[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 361 Engrossed in House (EH)]


H. Res. 361

                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                         July 18, 2005.
Whereas in the history of the United States, more than 48,000,000 citizen-
        soldiers have served the Nation in uniform, of whom more than 1,000,000 
        gave their lives as a consequence of their duties;
Whereas as of July 21, 2005, there are more than 25,000,000 living veterans;
Whereas the Nation's obligation to its veterans is encapsulated in the following 
        words of President Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, delivered 
        on March 4, 1865, ``. . . to care for him who shall have borne the 
        battle and for his widow and his orphan'';
Whereas on July 21, 1930, President Herbert Hoover issued an executive order 
        creating a new agency, the Veterans' Administration, to ``consolidate 
        and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans'';
Whereas on October 25, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs Act (Public Law 100-527) under which, 
        effective as of March 15, 1989, the Veterans' Administration was 
        established as an executive department and redesignated as the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs, with the mission of providing Federal 
        benefits to veterans and their families; and
Whereas in 2005, the 230,000 employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        continue the tradition of their predecessors, caring for the Nation's 
        veterans with dedication and compassion and upholding the high standards 
        required of them as stewards of the public's gratitude to those 
        veterans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the 
        Veterans' Administration; and
            (2) acknowledges the achievements of the employees of the Veterans' 
        Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs and commends them 
        for their contributions to the Nation's veterans.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.