[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6299-6300]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNITION OF DISTINGUISHED U.S. VETERAN JOE P. POE, JR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Everett). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call to the attention of 
the Congress a distinguished United States veteran by the name of Joe 
Poe from Dunn, North Carolina.
  As our Nation focuses on the mission of our men and women in uniform 
in Yugoslavia and other parts of the world, I rise to pay tribute to 
one who has already served. Joe, his wife Marilyn, and their children 
suffer from undiagnosed Gulf War related illnesses.
  Joe served in the United States Army for 20 years before retiring in 
1992. His assignments have included serving in the 82nd Airborne and 
the 101st Airborne Divisions, as a drill sergeant in Panama in 
Operation Just Cause. He also served in support of joint special 
operations, and as a team sergeant for a forward surgical team in 
Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
  During his career, one of Joe's greatest contributions was helping 
write and implement the Army's doctrine on forward surgical teams. He 
is the recipient of the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, 
Army Commendation Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and other 
high honors, decorations and badges.
  The Gulf War should have been Joe's last battle, but it was not to 
be. Following his service, Joe began to experience disabling side 
effects as a result of his service in the Persian Gulf. Six years 
later, and thanks to the determination of Joe, his family and the 
efforts of Kate Darwin, a dedicated social worker on my staff, Joe 
became designated as 100 percent disabled and became one of the first 
acknowledged cases of Gulf War related illnesses by the United States 
Department of Defense. I am grateful to Kate and commend her for her 
tireless efforts battling the Federal bureaucracy on behalf of Joe and 
other veterans.
  Even though his speech has slowed considerably now, the whole world 
listens to Joe Poe. He spends countless hours on the internet 
contacting other Gulf War veterans and lawmakers to organize them to 
support Gulf War veterans and their causes.
  Late last year, with limited time remaining in the legislative 
session, Joe and other North Carolina veterans arrived in Washington to 
press lawmakers to pass legislation on behalf of Gulf War Veterans. As 
a result of their efforts, H.R. 4035, the Drugs and Informed Consent 
Act, and H.R. 4036, the Persian Gulf Veterans Health Act were passed, 
thanks to Joe and his boundless determination and his continuous 
effort.
  I learned things from this. Never underestimate Joe Poe and never 
underestimate the unshakable will of the human spirit.
  Mr. Speaker, I provide for the Record an article dated September 30, 
1997, from the Daily Record of Dunn, North Carolina, on Joe Poe.

          Once Fighting For Country, Now Fighting For His Life


 Joe Poe works every day to find answers for him and others about what 
                    has caused his Gulf War Illness.

                           (By Andy Rackley)

       Talk with Dunn's Joe Poe and it is easy to understand why 
     so many people have rallied around him and feed off his 
     determination.
       Visit with Mr. Poe for more than 10 minutes and it is also 
     easy to see why friends, family members and casual 
     acquaintances call him an unsung hero.
       Mr. Poe, a 20-year retired Army veteran, was once the lean, 
     mean fighting machine which invokes the spirit of the elite 
     soldiers in the U.S. Army. He tells of numerous military 
     stories with a fire in his eye which keeps even the non-
     interested drawn into his tales.
       However, the final few years of Mr. Poe's service saw him 
     journey to what he thought would be his final battle--less 
     than a year before his retirement--on the desert basin of the 
     Persian Gulf.
       Mr. Poe was team sergeant for a forward surgical team 
     during the Gulf War. There were only two such teams. The team 
     was part of a doctrine in which Mr. Poe's brilliant mind 
     helped design.


                             now uses cane

       Now, a little more than six years after Mr. Poe's 
     participation in the Gulf War, Mr. Poe's mind is still 
     beaming with brilliance, however, it has slowed somewhat.
       The soldier which used to walk several clicks (kilometer) 
     in an hour with a 60-pound rucksack on his back, now has to 
     walk with the use of a cane and can barely support his own 
     weight. The man who helped rewrite the Army's doctrine on 
     forward surgical teams, now takes about 30 minutes to type a 
     paragraph on a computer. Regardless of the obstacle and the 
     limitations caused by his illness, he gives a smile and 
     carries on in his fight.
       According to Mr. Poe and his family, he has Gulf War 
     illness. He has been poked and prodded by numerous hospitals 
     from Fayetteville to Winston-Salem to Washington,

[[Page 6300]]

     D.C. The prognosis is always different. And the prognosis is 
     never Gulf War Syndrome. He suffers from numerous symptoms 
     like migraines, memory loss, concentration problems, balance, 
     speech, vision-loss and others.
       Though frustrated sometimes to tears over the government's 
     attitude toward he and other veterans' suffering from an 
     unknown illness, Mr. Poe still arrives at work early in the 
     mornings--except when he just can't seem to make it in--at 
     the family's business. American Artisans on South Clinton 
     Avenue in Dunn. Though he is no longer able to work with the 
     business, he goes there and digs in for a daily battle of 
     researching information on Gulf War illness, developing and 
     linking numerous veterans groups across the state and nation, 
     and being a support link for other veterans.


