[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 420-421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  READY, WILLING, AND NO LESS ABLE: VETERANS WITH PHYSICAL CHALLENGES 
                  WINNING IN THE COMPETITION FOR LIFE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2002

  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, despite the tragedy of September 
11th, last year's Veterans Braintrust, an event that has become one of 
the traditional highlights of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 
Annual Legislative Conference was a somber occasion. As we commenced 
the event at a time when our country had experienced one of the more 
tragic events in its history. We paused for a moment to remember those 
who lives were lost as we convened for this family affair. While we 
didn't know what kind of turn out we would get after the terrible 
disaster we call ``911.'' We want to thank veterans for coming and 
always giving such tremendous support and participation for veteran's 
issues and concerns nationally. But last year especially we really 
appreciated veteran advocates coming that morning.
  This Braintrust brought veterans and their families together from 
throughout the country and gave us an opportunity to discuss critical 
issues affecting veterans with physical disabilities such as voting 
rights; wheelchair accessibility; community based care; family support; 
reasonable employment and expanding entrepreneurial opportunities. 
Minister Clyde E. Sims of the True Light Baptist Church gave the 
invocation and I had the very special honor to bring up Ms. Melba 
Moore, Recording Artist and Tony Award winner who sang `God Bless 
America.' Then Hon. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) co-sponsor introduced 
our keynote speaker who exemplified our theme Ready, Willing, and No 
Less Able: Sen. Max Cleland, Georgia's Senior Senator, disabled Vietnam 
combat veteran, and former VA Administrator. A hard fighter in defense 
of veterans programs and services that many African Americans risk 
their lives to earn. Sen. Cleland noted, approximately 300,000 to 
400,000 Vietnam veterans came back who were wounded from combat. But, 
the physical wounds healed up fairly quickly. However, then the 
emotional aftermath began to set in. Quite frankly, it was that 
emotional aftermath that he had to deal with, and sometimes still deals 
with decades later. By 1978 we gave it a name PTSD.
  Equally important, he said, America's veterans have always taken care 
of this country, but this country has not always taken care of our 
veterans. So we are grateful for this burst of national euphoria we 
haven't seen since Pearl Harbor, and we want to take advantage of this 
flurry of interest in veterans. Particularly, Tom Brokaw's book, the 
``Greatest Generation'' about WWII and now HBO's special ``Band of 
Brothers.'' However, the truth of the matter is anybody who has ever 
served in the military, they are ``Our Band of Brothers and Sisters,'' 
and we must look at it that way! Afterward Braintrust members Mr. 
Morocco Coleman, Executive Committee member and Mr. Clyde Poag, MSW 
made a special presentation as a token of our appreciation to Sen. 
Cleland, and it read from the entire body of the Congress Black Caucus 
Veterans Braintrust in recognition of your outstanding leadership, 
dedication, and commitment to all veterans on September 28, 2001. As 
the former Team Leader of the Grand Rapids Vet Center Program and Past 
Chairman of the National African American Veterans Working Group, Clyde 
who recently retired from the DVA, thanked him on behalf of all 
veterans who have received services from the Vet Center Program, and on 
behalf of all its very dedicated employees, he said to us you will 
always be Mr. Secretary.
  Next Mr. Anthony Hawkins, Acting Director of the Center for Minority 
Veterans, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, our forum moderator 
speaking from the heart remarked that it is extremely important that 
Congress keeps focused on the needs of our veterans, because if we 
don't care for our veterans, we can not expect our children to go forth 
`in harms way' and defend America. Only to come back and be treated as 
second-class citizens. With that said, he introduced our distinguished 
panelist Hope Cooper, Larry Hughes, Pastor Jerry Cochran, George 
Brummel, Alvin Jones, Lee Williams, Judge Hughey Walker, and Robert 
Coward. Although, there were many, many very touching, or compelling 
stories the common truth for all of us was `the importance of family 
and friends.' Because we all have to take responsibility for each 
other, particularly when anybody goes into the hospital, because if you 
don't have somebody to look out for you, you don't get good treatment! 
In closing, Hon. Charles Rangel (D-NY), Dean of the Congressional Black 
Caucus Veterans Braintrust expressed his deep abiding appreciation for 
the camaraderie that veterans have displayed year after year not only 
to the CBC, but to their comrades who can't make it to Washington, DC. 
He said, you can feel it where ever you go that you say, to this great 
nation don't ever forget those people of African descent that have 
really fought for this great country of ours.
  Later that evening the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust 
held its 13th annual reception and awards ceremony with the gracious 
assistance of Mr. Wayne Gatewood, Jr., a Vietnam veteran and owner of 
Quality Support, Inc., an SBA 8(a) Vietnam veterans owned firm. 
Whereby, we honored those who made the freedom we enjoy possible. The 
brave men and women who laid their lives on the line for a country that 
all too often treated them as second-class citizens.
  Then it was my great pleasure to introduce the night's keynote 
speaker Gordon Mansfield, the Assistant Secretary for Congressional and 
Legislative Affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the point 
man for the department's legislative agenda. He graciously thanked the 
Veterans Braintrust for inviting him to speak because many of the award 
recipients are his good friends. He also praised

