[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 160 (Thursday, November 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           VETERANS DAY 2003

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 6, 2003

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, throughout our history, the 
freedom we enjoy has faced serious threats time and time again. But 
because our courageous military personnel were willing to go into 
battle and risk all they had, our independence and our liberties have 
remained strongly intact for over 200 years.
  It is crucial that we take time to pay tribute to those responsible 
for our freedoms and I am proud to stand on the House floor today--as 
Veterans Day draws close--to recognize America's 25 million living 
veterans and their fallen brothers and sisters.
  In Congress, I am honored to serve over 61,000 military veterans from 
California's 53rd Congressional District. It is truly a privilege to 
represent so many of America's greatest heroes and to spend so much 
time working on their behalf.
  As I meet with my veterans, I am always amazed with their stories and 
to learn about their heroics on the battlefield.
  Just last month, I heard from a constituent, who as a young man, 
enlisted in the Army in 1941 and was immediately sent to the South 
Pacific to fight the Japanese in World War II.
  His name is Chief Warrant Officer Michael Campbell, and now 86 years 
old, he lives in San Diego with his wife, Priscilla. Mr. Campbell's 
experiences illustrate what millions of our veterans had to endure when 
they were sent to war.
  The Army deployed him to a region where the fighting was extremely 
intense and the Japanese inflicted severe casualties on our soldiers 
and took many as prisoners.
  Warrant Officer Campbell fought courageously as both a rifleman and a 
machine gunner in the Philippines, but in 1942, his unit was captured 
and he too was taken as a Prisoner of War.
  This brave young soldier spent the next three years in the harshest 
conditions you can imagine. He was transferred to several different 
internment camps and was forced to perform slave labor in a steel mill 
building supplies for the Japanese Army along side hundreds of other 
allied soldiers.
  By the time the war had come to an end and he was liberated, Warrant 
Officer Campbell felt lucky to have his life. Hundreds of his brothers 
who were taken prisoner starved to death or died from other causes.
  It took several weeks of medical care in a San Francisco military 
hospital before Mr. Campbell could recover from what he had 
experienced.
  However--despite what he had endured--this courageous young man 
quickly reenlisted in the Army and dedicated another 30 years to his 
Nation. He said he did this because he loved the military and loved 
serving his country.
  It is this kind of amazing resolve that has defeated our enemies and 
has kept the United States strong. I am pleased for the opportunity to 
thank Warrant Officer Campbell and his fellow veterans for dedicating 
their lives to protect our freedoms and our liberties.
  Now that we are about to observe another Veterans Day, I ask my 
colleagues to seriously consider what we owe to them. Are we repaying 
the debt?
  Mr./Madam Speaker, I strongly believe we could improve our treatment 
of our greatest heroes.
  Just recently, we have had the opportunity to increase funding for 
Veterans' Affairs health care. Unfortunately, though veterans 
nationwide expressed their strong support, we failed to provide VA 
health care with the increase it needs. We all know in this body that 
the health care system veterans rely upon will go under funded in 2004 
because we did not act properly.
  We currently have another opportunity before us, Mr./Madam Speaker, 
to end what has come to be known as the Disabled Veterans Tax. I remain 
hopeful that during the 108th Congress, we can pass strong concurrent 
receipt legislation and provide the veterans who have made the most 
unimaginable sacrifices with both the disability and retirement 
payments they earned and deserve.
  I am afraid that any proposal that provides concurrent payments to 
only a small portion of veterans is not good enough. I ask my 
colleagues to speak directly to their veterans about this issue and let 
them decide what kind of legislation will be fair for their brothers 
and sisters.
  Finally, Mr./Madam Speaker, I would just like to take a moment to 
reiterate my dedication to our Nation's retired military personnel. We 
can never take for granted the sacrifices our brave men and women in 
uniform have made on our behalf.

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