[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16860-16861]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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    SENATE RESOLUTION 203--RECOGNIZING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
  ESTABLISHMENT OF THE VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION AND ACKNOWLEDGING THE 
  ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                            VETERANS AFFAIRS

  Mr. CRAIG (for himself and Mr. Akaka) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 203

       Whereas in the history of the United States more than 
     48,000,000 citizen-soldiers have served the United States in 
     uniform and more than 1,000,000 have given their lives as a 
     consequence of their duties;
       Whereas as of July 21, 2005, there are more than 25,000,000 
     living veterans;
       Whereas on March 4, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln 
     expressed in his Second Inaugural Address the obligation of 
     the United States ``to care for him who shall have borne the 
     battle and for his widow and his orphan'';
       Whereas on July 21, 1930, President Herbert Hoover issued 
     an executive order creating a new agency, the Veterans' 
     Administration, to ``consolidate and coordinate Government 
     activities affecting war veterans'';
       Whereas on October 25, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed 
     into law the Department of Veterans Affairs Act (Public Law 
     100-527; 102 Stat. 2635), effective March 15, 1989, 
     redesignating the Veterans' Administration as the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs and establishing it as an executive 
     department with the mission of providing Federal benefits to 
     veterans and their families; and
       Whereas in 2005, the 230,000 employees of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs continue the tradition of their predecessors 
     of caring for the veterans of the United States with 
     dedication and compassion and upholding the high standards 
     required of them as stewards of the gratitude of the public 
     to those veterans: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the establishment of 
     the Veterans' Administration; and
       (2) acknowledges the achievements of the employees of the 
     Veterans' Administration and the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs and commends these employees for serving the veterans 
     of the United States.

  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I seek recognition today to submit a 
resolution recognizing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the 
Veterans' Administration and acknowledging the achievements of the 
employees, past and present, of the Veterans' Administration and the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. As Chairman of the Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committee, I am honored to offer public recognition of this 
auspicious anniversary and, more importantly, the fine work being done 
every day by over 230,000 VA employees.
  The Veterans' Administration was created by an Executive Order signed 
by President Herbert Hoover on July 21, 1930, 75 years ago today. Prior 
to 1930, of course, Federal programs existed to assist war veterans. 
For example, early in the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress 
created the first veterans' benefits package, which included life-long 
pensions for both disabled veterans and the survivors of soldiers 
killed in battle. Other veterans benefits--for example, ``mustering 
out'' pay--were also provided to veterans of the War of 1812, the 
Mexican War, the Civil War, the Indian wars, and the Spanish-American 
War, and the first educational assistance benefits for veterans were 
enacted as part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1919 which provided for a 
monthly education assistance allowance to disabled World War I 
veterans. But it was not until 1930--75 years ago today--that a Federal 
agency recognizable by today's standards was created by President 
Hoover.
  The VA has a unique place in history having administered one of the 
most significant pieces of legislation ever enacted in the Nation's 
history, the ``Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944,'' better known as 
the ``GI Bill of Rights.'' This legislation, it is now generally 
recognized, revolutionized American society after World War II by 
providing educational opportunity to an entire generation of 
Americans--opportunity which otherwise would not have been available 
and which changed the Nation and ushered in the space age. During the 
period, VA's capability to provide medical care and rehabilitation 
services to disabled and needy veterans also grew significantly, 
leading ultimately to a health care system which is today recognized as 
a provider of ``the best care, anywhere.''
  In the Nation's history, more than 48 million citizen-soldiers have 
worn the

[[Page 16861]]

uniform, and more than 1 million have perished as a result of their 
service. More than 25 million men and women are alive today who proudly 
acknowledge the title ``veteran''. The Department of Veterans Affairs, 
as VA is designated today, exists solely for the reason articulated by 
President Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural Address: ``. . . to 
care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his 
orphan.'' I applaud the efforts of the more than 230,000 VA employees 
who keep faith, every day, with President Lincoln's words. They--and 
we--could have no higher calling.

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