Back to Disabled Veterans 8/4/92 [OA 7578]

Ask the Scholar

Document scope · 1 page

doc

Scholar

Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory. For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity

localId

323154176

label

Disabled Veterans 8/4/92 [OA 7578]

core

doc

dtoType

document

citationUrl

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/323154176

pageCount

Source metadata

323154176

sourceUrl

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/323154176

contentType

document

title

Disabled Veterans 8/4/92 [OA 7578]

citationUrl

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/323154176

identifierLocal

13825-003

collections

Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)

Speech Backup Chronological Files

iiifBase

https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/bush/gb-spe/speechwriting_backup_chron_579003/41-bpr-speech-backup-chron-13825-003_323154176.pdf

thumbnailUrl

https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/bush/gb-spe/speechwriting_backup_chron_579003/41-bpr-speech-backup-chron-13825-003_323154176.pdf

largeImageUrl

https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/bush/gb-spe/speechwriting_backup_chron_579003/41-bpr-speech-backup-chron-13825-003_323154176.pdf

imageCount

hasImages

yes

source

import

hasTranscription

Source extras

url

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/323154176

naId

323154176

levelOfDescription

fileUnit

recordType

description

ocrSource

nara-archive

Single page context

seq

pageIndex

type

document

url

https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/bush/gb-spe/speechwriting_backup_chron_579003/41-bpr-speech-backup-chron-13825-003_323154176.pdf

