Timothy Walz

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, it's a pleasure for me to yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman and my neighbor from Minnesota, Mr. Peterson, someone who understands the needs of rural Minnesota and our rural veterans as well as anybody in this House and in this country, and understands how important these outpatient clinics are and the incredible honor and why it's right to name this clinic for a true Minnesota hero.

Mr. WALZ. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my support of H.R. 3157, a bill to name a VA outpatient clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota, in memory of Master Sergeant Max J. Beilke. Master Sergeant Beilke served in the United States Army for 22 years, and he retired from service in 1974. On September 11, 2001, Max Beilke was at the Pentagon. Mr. Beilke was killed in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on that day. After a lifetime of military service, Sergeant Beilke was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. He was awarded the Defense of Freedom Medal and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. While in the Army, Mr. Beilke played a vital role in evacuating U.S. troops from Saigon and is officially listed as the last U.S. combat soldier to leave Vietnam on March 29, 1973, at the end of the Vietnam War. Max Beilke served overseas in Germany, Korea and Vietnam and was an ROTC instructor at St. Thomas Military Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota. While in the service, Sergeant Beilke earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration by attending night school at the University of Maryland. He later earned a master's of arts degree in personnel management in 1977 from Central Michigan University. Sergeant Beilke retired from active duty in 1974, but remained dedicated to the service of our soldiers, to the veterans and to their families. The driving force of Mr. Beilke's life was caring for soldiers and their needs. He was instrumental in getting Congress to pass the TRICARE for Life program for military retirees. For this, he was named a TRICARE hero. From 1984 until September 11, 2001, Mr. Beilke served as deputy chief of the Army Retirement Services, and was an active member of the Army Chief of Staff Retiree Council. Master Sergeant Max Beilke left behind his wife, two daughters, and three grandsons. Master Sergeant Beilke was a true friend to thousands of Army retirees and was of one of Alexandria, Minnesota's and this country's most distinguished heroes. In recognition of his commendable service to our soldiers and veterans alike, H.R. 3157 is supported by State and local dignitaries from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the United Veterans Legislative Council of Minnesota, and the Department of the Army. H.R. 3157 would name the new Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota, as the Max J. Beilke Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic. Naming a VA facility for Master Sergeant Beilke, a hero and a strong advocate of veterans, is the proper and honorable thing to do. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3157) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Alexandria, Minnesota, as the ``Max J. Beilke Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.

Mr. WALZ

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

Mr. WALZ. With that, Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to unanimously support this. I want to thank the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) for so eloquently and clearly stating the need for this. Our rural veterans need this. This would have been a mistake to not extend this facility, and I appreciate your hard work to get this done.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on S. 509.

Mr. WALZ. We have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. We have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 509, a bill to authorize a new outpatient clinic at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, Washington. This bill would authorize appropriations of $71 million for the VA's construction and major projects account in fiscal year 2009. This funding would be used to design and construct a 65,000-square-foot outpatient clinic which will serve nearly 70,000 veterans in the Walla Walla area. It has been a long journey since July 2003 when the VA was trying to close the Walla Walla facility. There have been challenges along the way, especially with the CARES Commission's decision in February of 2004, which formally recommended closing this facility. However, we managed to do right by our veterans in the Walla Walla area by removing this facility from the VA's facility closure list and by getting the VA to include the construction of an outpatient clinic at the Walla Walla VA Medical Center in the fiscal year 2009 major construction priority list. All of this would not have been possible without the leadership, hard work, and advocacy of Senator Murray. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to personally thank Senator Murray for introducing this bill and to thank Chairman Akaka of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee for moving the bill forward. I know how incredibly important it is to our veterans, especially to those in more rural areas, to get the care they need, so I strongly support the passage of S. 509. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 509) to authorize a major medical facility project at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Walla Walla, Washington, and for other purposes.

Mr. WALZ

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to unanimously support this resolution. I want to thank Mr. McNerney from California for the inspiring story of Jake and for bringing this piece of legislation to the floor--again, absolutely appropriate the week before Veterans Day. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back all remaining time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Resolution 461.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I stand in full support of House Resolution 461 to honor the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation. Sentinels of Freedom is an organization that provides support and opportunities to selected veterans with injuries sustaining 60 percent or higher levels of disability in all branches of our military post-9/ 11. They provide significant support in assisting our veterans to readjust back to civilian life and prosper in their hometowns or new communities. Each of the past recipients of the Sentinels of Freedom scholarship has an inspiring story of recovery. Many of them have lived through injuries which they were not expected to survive and further endured many surgeries and months of recovery. For example, Army veteran Jake Brown accepted the first Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship in 2004. Crushed by a tank while serving in Germany, he was in a coma for 10 days and was not expected to live, but now he is back in his hometown and he is thriving. Jake returned to his hometown of San Ramon, California, with his wife and currently works for UPS, where he has earned two promotions. He is also on the dean's list at Diablo Valley College. He has dreams of ultimately attending UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Despite having life-altering physical handicaps, veterans like Jake Brown are grateful to be alive and continue to prosper in their communities. As Mike Conklin, chairman and CEO of Sentinels of Freedom, describes, the program is not a charity but rather an investment in the life of a person who has served our Nation and has earned the right to achieve his or her part of the American Dream. As our veterans return home from war, it is fitting to have House Resolution 461 before us today. I am grateful to have the Sentinels of Freedom and other organizations that assist our wounded veterans and shed light and let them achieve their dreams. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 461) honoring Sentinels of Freedom and commending the dedication, commitment, and extraordinary work of the organization.

