[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 101 (Wednesday, June 18, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5533-H5535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       AMERICAN VETERANS DISABLED FOR LIFE COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 634) to require the 
Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of veterans 
who became disabled for life while serving in the Armed Forces of the 
United States.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:

       Senate amendment:
     On page 3, strike line 24 and all that follows thru page 4 
     line 3 and insert:



       (1) Design.--The design of the coins minted under this Act 
     shall be emblematic of the service of our disabled veterans 
     who, having survived the ordeal of war, made enormous 
     personal sacrifices defending the principles of our 
     democracy.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from

[[Page H5534]]

Kansas (Mr. Moore) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Neugebauer) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Kansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MOORE from Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation that we consider today is a simple, 
straightforward bill that would take one small but important step to 
honor more than 3 million American veterans currently living with 
disabilities as a result of their service in the United States Armed 
Forces. In fact, out of 26 million American veterans living today, 
nearly 1 in 10 lives with the physical cost of their service to our 
country in the form of some sort of permanent disability.
  While there are many constructive steps that Congress should take to 
improve the lives of disabled veterans, by passing this bipartisan 
legislation today, which I introduced with my friend and colleague, Mr. 
Kirk, we hope to honor their sacrifice and the toll this has taken on 
their lives.
  Specifically, Mr. Speaker, this legislation provides for the design, 
manufacturer, and sale of special $1 commemorative silver coins and 
authorizes special surcharges on these coins to be contributed toward 
the construction of a memorial to disabled veterans in our country. The 
American Veterans Disabled for Life will command an impressive two-acre 
site located just southwest of the Rayburn House Office Building 
adjacent to the National Mall in full view of the United States 
Capitol.
  The memorial will symbolize America's lasting gratitude for the men 
and women whose lives are forever changed by their service to our 
country. It will also serve as a continual reminder to Members of 
Congress about the human cost of warfare and the need to support our 
American war veterans.
  The House approved this legislation unanimously in May of 2007 by a 
vote of 416-0. The Senate recently followed suit by approving the 
legislation by unanimous consent with one small amendment giving the 
Secretary of the Treasury more discretion over the design of the coin.
  I once again urge my colleagues to adopt this important legislation, 
Mr. Speaker. We will never forget the sacrifice that our American 
heroes made and continue to make in order to promote a better world for 
their fellow citizens. Building this long-overdue memorial is something 
we need to do as Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in strong support of this legislation of this bill sponsored 
by the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore) and the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Kirk) which honors those who have sacrificed so much so 
that we may live in peace, and this is long overdue that we build a 
memorial for them.
  This legislation, as the gentleman mentioned, passed in the House on 
April 15 of last year by a margin of 416-0 and comes back to us from 
the other body with that minor amendment describing the coin's design 
that is totally acceptable, and I urge immediate passage.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, if I could just add one thing.
  I want to thank Mr. Neugebauer and Mr. Kirk, who really drafted this 
bill and got me involved with this, for their generous work on this 
legislation.
  Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, I want to yield to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Kirk), one of the co-authors of this bill and someone I 
have a great deal of respect and I know has worked tirelessly for the 
great men and women who have served in the past and are currently 
serving in our country such time as he may consume.
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, as the co-author of this legislation, the 
American Veterans Disabled For Life Commemorative Coin Act, I want to 
especially thank my partner, Dennis Moore of Kansas, for his leadership 
in bringing this bill to the floor, where we are now, on to the White 
House for enactment.
  Our legislation seeks to recognize the sacrifices made by more than 3 
million living disabled veterans by building a memorial for them right 
here within sight of the Capitol.
  In 2000, Congress authorized the construction of this memorial just 
southwest of the Rayburn building. In December 2006, the President 
signed a law that transferred control of the land for the memorial from 
the District of Columbia to the National Park Service. In February 
2007, I joined my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Hare) in introducing a 
bill that extended the authorization for this memorial through 2015, 
and that was signed into law in October.

                              {time}  1515

  Now, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation 
needs to raise approximately $65 million for the construction of this 
memorial.
  Our legislation today will authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to 
mint commemorative silver dollars that will be sold with a surcharge to 
help the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation to 
raise the money it will need to construct this memorial to our heroes. 
Not only will these coins be collector's items, but they will help 
raise millions for the memorial.
  In crafting the bill, Congressman Moore and I had the privilege to 
meet an extraordinary young man, Sergeant Bryan Anderson from Rolling 
Meadows, Illinois. Bryan's story is, unfortunately, all too common for 
many veterans from Iraq, but his spirit is very uncommon, and his 
attitude sets him completely apart from the average person.
  You see, Bryan at the age of 26, who finished basic training on 
September 12, 2001, lost both his legs and an arm to a roadside bomb in 
Iraq. Bryan jokes that he would have lost both his arms if he hadn't 
been smoking when the bomb detonated. His constant sense of humor and 
his determination are clearly apparent and came through loud and clear 
in a long interview he gave to Esquire magazine.
  In it, Bryan said, ``This doesn't define me. It may be how I look on 
the outside, but it's not who I am. I guess you could remember me 
easily as being a triple amputee, but it's not who I am, has nothing to 
do with who I am. I've always been the same person.''
  Bryan is a self-described ``adrenaline junkie,'' who hopes to become 
a Hollywood stuntman. Since his appearance on the cover of Esquire, 
he's had numerous opportunities to use his story for some sort of 
political gain, but he has always forgiven that opportunity. For Bryan, 
he doesn't like to talk about politics, but always wants to talk and 
support the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.
  Washington has many advocates for many causes here in this town but 
none more effective than Bryan Anderson. With Bryan, you see what you 
get. He is a veteran with an inspirational story, who wants to see this 
memorial built, not just for himself but for all of his disabled 
veterans from World War II, from Korea, from Vietnam, from Desert 
Storm, and from his conflicts both in Afghanistan and Iraq.
  Bryan is about as genuine as you can ever get, and with passage of 
this legislation, we come closer to the day when Bryan will return to 
Capitol Hill to visit the memorial that he helped to build.
  I want to thank my friend Dennis and also a member of my staff, 
Patrick Magnuson, for helping shepherd this legislation through the 
House.
  With more than 3 million disabled American veterans alive today, it 
is fitting that we now take the time to build a memorial in 
memorializing their sacrifice here within sight of the Capitol in 
Washington, D.C.
  As someone who is one of the only Members of Congress still serving 
in the military as a Naval Reserve intelligence officer, it's my honor 
to be the lead Republican cosponsor of this legislation. It's our hope 
now that we go to the White House, enact this legislation, mint this 
coin, raise millions for our fellow disabled American veterans, and 
then build this memorial, not just to show all of the veterans how much 
we care about them and honor them but

[[Page H5535]]

also to remind future Congresses that freedom is not free, that a price 
is very high when the President calls on our Armed Forces to deliver, 
and when they do, we honor them and will always remember their memory.
  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I just want to again thank Mr. Kirk 
and Mr. Neugebauer for their very, very hard work and important work on 
this legislation and colleagues on both sides of the aisle who came 
together in a bipartisan spirit to pass this.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore) that the House suspend the rules and 
concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 634.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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