Loretta Sanchez

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct honor to host a special order this evening in honor of my friend and colleague Congressman Esteban E. Torres. Esteban has served the people of the 34th Congressional District of California for 16 years. Those were years in which our country lived through the administrations of President Reagan, President Bush and President Clinton. During this time, the world witnessed the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, the rise of democracy in Latin America, and the end of billion-dollar U.S. budget deficits. Through it all, Esteban has been a part of that history, not only by serving here as a Member but by being an active participant in these events. He has traveled throughout the world and met with the leaders of every superpower. In these journeys he has not only learned about the problems facing other countries but he has conveyed the meaning of freedom and the significance of democratic institutions that value the integrity of individual choice. I can think of no one person whose life better illustrates the American dream than Esteban Torres. Well, maybe my mom and dad, Esteban. But here is a man who truly pulled himself up by his bootstraps. He is the son of immigrants who came to this country seeking a better way of life. How often have we heard that? He struggled as a young man to overcome some tough times, growing up in the barrio of east Los Angeles. He is a veteran of the Korean Conflict and rose through the union ranks to the international of the United Autoworkers. From there he went on to serve the Carter administration in the White House and then he ran for his seat in this House. Through it all, he and his wife Arcy raised their daughters Carmen, Rena, Selina, Camille and their son Steve, and they have been blessed with 11 grandchildren. I know that his family is as proud of what he has accomplished as the people who are privileged to call him their friend. He has distinguished himself as a subcommittee chairman and as a member of the Banking Committee and Appropriations Committee. No one will ever forget the leadership, Esteban, that you showed during the passage of NAFTA and the establishment of the North American Development Bank. Throughout your career, you have been more than a friend. You have been a role model and you have been a mentor. There are many of us serving in government and business who claim and can claim that they got their start and their learning by following the example of Esteban Torres. I can say that he not only enthusiastically supported me when I first ran for office but was always there to give me advice and support during some very difficult and dark days. For your courage and your willingness to stand by me, I want you to know, Esteban, that I am eternally grateful. Esteban, you will be remembered in this House not for cutting things and stopping projects but for building, for building opportunities for people and confidence in people and yes, for the hope that people carry in their hearts because of your example and what you have done. While I for one will miss your advice and counsel, I am happy that you are moving on to do other things that interest you and that will help our community in the long run. I know you will not be idle but very active in pursuing these other concerns. I know you will not be a stranger to this institution. I look forward to seeking your guidance. On behalf of all the people whose lives you have touched in so many different ways, you have really made an impact. I know when I see young children, and they have your name on their lips, of mentor and role model. Thank you for the service you have given to this House and thank you for the service that you have given to our country. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the Republican Congress to step up to the plate and to pass real managed care reform. We need to fix the health insurance system to give patients the protections that they need. After one year of ignoring the President's call for a strong, enforceable bipartisan Patients Bill of Rights, the Republican House leadership has done nothing more than pass a bill that treats cancer with Band-Aids. We ignore at our own risk what the American people demand, and they demand health care reform. They do not want their health plan to abandon them when they need it the most. Speaker Gingrich once promised to let Medicare wither on the vine. This year he is going to let the Patients Bill of Rights wither on the vine. I ask, will he also let Social Security wither on the vine? The leadership has the ability to pass legislation that protects Americans in the few days that we have left before adjournment. Will they act on behalf of millions of Americans? It is time to stop playing politics and pass HMO reform now.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1998 even though I support many of the goals in the bill. I support increasing tax deductions for married couples and the self- employed and extending the research tax credit. I support creating more renewal of communities. But I believe this bill makes a grave mistake by drawing from the projected budget surplus to pay for these tax cuts. The solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund has not been assured. This Congress has not even debated a plan to save Social Security's worth for future generations of Americans. We really do not have a budget surplus to spend because Republicans are dipping into funds earmarked for Social Security. This worries me because I held two Social Security forums in my district this year, and my constituents are concerned that Social Security is going bankrupt and we are not doing anything about it. This bill weakens Social Security, and that is wrong. Furthermore, I cannot support the bill because it is a bad deal for our schools. We need to be helping to build more schools in America. This bill does not address that. I had hoped that my amendment to the bill would help that. Do not give our schools empty promises. Put Social Security first.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, September 24, 1998, I was unavoidably detained on official business and missed the following rollcall votes: No. 459 and No. 460. On rollcall vote No. 459, had I been present I would have voted ``no''; on rollcall vote No. 460, had I been present I would have voted ``yea.''

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend, Congressman Vic Fazio. Mr. Fazio is retiring from Congress after 20 years of public service to the constituents of the Third District of California. Congressman Fazio leaves a legacy of hard work and dedication to his constituents, as well as the entire country. He provided leadership, guidance, and support to Members of Congress by serving as the Chairman of the Democratic Caucus. His knowledge and reverence of government has made him a role model for all Members of this House, and those who aspire to be leaders. Mr. Fazio is a devoted public servant who has dedicated his life to making a difference in our society and our nation. He truly enjoys coming to work each morning and does each task with great passion. You will often find him working late into the evening hours assisting a constituent, colleague, staff member, or friend. Mr. Fazio, thank you for your leadership, guidance, and kind words of wisdom. It has been an honor to serve in Congress with you. I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. You will truly be missed.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 23, I was unavoidably detained on official business and missed the following roll call votes: No. 445 and No. 456. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call vote No. 455, had I been present I would have voted yea. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call vote No. 456, had I been present I would have voted yea.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote 450, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote 451, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote 452, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted ``no.''