mediaId

f3143523f33a57d6

ocrText

Originally Processed With FOIA(s): FOIA Number: S; 2006-0257-F S FOIA MARKER This is not a textual record. This is used as an administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential Library Staff. Record Group/Collection: George H.W. Bush Presidential Records Collection/Office of Origin: Speechwriting, White House Office of Series: Speech File Backup Files Subseries: Chron File, 1989-1993 OA/ID Number: 13825 Folder ID Number: 13825-003 Folder Title: Disabled Veterans 8/4/92 [OA 7578] Stack: Row: Section: Shelf: Position: G 26 22 7 1 (Smith/Walters) August 4, 1992 RENO PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992 3:00 P.M. It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends. X I want to thank Cleve Jordan for that introduction. Thanks to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 X million strong. / (<Imil. memb. 2.2mil, DAV fact sheet affected) ( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) // In that sense, I bring you best wishes from my best friend. ( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ")) // NO! X i Douglas Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your Scheduling X e Salute to the Persian Gulf Veterans. Today, I'm proud to salute 9/12/91 Mrs.B's Mrs. B's the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / Press of a sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I agree: America should serve those who also served their country. That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must, and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the future structure of VA medical facilities. // 2 Donna St. John Today, I can tell you: Not one VA hospital has been closed because of this review or lack of money. / What's more, we have VA Todd Grams created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics, and OMB + boosted our VA medical care budget by a billion dollars per year. I am proud, too, of how we have built on these beginnings. / Exec. Clerk Two years ago we passed the Americans With Disabilities Act -- 7/26/90, the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the 1960s. // It will help the disabled enter the mainstream -- and it's about time. // / / Don Next, I have rejected taxation of veterans' disability Blanchon compensation -- and I will continue to. No veteran should have OMB to pay twice -- once in battle, and once in peace. / Finally, Tomily yesterday I created a White House panel to address the future of Sailly the VA health care system -- and how overall health care reform almo OMB will affect VA health care. // Our goal is to ensure veterans the world's best medical care. One way we will reach it is to have disabled vets play a key role on our panel. / By putting veterans first -- we will keep America first. I will continue to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Viet Nam and from Korea to Kuwait City. // Scheduling [[Three years ago I was on my way to address your convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife DOD PA, Hobson of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major X Robin Higgins, on behalf of every Nance American, I admire your courage from the bottom of my heart. ]] / 3 X X x Two years ago this week, I made a decision every President dreads -- to send our men and women in the Armed Forces into x X harm's way at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm. No President, no parent, makes that decision likely. // lightly I acted because America must stand for freedom -- and thus, by those who preserve it: Her veterans. America must stand with anyone who wore the uniform. / All of us have our stories. Mine came fifty years ago -- when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the X current to keep from washing ashore on an empty island. I remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at all -- worrying about who might find me first. // I was fortunate. I know that. / I learned first-hand in war what it means to know that America will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. / My family never had to face the agony of a phone call in the night or a knock on the door. Let me say to the families waiting still for their loved ones: America will stand with you -- until every hero has come home. // Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's heroes have helped a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word: D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain. You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. // Having won, we agreed with the republics of the former Y x X Soviet Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic 4 X + nuclear arms. Next year, President Yeltsin and I have agreed to X go even further. In 1989, the enemy blinked. In 1991, it fell. The great victory we won based on strength we will not lose because of weakness. / It is a cause for which you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. A cause I describe as real peace -- the triumph of freedom -- not merely the absence of war. Yes, our victory in the Cold War means that our defenses can be smaller. So earlier this year I cut our-long range defense budget prudently -- sensibly. / But we can't lose sight of the fact that for all the great gains we've made for freedom -- for all the peace of mind we've secured for our children -- the world remains a dangerous place. // The Soviet bear may be extinct -- but there are still plenty of wolves in the world. Renegade rulers / outlaw regimes / Baghdad bullies. Madmen we can't allow to get a finger on the nuclear trigger. / You have my word: This President will never allow a lone wolf to endanger American security. // I will never forget those who fought in the swamps and deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured the wounds of war so that liberty might live. / Nor will I forget how real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of peril. // 5 Today, some have forgotten every hard-won lesson of this American Century. So they propose to gut our national defense - David Tell BQ Research - to cut $60 billion in defense beyond what we deem responsible. Well, let me answer them: The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels. / I know that to keep America safe -- we have to keep America strong. // That is why when the other side says: We're better off without defense -- so let's ravage the Strategic Defense Initiative / I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm. // When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / We will not leave America defenseless against nuclear attack. We will push forward with SDI. // The people trying to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." They