[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12030-12031]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN SUPPORT OF AMERICAN VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 2003

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of 
America's veterans. As a veteran myself, I am saddened to see how this 
country is turning its back on those who answered the call of duty time 
after time in this country's history. My district, the 4th District of 
Texas, has the second highest veteran population in the State, and I am 
proud to stand up for these courageous men and women who have given so 
much for their country.
  Recently, this Congress was faced with structuring a budget. The 
House Republican Budget severely cut veterans expectations, while the 
Democratic Budget, containing less harmful, but more expensive 
language, was more favorable to veterans. I supported the Democratic 
substitute which would have left the desperately needed money to 
support the growing needs of our veterans, including veterans health 
care, vocational rehabilitation, disability compensation, pension, 
education and survivors benefits. The Democratic Budget was defeated, 
and in as much as we had to pass a budget, I voted to send the 
Republican Budget to the Senate--knowing that it had to be moved along 
to reach the House and Senate conference committee, where the bill will 
be rewritten. I will work to ensure that our veterans' benefits will be 
restored in the final budget.
  Sixty two years ago, our country was attacked at Pearl Harbor. The 
commanding officer in the Japanese fleet was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, 
who is quoted as saying, ``I fear we have woken a sleeping giant and 
filled him with a terrible resolve.'' Some historians write that he 
said ``I fear that we have awakened a

[[Page 12031]]

sleeping tiger.'' Unless Congress rectifies these spending cuts for our 
veterans, I feel that we will once again ``awaken a sleeping tiger.'' 
Our veterans will not--and should not-- stand for what is being done to 
them. The need for added medical care is at its highest for our 
remaining World War II veterans. As each day passes, there are fewer 
and fewer who are still able to tell their heroic stories of sacrifice, 
duty, and honor. This also applies to those who fought in the Korean 
War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and other wars since. If this injustice is 
not addressed and rectified soon, the same outcome will one day apply 
to those who have so bravely fought, and are currently fighting 
terrorism in the Middle East.
  We must rethink and correct the cuts that have recently been made and 
which are extremely harmful to the well being of those who have made it 
possible for us to enjoy the very freedom we experience today. 
Congressional inaction could result in American veterans--some in their 
80s--marching on Washington, as World War I veterans did in the late 
1920s. Thomas Jefferson said, ``Eternal vigilance is the price we pay 
for FREEDOM.'' The vigilance he spoke of was vigilance against the 
British, the Indians, and the vicissitudes of nature such as drought, 
floods, hurricanes, and disease. Our vigilance today must be to demand 
that the House and Senate conference committee provide adequate funding 
for those who kept the fires of freedom burning brightly and deliver a 
veterans appropriation that will maintain the healthcare and the 
dignity that the greatest generation spawned long ago.

                          ____________________