[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7868]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1010
                  HONORING MR. LEMANUEL ``LEE'' JONES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. McDermott) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lemanuel ``Lee'' 
Jones, who passed away on the 23rd of April after many years of 
remarkable service to his country and to other veterans. Lee Jones was 
born in Crockett, Texas, on September 24, 1942, and entered the U.S. 
Army in 1963.
  He served in Vietnam as a sergeant and a squad leader with the First 
Cavalry Division in 1965 and 1966. He fought in multiple engagements in 
Vietnam with enemy forces, including the fierce battle of Ia Drang 
Valley, a battle that was recounted in the best-selling book and as 
well in a Hollywood movie, ``We Were Soldiers.'' Lee considered this 
battle to be the prime source of the PTSD that afflicted him for the 
rest of his life. Lee recently died of physical health problems 
connected to his service in Vietnam.
  In recognition of his military service, he was awarded the Combat 
Infantry Badge and the Air Medal.
  Upon leaving the military in 1966, Lee earned a B.A. in counseling 
from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. He went 
on to serve veterans as a counselor at the Seattle Veterans Center 
created with other vet centers by an act of Congress in 1979. Lee soon 
was promoted to direct the vet center as a team leader, the first 
African American to achieve this position in the Western United States.
  By 1984, Lee was increasingly aware of the cultural and communication 
barriers that prevented many African American veterans with PTSD from 
benefiting from therapy groups that were primarily composed of 
Caucasian members, so he started an African American veterans PTSD 
group that facilitated culturally sensitive and open communication, 
education, and therapeutic interactions among its members. Lee's 
efforts were recognized by the City of Seattle when Lemanuel Jones Day 
was proclaimed on November 9, 1989.
  This PTSD group was such a success that it continued to meet at the 
vet center until Lee retired in 1995. The group then convinced Lee to 
return as a leader of the newly named African American stress disorders 
program at the VA Medical Center in Seattle, which continues to meet 
today.
  From modest beginnings, this nationally unique program has grown to 
include hundreds of African American veterans. It has been of great 
benefit to veterans and to the community. None of this would have been 
possible without Lee's leadership, therapeutic skills, and compassion 
for fellow veterans.
  I had the privilege of making Lee's acquaintance. In 2008, I asked 
him to share his experience and perspective on a panel at a veterans 
town hall meeting in Seattle. The purpose of the town hall was to 
increase awareness of the hidden injuries of PTSD and traumatic brain 
injury. It was also to honor soldiers and veterans and their families 
and to educate them on where they could get help.
  The African American Veterans Group of Washington State, which Lee 
founded in 1984, is planning a community memorial service on May 28. I 
know there will be an outpouring of grief and appreciation for this 
soft-spoken hero. He touched so many lives with his healing skills and 
lessons of his great pain and sacrifice. Our country is a better place 
because of Lemanuel Jones.
  Rest in peace.

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