[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1900-E1901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A TRIBUTE TO BILL ROLEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 21, 1999

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I inform my 
colleagues of the recent death of John William ``Bill'' Rolen on 
September 14, 1999.
  Bill is perhaps best known for his outstanding advocacy on behalf of 
our Nation's former prisoners of war. Since March 1994, Bill served as 
the Executive Director of the American Ex-Prisoners of War. In this 
important position, with outstanding support from his

[[Page E1901]]

wife Mary, Bill Rolen had a major role in assisting the Congress to 
respond more effectively to America's servicemen and women who were 
prisoners of war, their dependents and survivors.
  After graduation from high school in Sevierville, Tennessee, Bill 
entered the U.S. Army in October 1943 and spent four months in basic 
training at Camp Blanding, Florida. Bill subsequently joined the 45th 
Division in March 1944 at Anzio Beach, Italy, participated in the 
liberation of Rome and the invasion of Southern France. Following six 
months of combat, Bill was captured and spent seven months in a 
prisoner-of-war camp. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the 
European Campaign Ribbon with three battle stars, and the Prisoner of 
War Medal for his distinguished military service.
  At the end of World War II, Bill returned to Tennessee, then later 
trained at Coyne Electrical Training School in Chicago, Illinois. In 
1950, Bill moved to Washington, DC and began his successful 34-year 
career with the Army Strategic Communication Command at the Pentagon.
  Following retirement in 1984, Bill organized the first American Ex-
Prisoners of War Chapter in Northern Virginia. He continued his service 
to his fellow POWs throughout the remainder of his life, serving on the 
National Legislative Committee of the National Capitol Office for many 
years.
  Bill continued his dedicated work on behalf of POWs and their 
families until his last days. When the House approved H.R. 2280, the 
Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 1999, on June 29th, this bill 
included a provision which would allow surviving spouses of former 
prisoners of war to qualify for dependency and indemnity compensation 
(DIC) benefits without requiring that the veteran have been 100% 
service-connected for ten years prior to death. This provision was 
recommended to the Committee by Bill Rolen and, as a result of his 
committed and articulate advocacy, an inequity in law which 
unintentionally penalizes spouses of former POWs will be corrected when 
this measure is enacted into law.
  I am proud to have known Bill Rolen and we are better for his 
dedicated service to his Nation and his fellow veterans. We will miss 
Bill Rolen and extend our condolences to his wife Mary, his children 
and grandchildren.

                          ____________________