                           dead animals found

       He is uncertain of how he contracted the disease, but he 
     does tell frightening stories of his time spent in the Gulf 
     War to include dead animals being found near his camp and 
     mysterious colored clouds. Mr. Poe was near the ammunition 
     depot where Iraqi chemical weapons were destroyed.
       He said there were more than 1,600 other reports of 
     mysteriously dead animals. ``DoD (Department of Defense) said 
     the animals died from a natural occurrence of anthrax,'' he 
     said. ``Maybe one or two or maybe a herd, but not 1,600 
     different reports of animals dead and the flies on them dead, 
     too. It had to be something more.''
       He also tells of multiple detections of nerve agents by 
     several units near his camp to include his unit. Mr. Poe was 
     one of the people who gave a report to DoD about the 
     detection of nerve agents. Mr. Poe and his three teammates 
     all suffer from some type of illness.
       According to Mr. Poe's wife Marilyn, her husband was 
     already sick by the time he returned from the Gulf. ``We--the 
     children and I--knew something was wrong He had numerous 
     problems and symptoms which you could not define as to one 
     sickness. Everything was steady and in slow progression until 
     1995 when Joe's speech became dramatically affected, he had 
     trouble walking and just getting around. And he has continued 
     to get worse,'' she said.


                        family showing symptoms

       Mrs. Poe and the children have also began to feel signs of 
     the sickness. Mrs. Poe has come down with multiple sclerosis 
     and the children are having problems with their joints. These 
     are the biggest concerns Mr. Poe has. Is his sickness 
     affecting those around him? He has limited his time spent 
     with others in church or eating out with the family because 
     of his fears and concern for others.
       ``We just want answers,'' Mrs. Poe said. ``I think a lot of 
     the doctors we've seen are also frustrated. A lot of them 
     don't know what is going on or how to help. And those who may 
     know something in the Veterans' hospital may not be able to 
     help because of higher authorities. We just want help before 
     it is too late.''
       Mr. Poe doesn't have an answer to the illness facing he and 
     fellow veterans, but every day he adds another piece of 
     information to his Gulf War illness collection. Other 
     veterans say Mr. Poe's fight each day is a huge step for all 
     Gulf War veterans.
       One of those people who call Mr. Poe a hero is his wife. 
     ``One thing about Joe is that he has always done things for 
     the benefit of others whether it was his role as a husband, 
     his role as a father or soldier. He always gave it his all 
     and then some. What amazes me is that even with his 
     situation, he is still thinking of others.''


                          fighting for others

       Mike Ange, another local veteran affected with Gulf War 
     Illness, said Mr. Poe is definitely a modern-day hero. ``He 
     has a tremendous medical problem that nobody really knows how 
     to fight. Despite that, he gets up every day and spends most 
     of the day fighting not just for himself, but for others as 
     well.''
       Larry Perry, spokesperson for the Desert Storm Veterans of 
     the Carolinas Association, echoes those remarks. ``Joe puts 
     unbelievable amounts of time and energy into this fight. It 
     takes guys like Joe to win this thing. His fight, I hope, 
     will one day lead us to victory.''
       Mrs. Poe said their fight has been solidified by the great 
     community they live in. ``I can't say enough about Dunn. The 
     people believe in Joe's fight and they are very supportive. 
     People like those at First Baptist Church who have gone above 
     and beyond what is normally expected. And U.S. Rep. Bob 
     Etheridge who stands behind Joe and other veterans,'' she 
     said.
       The Poes have sent their blood off to be tested for 
     mycoplasmal infections at the Institute for Molecular 
     Medicine in Irvine, CA. However, the testing procedure has 
     been put on hold until funds can be raised to continue 
     research. The testing of veterans' blood by the medical 
     institute is not financially-supported by the Department of 
     Defense. The Poe's blood samples are two of 500 waiting to be 
     sampled. Out of the 500 samples, 200 of those are from North 
     Carolina.
       Mr. Poe and other veterans plan to hold annual meetings to 
     help disseminate up-to-date information on Gulf War Illness.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman).


                   Save Social Security and Medicare

  Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).
  Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago we balanced the budget for the first time in 
29 years. Now we must meet our next great challenges, making sure that 
Social Security and Medicare are there for our children and our 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I like tax cuts, I like them as much as the next person, 
that is why I voted for $95 billion worth of tax cuts in the 1997 
Balanced Budget Act. But with Social Security and Medicare set to go 
broke in the years 2034 and 2015 respectively, it should go without 
saying that fixing Social Security and Medicare should have first 
priority over any more tax cuts.
  Mr. Speaker, with due respect, my colleagues on the Republican side 
of the aisle have put together a budget that does not put one penny 
toward extending the life of either Social Security or Medicare. 
Instead, in my judgment, my good friends on the Republican side of the 
aisle are ready to squander $780 billion worth of our surplus on open-
ended irresponsible tax cuts.
  Mr. Speaker, in my judgment we ought to save Social Security and 
Medicare first before we spend any more of the surplus on any more tax 
cuts.

                          ____________________