[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 36 (Thursday, March 26, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2688-S2689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                 THE VETERANS BURIAL RIGHTS ACT OF 1998

 Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am pleased to announce the 
introduction of the Veterans Burial Rights Act of 1998. I want to 
personally thank Senator Frank Murkowski, my colleague on the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee and the former chairman of the committee, and Senator 
Paul Sarbanes for joining me in introducing this legislation.
  I also want to thank the veterans service organizations that worked 
with us to draft this very important legislation. I particularly want 
to thank the veterans of my state who first brought this issue to my 
attention and who have been true partners in this effort.
  I introduced this legislation for a very simple reason: every day, 
veterans are being buried across this nation without full military 
honors--honors earned through service to us all. And that is not right.
  The Veterans Burial Rights Act of 1998 is a common sense piece of 
legislation of great importance to the veterans of our country. Our 
bill requires the Department of Defense to provide honor guard services 
upon request at the funerals of our veterans. Our bill is the right 
thing to do.
  Our country has asked a lot of our veterans. I believe we have a 
responsibility to tell each and every veteran that we remember and we 
honor their service to our country. The Veterans Burial Rights Act of 
1998 gives meaning to the words ``on behalf of a grateful nation,'' 
that accompanies the presentation of the flag to the family at a 
funeral.
  I can speak personally to the importance of this legislation. I lost 
my own father last year, a World War II veteran and proud member of the 
Disabled American Veterans. My family was lucky. We were able to 
arrange for an honor guard at his service. Having the honor guard there 
for my family made a big difference and a lasting impression. We were 
all--and particularly my mother--filled with pride at a very difficult 
moment for our family, as Dad's service was recognized one final time. 
It should be this way for every family who lays a veteran to rest.
  With a downsized military, installations are no longer able to 
provide trained personnel to perform military honors for every veteran. 
Veterans service organizations have stepped in and tried to provide the 
color guard services for deceased fellow veterans. And by most 
accounts, they do a pretty good job. But VSO's cannot meet the need for 
color guard services. By their own admission they often lack the 
crispness and the precision of trained military personnel.

[[Page S2689]]

  Our veterans' population is getting older. More than 36,000 World War 
II veterans are dying each month. In my own state, close to 5,000 
veterans are being laid to rest each month. We cannot expect a group of 
older veterans to provide these honor guard services day in and day out 
for their military peers. We are simply asking too much of a generation 
that has already given so much.
  I believe we have a responsibility to act. This bill will ensure that 
every veteran receives a funeral worthy of patriotic service to our 
country. By passing the Veterans Burial Rights Act of 1998, the 
Congress will send a powerful message to veterans that their service to 
us all will never be forgotten.
  I encourage all Members of the Senate to join in this effort.
 Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, on March 24, 1998, I joined 
Senators Sarbanes and Murray in a bipartisan effort to correct a policy 
that is a disservice to our veterans. The issue we are addressing is 
the failure of the military to provide appropriate representation at a 
veteran's funeral in a military cemetery. To remedy this failure, we 
have introduced the ``Veterans Burial Rights Act of 1998'' that 
corrects this failure.
  Currently, the Department of Defense allows commanders in the field 
to decide what level of military representation there will be at the 
funeral of a veteran. It is becoming a common practice for the military 
to send a single representative to provide the mourning family with the 
American flag along with an audio tape recording of Taps.
  Mr. President, I find it astounding that families mourning the loss 
of a veteran would be expected to bring a boom box to a funeral in 
order that a tape of Taps can be played. Is this the way the military 
thinks it is appropriate to honor the memory of a serviceman or woman 
who has served their country honorably? For the sacrifice that veterans 
have made, DoD can only respond with a single person and a tape 
recording. This is a slap in the face of the honor of all who have 
served.
  Mr. President, because I believe veterans deserve more, I have worked 
with my colleagues Senator Murray and Senator Sarbanes to set a minimum 
level of effort by the military for veteran funerals.
  As a former Chairman and member of the Senate Veterans Affairs 
Committee, I know that it is impossible to completely repay our debt to 
our veterans. However, I believe Congress can find ways to show our 
gratitude and respect.
  On Tuesday, we introduced legislation that requires at least a five 
person honor guard for veteran burials upon request. DoD, if it 
chooses, can send a larger contingent, but the five person honor guard 
will be minimum representation. And the legislation requires that one 
of the five representatives plays Taps--not a tape recording!
  This legislation will also allow National Guard and Reserves to 
perform this duty, thus increasing the resources available to DoD for 
this duty. Serving in the honor guard will not count as a period of 
drill or training. I believe this is necessary to preserve the 
readiness of the Guard and Reserves, who are playing a larger role in 
our downsized military.
  Mr. President, I know when I have seen funerals with a military honor 
guard, I walk away humbled. When we pay our respects for those who have 
served, it is the little things that make the difference. Five men or 
women participating in the service not only gives a final honor to the 
veteran but also recognizes the sacrifice the veteran and the family 
have made.
  I hope that my colleagues will join us in cosponsoring the ``Veterans 
Burial Rights Act of 1998.'' A veteran should be remembered for their 
service and sacrifice. There is no better way to remind everyone of 
this, than with a military honor guard. It is the least that we can do 
to show our respects and gratitude for our veterans.
 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I am pleased to join with my 
colleagues, Senators Murray and Murkowski, as an original co-sponsor of 
S.1825, The Veterans' Burial Rites Act of 1998. The purpose of this 
legislation is to ensure the continued availability of military burial 
honors to our veterans.
  More and more families across the country are discovering that, due 
to budgetary cutbacks, full military burial honors are not available 
for their relatives who have served in the armed forces. In many cases 
that have been brought to my attention, families are now being told 
that the best they can expect for these loved ones--who clearly deserve 
a funeral with full military honors--is a taped rendition of ``taps'' 
and a lone representative from the armed services.
  In my view, a society is not only judged by the way it treats its 
aging, its children and its least fortunate, but also by how it 
dignifies and honors its deceased. Knowing of the commitment and 
sacrifice of the armed forces and how important military honors are to 
those who serve and to their families, it would seem that maintaining 
these rites would be a high priority for the Department of Defense. It 
is very difficult for me to understand any degradation or lapse in this 
regard.
  When I first learned of this growing problem, in late 1997, I wrote 
to the Secretary of Defense, urging him to personally review this 
matter and identify the means to reinstate traditional military honors 
for those who have served. I have now joined forces with Senators 
Murray and Murkowski in introducing this legislation in an effort to 
ensure that full burial honors will always be available to our nation's 
veterans when requested. Simply, this legislation would ensure that the 
sufficient manpower and funding is available for requested burial 
details to consist of at least five members of the armed services, 
National Guardsmen, or Reservists--including a bugler, a firing party, 
and a flag bearer.
  In my view, the issue is clear and our commitment should be 
unwavering. Our veterans are always there when this country is in need. 
Rightfully, they have come to expect certain commitments in return 
which ensure them the dignity they deserve --in life and in death. In 
my view, it is our obligation to continue to provide these honors 
without hesitation and without degradation. I urge my colleagues to 
support this measure.

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