[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 129 (Friday, October 4, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING JIM WHITTINGTON, MSGT USAF, RETIRED

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RONNIE SHOWS

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 3, 2002

  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues the 
news that my good friend, Jim Whittington, of Laurel MS, has been given 
the ``Excellence in Community Service'' Award by the National Society 
of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
  Although he would disagree with me, there is no individual more 
deserving of this award than Jim Whittington. Jim is a leader of a 
nationwide grassroots movement fighting to restore earned health care 
for military retirees. While there are many grassroots leaders across 
the country who have been working together in this fight, it was Jim's 
persistence that led to the introduction of legislation that was 
enacted into law and went a long way towards fulfilling America's 
commitment to military retirees.
  In the spring of 1999, Jim, along with his friend and fellow military 
retiree Floyd Sears, of Ocean Springs MS, organized a Military Retirees 
Summit in Laurel. Over 400 retirees from the southeastern United States 
gathered to explain to local officials, including me, how the United 
States government had broken its promise of lifetime health care for 
military retirees.
  Having recently been elected to Congress, I had never confronted this 
issue before. I did not know about problems with military health care. 
Like many other Americans, I believed that our nation's veterans 
received priority health care. Until I attended the summit in Laurel, I 
did not know that military retirees, who served a career in service to 
the country, were not getting the level of health care that had been 
promised to them.
  Since the founding of our Republic, recruits to the uniformed 
services were promised lifetime health care. They were told that health 
care would be provided for them and their families when they retired 
after a career in service. And for many years, they received quality 
health care when they retired. But over time, Congress changed the 
laws. The availability and quality of health care for many military 
retirees declined. For too many retirees, health care just wasn't there 
at all.
  Jim Whittington is one of the most tenacious people I know, and it 
was his persistence that got me to agree to attend his summit. What I 
learned at that summit convinced me and others across the country to 
join the fight to make good on the ``Broken Promise.'' If it wasn't for 
Jim Whittington, the Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees 
Act would not have been introduced.
  But, thanks to Jim, the bill was introduced in the fall of 1999, 
giving the grassroots a platform on which to stand and challenge 
Congress to act. ln just one year, Congress enacted Tricare for Life, 
which went a long way towards restoring the promise of lifetime health 
care and keeping faith with our nation's military retirees.
  Tricare for Life--TFL--answered the prayers of thousands of military 
retirees and their families. Jim Whittington is one of those who 
benefit from TFL. But Jim knows that there are still thousands more 
military retirees and dependents who are not covered by TFL and still 
lack the level of health care they have earned. Jim unselfishly 
continues to be one of the grassroots leaders fighting to restore the 
health care promise for ALL military retirees.
  TFL was the first big victory for the military retirees, but it will 
not be the last, Today there is a movement called the MRGRG--The 
Military Retirees Grassroots Group--that has no formal structure or 
membership. But there are thousands of them, connected by the Internet, 
who have combined their individual voices into one. Leaders of the 
MRGRG, including Jim, are circulating a ``White Paper'' throughout 
Congress that outlines the remaining promises waiting to be kept.
  Jim Whittington has earned the respect of Americans across the 
country who know of his leadership in the fight to treat military 
veterans with the respect they deserve. But Jim is a humble man and 
knows he did not do this alone--far from it. He knows he shares this 
award with fellow retirees who cared enough to act.
  But it is always up to somebody to take the first step. When Jim took 
that step--to organize the Laurel summit and convince his Congressman 
to attend--he did not know where it would lead. Today we know that Jim 
and the others of the MRGRG have set an example for all Americans. They 
have shown us that Democracy works--that Americans who combine their 
individual voices into one voice, loud and strong, can change things 
and restore justice where it is needed.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I am proud to salute my friend Jim Whittington, who 
has set an example for all of us.

                          ____________________