[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 119 (Monday, August 1, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5193-S5195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. BAUCUS (for himself, Mr. Tester, and Mr. Burr):
S. 1460. A bill to grant the congressional gold medal, collectively,
to the First Special Service Force, in recognition of its superior
service during World War II; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs.
Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President: When speaking of the Royal Air Force
before Parliament, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said:
``Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to
so few.''
Churchill's words would ring true for the First Special Service Force
as well. An elite and clandestine military unit during World War II,
the Force was trained for the most difficult missions over the most
arduous terrain. The Force pioneered many of the tactics used by
today's Special Operations Forces. Their courage and audacity helped
break through Nazi lines. Surprise night raids. Scaling cliffs.
Traversing snowy mountain passes. The
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Force never faced a mission that was too difficult or too dangerous to
accomplish.
It is a great honor to introduce legislation today with my colleagues
Senator Tester and Senator Burr bestowing the First Special Service
Force with the Congressional Gold Medal.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor the United States
Congress can present. It is reserved for an individual--or group of
individuals--who performs an outstanding act of service to the United
States. I can think of no group of men more deserving of this high
honor than the First Special Service Force.
The Force was comprised of volunteers from 49 States, the District of
Columbia, and Canada. These men trained at Fort Harrison, in Helena,
MT. Later, they were nicknamed the Black Devil's Brigade by a German
soldier who complained they attacked in the middle of the night and
then disappeared.
The Force's training in Helena, Vermont, and Virginia was
unconventional and brutal. Hand-to-hand combat. Demolition. Rock
climbing. Ski and mountain warfare. Amphibious landings. Night air
drops. Their training far surpassed that of any other unit during World
War II. This unique training led to remarkable success in battle.
The Force deployed to Italy in 1943. The first mission was to capture
two peaks on the German Winter Line. This line had proven unbreakable
and defeated massive Allied attacks. The road to liberate Rome led
straight through this line. General Eisenhower needed to find a way to
blast through. He chose the First Special Service Force.
The Force attacked the German line using what both Allied and Axis
forces thought was an impossible route--the north face. In the dead of
winter. In the middle of the night. Needless to say, they surprised the
German forces on Monte la Difensa. Over the next 46 days, the Force
defeated the fortified German Winter Line. The victory came at a
devastating price. The Force lost 1,300 men out of a total of 1,800.
The First Special Service Force then moved to the Anzio-Nettmo
beachhead. For 99 days, the Force battled the infamous German Hermann
Goering Division. The Force pushed the Germans back, liberating Italian
villages as they moved north toward Rome. On June 4, 1944, members of
the Force routed German Forces guarding the eight bridges leading into
Rome. Their advance cleared the way for other Allied forces to liberate
Rome.
The Force then turned to the Iles d'Hyeres, islands in southern
France. Their amphibious assault surprised the Nazi occupiers and led
to the capture of four Nazi forts. The Black Devil Brigade continued to
the mainland where they hunted down the retreating German Eighth Army.
The Force drove eastward in 15 weeks of battle to the Franco-Italian
border, liberating the towns of Grasse, Villeneuve-Loubet, Sospel and
Castillon in southern France.
The Force deactivated on December 5, 1944 in southern France. The
remainder of the war would be fought by large-scale armies, not covert
units like the First Special Service Force.
During the war, the Force suffered 2,314 casualties, equating to an
astounding 134 percent of its combat strength. It captured over 30,000
prisoners, won five U.S. campaign stars and eight Canadian battle
honors. It never failed a mission. Today, only 230 of these brave
soldiers remain to tell the tales of their remarkable service.
As a testament to the unwavering camaraderie of the Force, the First
Special Service Force Association was formed and continues to have
reunions every year. They will be honoring the 70th anniversary of the
creation of the Force at their reunion next year. With every passing
day we lose more of these brave warriors, and it is crucial that we
honor them now.
We owe the liberty we enjoy today to the brave men of the Black Devil
Brigade. So many of us indebted to so few. Fortunately for our great
Nation, the legacy of the First Special Service Force lives on. The
Canadian Special Operations Regiment and the Special Forces of the
United States trace their lineage back to the First Special Service
Force.
It is time to award the First Special Service Force the Congressional
Gold Medal. I strongly urge my colleagues to cosponsor this bill to
honor these American heroes with the recognition and gratitude they
have earned.
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By Mr. REED (for himself, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Kerry, Mrs. Shaheen,
Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Brown of Massachusetts, Mr. Leahy, and Mr.
Blumenthal):
S. 1465. A bill to authorize a pilot program on enhancements of
Department of Defense efforts on mental health in the National Guard
and Reserves through community partnerships, and for other purposes; to
the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce the Joining
Forces for Military Mental Health Act with my colleagues Senators
Ayotte, Kerry, Shaheen, Scott Brown, Whitehouse, Leahy, and Blumenthal.
This legislation seeks to improve the coordination of research,
treatment, education and outreach of mental health, substance use
disorders, and traumatic brain injury, TBI, among members of the
National Guard and Reserve and their families.
These service members often return from a tour of duty and transition
into civilian life far from military bases and without easy access to
the care they might need, which can make transitioning back into family
life and careers more difficult. Those who do seek care in their
community may not always receive the most appropriate and effective
treatment.
The Joining Forces for Military Mental Health Act would authorize the
Secretary of Defense to provide grants to community partners that
engage in research, treatment, education, and outreach. This will help
ensure that every member of the military receives innovative and
effective treatments and the most updated information about mental
illness, substance abuse, and TBI connected with military service.
