[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 37 (Monday, April 11, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
REMEMBRANCE OF VICTOR P. RAYMOND, VA ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR POLICY AND 
                                PLANNING

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I note the 
death of Mr. Victor Raymond, Assistant Secretary for Policy and 
Planning in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
  Victor, who passed away on Good Friday at the untimely age of 46, was 
one of the truly bright lights at the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
Since his confirmation as Assistant Secretary last year, he served as 
the Secretary's principal advisor on all long-term policy for the 
Department, especially health care policy--a role whose importance was 
heightened by the absence of an Under Secretary for Health. Earlier, as 
Acting Assistant Secretary, and the Department's chief liaison to the 
President's Health Care Reform Task Force, he distinguished himself as 
the intellectual force behind plans to make the Nation's largest health 
care system competitive with private health care providers.
  Mr. President, few individuals have been so well-prepared to 
undertake the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and 
Planning. Victor earned a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University and 
spent more than 14 years in Federal service working on health care 
policy issues, first at the Department of Health and Human Services, 
later at the National Center for Health Services Research, and still 
later as a staffer with the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs 
Committees. Just before joining VA, and his eventual nomination by 
President Clinton to the Assistant Secretary post, he served as Deputy 
Director of the Commission on the Future Structure of Veterans' Health 
Care. Victor distinguished himself in all of these positions by his 
unsurpassed knowledge of health care issues, an intimate knowledge of 
government processes, and a finely honed ability to work with people--a 
rare and potent combination.
  But Victor's most important preparation for high office was his 
service in the military. Few were aware that this mild-mannered 
intellectual who reveled in public policy debates was also a former B-
52 pilot who flew combat missions in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam 
conflict. This experience gave him first-hand knowledge of the 
battlefield sacrifices made by those who wear the uniform. The war 
brought him face to face with the health and readjustment problems 
encountered by returning war veterans, and certainly helped crystallize 
his resolve to help those who sacrificed so much in defense of our 
country.
  As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, I was 
privileged to enjoy a fruitful relationship with Victor in his capacity 
as the executive branch's sole chief minority affairs officer. This 
unique position was established by Congress to ensure that the needs of 
minority and women veterans are properly considered in the provision of 
VA services and benefits. Although Victor was the second chief minority 
affairs officer to be so designated, he was the first to attempt to 
fully carry out the intent of the legislation.
  Victor, who was of Native American ancestry, was among the first 
administration officials to recognize and accept the need for special 
consideration of the needs of Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, 
native Americans, and other minorities as well as women in assessing VA 
policies and programs. He embraced his role as the Department's 
principal minority advocate by organizing a new office to focus 
exclusively on minority issues. Last week, only days after Victor's 
death, that office circulated final copies of the chief minority 
affairs officer's annual report, a compendium of statistics and 
departmental accomplishments in the minority arena which will serve as 
a primary resource document for all future minority-related 
undertakings.
  Mr. President, I believe that the energy and commitment Victor 
Raymond brought to minority issues will be recognized as one of his 
most important legacies. Women veterans and veterans of color 
everywhere will one day have reason to be grateful to a man who did 
everything possible to ensure that every veteran, without regard to 
race or gender, receives appropriate and equitable treatment.
  Mr. President, Victor Raymond's death was nothing less than tragic. 
He was a gifted man who was doing the right job at the right moment. 
Fate struck him down in the prime of life, and the Nation will be the 
poorer for it. All of us who were closely involved in veterans issues 
will miss him deeply. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones in 
their hour of grief.

                          ____________________