don't understand -- never will -- that when it comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last. // Think for a moment about what a strong America has helped achieve. Think about the worries we once faced -- and the world we see today: Not a Europe in flames, or a world at war, touched off by the death throes of the Soviet Empire -- but a world at peace, a new birth of freedom. / Not a Latin America consumed by revolution and resentment -- but a hemisphere moving toward free 6 trade and free government. / Not a Middle East dominated by a dictator -- but a region where ancient enemies at long last are talking peace. / Our policies helped make all of this possible. So when the Sunday strategists say I've spent too much time on foreign policy, I say: I will never apologize for a single minute spent keeping America safe, strong, and free. // You see, I don't believe foreign policy is a footnote a loose end we wrap up, and then safely forget. // That's why we need a President who's earned the trust of America's allies. / It's why we need a President who knows what I learned in World War II -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. / For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved these principles on America's soul. / Our task is now to meet two key foreign policy challenges in the years ahead. // First, we must do all we can to bolster the process of democratization -- especially where democratic friends have replaced totalitarian enemies in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. / We must also continue to help our alliances, the United Nations, and other international organizations deal with the prospect of conflicts made more dangerous by weapons of mass destruction. / Above all, we must understand what would truly threaten our economic recovery. Not too much attention to foreign policy. Instead, too little attention to foreign policy would encourage the very threats you put your lives on the line 7 to defeat. As your President -- as your Commander in Chief -- this I will not do. // Our second challenge is to bolster the process of free market reform and especially the continued liberalization of world trade. One thing is certain: The United States cannot 1st quarter turn its back on the world economy. / Seventy percent of our on 92 David economic growth since 1988 has come from exports. That's 7.2 walters USTR million American jobs tied to trade. More than ever, we depend on a stable, prosperous and growing world economy. Either we strive to open up markets and do whatever it takes here at home - - either we take the steps we must to improve education, technology, job training, and productivity -- or we will watch trade barriers go up everywhere and suffer the consequences. / Remember: In the 1930s, protectionism was the companion to Depression -- and the prelude to war. So I say: Let's welcome the competition -- and trust that our ingenuity will make us great in the future as it has in the past. // Over the past 3 and a half years, America has changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America. Building the kind of Nation here you fought so valiantly for abroad. // Think of what you fought for: An America of better jobs / better schools / safer neighborhoods / and equality for all. A land where our kids and grandkids would live in prosperity and peace. // Think of what we can now achieve: An America which eclipses even its greatest triumphs. But only with a military that is truly Number One. // 8 Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of the Navy hymn that salutes freedom's liegemen. You know the words: "Eternal Father, strong to save / O hear us when we cry to thee / For those in peril on the sea. " / I know what veterans have fought for -- died for. I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your sacrifice in the war- torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace. Those who mock a strong defense are as obsolete as Communism / as passe as appeasement / as foolish as the slogan, "Make love, not war. / Bumper stickers won't defeat bayonets / won't reduce nuclear weapons / won't remake America / won't send tyranny to its grave. / What will is patience, planning, and personal diplomacy -- aided by the greatest people in the history of man. This "last best hope on earth." We Americans. // Fellow veterans, thank you for your support, and may God bless this wondrous land we all fought to preserve -- the United States of America. # # # # AUG-02-1992 21:48 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.02 Ed 1 Annie Speech writing: from Actuance dropped this off its for Neds. RB speech to Vets Reno in Here in some background info and transcripts of other speecher that have been presented this week. item of note - this in the largest convention ever, with over 6,000 delegater I hope this helps Please call me! Hopson Name Reno Staff OFc. ED - Read this then payor meeting HB AUG-02-1992 23:40 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.02 DAV The DAV: a nonprofit National Communications Dept. organization of more DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS than one million 807 Maine Avenue, S.W. wartime disabled vets Washington, D.C. 20024 (202) 554-3501 FACT SHEET BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION CLEVELAND JORDAN National Commander Outgoing National Commander Disabled American Veterans Cleve Jordan, who is a Vietnam-era service-connected disabled veteran, was elected National Commander of the one-million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) at the DAV's National Convention in New Orleans, La., in August 1991. He has also served the DAV as National 1st, 2nd and 3rd Junior and Senior Vice Commander, a member of the National Executive Committee, and Chairman of the National Finance Committee. In professional life, he heads the Office of Veterans Affairs, District of Columbia Department of Human Services. Born in Darlington County, S.C., Jordan enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1959, serving with the famed 101st Airborne Division. During a live-fire training exer- cise at Ft. Campbell, Ky., he suffered serious gunshot wounds that hospitalized him for four months. Because his injuries barred him from jumping, he was reas- signed to the 128th Signal Corps, Tobyhanna, Pa., until he was discharged from the Army in 1963 with a service-connected disability. Jordan studied business administration at Benedict College from 1964 to 1967 under the VA Vocational Rehabilitation program. In 1967, the former paratrooper decided to devote his career to his fellow vets, continuing his studies at Catho- lic University under the National Service Officer (NSO) Training Program. During