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote 447, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted Aye. On rollcall vote 448, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted Aye. On rollcall vote 449, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present I would have voted Nay.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I recently had the pleasure of hosting the Secretary of Education, Mr. Richard Riley, in my hometown of Anaheim over the district recess. During that town hall meeting, the Secretary fielded questions from about 200 parents and educators about what we could do to prepare our children for the future. They wanted to know what Congress was doing about education, about relieving the overcrowding that is happening back at home and about preventing the growing incidence of violence among our youth. While the leadership of this House seems more concerned with the President's private life, I can tell my colleagues that people back home want to know what is going on with education. When I go back home to Orange County on my weekends, they ask me, not about the Starr report, they instead want to know what Congress is doing to protect the future of Social Security and what they are doing to protect the future of our children. Democrats and the President have an agenda that addresses these issues, and I have introduced my own proposal to encourage more school construction so we can have a smaller ratio of children in the classroom. We have to do that. Get away from this report. Work on education.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Mr. Ray Shipp, Americanism Chairman for the Garden Grove Elks Lodge in Garden Grove, California. Mr. Shipp grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1950 he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves. After his discharge in 1952, Mr. Shipp began working for the Long Beach Naval Shipyard where he worked in defense contract administrative services for 39 years. Mr. Shipp has lived in Garden Grove for 42 years. As a member of the Garden Grove Elks Lodge, he is responsible for many projects including his role as publicity chairman for the Lodge. In addition to his public relations duties, Mr. Shipp devotes much of his time to youth oriented activities, such as Pop Warner football and Little League. As the current Americanism Chairman for the Garden Grove Elks Lodge, Mr. Shipp is responsible for the following programs: National Patriotism Week, displaying the American Flag 24 hours a day, Flag Day Ceremonies, Heritage Corner display at City Hall, Police and Firefighters Night, Sixth Grade Flag Essay Contest, Lodge Americanism Brochure Competition, and the Flag Retirement Program. This year the Garden Grove Elks Lodge won first place in the National Lodge Americanism Brochure Competition! Over the years, Mr. Shipp has devoted many years of hard work and has shown his loyalty to the United States of America, first as an employee of the federal government, and currently, as a volunteer for the Elks Lodge, promoting Americanism and upholding the symbol of American freedom, the American Flag. I ask you all to join me today to salute Ray Shipp who has set an excellent example, through his deeds and actions, of what it means to be a true American.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I would just say to my colleagues that today is about reunification of families. It is not about trade. I am for trade. This is about reunification of families. It is about doing the right thing. I know. Because when you have a Vietnamese American in your district who wants to get their wife over after 15 or 20 years, after having tried to find her, after finding her in a camp and he cannot, he calls my office because I have the Vietnamese staffer who will help them. I get to hear the stories. Please vote for this resolution.

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to lend my support to H.J. Res. 120, the resolution to disapprove the Jackson-Vanik waiver to Vietnam. In March of this year, the government of Vietnam was granted a waiver from the Jackson-Vanik amendment. While this is a significant step towards the economic revitalization of Vietnam, the decision ignores basic human rights issues which still need to be resolved. Madam Speaker, I have the privilege of representing one of the largest Vietnamese-American communities in the United States right in Orange County, almost 300,000 people. They are the parents, the siblings and the offspring of families who fought communism for 2 decades, and the majority of my constituents feel that economic relations with Vietnam should not be established until specific emigration, political and human rights issues are addressed. The Orange County Register, one of the newspapers in our area, conducted informal reader polls and found huge multiracial majorities opposed the immediate lifting of the waiver. During this past year, many of my constituents have also contacted my office directly. In this debate I am their voice. Jackson-Vanik is about emigration, then trade. Normalize emigration; move towards normalizing trade. Waiving the Jackson-Vanik requirement for Vietnam on March 10 was a mistake. This decision only makes it harder for many Vietnamese to reunite with their families. The simple truth is that the Vietnamese Government does not meet the conditions of free emigration. Authorities have denied United States officials access to the vast majority of returnees who are eligible to emigrate. In other words, the way it was changed was that, first, one had to get an exit permit in order to be interviewed by the United States to see if one could come to the United States, and now they have changed that. Now they have the exit permit at the back end. And what they do is provide a list to the United States about whom we may interview. And, of course, that list is very limited. The only significant human rights concession recently made was this exit permit at the back end instead of the front end. Although this looks like an important concession, the United States is still forbidden to interview anyone whose name is not on the list supplied by the Vietnamese Government. And although some of my colleagues, and I have seen these letters going around, will lead you to believe that Vietnam has cleared for interview over 80 percent of all of the remaining ROVR applicants, the fact of the matter is, many of those applicants are not even on the list. What they leave out is the fact that the same officials who were denying the exit permits to begin with are now in the position to keep people off of those lists. And according to a recent report to Congress, the State Department acknowledges that some 15,000 former United States Government employees and their families have not been issued those exit permits. Besides the administrative roadblocks, pervasive corruption at all levels of the government in Vietnam creates additional obstacles for emigration. Let us say that one is on that list and one moves forward to an interview by the U.S. and the U.S. says, okay, come here, and then one has to get the exit permit; what happens? One of those government officials says, it is going to cost you $2,000 to get this permit. Well, in a country where the annual per capita income is approximately $300 U.S. dollars, most Vietnamese wishing to emigrate cannot afford to pay such an amount. Contrary to the Vietnamese Government's pretense, it is saying that it has no political or religious prisoners, but many Vietnamese continue to languish in prisons because of their political or religious beliefs. Last September I, along with the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), chaired a human rights caucus briefing on Vietnam. We heard from representatives