[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 164 (Wednesday, November 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14793-S14794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              VETERANS DAY

  Mr. GRAHAM of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to recognize the 
significance of Veterans Day and to honor the Americans it celebrates. 
On Veterans Day we pay tribute to the men and women who have fought for 
our freedom and those who continue to do so right now--they are far 
from their homes and families, striving to keep us safe from terrorism. 
These service-members exemplify what it means to be an American--
courage, selflessness, and a deep love of and commitment to his or her 
fellow countrymen.
  First proclaimed by President Wilson in 1919, Veterans Day was 
initially known as Armistice Day and was intended to commemorate the 
armistice between the Allies and Central Powers that ended the fighting 
of World War I. In 1953, a Kansas citizen named Alvin King lobbied to 
change the holiday's name to honor all veterans, not just those from 
World War I. On June 1, 1954, President Eisenhower signed into law an 
act proclaiming November 11 to be Veterans Day. Yesterday, we 
celebrated the 50th anniversary of that celebration.
  There are currently 25 million American veterans. Every day more and 
more service-members return home from Iraq and Afghanistan becoming new 
members of that elite group of citizens. These heroic Americans freely 
offer their lives to protect those they leave behind, and those they've 
never even met. For this sacrifice, we owe them our continued support 
and care.
  Unfortunately, the Bush administration has established a disturbing 
pattern of behavior that seriously undercuts this long-held ideal. In 
the past 2 years, the President has been full of patriotic words and 
speeches--rhetoric that has proven hollow. At a time when 133,000 
service-members celebrated their Veterans Day in the deserts of Iraq, 
the Administration continues to undermine our veterans' ability to 
receive the quality health care they have earned. With the recent Iraq 
supplemental spending bill, the administration took an opportunity to 
demonstrate its commitment to our troops and twisted it into another 
way to short-change our veterans.
  In that appropriations bill, my Senate colleagues and I worked hard 
to secure an additional $1.3 billion for VA healthcare. These 
desperately needed funds were subsequently removed at the insistence of 
the Bush Administration. Nationwide, 80,000 veterans--including more 
than 10,000 in my home State of Florida alone--are forced to wait 
longer than 6 months to see a VA doctor. When the service-members 
currently serving in Iraq return home and become veterans, they will be 
entitled to 2 years of priority VA health care after they have 
separated from military service. This added influx of patients, when 
coupled with the administration's refusal to give VA the money it needs 
to care for them, will only strain the system further.
  During debates on that same supplemental spending bill, my fellow 
Democrats and I joined together to offer an amendment that would have 
helped rectify a longstanding inequity in the retirement pay our 
veterans receive--or, should I say, don't receive. Currently, the 
earned retirement pay of veterans who are both disabled and eligible 
for military pensions is reduced simply because they receive disability 
benefits as well. This practice of denying concurrent receipt does not 
apply to other Federal workers, only to the courageous men and women 
like the ones currently serving overseas, who made the armed services 
their careers.

[[Page S14794]]

  I spent Veterans Day working alongside employees at the Miami VA 
Healthcare System and saw first-hand the number of veterans turning to 
VA for health care. As part of my duties there, I assisted the nursing 
staff on a patient floor and enrolled veterans for health care in the 
admissions area. This workday gave me an opportunity to see the 
numerous challenges facing VA. I stand in awe of both the VA staff and 
the heroic men and women they serve.
  As we honor our veterans this week, we must not follow the 
administration's lead of making empty promises. We must fight to ensure 
quality health care for all of veterans, just as they have fought to 
ensure our quality of life. We must pay this nation's service-members, 
past and present, the highest tribute we can and finally give them what 
they have so bravely earned.

                          ____________________