Mr. WALZ

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

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

Mr. WALZ. Again, I, too, want to thank Mr. Wamp, Mr. Kind, and everyone involved in this; it is absolutely appropriate as next week we stop to remember Veterans Day. This project does so all year and for generations to come. I urge unanimous support of this resolution.

Mr. WALZ. 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 House Resolution 866.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Abraham Lincoln, in the Gettysburg Address, stated that the ``world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.'' In that spirit, Congress created the Veterans History Project in 2000. The goal of the project is to capture the personal stories of our Nation's heroes so that our children and their children can more fully understand the history of this great Nation. The project directed the Library of Congress to establish a national archive for the collection and preservation of videotaped oral histories of our veterans, as well as the copying of letters written during their time in service and diaries they kept so there is a national repository of this very important part of our Nation's history. This is a worthwhile investment of time and resources and is a gift that can be given for generations and centuries to come. There are more than 23 million veterans living in this country today, including the 3 million veterans of World War II. It is important that these stories are told, and it is more important that these stories are told from the mouths of those who were on the front lines and participated firsthand as history was made. This resolution before us today, House Resolution 866, calls on the people of the United States to interview at least one veteran in their family or community according to guidelines provided by the Veterans History Project. I would like to thank all the volunteers from across this country, not only the veterans who have shared their stories, but their family members and friends that have helped to capture their accounts. Volunteers and participants become historians themselves; they can collect video and audio recordings, create a collection of recordings to be available for public use, or collect written materials relevant to personal histories of all war veterans. I encourage all Americans to reach out and thank the veterans they know, and their families, for their amazing sacrifice, learn more about their great contributions to our country, gain the wisdom of their personal stories of our Nation's history, and participate in the Veterans History Project. As the chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee has said, he has had the opportunity to hear many accounts from many veterans. He hears the sense of pride that comes with them, as do each of us who defended our country. This 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 would like to thank the chairman, Chairman Filner, Ranking Member Buyer, and all members of the committee, and a special thank you to Representative Ron Kind who introduced this to me. As a schoolteacher and someone who understands the value of these oral histories, this is an incredible archive. The support of this project cannot be overstated. It is going to be something that will allow generations to come to understand what this country was built upon, and they will have it as a resource to access at any time. So, again, I thank everyone involved in this project. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 866) expressing support for designation of a National Veterans History Project Week to encourage public participation in a nationwide project that collects and preserves the stories of the men and women who served our nation in times of war and conflict.

Mr. WALZ

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

Mr. WALZ. I would also like to thank my colleagues who were involved in pushing this bill forward, with a special thank you to our colleague from Florida, Mr. Hastings, for his unwavering support of our veterans. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to unanimously support this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALZ. 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 House Resolution 291.

Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 291, a resolution to recognize The Tower of Hope and the importance of assistance dogs. I truly believe the lives of our wounded veterans are enhanced by the role of assistance dogs that help them live more independently. The Tower of Hope has dedicated their time and effort to raise funds to train service dogs, advocate for the benefit of such valuable animals, and award grants to our wounded veterans. The Tower of Hope is an organization that was founded by Ms. Cathy Carilli, whose husband, Tom Sinton, died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. As a tribute to the memory of her husband, The Tower of Hope was established and plays a major role in helping those seriously wounded in the war that almost immediately followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Many servicemembers are coming home with serious injuries and currently have to wait up to 2 years before they can receive an assistance animal. Many cannot afford them or do not know about the benefits that assistance dogs provide. House Resolution 291 would help overcome these barriers by bringing more recognition to this organization that provides assistance dogs at no cost, educates the public about the benefits of such animals, and brings hope to our wounded heroes. It can cost up to $20,000 to train a service dog, and I recognize The Tower of Hope for providing these valuable animals at no cost to our wounded warriors. Their work is truly admirable. These costs are not covered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, but by national and local organizations and generous donors. I am confident that this resolution will help promote the benefits of assistance dogs and express support to all organizations, volunteers, and donors that make such programs possible. Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of House Resolution 291. I reserve the balance of my time.