[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 80 (Thursday, June 22, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S5650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HEADSTONES AND GRAVE MARKERS AMENDMENT TO DEFENSE BILL

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to express my appreciation to 
the bill managers, Chairman Warner and Senator Levin, for accepting my 
amendment (No. 3549) regarding headstones and grave markers for 
veterans.
  This amendment entitles each deceased veteran to an official 
headstone or grave marker in recognition of that veteran's contribution 
to this nation.
  This amendment is identical to a bill I introduced last year, S. 
1215, which has the support of veterans groups such as The American 
Legion, The Retired Enlisted Association and the Veterans of Foreign 
Wars. It is cosponsored by Senators Byrd, Kennedy, Santorum, Conrad, 
Leahy, Kohl, Feingold and Lieberman.
  There is no more appropriate time for this amendment. Last month, we 
commemorated Memorial Day. In just a few days our nation will observe 
Independence Day. Each of these holidays reminds us of the sacrifices 
made by our veterans. Today our nation is losing one thousand World War 
II veterans each day. And although they do not boast or brag much, we 
are all well aware of their monumental contribution to America's 
remarkable history of freedom, prosperity and political stability.
  This amendment would enable their country and their families to 
recognize that contribution.
  As anyone who has made burial arrangements for a deceased veteran 
knows, the Department of Veterans Affairs must provide a headstone or 
grave market in recognition of that veteran's service.
  What some may not know, and what this amendment would change, is that 
once a family places a private headstone on their veteran's grave, they 
forfeit their veteran's entitlement to the official VA headstone or 
marker.
  This law has its origins in the period following the Civil War when 
our nation wanted to ensure that no veteran's grave went unmarked. 
Today, however, when virtually no one is buried in an unmarked grave, 
the VA headstone or grave marker serves to officially recognize a 
person's service in the U.S. armed forces.
  The present policy generates more complaints to the VA than any other 
burial-related issue. About twenty thousand veterans' families contact 
the VA each year to register their belief that their family member is 
due some official recognition for his or her military service 
regardless of whether a private headstone has been placed on the grave.
  A constituent of mine, Mr. Thomas Guzzo, first brought this matter to 
my attention. His father, Agostino, a U.S. army veteran, passed away in 
1998.
  Agostino Guzzo is interred in a mausoleum at Cedar Hill Cemetery in 
Hartford, but his final resting place does not bear any official 
military reference to his service in the U.S. Army. Agostino Guzzo's 
family wants an official VA marker, but, because of the policy I have 
described, they cannot receive one.
  Faced with this predicament, Thomas Guzzo 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.
  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 to which I have just referred.
  This amendment is a modest means of solving an ongoing problem that 
continues to be a source of irritation to the families of our veterans. 
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that it would cost three 
million dollars during the first year it is in effect, and about two 
million dollars per year thereafter. That is a small price to pay to 
recognize our deceased veterans and put their families at ease.
  Prior to November 1, 1990, when a veteran passed away, the VA was 
required to provide a headstone or grave marker unless a family bought 
a private headstone. For those families, the VA provided a check for 
the amount, about $77, it would have spent on a headstone. This 
amendment will not reenact that policy, which was discontinued due to 
cost considerations. It simply says that an official VA marker or 
headstone will be provided for those families that ask for one, and may 
be placed at a site that they deem to be appropriate. In most cases, 
families that have placed a private headstone will request a marker--a 
$20 brass plate--that would be mounted to the headstone. Surely we can 
do that much for our veterans in this time of budget surpluses.
  This amendment allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to better 
serve veterans and their families, and I encourage my colleagues to 
listen to the thousands of veterans' families who simply hope to 
recognize a family member's military service.
  The Greatest Generation gave so much to this country in life, this is 
the least we can do for them when that life comes to an end.
  They did their duty and answered the call to serve. It is up to us to 
give them the modest recognition that they deserve.
  Again, I want to thank the managers for their support and the Senate 
for adopting the amendment. I am hopeful that this provision will be 
maintained in the conference report.

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