[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2370]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE CLASS ACT GROUP GRASSROOTS CONFERENCE TO RESTORE THE 
             BROKEN PROMISE OF MILITARY RETIREE HEALTH CARE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2004

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Col. George 
``Bud'' Day and the members of the Class Act Group who have worked so 
hard to restore health care to America's military retirees. I salute 
them for their grassroots efforts that helped make Tricare for Life the 
law of the land, and I commend them for coming together on February 17, 
2004, in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, to develop a strategy to convince 
Congress to make good on more of the broken promises. I especially 
appreciate their efforts to enact H.R. 3474, the Keep Our Promise to 
America's Military Retirees Act, a bipartisan bill that I was proud to 
introduce.
  The purpose of the recent meeting takes on a greater urgency because 
we must prepare to honor a new generation of veterans who have been 
willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. Our government must be accountable for the promises it 
makes to young men and women who are asked to serve our country in this 
way.
  Generations of young men and women were recruited into the uniformed 
services with the promise that heath care would be there for them when 
they retired after serving a career in service. But while these career 
soldiers put their lives on the line for our country, the government 
did not keep its end of the contract. Finally, the Courts have laid to 
rest the matter of who is responsible for making good on those 
promises--the United States Congress.
  The Class Act Group convention is in the best tradition of American 
democracy--they are joining together to petition their elected 
representatives to do the right thing and make good on promises the 
government made to our military retirees. As veterans, they have 
already set a good example for our young people by protecting our 
freedoms and rights. And by organizing this grassroots movement they 
are doing it again by exercising those freedoms and rights.
  I send my congratulations to the Class Act Group for a job well done! 
I will work with CAG and anyone else who shares our goal, to see that 
Congress does Keep Our Promise to America's Military Retirees.

                          ____________________