[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2403]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      HONORING AMERICA'S VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 1999

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, President Calvin Coolidge once said, ``The 
nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.'' Last 
week, Americans proudly celebrated the last Veterans' Day of the 
century in honor of those brave men and women who so valiantly and 
selflessly served our great nation during times of peace, 
confrontation, and war.
  Americans owe its brave defenders a tremendous debt indeed--one which 
will probably never be fully understood by some, nor completely repaid 
by all. Veterans' Day should reignite year-long gratitude for the 
sacrifices made in the name of the U.S.A.
  We live in a country unrivaled in terms of prosperity, liberty, 
security, and opportunity. Every child born in America is embraced by a 
nation blessed with the richest economy in the world, the highest 
regard for unalienable rights, and the most abundant personal freedom 
in the history of human civilization.
  The comfort, benefits and opportunity we all enjoy, and often take 
for granted, do not exist but for America's veterans. Commending their 
service is among our greatest national traditions wherein we all 
recognize our very liberty has been preserved by their valor and 
courage.
  The veterans' legacy, nearly six decades of domestic tranquility, has 
ironically and unfortunately fostered an unmistakable complacency among 
an entire generation unfamiliar with the horrors of war. While 
Veterans' Day is first about veterans, Mr. Speaker, it is also about 
children.
  It is the prayer of every veteran I know that each American child may 
comprehend freedom's price borne by millions of American soldiers over 
the course of our 223-year history. The liberty we enjoy today has 
always been an expensive and sacred privilege. Conveying these precepts 
to America's youth is perhaps the most profound way to honor all 
veterans.
  Veterans also deserve a country committed to providing the benefits 
and assistance promised in return for defending it. This year, Congress 
made progress in reversing a troubling trend of woefully underfunded 
veteran programs. In my opinion it did not go far enough or raise the 
priority of veterans high enough to counteract the years of neglect.
  Mr. Speaker, currently, the median age of America's World War II 
veterans is 77 years. More than 9 million veterans are 65 years of age 
or older, accounting for over a third of the veteran population.
  Like all aging Americans, these men and women require medical and 
retirement services, particularly those who sustained permanent and 
disabling injuries in the line of duty. Resultant long-term medical 
treatment means staggering medical bills and mounting insurance fees.
  After long years of service and patriotism, veterans should be able 
to count on the rest of us for support. We owe them nothing less. As a 
Member of Congress, I remain wholly committed to protecting the 
critical programs serving veterans and retired military members.
  In addition to cosponsoring several important measures to ensure 
adequate Medicare coverage and increased retirement pay for veterans 
and military retirees, I helped pass the Veteran's Millennium Care Act, 
which expands veterans' eligibility for health care, and the services 
they receive. Mr. Speaker, this legislation reinforces new efforts to 
make certain veterans with severe, service-related disabilities receive 
the long-term care they require.
  This year, Mr. Speaker, as the nation celebrates Veterans' Day, it is 
important to give thanks and to take inspiration from the great 
sacrifices of the brave men and women who have delivered our mighty 
nation. And in commemorating the achievements of America's veterans, we 
should all recommit our own lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor 
to the maintenance of liberty--just as the veterans we now honor have 
so nobly done.

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