Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, let me take this means to pay tribute to COL John R. Smith, Chief of the Air Force Programs and Legislation Division, for his 25 years of service to the U.S. Air Force and our country. A command pilot with over 3,600 flight hours, Colonel Smith has supported combat operations around the world to include Operations Desert Storm, Restore Hope, Allied Force, Northern and Southern Watch, and Desert Fox. He has also flown numerous presidential support missions as well as humanitarian missions in relief of the devastation from hurricanes George and Mitch, flood relief in Mozambique, and earthquake relief in Turkey. COL John R. Smith was born into the Air Force, the son of a World War II pilot and former prisoner of war COL Darrell Smith (ret.) and his wife Helen. Following his father into the Air Force, after high school he earned an appointment to the Air Force Academy and graduated in 1982 as a distinguished graduate. Upon completion of pilot training, he returned as a T-37 instructor pilot to teach and mentor future aviators first at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and then at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, home of the Pilot Instructor Training School. In 1987, he was selected as Randolph's Instructor Pilot of the Year. Following his tour in Air Training Command, Colonel Smith was selected to represent the United States Air Force as an exchange officer with the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. In 1992, Colonel Smith was selected to fly the C-5 at Travis Air Force Base, California. From the C-5, Colonel Smith was assigned to the Pentagon in the Air and Space Operations directorate where he served as the C-5 and C-141 Program Element Monitor directing over $1.5 billion in funding for these two fleets. He was then reassigned as a Joint Warfighting Capabilities Analyst where he prepared recommendations on Department of Defense budgets, programs, and force structure alternatives for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Colonel Smith was selected to command the Third Airlift Squadron, flying C-5s out of Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Under his leadership, the Third overcame low aircraft maintenance reliability rates to support 17 major contingencies, exercises, and relief operations including critical taskings in support of operations in Iraq, Bosnia, and the Far East. The squadron was twice selected as the best operations squadron of the year at Dover, garnered 18 higher headquarter aircrew awards, and earned the year 2000 nomination for the best airlift squadron in Air Mobility Command. Following command, Colonel Smith attended Air War College and was then selected for a tour in the Secretary of the Air Force's Office of Legislative Liaison where he served as the Deputy Chief of the Weapons Systems Division. For the last 2 years Colonel Smith has served as the Chief of the Programs and Legislation Division. There he is responsible for Air Force legislative engagement with the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Madam Speaker, I know the members of the House will join me in offering our sincere thanks to Colonel Smith, his wife Jana, their four daughters, Renae, Elayne, Claire, and Pamela, and four sons Benjamin, Zane, Chad, and Kyle, for their service to our Nation. I would like to especially remember Zane, their second son, who died from leukemia at the age of 2. We wish the Smith family the best of luck in all future endeavors and congratulate Colonel Smith on the completion of an outstanding and successful active-duty career.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. I thank the chairman of the Rules Committee. Mr. Speaker, I am blessed to be a Member of the House of Representatives. Under the Constitution of our country, this is a co-equal branch of government. We are charged here in Congress to raise and maintain the military of the United States. The President is charged with being the Commander in Chief. Our job is clear. We must prepare and maintain our military to the highest standard possible. 1950, the North Koreans invaded South Korea. We had a small force there. General MacArthur, supreme commander in that part of the world, sent a unit that was untrained, underequipped and undersized, called Task Force Smith to stem the tide of the North Korean armies. They fought valiantly and found themselves in the southeast corner of South Korea in what is now known as the Pusan perimeter, and they were in serious trouble. General MacArthur's brilliant Inchon landing on the western coast of Korea changed the nature of the Korean War at that moment. But the lesson of all of this is the lack of readiness of the United States Army as it was in 1950. Our job is to see that that does not ever happen again. This rule, this bill, this resolution is the right one for our time. It will help the readiness of the United States military, in particular our Army. I am very concerned about the stretching and the straining of the Army in Iraq, so much so we just have to fund them, and this is a major step in that direction. Now, some object for some Iraqi language, which frankly leaves a lot to the discretion of the White House. But what we are overlooking is the fact that this bill, this resolution does lead to supporting the troops and keeping the readiness at a higher level. A large percentage of the equipment of the active duty of the National Guard and of the Reserve is not here in America, is overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan. Readiness capability of the future is what this is all about.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, let me take this means to pay tribute to the Elks USA for their continued dedication to communities across the nation and their contributions to the veterans of this country. Founded after the Civil War with a goal of promoting friendship and charity, the Elks are the nation's oldest and largest fraternal organization, with 1.1 million members and lodges in all fifty states. Last year, they donated 9.7 million hours and contributed almost $263 million to a variety of charitable and philanthropic causes. One of the major tenets of the Elks is a commitment to the military and its veterans. In 1918, the Elks built a 700-bed hospital in Boston to rehabilitate World War I wounded and gave it to the nation. Elks made a solemn pledge that ``so long as there are veterans, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will never forget them.'' This commitment still stands through an extensive visitation program in VA hospitals and nursing homes. As the VA's only source of leather, the men and women of the Elks gather animal hides, pay for the tanning, and provide wheelchair gloves and leather