[[Page 421]]

the work we have done on the part of all veterans regardless of race, 
gender, religion, or disability; and next took this opportunity to 
introduce, for the first time in Washington, DC, Mr. Del McNeal, the 
new Executive Director of Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). Mr. 
McNeal is a combat-injured Vietnam veteran, who has been a member of 
PVA since the 1970's and served as the Executive Director of the 
Florida Gulf Coast Chapter since 1991.
  More importantly, Assistant Secretary Mansfield focused on four key 
words and they were: Able, Veterans, Challenges and Winning. This focus 
was done within the purpose of creating a dialogue between the 
veteran's community, and lawmakers, which can develop into policies 
that enhance the quality of life for all our nation's veterans. 
However, winning was the key to his presentation for the night. He 
stated we know from scientific studies that everyone with a 
catastrophic disability goes through a number of phases ``Anger, 
Avoidance, Denial, Understanding, and Acceptance.'' Yet, as you work 
your way through these stages, you have the opportunity to direct 
yourself on a path towards winning, or to resign yourself to the 
unhappy life of being a loser. Although, some days and even some years 
have been worse than others there are some common threads that 
contribute toward each of our choosing the winning path. One of the 
keys to this success has been veterans training, knowledge of teamwork, 
and group support contributing to reaching goals. Thus, veterans 
training and consequently learning to deal with adversity and to focus 
on the mission, or become outcome-oriented were a significantly 
positive factor. Other threads were hospital rehabilitation time with 
fellow veterans (or peers) facing similar challenges contributed in a 
positive manner to his progress, and linking-up with similar minded 
individuals, as well as having an opportunity to work and to give back 
to other disabled veterans and disabled people generally. Finally, he 
asked for our support in efforts to continue the Department of Veterans 
Affairs (DVA's) work as a leader in the United States and throughout 
the world in providing rehabilitation assistance and saluted what we 
have accomplished.
  This years Braintrust awards were given to the following exceptional 
African Americans and veterans who are physically challenged; 
rehabilitation services providers; supportive personal, home and 
community care providers and disability advocates: Associate Minister 
Clyde Sims, Jr.; Larry Hughes; Lee Williams; Hope Cooper; Pastor Jerry 
Cochran; Alvin Roberts; George Brummel; Judge Hughey Walker; Robert 
Coward, Jr.; John Walker, MSW; Leon Wilson, MSW; Odell Brown; Dr. 
Wilbert Tatum; William `Bill' Demby; Webster Anderson; Kater Cornwell; 
Carl Brashear; Oliver Kuykendall; Robert Mountain; Winnie Jackson; 
Staff Sgt. Hilliard Carter; Thomas Duncan, Jr.; Robert White; Dr. Paul 
Cooke; Robert Muller; Edween Jackson; Tom Brown; Eugene Tatum, Sr.; 
Henry Tillman, III; Terence Goodman; Horace Grace; Jack Marshall; Henry 
Verner; the National Veterans Wheelchair Games; Department of 
Rehabilitation, Social Work & Addictions University of North Texas 
(UNT); Disabled Business Persons Association (DBA); Roosevelt Institute 
(Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation); World T.E.A.M. 
Sports; The Rural Institute, University of Montana; Center for Research 
on Women with Disabilities; and Howard University Research and Training 
Center for Access to Rehabilitation and Economic Opportunity.
  Further, I would like to acknowledge the following individuals and 
groups for their support: Dr. Ura Jean Oyemade Bailey, Arthur Barham, 
Robert Blackwell, Ethel Briggs, Constance Burns, Pastor Jerry Cochran, 
Morocco Coleman, DC Center for Independent Living, Rusty Denman III, 
Eastern Paralyzed Veterans of America (EPVA), Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), 
Venessa K. Franklin, Wayne Gatewood, Jr., Sgt. Maj. Isaac Gillard, Jr., 
USMC, Ret., Eddie Glenn, Ph.D. Doctoral Fellow, Anthony Hawkins, Dr. 
Charles Johnson, Col. Clarence Johnson, USAF, Dr. William Lawson, Paul 
Leung, Ph.D., James Love, Roy Martin, Sandra McClellan, Ruby Miller, 
Minority Veterans of Texas (MVT), Singer Melba Moore, Delores Monye, 
National Council on Disabilities (NCD), Jan Northstar, Paralyzed 
Veterans of America (PVA), Col. Pete Peterson, USA, Ret., Clyde Poag, 
MSW, Bay Area Western PVA, Eda Robinson, Janet Sims-Wood, Ph.D., Wayne 
Smith, Wallace Terry, Clifton Toulson, University Legal Services, 
Marilyn Valiant, Alexander Vernon, Dr. Sylvia Walker, Dr. Celia 
Williamson, Joann Williams, Julius Williams, Michael Handy, and Rev. 
Arthur Wright.
  Let me also say, as Ranking Democratic member of the House Veterans 
Affairs SubCommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I have been on 
the House committee for ten years, or my entire time in Congress. I am 
on the committee because I feel it's the right thing to do. And as we 
prepare for war, I remind my colleagues we cannot forget the men and 
women that have already paid their dues while serving this great 
country. During each Veterans Day (which is my birthday) we wrap 
ourselves in the flag. But how you can really tell, how much we love 
and support veterans are how we treat you in the budget! So as a female 
giving you some love, it's not the words, it's the deeds. Consequently, 
I work very hard to make sure we honor our nation's obligation by being 
here to listen to your concerns and find out how we can make things 
better for you. So in this heightened time of patriotism that we are 
concentrating on the military, the example is how we treat the people 
who have already served, or been through it. So I am committed to make 
sure that we honor our words with our deeds. We have a contract with 
our veterans and we have to make sure that the check that was written 
never comes up insufficient funds!
  Lastly, I would like to thank Ron Armstead, Executive Director who 
was instrumental in putting together this Braintrust. And I would 
certainly be remiss without thanking the members of our Congressional 
staffs Jolanda Williams, Daisy Hannah, Beverly Gilyard, and Nick 
Martinelli who worked so hard to make this event a success. Again thank 
you.
  GOD is good, all the time. All the time, GOD is good.
  And GOD Bless America.

                          ____________________