[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 152 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 152

Expressing support for the members of the uniformed services and their 
families, particularly those wounded or severely injured in service to 
  the Nation, and support for the newly established Military Severely 
Injured Joint Support Operations Center in the Office of the Secretary 
                              of Defense.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2005

Mr. Ruppersberger (for himself, Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia, Mr. Jones of 
  North Carolina, and Mr. Hoyer) submitted the following resolution; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing support for the members of the uniformed services and their 
families, particularly those wounded or severely injured in service to 
  the Nation, and support for the newly established Military Severely 
Injured Joint Support Operations Center in the Office of the Secretary 
                              of Defense.

Whereas all members of the uniformed services, regardless of branch of service 
        and whether serving in an active or a reserve component, should be 
        treated with the same degree of dignity and respect by a grateful 
        Nation;
Whereas, for those service members who are injured, wounded, or severely 
        disabled, all steps necessary should be taken to assist them and their 
        family members in navigating the complicated processes of medical care 
        and treatment and transitioning back to duty or private life provided by 
        the Department of Defense;
Whereas all those who serve in battle to defend freedom and in doing so become 
        wounded or disabled--whether active component, National Guard, or 
        Reserve member and whether soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, or Coast 
        Guardsman--have earned the right to equal treatment;
Whereas over one million members of the Armed Forces--active, National Guard, 
        and Reserve--are currently serving on active duty, many of whom are 
        deployed or forward-stationed in more than 120 countries;
Whereas the Nation is currently experiencing the largest mobilization of the 
        reserve components since World War II;
Whereas the Nation's Guard and Reserve forces are serving with great honor and 
        distinction, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, in a manner equal in 
        every way to that of the active components;
Whereas the uniformed services, while comprised of different branches, serve one 
        nation and one mission--to protect and serve the United States--and, as 
        such, when a person takes the oath of office and serves in the Nation's 
        uniform, the Nation owes that person, and that person's family members, 
        equal assistance when that person returns home;
Whereas over 11,500 members of the Armed Forces have been injured or wounded 
        during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom serving 
        the Nation and the Nation's dedication to fighting for democracy 
        throughout the world;
Whereas medical advances on the battlefield and in rear medical support centers 
        have resulted in many service members surviving wounds that in previous 
        conflicts would have proven fatal, resulting in demands on military 
        hospitals, care centers, and bureaucracies to process larger percentages 
        of severely injured service members than in the past;
Whereas the modern Armed Forces are more integrated and operate more jointly in 
        the theatre of operations than ever before, through technological and 
        logistical support, but personnel and medical support services for 
        returning wounded, injured, and severely disabled service members are 
        unable to transition those members back to duty or to civilian life with 
        the same level of integrated systems;
Whereas members of Guard and Reserve forces, in addition to the strains faced by 
        members of the active components, face additional burdens from 
        complicated and burdensome personnel systems that may result in long pay 
        gaps, incorrect orders, and indefinite medical hold status ratings that, 
        in too many cases, result in severe financial strains and even 
        bankruptcies, long wait times for medical care, undue stress and strain 
        on families, and uncertainty in returning to civilian life and 
        employment;
Whereas in response, on February 1, 2005, the Department of Defense established 
        the Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center in the 
        Office of the Secretary of Defense, thereby providing a means for 
        integrating the efforts of the Army Disabled Soldier Support System, the 
        Marine for Life Injured Support Program, the Air Force Palace HART 
        program, and the Navy Wounded Marines and Sailors Initiative; and
Whereas that Joint Support Center, as originally conceived in H.R. 5057 of the 
        108th Congress and supported by a large number of bipartisan 
        Representatives and Senators, seeks to provide a range of resources for 
        severely injured members of the Armed Forces and their families by 
        serving as a clearinghouse of advocacy, support, and information: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reiterates its support for all members of the uniformed 
        services and their families, and particularly for those members 
        wounded or severely injured in service to the Nation;
            (2) applauds the action of the Department of Defense on 
        February 1, 2005, in establishing within the Office of the 
        Secretary of Defense the Military Severely Injured Joint 
        Support Operations Center, thereby providing a means to 
        integrate the efforts of the separate service branches to 
        provide resources for severely injured service members and 
        their families that are carried out through the Army Disabled 
        Soldier Support System, the Marine for Life Injured Support 
        Program, the Air Force Palace HART program, and the Navy 
        Wounded Marines and Sailors Initiative; and
            (3) expresses its strong commitment to that center and the 
        accomplishment of the mission of that center and pledges to 
        ensure that the center receives the resources required for it 
        to fulfill its mission.
                                 <all>