[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 24, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
    MEDICAL TREATMENT AND HONEST ANSWERS SOUGHT BY PERSIAN GULF WAR 
                                VETERANS

  (Mr. SWETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SWETT. Madam Speaker, this week, as we focus on the defense of 
our Nation, I urge my colleagues to join me in recommitting ourselves 
to the well-being of each and every soldier, sailor, and airman who has 
served in our military.
  I am particularly concerned with the treatment of those individuals 
who fought and won the Persian Gulf war--individuals who, when called 
upon by their Nation, responded with honor and dignity.
  Madam Speaker, many of these soldiers who answered their Nation's 
call and gallantly drove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait paid a heavy 
price--some with their lives and many more with their health. Those who 
continue to suffer are now calling upon us to serve them in their time 
of need. The vast array of symptoms and ailments related to their 
service in the gulf must not be dismissed or ignored. Questions of 
blame and cause must not be allowed to blur the reality of soldiers in 
need. We must ensure that full medical treatment and honest answers are 
provided to these individuals immediately.
  Madam Speaker, this week, as we discuss our numerous defense policies 
and programs, let us remember that behind each of these stands the 
individual soldier, ready to answer the call and expecting the same in 
return.

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