[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 82 (Thursday, June 10, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6875-S6876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Conrad, and Mr. Leahy):
  S. 1215. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish headstones or markers for 
marked graves of, or to otherwise commemorate, certain individuals; to 
the Committee on Veterans Affairs.


                    veterans headstones and markers

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that will 
entitle each deceased veteran to an official headstone or grave marker 
in recognition of that veteran's contribution to this nation. Currently 
the VA provides a headstone or grave marker upon request only if the 
veteran's grave is unmarked. This provision dates back to

[[Page S6876]]

the Civil War when this nation wanted to ensure that none of its 
soldiers was buried in an unmarked grave. Of course, in this day and 
age, a grave rarely goes unmarked, and the official headstone or marker 
instead serves specifically to recognize a deceased veteran's service.

  Unfortunately, this provision has not changed with the times. When 
families go ahead and purchase a private headstone, as nearly every 
family does these days, they bar themselves from receiving the 
government headstone or marker. On the other hand, some families who 
happen to be aware of this provision request the official headstone or 
marker prior to placing a private marker. As a result, the grave of 
their veteran bears both the private marker and the government marker.
  All deceased veterans deserve to have their service recognized, not 
just those whose families make their requests prior to purchasing a 
private marker. The Department of Veterans Affairs is well aware of 
this anomaly. VA officials receive thousands of complaints each year 
from families who are upset about this law's arbitrary effect.
  A constituent of mine, Thomas Guzzo, first brought this matter to my 
attention last year. His late father, Agostino Guzzo, served in the 
Philippines and was honorably discharged from the Army in 1947. Today, 
Agostino Guzzo is interred in a mausoleum at Cedar Hill Cemetery in 
Hartford, but the mausoleum bears no reference to his service because 
of the current law. Like so many families, the Guzzo family bought its 
own marker and subsequently found that it could not request an official 
VA marker.
  Thomas Guzzo then contacted me, and I attempted to straighten out 
what I thought to be a bureaucratic mix-up. I was surprised to realize 
that Thomas Guzzo's difficulties resulted not from some glitch in the 
system, but rather from the law itself. In the end, I wrote to the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs regarding Thomas Guzzo's very reasonable 
request. The Secretary responded that his hands were tied as a result 
of the obscure law. Furthermore, the Secretary's response indicated 
that, even if a grave marker could be provided for Thomas Guzzo, that 
marker could not be placed on a cemetery bench or tree that would be 
dedicated to the elder Guzzo. The law prevented the Department from 
providing a marker for placement anywhere but the grave site and thus 
prevents families from recognizing their veteran's service as they 
wish.
  This bill is a modest means of solving a massive problem. It has been 
scored by the Congressional Budget Office at less than three million 
dollars per year. That is a small price to pay to recognize our 
deceased veterans and put their families at ease. If a family wishes to 
dedicate a tree or bench to their deceased veteran, this bill allows 
the family to place the marker on those memorials. We should give these 
markers to the families when they request them, and we should allow 
each family to recognize their deceased veteran in their own way.
  This bill allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to better serve 
veterans and their families. I stand with thousands of veterans' 
families and look forward to the day when this bill's changes will be 
written into law.
                                 ______