[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 73 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E985-E986]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN SUPPORT OF AMERICAN VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 2003

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of 
America's veterans. As a veteran myself, I am saddened to see how this 
country is turning its back on those who answered the call of duty time 
after time in this country's history. My district, the 4th District of 
Texas, has the second highest veteran population in the State, and I am 
proud to stand up for these courageous men and women who have given so 
much for their country.
  Recently, this Congress was faced with structuring a budget. The 
House Republican Budget severely cut veterans expectations, while the 
Democratic Budget, containing less harmful, but more expensive 
language, was more favorable to veterans. I supported the Democratic 
substitute which would have left the desperately needed money to 
support the growing needs of our veterans, including veterans health 
care, vocational rehabilitation, disability compensation, pension, 
education and survivors benefits. The Democratic Budget was defeated, 
and in as much as we had to pass a budget, I voted to send the 
Republican Budget to the Senate--knowing that it had to be moved along 
to reach the House and Senate conference committee, where the bill will 
be rewritten. I will work to ensure that our veterans' benefits will be 
restored in the final budget.
  Sixty two years ago, our country was attacked at Pearl Harbor. The 
commanding officer in the Japanese fleet was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, 
who is quoted as saying, ``I fear we have woken a sleeping giant and 
filled him with a terrible resolve.'' Some historians write that he 
said ``I fear that we have awakened a sleeping tiger.'' Unless Congress 
rectifies these spending cuts for our veterans, I feel that we will 
once again ``awaken a sleeping tiger.'' Our veterans will not--and 
should not--

[[Page E986]]

stand for what is being done to them. The need for added medical care 
is at its highest for our remaining World War II veterans. As each day 
passes, there are fewer and fewer who are still able to tell their 
heroic stories of sacrifice, duty, and honor. This also applies to 
those who fought in the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and other 
wars since. If this injustice is not addressed and rectified soon, the 
same outcome will one day apply to those who have so bravely fought, 
and are currently fighting terrorism in the Middle East.
  We must rethink and correct the cuts that have recently been made and 
which are extremely harmful to the well being of those who have made it 
possible for us to enjoy the very freedom we experience today. 
Congressional inaction could result in American veterans--some in their 
80s--marching on Washington, as World War I veterans did in the late 
1920s. Thomas Jefferson said, ``Eternal vigilance is the price we pay 
for FREEDOM.'' The vigilance he spoke of was vigilance against the 
British, the Indians, and the vicissitudes of nature such as drought, 
floods, hurricanes, and disease. Our vigilance today must be to demand 
that the House and Senate conference committee provide adequate funding 
for those who kept the fires of freedom burning brightly and deliver a 
veterans appropriation that will maintain the healthcare and the 
dignity that the greatest generation spawned long ago.

                          ____________________