    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [February 6, 1991]
    [Pages 112-113]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Veterans' Compensation Amendments of 1991 and the
    Agent Orange Act of 1991

    February 6, 1991

        Good morning. It's a pleasure once again to have so many familiar
    faces here today representing our veterans. And of course, it's a
    pleasure to be standing up here with one of the great members of our
    Cabinet, Ed Derwinski. I see so many Members of Congress--five special
    ones here who were instrumental in the passage of this legislation:
    Congressmen Sonny Montgomery, Bob Stump; Senator Specter, Senator
    Murkowski, and Senator Bob Graham.
        From Midway to Normandy, from Inchon to Khe Sanh to last week's
    battle at Khafji, American marines, soldiers, airmen, sailors,
    coastguardsmen have given their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
    honor to keep freedom safe. American men and women are fighting for
    peace today, as we did then, because America must lead in deterring and
    defeating aggression. And we're here today to ensure that our nation
    will ever remember those who defended her: the men and women who stood
    where duty required them to stand.
        It's my honor today to sign into law two bills which give veterans
    and their families the compensation that they deserve. The first is H.R.
    3, and it provides for a 1991 cost-of-living adjustment. And the second,
    H.R. 556, codifies our administration's regulations for compensation for
    three diseases. It also relies on independent science, with the help of
    the National Academy of Sciences, to settle the troubling question
    concerning the effects on veterans of exposure to herbicides used during
    the Vietnam war. This is a continuation of our policy over the past 2
    years to deal with this very complex and very divisive issue, but to
    deal with it in a fair and compassionate way.
        And I want to salute those who ensured that, in the end, a
    bipartisan spirit prevailed to pass these important pieces of
    legislation. These two bills meet the critical needs of our veterans and
    will build the confidence of tomorrow's veterans that they and their
    loved ones will not be forgotten.
        A grateful nation salutes our veterans for the difference they have
    made in the history of this country and, indeed, of the world. Our
    allied forces are sacrificing much today in the pursuit of peace for
    tomorrow. And the American people, I believe, are behind them
    foursquare. And I think everyone in this room is as proud of them--I
    know ev-

    [[Page 113]]

    eryone in this room is as proud of them as I am. Each and every one has
    volunteered to serve, and they're standing against a dictator whose
    brutality reminds us every single day that he must be stopped. The brave
    men and women of Desert Storm know when the forces of aggression arise,
    America stands ready to do the hard work of freedom.
        And so, I am very proud and pleased to be able to sign this
    legislation today. I'd like to ask these five Members of Congress who
    are with us to join Secretary Derwinski and me as we sign these bills
    into law. But I want to thank everybody here who was instrumental in the
    passage of these important pieces of legislation because I know that
    many out in the audience deserve great credit for this.
        Thank you so much, and now let's sign this legislation.

    [At this point, the President signed the bills.]

        Got it done; that's great. It's good to see all of you. Thanks for
    coming by, and now we'll go about our work here.
        Things are doing darned well over there, too, I might add. I know
    there's a lot of interest in all of this, and I am very confident that
    we're on schedule, and there have been no surprises on our side; I think
    a few on his.
        But the Air Force has been doing a good job; the Navy; obviously,
    the Marines have been engaged; and of course the Army, ready under a
    couple of superb commanders. So, to you who have shown the support and
    interest, I just want you to know I feel very confident that this matter
    is going to resolve itself, and it's not going to take that long, and it
    is going to be total and complete.
        And one of the things that I take great pride in and I think
    everybody here understands is that we've not second-guessing. I know
    what my obligations are as Commander in Chief, and I also have enough
    confidence in those people out there in the desert, from General
    Schwarzkopf on down, and those people across the river in the Pentagon--
    Cheney and Powell, particularly--that they will make the tactical calls.
    And I'm perfectly prepared, as I said yesterday, to make whatever tough
    calls might lie ahead. But we've not going to be second-guessing. And
    once again, we're not going to have these courageous young men and women
    over there fighting with some kind of a limited agenda, fighting with
    their hands tied behind their back. We went through that, and we're
    never going to do it again as far as I'm concerned.
        Thank you all very much.

                        Note: The President spoke at 11:15 a.m. in the
                            Roosevelt Room at the White House. In his
                            remarks, he referred to Secretary of Veterans
                            Affairs Edward J. Derwinski; Representatives
                            G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery and Bob Stump; Senators
                            Arlen Specter, Frank H. Murkowski, and Bob
                            Graham; Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of
                            the U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf; Secretary
                            of Defense Dick Cheney; and Gen. Colin L.
                            Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
                            H.R. 3, approved February 6, was assigned Public
                            Law No. 102-3. H.R. 556, approved February 6,
                            was assigned Public Law No. 102-4.