This type of coordination of research, treatment, education, and
outreach, and collaboration with community partners could improve the
health outcomes of members of the National Guard and Reserve and their
families. This bipartisan legislation has been endorsed by the National
Guard Association of the United States, and the Red Sox Foundation and
others have already shown this type of coordination to be effective in
providing quality care. I urge my colleagues to take a close look at
this legislation and join me in supporting this effort to improve the
mental health care that members of the National Guard and Reserve and
their families receive in the community.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1465
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Joining Forces for Military
Mental Health Act''.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON ENHANCEMENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE EFFORTS ON MENTAL HEALTH IN THE
NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVES THROUGH COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIPS.
(a) Pilot Program Authorized.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense may carry out a
pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of
enhancing the efforts of the Department of Defense in
research, treatment, education, and outreach on mental health
and substance use disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
in members of the National Guard and Reserves, their family
members, and their caregivers through community partners
described in subsection (c).
(2) Duration.--The duration of the pilot program may not
exceed three years.
(b) Grants.--In carrying out the pilot program, the
Secretary may award not more than five grants to community
partners described in subsection (c). Any grant so awarded
shall be awarded using a competitive and merit-based award
process.
(c) Community Partners.--A community partner described in
this subsection is a private non-profit organization or
institution (or multiple organizations and institutions)
that--
(1) engages in each of the research, treatment, education,
and outreach activities described in subsection (d); and
(2) meets such qualifications for treatment as a community
partner as the Secretary shall establish for purposes of the
pilot program.
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(d) Activities.--Amounts awarded under a grant under the
pilot program shall be utilized by the community partner
awarded the grant for one or more of the following:
(1) To engage in research on the causes, development, and
innovative treatment of mental health and substance use
disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury in members of the
National Guard and Reserves, their family members, and their
caregivers.
(2) To provide treatment to such members and their families
for such mental health and substance use disorders and
Traumatic Brain Injury.
(3) To identify and disseminate evidence-based treatments
of mental health and substance use disorders and Traumatic
Brain Injury described in paragraph (1).
(4) To provide outreach and education to such members,
their families and caregivers, and the public about mental
health and substance use disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury
described in paragraph (1).
(e) Requirement for Matching Funds.--
(1) Requirement.--The Secretary may award a grant under
this section to an organization or institution (or
organizations and institutions) only if the awardee agrees to
make contributions toward the costs of activities carried out
with the grant, from non-Federal sources (whether public or
private), an amount equal to not less than $3 for each $1 of
funds provided under the grant.
(2) Nature of non-federal contributions.--Contributions
from non-Federal sources for purposes of paragraph (1) may be
in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated. Amounts provided by the
Federal Government, or services assisted or subsidized to any
significant extent by the Federal Government, may not be
included in determining the amount of contributions from non-
Federal sources for such purposes.
(f) Application.--An organization or institution (or
organizations and institutions) seeking a grant under this
section shall submit to the Secretary an application
therefore in such a form and containing such information as
the Secretary considers appropriate, including the following:
(1) A description how the activities proposed to be carried
out with the grant will help improve collaboration and
coordination on research initiatives, treatment, and
education and outreach on mental health and substance use
disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury among the Armed Forces.
(2) A description of existing efforts by the applicant to
put the research described in (c)(1) into practice.
(3) If the application comes from multiple organizations
and institutions, how the activities proposed to be carried
out with the grant would improve coordination and
collaboration among such organizations and institutions.
(4) If the applicant proposes to provide services or
treatment to members of the Armed Forces or family members
using grant amounts, reasonable assurances that such services
or treatment will be provided by a qualified provider.
(5) Plans to comply with subsection (g).
(g) Exchange of Medical and Clinical Information.--A
community partner awarded a grant under the pilot program
shall agree to any requirements for the sharing of medical or
clinical information obtained pursuant to the grant that the
Secretary shall establish for purposes of the pilot program.
The exchange of medical or clinical information pursuant to
this subsection shall comply with applicable privacy and
confidentiality laws.
(h) Dissemination of Information.--The Secretary of Defense
shall share with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
information on best practices in research, treatment,
education, and outreach on mental health and substance use
disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury identified by the
Secretary of Defense as a result of the pilot program.
(i) Report.--Not later than 180 days before the completion
of the pilot program, the Secretary of Defense shall submit
to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and to Congress, a
report on the pilot program. The report shall include the
following:
(1) A description of the pilot program, including the
community partners awarded grants under the pilot program,
the amount of grants so awarded, and the activities carried
out using such grant amounts.
(2) A description of any research efforts advanced using
such grant amounts.
(3) The number of members of the National Guard and
Reserves provided treatment or services by community partners
using such grant amounts, and a summary of the types of
treatment and services so provided.
(4) A description of the education and outreach activities
undertaken using such grant amounts.
(5) A description of efforts to exchange clinical
information under subsection (g).
(6) A description and assessment of the effectiveness and
achievements of the pilot program with respect to research,
treatment, education, and outreach on mental health and
substance use disorders and Traumatic Brain Injury.
(7) Such recommendations as the Secretary of Defense
considers appropriate in light of the pilot program on the
utilization of organizations and institutions such as
community partners under the pilot program in efforts of the
Department described in subsection (a).
(8) A description of the metrics used by the Secretary in
making recommendations under paragraph (7).
(j) Available Funds.--Funds for the pilot program shall be
derived from amounts authorized to be appropriated for the
Department of Defense for Defense Health Program and
otherwise available for obligation and expenditure.
(k) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``family
member'' and ``caregiver'', in the case of a member of the
National Guard or Reserves, have the meaning given such terms
in section 1720G(d) of title 38, United States Code, with
respect to a veteran.
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