Senate also made it a priority to act on this important legislation. I believe the bill shows a clear compromise in our efforts to provide help to those in need. One of the most pressing issues facing our men and women is mental health care. I believe that if we send our men and women off to war, we must, as a nation, do all we can to address their health care needs when they return. We cannot ask them to fight and then forget them when they return from battle. Veterans suffer a higher risk of suicide than the general population. The stress of combat, combined with the stigma that exists for servicemembers and veterans seeking mental health care services can have disastrous consequences. We must do everything possible to improve the VA's mental health services, and its ability to detect, and help, those veterans most at risk. H.R. 327 will provide the important tools to assist the VA in strengthening suicide prevention, education, and awareness programs within the VA by mandating a comprehensive program for suicide prevention among veterans. I thank my colleague Mr. Boswell for introducing this bill, and I thank my colleagues for their support. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell).

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 327) to amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement a comprehensive program designed to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans.

Mr. FILNER. We have no further speakers except my closing, if the gentleman would like to close.

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. FILNER. Other Members from the State of Iowa want to express support for the Iowa family that helped inspire this legislation. I would yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley). (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to another gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Loebsack) to add his support.

Mr. FILNER

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

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

Mr. FILNER. 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

Mr. FILNER. 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. FILNER. 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. FILNER

Mr. FILNER. 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. FILNER. 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.