[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21050]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO CUT VETERANS' BENEFITS

  (Mr. STRICKLAND asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I have a message for America's veterans 
and the families who love them.
  As reported in Sunday's Washington Post, Staff Sergeant Gene 
Westbrook, 35, of Lawton, Oklahoma, was deployed to Iraq in January as 
a drill sergeant, sent to train Iraqi Army recruits. While on duty on 
April 28, south of Sadr City in Baghdad, he was hit by a mortar shell, 
and the shrapnel severed his spine. He is now paralyzed from the chest 
down, has limited movement in his right arm and battles constant 
infections. His wife takes care of him full-time.
  ``I love the military,'' said Staff Sergeant Westbrook. ``That was my 
life. But I do not believe they are taking care of me now.''
  He has received no disability benefits because his paperwork is 
missing. He is supporting his wife and three children on his regular 
military pay of $2,800 a month as he awaits a ruling on whether he will 
receive $6,500 from the VA for his disability.
  At the same time, President Bush's budget for 2005 calls for cutting 
the Department of Veterans' Affairs staff that handles disability 
claims. What is the President thinking, cutting the budget for this 
vital function while our disabled servicemen wait for justice?

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