of the international organizations and from the Vietnamese American community leaders about what is going on in current social, political and economic conditions in Vietnam. And believe me, while we may not pay much attention to what is going on in Vietnam because we have so many other issues, the Vietnamese community in Orange County and across the United States does pay, day in and day out, attention to the details of what is going on in Vietnam. We learned that we must be concerned about Vietnam's poor human rights record and religious persecution. Madam Speaker, I began by saying that this is about emigration, and that is what I believe we need to discuss today, but let us not lose sight of the fact that human rights and business interests are also denied in Vietnam. We have learned from that briefing that we had that all religious groups face great challenges in obtaining things in Vietnam. For example, basic religious materials. And we also learned in that congressional briefing that although the Vietnamese constitution prohibits discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion or social class, we find that women and children and ethnic minorities are often the victims of repression. Reports show that the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church, for example, continues to be suppressed. All of their religious activities and ceremonies are prohibited. Assembly of more than 3 persons is forbidden, and all of the assets and properties have been confiscated. In my district, the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church brought my attention to the case of Buddhist priest Nam Liem. Mr. Liem is a 58-year-old Buddhist priest who practiced religion at a small family temple in Vietnam, and since 1975, he has been arrested and detained by the Communist authorities over 50 times. Today, he has not been released from prison. In addition, there are many pro-democracy activists, scholars, poets, et cetera, whose only crime it was to ``injure the national unity.'' Of course, we have an ``Adopt A Voice of Conscience Campaign'' here in Congress to show the attention to the human rights abuses, religious persecution, and social state of Vietnam. Madam Speaker, I would end by saying please, today, do not surrender our principal leverage with the Communist regime. Vote ``yes'' for free emigration, vote ``yes'' for family reunification, vote ``yes'' to end religious persecution. Vote ``yes'' to promote free speech and democracy. It is our honor at stake today as we honor the values which we are sworn to uphold.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, a new struggle has started. It is the war against poverty, backwardness, and arbitrariness. In this new struggle, there can be only one winner, the nation and the people of Vietnam, and only one loser, the forces of dogmatism, arbitrariness, and backwardness. So wrote Professor Doan Viet Hoat in his essay entitled ``The True Nature of Contemporary Vietnam.'' After the article was circulated, he was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in jail for attempting to overthrow the government. Professor Hoat's case is but one of the many similar instances of government persecution in Vietnam. For these reasons, the founding members of the Congressional Dialogue on Vietnam have established a campaign to bring attention to the human rights violations in Vietnam. We need to generate pressure for the release of all these prisoners from prison or house arrest. We need to focus public attention on Vietnam's repression against freedom of expression so that it becomes a part of the U.S. policy towards Communist Vietnam. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to participate in this campaign.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues the success of a forum I hosted in my district on managed care reform. Since I came to Congress, I have listened closely to the managed care reform debate. I have also read the newspapers, I have seen the polls, and I have heard the horror stories. This past weekend I did what every Member of this Congress should do, I heard from my communities. I learned that my communities do want reform and do want some type of Patients' Bill of Rights. They want Congress to initiate reform and to keep the interest of the patients in mind. My constituents believe that HMOs are the future of health care, but they want to make sure that care is put above profits. Any bill that we pass is going to affect each one of these people, millions of Americans and thousands of Orange County residents. Now, we may have to take some votes this week on the managed care bill offered by the Republicans. Let me tell you, they are not very happy about that bill. But before you decide to vote for any bill, I want to encourage my colleagues to host similar forums in their districts. By listening to your constituents, you will learn what changes are really needed. It is time that we give our constituents a voice before their choice is taken away.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell my colleagues about a forum that I am hosting this weekend in my district on the future of managed care reform. Managed care is the focus of intense public interest. It is also here in Congress, as we have noticed this morning. We have seen the polls, we have heard the horror stories, but do we have all the facts? More than half of the United States population and over 85 percent of employed residents in Orange County receive health care from managed care organizations. The statistics show that any changes to managed health care should dramatically impact the lives of millions of Americans and thousands of Orange County residents. Pressure for reform is mounting, and we in Congress need to listen to all sides and discuss all the options. By listening to the people of America, we can make the kinds of changes that are needed to make managed health care systems work. I encourage my colleagues to host similar forums in their districts. It is time to given the people a voice. Let them help Congress decide the future of managed care.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Madam Speaker, during the Fourth of July district work period, it was my distinct honor to join officials in Orange County, California, to highlight the transportation needs of the 46th Congressional District. I joined the chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority, Sara Catz, a longtime friend, and the regional administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, Mr. Leslie Rogers, to present a $5 million check in Federal transportation funding to undertake a feasibility study for the construction of an urban light rail system. I believe that the final release of the Federal funding is an excellent example of the partnership between the Federal Government and regional transportation agencies in an effort to meet the transportation needs of local residents. I am pleased to work with the administration to make the funding available to begin the feasibility study of the transitway project. The funding represents a significant step in relieving the crushing transportation demands of the residents of Orange County. For example, the projected future economic growth will result in an estimated 43 percent increase in county traffic by the year 2020. In fact, if we take a look at the work that is being done today in the city of Anaheim, $5 billion worth of new construction, private construction, where we are building a second Disneyland theme park, Members will note that we have a lot of construction going on today. While the residents of Orange County many years ago passed a proposition which would allow us to fund many of the transportation improvements we have been working on, the fact of