[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16469]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



 ON THE CELEBRATION OF JAMES N. GOLDSMITH'S SELECTION TO HEAD VETERANS 
                       OF FOREIGN WARS OF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2001

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to an 
important milestone in the history of our nation's oldest veterans 
organization.
  On Aug. 24, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States 
installed James N. Goldsmith of Lapeer, Michigan, as Commander-in-
Chief. Even as I speak, veterans from around the state and across the 
nation are assembling in Harbor Springs, a beautiful community in my 
congressional district, to welcome Jim home and congratulate him on his 
great honor. He is the first National Commander elected from Michigan 
since 1943.
  Jim has been active since 1967 as a member of the VFW. He served as 
All State Post Commander in 1974, and in 1977 he earned recognition as 
an All State and All American District Commander. In 1978 he was 
selected as Michigan's ``Young Veteran of the Year,'' and in 1980 he 
became the first Vietnam veteran to be elected Department Junior Vice 
Commander. He earned All American status as a Department Commander, 
1982-83.
  He served in Vietnam as an engineer from April 1966 to August 1967. 
In his acceptance speech as National Commander-in-Chief, Jim made the 
fight against diabetes one of the key elements of his tenure, 
demonstrating that he will clearly articulate the concerns of Vietnam 
veterans. I trust that all our House colleagues are aware that diabetes 
is linked to Agent Orange, and that combat forces who were ``in 
country'' during the Vietnam War and now have diabetes may be eligible 
for monthly disability compensation benefits and VA health care.
  Jim has also been back to Vietnam. While serving as Senior Vice 
Commander-in-Chief, he was selected to travel there as part of a 
presidential fact-finding committee. On an earlier trip to Vietnam and 
Laos as VFW Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief, he participated in field 
efforts to recover the remains of missing U.S. service personnel.
  The effort to account for missing combat individuals from past wars 
will remain one of the highest priorities of the VFW under Jim 
Goldsmith. He has already announced a new VFW initiative called the 
``The VFW Reach Out for DNA Initiative'' to help contact eligible 
donors of blood DNA.
  The goal is to collect blood samples of all material relatives of 
World War II, the Korean War, Cold War, and Vietnam War casualties 
whose remains have not been recovered or identified. These samples will 
be sent to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii to aid in 
such identification.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that Jim Goldsmith will be a powerful spokesman 
for 1.9 million members of the VFW, for all our nation's veterans, for 
active-duty personnel and for their families. I know we will see Jim 
Goldsmith on Capitol Hill, speaking out in support of bills like H.R. 
303, a bill that brings fairness and just compensation to military 
retirees who have a service-connected disability.
  This weekend, as Michigan celebrates the selection of James Goldsmith 
to head the VFW, I ask you and our House colleagues to keep him in our 
thoughts and prayers, as he undertakes his vital task on behalf of all 
who served this nation so well.

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