used for therapy programs at VA medical centers nationwide. In 2005, they logged 1,037,932 hours visiting hospitalized veterans and taking many of the patients to baseball games, fishing trips, and other outings. The Elks were among the first groups to endorse the World War II Memorial, donating $1.2 million towards its construction. In addition, the Elks raised a similar amount to aid the victims of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. During World War II and the Korean War, the Elks operated canteens for the troops. A decade ago, they gave $100,000 to service chaplains to support the families of the Gulf War wounded at Walter Reed and other military hospitals. A current project, dubbed the Army of Hope, provides support for the families of reservists and National Guard personnel who have been called to active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. For the citizen soldiers whose lives have been disrupted, Elks are helping with the kids, making minor home repairs, writing wills, and providing other assistance for their families. The Elks were founders of Flag Day, a concept President Harry Truman (himself an Elk) signed into law. They promote the flying of the Flag, promote the observance of Veterans Day and Memorial Day, and sponsor parades along with other patriotic events. Madam Speaker, I know the Members of the House will join me in commending Elks USA for their commitment to bettering our country and we thank them for their dedication to our military families.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to bring forward for consideration this bill, H.R. 1538, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007. This bill is the House Armed Services Committee's first step to address the challenges and the obstacles that wounded and injured servicemembers face during their recovery at Walter Reed Medical Center, and at all military medical facilities around the world. Mr. Chairman, I am glad this bill is a product of a strong bipartisan effort to support our troops. While recognizing the ranking member of the committee, Duncan Hunter, and the House Veterans Affairs Chairman, Bob Filner, and Steve Buyer, the ranking member, for their support and contributions to this bill, I would be remiss if I did not also acknowledge the substantial contributions of the Military Personnel Subcommittee chairman, Vic Snyder, and John McHugh, the ranking member, for their considerable help during the development of this bill in committee. Their knowledge and insights and understanding of the complex medical and disability systems that our servicemembers and their families are undergoing help to ensure that the bill before us today will have an immediate and positive impact on the lives of the wounded servicemembers as well as their families. Mr. Chairman, the committee moved expeditiously to make changes that can be adopted fairly quickly after hearing what our wounded soldiers and their families are continuing to face at Walter Reed Hospital. However, these soldiers were not alone. The committee has heard of similar challenges that other soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that are experiencing the same type of treatment across the country. Sadly, what happened at Walter Reed was more than just a leadership failure in the Army. It is symptomatic of the enormous and complex factors that affect military medicine. Yet while those in military medicine provide outstanding quality health care to wounded and injured soldiers, other factors brought to bear on this system also contribute to the state of affairs at Walter Reed Hospital as well as other medical facilities throughout our Nation. Over the past several years, military medicine has been forced to convert thousands of military medical positions to civilian positions. One could ask how this could have an impact on our wounded forces, and the answer is clear and simple; fewer uniformed medical providers means fewer providers left at military hospitals back home treating injured and treating the wounded servicemembers. It also means that those in uniform who do remain will continue to face a high and sustained operational tempo, greater deployments and more time away from home. And yet the Navy, for example, has proposed for fiscal year 2008 to cut an additional 900 medical providers, including, Mr. Chairman, 100 doctors that provide needed health care to servicemembers as well as their families. That is why the committee chose to move quickly on this bill that will provide quick and immediate help to our troops. It is clear that continued and persistent problems that were highlighted at Walter Reed Hospital require closer inspection and may demand a significant and comprehensive overhaul of the entire process. As the Armed Services Committee continues to work on the fiscal year 2008 Defense Authorization bill, we will continue our efforts to examine greater comprehensive reforms to ensure that our forces receive the high quality care that our Nation has an obligation to provide for those wonderful young people in uniform. However, H.R. 1538 is vitally needed now to provide immediate support for our wounded warriors. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I think our country was shocked at the revelation as to what the conditions were at that certain part of Walter Reed Hospital, and I am pleased that we, on a very bipartisan basis, have addressed this through the Armed Services Committee. Mr. Chairman, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to my friend, my colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I am very, very pleased that this bill will directly address the transition between the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration with the actual physical hand-off that is provided and required in this. I yield now 2 minutes to my friend, my colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings). (Mr. CUMMINGS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague, my friend, a member of the Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, as the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) stated about the disparity between the treatment regarding the disability ratings made by the Department of Defense on the one hand, and the Veterans Administration on the other, we hope that disparity will be done away with by the legislation that we pass today. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter), a member of the Armed Services Committee.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hare) 1 minute.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz), the chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee of the Committee on Armed Services. (Mr. ORTIZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining on each side?