the matter is that the economic good times that are occurring there with respect to construction and jobs require an even more fundamental solution. For example, the interstate throughway through Orange County now has a place where it is 26 lanes wide in just one spot, so transit makes good sense if it can be affordable and if it can be applied correctly. In fact, if we do not do something and we continue just to build freeways, it will add about another 20 minutes to commute time in Orange County, where some people already have commute times of 2 hours just one way to get to work in the morning. The potential for the light rail system in our county is exciting. Transitway projects such as this represent a sound investment in infrastructure that enable our economy to thrive and to provide our communities with a safe and reliable transportation system. It becomes even more important as part of our population continues to age and as, for example, in the city of Santa Ana, which I represent, we have the youngest population across the United States. Ultimately, by improving our transportation system, we stimulate economic growth, we create local jobs, and ultimately we improve the quality of life for our cities and our neighborhoods.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, there they go again. The Republican leadership of the House fails to match their rhetoric in favor of a color-blind America with deeds. Last year, Members of this House criticized the investigation of the Dornan election contest because it unfairly questioned the loyalty and the legality of Hispanic and Asian American voters. The process the House employed produced race-based outcomes. The Republican response was to ignore these facts and to attack their critics for ``inciting racism'' and ``playing the race card.'' Republican amendments this year to campaign finance reform would discriminate against people of color and would ban the bilingual ballot. Yet Republican candidates mail campaign brochures in Spanish and other languages. And when we point out the hypocrisy, they will attack us once again for ``playing the race card.'' Yesterday, I was offended to learn of remarks made by the senior Republican staff member working on the new census as reported by the respected journalist David Broder. This staff member, who works for this House, unmistakably revealed that race is a factor in the Republican effort to block an accurate and less expensive census. As Broder reported, ``. . . it is about raw political power, as I was reminded on a recent visit to the GOP command post on Capitol Hill.'' When two of my colleagues wrote to the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Miller) yesterday to express their concern, he fired back a response within hours accusing them of ``injecting racial politics into the debate.'' Once again, when racial bias, prejudice, and base-based outcomes are exposed, the Republican response is to attack the messenger for ``playing the race card.'' Mr. Speaker, we who oppose government sanctioned racism will not be silenced by these attacks. We will stand in this well as long as it takes to shed light and bring honest debate about the merits of an accurate census. Race was injected into this process not by those who object to prejudice. Race became an issue by those who have turned this process into a fight over raw political power. It was the Republican leader who launched this agenda when he said that meeting our constitutional obligation to provide an accurate census of all Americans was ``a dagger aimed at the heart of the Republican majority.'' Mr. Speaker, if truth is a dagger, if accuracy is aimed at the heart of the Republican majority, then the only thing the leadership of this House should fear is judgment.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to participate in the Adopt a Religious Prisoner in Vietnam Campaign, sponsored by the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church of Southern California. Religious believers around the world often suffer abuses, including beatings, tortures, extended incarceration and, yes, even death at the hands of their government, unless their leaders intervene. As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to highlight the ongoing repression against religion in Vietnam and the plight of many clergy members and lay leaders who are being detained because of their faith. Reports show that the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church continues to be suppressed. All religious activities and ceremonies are prohibited. Assembly of more than three persons is forbidden, and all assets and properties are being confiscated. Religious expression is a fundamental right of all people, both here and abroad, and I believe that we should do all we can to affirm this principle. For too long, imprisoned people of faith have been forgotten. With Members of Congress adopting prisoners, we can successfully advocate for religious prisoners suffering persecution at the hands of the Vietnamese government. I adopted Mr. Tran Huu Duyen and Mr. Nam Liem to raise awareness among U.S. decision-makers and the public about religious repercussion in communist Vietnam. What crimes did these men commit to suffer such hard prison sentences? Mr. Liem is a 58 year old Buddhist priest who practices religion at a small family temple in Vietnam, and since 1975 he has been arrested and detained by the communist authorities over 50 times for having refused to abandon his religious practice. To date, he has not been released from prison. After the Communist takeover, Mr. Huu was arrested and charged with plotting to overthrow the people's government, for participating in a political party that was affiliated with the church. Mr. Huu is last known to be in a labor camp in Xuan Loc and, despite his 78 years of age, he is still forced to do hard labor 8 hours a day. By adopting these prisoners, Members of Congress can generate constant pressure on the Vietnamese authorities to release these religious leaders from detention and to truly respect freedom of religion.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to truly outstanding students from California's 46th Congressional District. Last year I had the opportunity to nominate young men and women from my district to our finest military academies, and I am pleased that five high school seniors were among those offered appointments to join our academies for the 1998 academic year. These students from Orange County will now prepare for one of the most exciting, challenging and educational experiences of their lives, years of commitment and service to their Nation. During their years in high school several of these students excelled in academics, athletics, and more importantly, these students were very devoted to community service. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the following students who were appointed to the United States military academies for the 1998 academic year: Robert J. Kennedy of Garden Grove Julio A. Nelson of Anaheim Michael Bigrigg of Santa Ana Joshua Fogle of Garden Grove Leo Kosi of Garden Grove