this period, he became active in the DAV as a life member of Chapter 9 in Washing- ton, D.C. After graduation, he worked as a DAV NSO in New York and the District of Columbia, until accepting a position as a Claims Representative with the District of Columbia government office he now heads. Jordan has never been a man to leave his concern for his fellow veterans in the office. At the end of a hard day's work at the office, he simply puts on his DAV cap and continues to work for the best interests of veterans. Along the way, he has held numerous elected and appointed positions in the DAV at the Chapter, Department and National levels. Highlights of his DAV involvement include service as Commander of DAV Chapter 9 in 1971-72, Commander of the Department of the District of Columbia from 1972 to 1974, President of the Commanders & Adjutants Association in 1974-75, and Chairman of the DAV's 1984 National Convention in Washington, D.C. He currently is Adjutant and Treasurer of Chapter 9. Jordan and his wife, Delores, live in Washington and are the parents of one son, Carlton. 8/91 AUG-02-1992 21:48 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.03 DAV The DAV: a nonprofit National Communications Dept. organization of more DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS than one million 807 Maine Avenue. S.W. wartime disabled 1245 Washington, D.C. 20024 (202) 554-3501 FACT SHEET BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS Treaties are signed and the battles of nations end, but the personal battles of those disabled in war only begin when the guns fall silent. These men and women must struggle to regain health, reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions, and rejoin the civilian world. At each step, they need help to help themselves. For 72 years, that aid has come from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization of more then one million veterans dis- abled during time of war or in combat. Formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932, the DAV is the official voice of America's service-connected disabled veterans ** a strong, insistent voice that represents all of America's 2.2 million disabled veterans, their families, and survivors. Its nationwide network of services -- available free of charge to all veterans and members of their families -- is totally supported by membership dues and contributions from the American public. The DAV is not a government agency. Its national organization receives no government funds. THE DAV'S MEMBERSHIP Some people simply assume that any veterans' organization with a little history behind it is a politically conservative group made up of older, male veterans. Emphatically, the DAV doesn't fit that traditional stereotype. Membership is open to any honorably discharged veteran with a disability incurred in wartime military service or under conditions similar to war. Veterans disabled during the Vietnam War make up one third of the DAV's member- ship, and nine Vietnam veterans have served one-year terms as national commander, the DAV's highest office. Vietnam 9IA veterans represent more than 98 percent of the DAV's management and professional staff at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, as well as its offices nationwide. That staff is led by Na- tional Adjutant Charles E. Joeckel, Jx., who lost both legs in Vietnam combat. The DAV's current national commander is Cleveland Jordan, who was disabled during the early years of the Vietnam War. His fellow national officers include two World War II vets, one Korean War vet and four Vietnam vets. The DAV is not a political association. Its members reflect all shades of Ameri- can political opinion. They count on the DAV to advocate their needs as disabled veterans, and the DAV concentrates its attention and resources on this single, nonpartisan concern. Unlike some other veterans' groups, the DAV has no political action committee and does not endorse candidates for political office. Several women have attained leadership positions in the DAV. AUG-02-1992 21:49 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.04 -2- DAV programs and activities also enjoy the support of an Auxiliary that focuses its attention on disabled veterans' families. Women in the DAV Auxiliary are all relatives of DAV members, Gold Star mothers or wives, or women who are also mem- bers of the DAV. For more information on the Auxiliary, write to: DAV Auxiliary National Headquarters, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, Ky. 41076. THE DAV'S HISTORY When the troops came home from World War I, 300,000 carried grim reminders of war: disabling injuries, battle scars, gas-seared lungs, and prolonged illnesses. Fo1- lowing a tumultuous hero's welcome, America wiped the horror of war from its mind almost as quickly as the ticker tape was swept from the streets of New York City. The nation's makeshift response to the needs of its disabled heroes soon broke down. And these angry young veterans took matters into their own hands, starting local self-help groups that soon merged to become the DAV. After forming a national organization headquartered in Cincinnati in 1920, the DAV began planning a Washington, D.C., office to work toward needed legislation and expedite veterans' claims. During its first six months of operation in 1922, this office handled 7,000 claims for veterans across America. These young disabled vets also worked with other organizations, initiating much of the legislation that led to a centralized government agency to handle all veterans' affairs. This was the Veterans' Bureau, forerunner of today's Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 1935, the DAV began stationing veterans' benefits experts in Veterans' Bureau claims offices and hospitals across the country. When the specter of World War II raised its head, the DAV upgraded its facilities and training programs to meet the new demands that would be placed on its service programs. As the first disabled vets returned from World War II, a formal program to train DAV National Service Officers (NSOs) was started at American University. There, disabled vets studied the disciplines they'd need to help other returning veterans. THE DAV'S NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAM Today, the DAV employs some 260 NSOs in 67 offices across the United States, pro- viding numerous services to veterans and their familios free of charge. Veterans need not be members of the DAV to take advantage of the free service of the DAV's veterens' benefits experts. DAV NSOs do much more than just counsel veterans and their families on veterans' benefits and services. After obtaining power of attor- ney, they function as attorneys*in-fact, assisting