Mr. SKELTON. Parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. SKELTON. As soon as the gentleman from California and I finish our allotted time, is it not correct that the Veterans' Affairs Committee chairman and ranking member will assume leadership on this bill?

Mr. SKELTON. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The sad situation of Walter Reed hospital regarding the outpatients has alarmed all of us, whether we be in Congress or not, and this bill has some excellent provisions. It is truly a bipartisan effort. I thank Mr. Hunter and Dr. Snyder, our chairman of our Subcommittee on Personnel, John McHugh from New York. All have done superb work on this bill. It makes some improvements to the medical and dental care for members in an outpatient status. It establishes a toll-free hotline for reporting deficiencies in medical-related support facilities. It requires Members of Congress to be notified of combat-wounded servicemembers who have been hospitalized. It creates an independent medical advocate for members undergoing a medical evaluation board. It improves the training and reduces the workload for Physical Evaluation Board Liaison Officers. It standardizes the training program and curriculum for the Department of Defense Disability Evaluation System. It enhances the training for health care professionals. It would improve the transition for servicemembers between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It provides a $50 million fund to support programs and activities related to medical treatment and care. It would create an Oversight Board for Wounded Warriors. It requires an annual report of the state of military medical facilities. It requires an evaluation and report on the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Evaluation Systems. It requires a study of the support services available for families of recovering servicemembers. And at the behest of Mr. Ortiz, it places a 1-year moratorium on A-76 studies at any military medical facility. It is clear, Mr. Chairman, that the continued and persistent problems that were highlighted at the Walter Reed Hospital require closer inspection and may demand a significant and comprehensive overhaul of the process. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. On our time, I have no more speakers, and I would judge that any further speakers would be on the time of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of the Armed Services time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, may I confirm the fact that when I yielded back a few moments ago, that I have 8 minutes remaining?

Mr. SKELTON. I understand. I do ask that I be able to reclaim the time, the 8\1/2\ minutes.

Mr. SKELTON. I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Arizona (Ms. Giffords).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I wish to mention Mr. Buyer and I have had this discussion about there is more work to do. We will do it. We will do our very best I know in the Armed Services Committee as well as in the Veterans' Affairs Committee; and I appreciate your mentioning the fact that this is a step, although in my opinion, it is a major step. We still have a great deal of work to do regarding the wounded warriors. Now, Mr. Chairman, I have mentioned the positive work done by Duncan Hunter, by Vic Snyder, by John McHugh, by Bob Filner, by Steve Buyer, but I would be remiss if I didn't brag on and thank the wonderful staff that we have on our Armed Services Committee and also in the Veterans' Affairs Committee. They have worked long and very efficiently, and the product before us is a work of art by the members of our staff, and I certainly thank them for their tremendous professionalism.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Chairman, the amendment before us is an excellent one. Those of us who live in the rural part of this country, as well pointed out by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran), will certainly appreciate this. If you look at the statistics, a disproportionate number of people in uniform come from a small town in rural America, and your change in the reimbursement rate will be a great deal of help to those young men and women as well as those who retire in their traveling to and from their hometown to receive the medical care from the designated facilities. And I compliment you and certainly approve of this amendment.