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I have a record in support of reforming and simplifying the Tax Code and in favor of reducing the tax burden. As a businesswoman, I know how this complicated system undermines the success of entrepreneurs and small businesses. But tossing out the code without any notion of what will replace it is dangerous. I worked in the financial markets and my colleagues on Wall Street tell me that this will create uncertainty in the marketplace, and that is America's pension plans on the line. The Secretary of the Treasury says that it will create dangerous uncertainty in the marketplace. And think about the uncertainty that this creates at the kitchen tables around America. Do we want to see the value of our homes decrease next month over the uncertainty of whether the home mortgage deduction will survive the ban? Do we want to see a drop in charitable contributions because people do not know whether they will remain deductible? Would any American vote for a proposal like this without knowing whether it would result in their own taxes going up because of an unknown plan that might replace the current code? Mr. Speaker, we need the courage to propose a replacement before we toss this out.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to an outstanding citizen of the United States of America, Richard Albert McCullock. Mr. McCullock was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on July 26, 1924. At the age of eighteen he joined the U.S. Army in the infantry, and later was transferred to the Engineers, 3rd Division. It was the beginning of World War II, and he was sent to the European theater where he fought during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. When he returned to the United States he met Marilyn Hedrick, and was married on June 7, 1947. The McCullocks have recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary. They have five children and twelve grandchildren. The McCullocks have lived in Garden Grove, California, in the 46th Congressional District, for forty-four years. During that time, Mr. McCullock has devoted his energies to some very important causes and issues. As a member of the Elks Lodge, he began a clown program to entertain youth at charitable events, and also began a program on American culture. Mr. McCullock's love for his country, and for the American flag, is very evident. The Garden Grove Elks are responsible for having a row of flags on both sides of Main Street in downtown Garden Grove. The Garden Grove City Council just approved the flags this June. This is due in large part to Mr. McCullock's persistence and emphasis on the beauty and meaning of the American flag. Mr. McCullock comes into my office quite often, to order flags for Eagle Scouts or for other special occasions. He updates my staff on the correct flag protocol and has taught my staff a great deal about the history of the American flag. In a sense, he is the keeper of the flags, and insures that the American flag is flown outside my Garden Grove office for all to admire. I ask you all to join me today to salute this fine American, who has served his country during its darkest hours, and who has protected and upheld our flag. He is a shining example of what it means to be American.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to an outstanding citizen of the United States of America, Richard Albert McCullock. Mr. McCullock was born in Bloomington, Illinois, on July 26, 1924. At the age of eighteen he joined the Army in the Infantry and later was transferred to the Engineers, 3rd division. It was the beginning of World War II and Richard was sent to the European theater where he fought during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. When he returned to the United States he met Marilyn Hedrick and was married on June 7, 1947. The McCullocks have recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary. They have five children and twelve grandchildren. The McCullocks have lived in Garden Grove, California, in the 46th district, for forty-four years. During that time, Mr. McCullock has devoted his energies to some very important causes and issues. As a member of the Elks Lodge he began a clown program to entertain at charitable events. He also originated a program on Americanism. Mr. McCullock's love for his country and for the American flag is one of his primary issues. He is responsible for having a row of flags on both sides of Main Street in downtown Garden Grove. The Garden Grove City Council just approved the flags in June, 1998. This is all due to Mr. McCullock's persistence and emphasis on the beauty and meaning of the flag. He comes into my office quite often, always to order flags for Eagle Scouts or for special occasions. He updates my staff on the correct flag protocol and taught my staff a great deal about the history of the flags. In a sense, he is the keeper of the flags, and oversees that the flag is flown outside for all to admire. Mr. McCullock is well-known in my office and in Garden Grove. We are always very pleased to see him. I ask you all to join me today to salute this fine American, who has served his country during its darkest hours, who has protected and upheld the flag and its symbolic value, who has given to his community many hours of commitment and devotion.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to the following men who are being commemorated with memorial plaques on May 30 at the Civic Center ``Walk of Honor'' in Santa Ana, California. These Medal of Honor recipients are again being honored for their bravery while serving in the military for our country. These exceptionally brave heroes live or have lived in Orange County for some time in their lives. William E. Barber, 78 of Irvine, California, was a captain of 220 men in Korea in 1950. During a fierce battle with the Chinese, he ignored orders to withdraw and fought with his men for five days in sub-zero temperatures. This extraordinary feat of bravery and fortitude saved thousands of American lives. Walter D. Ehlers, 76, of Buena Park, California, fought during the D- Day invasion in 1944. He singlehandedly eliminated an entire machine- gun crew. During this battle, he was shot by a sniper and yet he was not deterred. He carried a wounded rifleman to safety and returned to the fight. Kenneth A. Walsh, 81, of Santa Ana was a Marine pilot fighting against the Japanese formations over the Solomon Islands in 1943. He fearlessly dived into the Japanese squadrons and shot down two Japanese dive bombers and a fighter even though his own plane had been hit several times. Clarence B. Craft, 76, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was born and raised in Santa Ana California. As an Army private he led a grenade charge from the top of Hen Hill on Okinawa. Under the blaze of heavy artillery fire, he charged the enemy troops, driving them into a cave. He threw a satchel of grenades into the cave which caused an explosion killing the enemy troops. John P. Baca, 49, San Diego and Huntington Beach, California, fought in Viet Nam in the 1970's. When a hand grenade was thrown into the midst of his platoon, the Army specialist fourth class covered the grenade with his steel helmet and fell on the helmet, thus saving the lives of eight men. Three of the men honored today are deceased. Nelson M. Holderman, was a World War I Army captain who lived in Santa Ana. Though wounded three times in 1918 in the Argonne Forest in France, he carried two wounded men to safety through enemy fire. Chris Carr, was a World War II Army sergeant who lived in Huntington Beach, California. His troop was pinned down near Guignola, Italy, in 1944. Carr climbed around a flank of German soldiers and captured five positions, killing eight and capturing 22. Donald A. Gary lived many years in Garden Grove, California. He was a World War II Navy lieutenant. When the USS Franklin was attacked by aircraft near Kobe, Japan, the munitions and stockpiles exploded. Gary assisted several hundred men to safety who were trapped in the smoke- filed compartment. Each of these men has served the country and their fellow Americans by disregarding their own safety and their own lives. Extraordinary men, extraordinary feats. Their acts of heroism saved many American lives. I ask you to join me today in recognizing these remarkable men who played a most vital part in the preservation of America's freedom.

