[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 45 (Tuesday, April 11, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




``THE QUILTS OF TEARS''--HONORING VIETNAM VETERANS AND THEIR LOVED ONES 
                  WHO HAVE SUFFERED FROM AGENT ORANGE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LANE EVANS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 11, 2000

  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, the loss and suffering of Vietnam veterans 
and their loved ones due to the use of Agent Orange is one of the sad 
legacies of the Vietnam War that continues to haunt our nation. Because 
of our nation's use of herbicides during the war, tens of thousands of 
Vietnam veterans have died or live daily with the scars of disease. As 
any veteran will tell you, the scars of war are not just physical, but 
also emotional. Too many veterans and their loved ones live each day 
with the continuing pain of dealing with the loss and the illnesses 
caused by Agent Orange.
  Next week, the ``quilts of tears'' will arrive in Washington, DC. 
This is an important event because the quilts tell many of the stories 
that need to be told about the devastation this tragedy has exacted on 
too many lives.
  Recently, I received a letter from Ms. Jennie R. LeFevre, an Agent 
Orange widow, who eloquently describes her own experiences as well as 
the legacy left of broken soldiers and broken families. I believe it 
captures the essence of the Agent Orange tragedy as well as the costs 
that our nation continues to pay for a war that ended almost twenty-
five years ago.
  The quilts will arrive on the Mall on April 17 and will be available 
for viewing near the Vietnam Memorial. They will also be on display on 
Memorial Day on the banks of the Reflecting Pool. I urge my colleagues 
to visit this moving and unforgettable memorial. The letter from Ms. 
LeFevre follows:

                          The Quilts Of Tears

       Agent Orange has been interwoven into the fabric of the 
     lives of many Vietnam Veterans and their families. To tell 
     their story, the ``Quilts of Tears'' project was created. It 
     is to show the world the suffering and pain that the Agent 
     Orange Victims and their families have endured. Each block in 
     the ``Quilts of Tears'' reflect their struggles with life and 
     death issues of Agent Orange. Agent Orange has left invisible 
     scars on the hearts and minds of these victims and their 
     families.
       I have recently heard these words about Vietnam Veterans. 
     The words are, ``All gave some, but some gave all''. Such is 
     the case of the thousands of who have already lost their 
     lives to the great tragedy Agent Orange, for they were killed 
     in Vietnam and didn't know it. They were killed by the silent 
     and invisible bullet, Agent Orange. Their names do not appear 
     on the black granite Wall in Washington, DC, the ``Quilts of 
     Tears'' are their Wall.
       The ``Quilts of Tears'' was founded by Jennie R. LeFevre of 
     Shady Side, MD, Founder and President of the Agent Orange 
     Victims and Widows Support Network. The quilts are a Tribute, 
     Memorial and Honor to the Vietnam Agent Orange Victims, both 
     living and dead. Each block represents a victim, and they 
     show the victim's unit in Nam, years served in Nam and the 
     nature of the victim's health problems relating to Agent 
     Orange. At present, there are ten quilts, each measuring 80 
     by 100 inches, each quilt contains 20 blocks. At displays, 
     the quilts are hung on walls or spread on the ground with 
     walking space between each one to allow viewing from any 
     angle. ``The Quilt of Tears'' project is mentioned throughout 
     the Internet on many of the Vietnam Veterans websites and e-
     mail forums and indeed the ``Quilts of Tears'' has a website 
     of its own as well.
       Mothers, sisters, and other family members have adorned the 
     blocks with their loved one's picture, unit patches, military 
     emblems, medals, awards, etc., etc. The quilts were displayed 
     for the first time on the Mall in Washington, DC several 
     years ago. They have since traveled to a quilt show in NJ, 
     several Vietnam Veteran's Reunions in St. Louis, MO, and were 
     also displayed at the Vietnam Veteran Reunion in Kokomo, Ind. 
     They were on display a year ago Veterans Day in the Rotunda 
     of the Utah State Capitol. The quilts are called the ``Quilts 
     of Tears'' because many tears have been shed for these 
     victims. ``The Quilts of Tears'' already have letters of 
     acknowledgment and endorsement from both the Agent Orange 
     Coordinating Council and Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., 
     headquarters in Washington, DC.
       I am an Agent Orange widow myself, my late husband, a 
     veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam War, died with cancer 
     in ten parts of his body. Unfortunately, the VA states the 
     cancer he had was not related to his exposure to Agent Orange 
     so there I am not compensated. I believe Agent Orange did 
     cause his death. I am a member of the Agent Orange 
     Coordinating Council, chaired by the late Admiral Zumwalt and 
     have been on the Council for seven years. I made a block for 
     Admiral's son with the words inscribed ``A Great Warrior 
     Son'' which Admiral Zumwalt requested to be put on his son's 
     block. The block is now a part of the Quilts of Tears.
       ``The Quilts of Tears'' are the Wall for the Agent Orange 
     Victims. Their stories need to be mentioned for all of the 
     suffering and pain they have endured in love and honor for 
     their country, the quilts do just that. One has only to look 
     at the quilts to see for themselves what has happened to 
     these victims. After the display in Kokomo, I received a 
     letter from a veteran who stated the quilts were the most 
     moving piece of art he had seen since the Wall in Washington, 
     DC. A veteran with Agent Orange problems saw the display in 
     Washington, he said he had no one to make a block for him, I 
     told him that I would do it for him. Later he sent me his 
     Purpose Heart to put on the block. One of his prized 
     possessions, he insists that it be placed on his block.
       These quilts are very dear to the hearts of the Vietnam 
     Veterans, the Agent Orange Victims, and their families. Over 
     Memorial Day weekend last year, a big burly veteran looked at 
     the quilts beside the Reflecting pool, walked a short 
     distance away, fell to his knees and burst into tears. When I 
     went to him and hugged him, he asked ``Am I next?''. The next 
     display of the quilts will be on Monday April 17, 10:00 a.m. 
     at the ``In Memory'' ceremony near the Wall, weather 
     permitting, and they will be on the banks of the Reflecting 
     Pool over memorial Day weekend. I invite you and the general 
     public to come and view them.
       Recently, I was at an Agent Orange meeting and another 
     Agent Orange widow took a pin off her blouse and put it on my 
     sweater. The pin was a black heart edged in gold, a jagged 
     streak was across the heart to represent a broken heart and 
     in the center of the heart was an orange teardrop. Yes, our 
     hearts are broken for the Agent Orange Victims.
       The late Admiral Elmo Zumwalt Jr. was a real friend and 
     advocate for the Agent Orange Victims and their families. May 
     his memory and devotion to the Agent Orange issue live on in 
     our hearts forever. Those of us who are a part of the Agent 
     Orange struggle say ``We will never allow the Agent Orange 
     Victims to be Forgotten''.
           Most Sincerely,
     Jennie R. LeFevre,
       Agent Orange Widow.

       

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