[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18403]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         ALICIA DAWN KOEHL RESPECT FOR NATIONAL CEMETERIES ACT

  (Mr. STUTZMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. STUTZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 1471, 
the Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act. I thank my 
Indiana colleagues, Senator Dan Coats and Congresswoman Susan Brooks, 
for their hard work.
  The namesake of this bill is Alicia Dawn Koehl. She was the wife of 
Fort Wayne native Paul Koehl from my district and the mother of two 
children. She was also the daughter-in-law of Frank and Carol Koehl.
  Last year, Alicia was tragically murdered, and after her killer, an 
Army veteran, committed suicide, he was buried in a national cemetery 
with military honors despite laws prohibiting such distinction.
  This bill provides the Department of Veterans Affairs the authority 
to right such wrongs, ensuring our national cemeteries are reserved for 
our country's most deserving heroes.
  Mr. Speaker, my sympathies go out to the family and friends of Ms. 
Koehl. It is impossible for any of us here today to fully grasp the 
hardship they have needlessly endured.
  I respectfully ask my colleagues to support this legislation.

                          ____________________