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago the House Committee on National Security unanimously approved my amendment to honor and recognize the former South Vietnamese army commandos who were employees of the United States Government during the Vietnam War. Today, the Members of this House had the opportunity to properly honor those brave men by supporting the Department of Defense authorization bill for fiscal year 1999. Last year, the President signed into law legislation that I advocated to ensure that the United States Government honor a 30-year-old bad debt and pay these men who worked for the United States Government the wages they earned but were denied during the Vietnam War. These individuals were trained by the Pentagon to infiltrate and destabilize communist North Vietnam. Many of these commandos were captured and tortured while in prison for 15 to 20 years, and many never made it out. Declassified DOD documents showed that U.S. officials wrote off the commandos as dead even though they knew from various sources that many were alive in Vietnamese prisons. The documents also show that U.S. officials lied to the soldiers' wives, paid them tiny ``Death Gratuities'' and washed their hands of the matter. For example, Mr. Ha Va Son was listed as dead by our Government in 1967, although he was known to be in a communist prison in North Vietnam. Today he is very much alive and well and living in Chamblee, GA. In my hand I hold the United States Government's official declaration of his death. Because it was a secret covert operation, the U.S. Government thought they could easily ignore the commandos, their families, friends, and their previous contacts without anyone noticing. As the Senior Senator from Pennsylvania said in a recent hearing, ``This is a genuinely incredible story of callous, inhumane, and really barbaric treatment by the United States.'' In the 104th Congress, this House approved legislation that required the Department of Defense to pay reparations to the commandos. This bill would have provided $20 million to the commandos and their survivors, an average grant of about $40,000 per commando. It called them to be paid $2,000 a year for every year they were in prison, less than the wages they were due. President Clinton signed this legislation into law (Public Law 104- 201). However, in April of 1997, the Department of Defense said that the statute was legislatively flawed and the Secretary could not legally make payments. I then contacted Secretary Cohen requesting the administration's help to correct this error. The administration responded by supporting inclusion of the funding in the Supplemental Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1997 (Public Law 105-18) Last year, I met at a public forum with 40 commandos from my district. One individual shared with me his story of how he parachuted into enemy territory, was captured, convicted of treason, beaten, thrown into solitary confinement for 11 months, then moved among hard--labor camps for the next seven years. His story is not unlike countless others. I request unanimous consent to insert into the record one story of this abuse headlined ``Uncommon Betrayal'' as reported by an Atlantia newspaper recently. Today, however, I am pleased to provide this Body with this update. To date, the Commando Compensation Board has been established at the Pentagon; 266 claims have been processed; 142 Commandos have been paid. All this was made possible because of the commitment of this House. After years of torture by the North Vietnamese, the callousness of being declared dead by the United States Government, and years of anguish over not receiving their rightful compensation--these brave men now deserve recognition. The South Vietnamese Lost Army Commandos are finally a step closer to having the United States Government honor their contracts for their years of service to the United States Army. I am proud that the members of the House had an opportunity to properly honor these brave men. We can not bring those who perished back, but we can give these individuals the dignity and respect that's been so long overdue. Who supports this resolution? The State of California American Legion strongly endorses this amendment and I would like to submit the letter from the Department Commander Frank Larson into the Record. In Commander Larson's letter dated May 1, 1998, he states, ``Ms. Sanchez: I'm sure if history were unfolded for all to see it would show that the South Vietnamese commandos, who aided the United States Government in covert actions against the North Vietnamese, were responsible for saving many American lives.'' It goes on to say: ``To that end, the same recognition due our soldiers, sailors, marines and airman involved in the Vietnamese Conflict should be afforded to the former South Vietnamese commandos, who so gallantly served and endured.'' It is also supported by: The Air Commando Organization; The Special Forces Organization. American veterans who fought side by side with the Commandos, come to their defense in letters of support. I would like to share with you what our soldiers have to say about the commandos. This letter comes from a special forces NCO: ``Dear Sir: I had the opportunity to work with these men in which they not only risked their lives, but continually put themselves in harms way. * * * We are aware of terrible trials and conditions these men endured for so long and we would like to help * * *'' I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that last year, during POW/MIA recognition day, I had the opportunity to meet with several members of my veteran community. I had the opportunity to speak with former POWs and family members whose loved ones were taken as prisoners or declared missing in action. Several of the veterans mentioned their support for the Commandos and urged that the Government honor its word. Today, we gave these commandos what they really wanted, the distinction of honoring their service in the Vietnam War. And on behalf of the 40 commandos residing in the 46th Congressional District of California, I would like to thank the Members of this body for their commitment to honor and to recognize the former South Vietnamese army commandos. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a series of documents relating to these former South Vietnamese commandos. Uncommon Betrayal Abandoned by the United States, former South Vietnamese commandos rise from the dead On a moonlit night in May 1965, a large transport plane was flying low through the skies of northwestern North Vietnam on its way toward the town of Son La. Sitting nervously in the back of the plane was Team Horse, a group of five South Vietnamese commandos who were part of a covert CIA/Department of Defense (DOD) plan known as Operation Plan 34-Alpha (Oplan-34A). Team Horse was being parachuted in to reinforce the eight members of Team Easy, who had been deployed there in August 1963. After making a first pass by the drop zone to release crates of supplies and a homing beacon, the plane circled around again and Team Horse parachuted out the back. Soon after hitting the ground the commandos knew their mission was a total bust. Soldiers from North Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security were waiting for them with rifles in hand. Even worse, Team Easy had been captured long ago, and the North Vietnamese had used that team's radio equipment to lure in Team Horse The five commandos were tried and convicted of treason, and sent to prison. Only one, team leader Quach Nhung, would survive incarceration. After more than 20 years of hard labor in a Vietnamese prison, Nhung was released and immigrated to the United States in 1994. He is one of about 30 former South Vietnamese commandos involved in Oplan-34A who now live in the Atlanta metro area. Recently declassified documents have revealed Oplan-34A to be one of the most tragic and disturbing aspects of the Vietnam War. ``When you read those documents, you want to cry,'' says Sedgwick Tourison, who used many of the papers to write Secret Army, Secret War--Washington's Tragic Spy Operation in North Vietnam. ``It's disgusting. We sold [those commandos] down the river and walked away, and we did it with such clean hands. And as I put in the book, nobody thought this would ever surface.'' Even Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, was shocked by the abuses. In a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, Specter said, ``This is a genuinely incredible story of callous, inhumane, and really barbaric treatment by the United States.'' a doomed operation From 1961 through the end of the decade, approximately 500 commandos separated into 52 small teams were sent into North Vietnam. Trained and funded first by the CIA, the operation was taken over by the DOD in 1964. At first, the teams were designed to gather intelligence, but their duties were later augmented to include psychological warfare and sabotage. Nearly of the commandos were either killed or captured almost immediately by the North Vietnamese, who had heavily infiltrated the operation with moles on the South Vietnamese side. The entire operation was a failure, and documents now show that the CIA and the DOD knew that it was. Still, they continued to send commandos to their almost certain doom. The United States' betrayal of the South Vietnamese commandos did not end there. Once they had been captured, their families were notified not that they were prisoners of war or missing in action, but that they were dead. ``The Defense Department compounded that tragedy by simply writing off the lost commandos,'' Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said during the recent Senate hearing. ``Drawing a line through their names as dead apparently in order to avoid paying monthly salaries [to the families].'' Says Tourison, who is the former Chief of Analysis in the Defense Intelligence Agency's office of POW/MIA affairs. ``It was money more than anything else. The bottom line was that we did not want to pay them any more. We were recruiting new guys and telling them that if anything happens we'll take care of you, and we never had any intention of doing that. And because of the moles the North Vietnamese had on the inside, they knew what we had done. And once they found out, that sent a message to Hanoi that we viewed the lives of those who serve for us as of no consequence.'' But the betrayal of the South Vietnamese commandos still did not end there. Even though the United States knew many of them were in prison, nothing was ever done to get them out. As Kerry, himself a Vietnam War veteran, said at the hearing, ``After sending these brave men, on what by anyone's judgment were next to suicide missions, and after cutting off their pay, we then committed the most egregious error of all: We made no effort to obtain their release along with American POWs during the peace negotiations in Paris [in 1973]. As a result, many of these brave men who fought alongside us for the same cause spent years in prison, more than 20 years in some cases.'' The U.S. government is now trying to make up for its treatment of the commandos. On June 19, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that will pay the former commandos or their survivors $40,000 each, which basically amounts to an average of $2,000 back pay per year for an average of 20 years spent in prison. Even though the commandos need the money and say they are looking forward to it, money cannot erase the past. ``Forty thousand dollars is nothing,'' says Nhung. ``No money can pay for my life.'' coming to america Recently, three of the former South Vietnamese Oplan-34A commandos now living in the Atlanta area sit down to talk about their life during wartime and what moving to America has meant for them. The site is the living room of a cramped apartment in an ersatz Colonial complex on a predominantly Asian stretch of Buford Highway just across the street from the Little Saigon strip mall. A group of happy, boisterous kids play on the landing. A strong odor of simmering soup rolls in from the kitchen. Sitting around the table are Nhung, 52; Team Greco deputy commander Quash Rang, 58; and Team Pegasus leader Than Van Kinh, 67. Acting as interpreter is Ha Van Son, who had been part of a similar operation, Oplan-35. Son was imprisoned for 19 years and was also declared dead to his family by the United States. Members of his operation are also being considered for compensation in the Senate bill. The men smoke almost constantly and emit a feeling of haggard world--weariness. They are all dressed similarly, in Oxford shirts and polyester slacks, and each has salt-and- pepper hair slicked down and parted to the side. When asked why they joined on with Oplan-34A, the answer comes quickly and not without some measure of incredulity. ``Because everybody wanted to fight against the communists,'' says Son, speaking for the group ``Nobody fight with any other reason. Tourison's book is filled with wrenching stories of commandos being starved and tortured while in prison, and the experiences of these men were equally brutal. ``All of us were treated very, very badly,'' says Son. ``All of us were shackled and put in a small cell for a long time. After that they take us to a big room where we concentrate with everybody. But they give us only a little of rice a day. Sometime no rice, but yellow corn. But the corn that's used for animals, not for man.'' Even today, many of the commandos still suffer physically from their time spent in North Vietnamese prisons. ``When we got tortured, everybody has a problem in their body,'' comments Son. ``Like Than Van Kinh, all his teeth was broken out.'' With that cue, Kinh opens his mouth wide and taps his dentures with a finger. ``And my leg sometimes is paralyzed. Everybody is like that in the winter. Sometimes we get pain and hurt in the knee and in the body. You see the outside is good [i.e., they look fine from the outside], but inside sometimes from the fall to winter, if the weather changes, everybody gets pain.'' When they were released from prison, their lives improved little. Because they were branded as traitors in Vietnam, it was hard to get work. ``It was very, very difficult because when we go to apply for a job in Vietnam, the Vietnamese communists check and they know that this was a spy commando,'' says Son. ``So that everybody has to go to work as a farmer, and some drive a three-wheeled motorcycle in Saigon.'' Tourison maintains that U.S. policy toward the commandos has ruined more than just their own lives. ``In Vietnam, they are largely excluded from all legal forms of employment,'' he explains. ``Because of that, the children normally have to cut their education short to engage in child labor to support their parents. We have visited the sins on three generations. The older couples, their children, and their grandchildren.'' In Atlanta, some of the commandos are retired, but most are employed in various jobs. For example, Nhung works in a factory that manufacturers containers, Son is a sales and leasing consultant at an auto dealership, and Rang and his wife own a beauty salon in Duluth--aptly named American Nails. Remarkably, the commandos harbor less anger toward the United States than one might expect. ``My friend Quach Nhung say, everybody still have a little anger with the leaders who betrayed us, but we know that they are not the representatives of U.S. government right now, they are not the American people,'' says Son, speaking for his comrade. ``Of course, everybody get angry, but we have to talk with the American people and the American government to [let them] know about the facts of history. We think we have to fight for justice.'' Son has been informed that the commandos should receive their back pay from the United States in about 18 months. When they receive those funds, the commandos plan to pool their resources. ``In Atlanta, we have about 30 commandos,'' explains Son. ``[We] will establish a joint venture corporation and maybe we will do a business like a Vietnamese market and everybody will work for our company, every commando and their family. And we think that corporation may develop for the commandos' children's future and take care of the old.'' By combining the money they will get from the U.S. government, the commandos will have a substantial amount to work with. However, Son admits that when Americans learn what happened to them and how much the government is planning on compensating the commandos, many of them are appalled. ``American people, they say, you are worth $4 million, not $40,000,'' says Son. ``That's very cheap. It's a little bit.'' let's screw them again Even though life seems to be on the upswing for the commandos, there are still a few snags. Some of the commandos, including Than Van Kinh, have had problems bringing their families to this country. His wife and son have been denied entrance. ``His wife was denied with no reason,'' says Son, translating Kinh's words. ``We were very surprised because his wife was waiting for him from the time he was captured in North Vietnam.'' Tourison also expresses exasperation that Kinh's wife was denied immigration. ``Over the last 35 years, Than Van Kinh has spent maybe five or six years with his wife out of all of his adult life,'' he says. ``This is a woman who worships the ground this guy walks on. They've been married since the 1950s, and these sons of bitches [in the Immigration and Naturalization Service], with a stroke of the pen say, `Well we just don't believe she's your wife.' What are you going to do at that point? That's just so damn cruel.'' There are also some 70 former still in Vietnam, some of whom have found getting less than easy. ``This is a relatively small community of people who paid a higher price than anyone who served us during the war,'' says Tourison. ``Unfortunately, the State Department and the INS give them absolutely no priority. What that means is that when they submit papers to the embassy in Bangkok applying to depart Vietnam or they get a request for more documents, it can take six months to a year until someone acts on it. And you know what happens? ``They die. I have gotten letters from commandos, and then six months later while they are waiting for an answer from the embassy in Bangkok, they die. It tears me apart every damn time that happens because it is so fundamentally wrong and so fundamentally counter to our own values. They were first in prison, last out, and let's screw them again.'' As the former commandos wait for their payment from the United States, as they wait for other comrades and stranded family members to join them, they say they are enjoying their lives in America but have not forgotten their homeland. ``Of course we miss Vietnam,'' says Son. ``And everybody, except Mr. Kinh, who is too old, every commando thinks if we get a start on an organization, if we have weapons and we have [money], we want to go back to Vietnam to fight with the communists again. ``My friend Quach Nhung, he say, of course now I like it in America, it is better than in Vietnam, but because we have sacrificed for our country and for freedom, we did not like to see the Vietnamese communists take over. We want Vietnam to be a country with freedom, human rights, and democracy.''

Ms. SANCHEZ

Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would give U.S. servicewomen stationed overseas access to Department of Defense health facilities by repealing a provision of the law which bars these women from using their own funds to obtain medical treatment in military hospitals. Women serving in the military overseas depend on these base hospitals for medical care and they may be stationed in areas where local health care facilities are inadequate. The ban may cause a woman who needs medical care to delay treatment while she looks for a safe provider, or it may force a woman to seek an illegal, unsafe procedure locally. Women who volunteer to serve in our Armed Forces already give up many freedoms and risk their lives to defend our country. They should not have to sacrifice their privacy, their health, or their basic constitutional rights to a policy with no valid military purpose. This amendment is about women's health. Local facilities in foreign nations are often not equipped to handle a procedure, and medical standards may be far lower than those in the United States. We are putting our own defenders at risk by forcing them to seek local facilities from medical procedures. This amendment is also supported by the Department of Defense.