their clients in filing claims for disability compensation, death benefits, pension, and other benefits provided under federal, state and local law. In the year ended June 30, 1991, DAV NSOs interviewed more than 222,000 veterans and members of their families. Submitting over 193,000 claims on behalf of these clients, they secured over $1.2 billion in new and retroactive benefits. DAV NSOs are skilled, highly trained professionals. They build the disabled veter- an's case from the ground up, reviewing medical histories, guidelines, regulations and pertinent legislation. In representing their clients, they prepare claims forms and briefs, helping clients assemble evidence in support of claims. When needed, they request hearings before government boards to present clients' briefs orally. They also review board decisions, advising their clients if appeals are warranted. In addition, DAV NSOs work closely with the VA, Social Security Admin- istration, Labor Department, and other federal, state, and local agencies to keep veterans and their families informed of available programs and services. AUG-02-1992 21:49 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.05 -3- All DAV NSOs are disabled veterans with compensable, service-connected, wartime disabilities. Like their clients, they learned to face the handicaps that over- shadowed their lives. All disabled vets have trouble adjusting to these reali- ties, but this ordeal prepares NSOs for their professional role, sharpening their understanding of the anguish and frustrations of the disabled veterans with whom they work. The DAV's National Service Program and its NSOs are crucial to Ameri- ca's disabled vets and their families for two reasons. First, the government doesn't automatically grent veterans' benefits and services; veterans and their families must apply for them. Second, these claims must be thoroughly verified and justified. Faced by red tape and a bureaucracy that's often regrettably unre- sponsive, disabled veterans and their families need expert help to obtain the rights and benefits that their blood and sacrifices have earned. That expert is their DAV NSO. Two years ago Congress established the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals (COVA), which has exclusive jurisdiction to review decisions of the VA Board of Veterans Appeals. In DAV's continuing effort to provide quelity service, the DAV has ex- panded its programs to include representation before this new Court. As of May 1, 1991, a total of 986 represented cases were on the Court's docket with DAV providing representation in 403 or 40.9% of the represented cases. NSOs also visit towns and cities distant from the DAV's offices in a fleet of 15 office-equipped vans, called field service units. Since these vans hit the road in 1974, they've brought DAV services to more than half a million veterans, depen- dents, and survivors. In times of crisis, DAV NSOs are there too. When such natu- ral disasters as floods, earthquakes or tornados strike, NSOs go to the area to search out disabled veterans who need assistance, providing it on the spot from the DAV's Disaster Relief Fund. Since 1968, more than $2.6 million have been dis- bursed in disaster assistance. Disabled veterans facing temporary financial emer- gencies may apply, through a DAV NSO, for assistance from the DAV Emergency Relief Fund. Since the program's inception in 1973, elmost $12 million has been dis- bursed in Emergency Relief grants. The DAV also provides scholarships to children of disabled veterans who are unable to afford the cost of higher education. During the 1990-91 academic year, & total of $559,000 was spent on this program, providing scholarships to Z17 students. Disabled veterans need not be members of the DAV to apply For assistance under the DAV's Disaster or Emergency Relief Programs. The same is true for parents of chil- dren applying for assistance under the DAV Scholarship Program. But they must be able to prove that their disabilities are connected with their military service. THE DAV'S NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM In large part, the DAV was born out of an extreme need for veterans' health and benefit programs following World War I. At that time, several federal agencies with overlapping and conflicting missions handled veterans' affairs. Distressed by the situation, the DAV sent a group of young disabled veterans to Washington to straighten out the bureaucratic tangle. As these vets grew older, they seasoned as professionals in dealing with Congress. Today a legislative staff entirely made up of combat disabled veterans follows in their footsteps, promoting reason- able, responsible legislation to assist all disabled veterans, their families and survivors. At the same time, the DAV's legislative specialists guard present laws against attack -- 8 function that's truly necessary. History shows that the understanding of the American public and their elected representatives for the problems of dis- abled veterans fades as the memory of wer grows weaker. This happened with alarm- ing speed after the Vietnam War. AUG-02-1992 21:51 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.07 -$- The services these volunteers provide are varied, but there's one thing all VAVS volunteers do: They bring veteran patients the comfort that the community outside the hospital and nursing home remembers them and cares about them. DAV Chapters and Departments are actively involved in transportation programs designed to assist veterans who have no way to get to VA hospitals and clinics for the medical attention they need. VA travel benefits were severely curtailed in 1987, and they have not yet been fully restored, not by a long shot. That's why the DAV Transportation Network is so essential to veterans nationwide. Since 1987, DAV volunteer drivers have driven more than 32 million miles, transporting over 600,000 veterans to VA hospitals and clinics nationwide. Dovetailing with these volunteer programs is the DAV Older Veterans Assistance Program, a response to the growing needs of an aging population of veterans. The number of older vets grows daily. By the year 2000, the number of vets over age 65 will surpass 9 million. DAV and Auxiliary volunteers are responding at the local level to meet needs in such areas as transportation, nutrition, clothing, shelter, recreation and much more. In February of 1991, the DAV and the USO (United Service Organization), joined resources to form "Operation Open Arms," a new program designed to encourage vis- its from entertainment and sports celebrities, to VA and Department of Defense (DoD) hospitals throughout the country. Celebrities such as Kevin Dobson, Ann Jillian and Lee Greenwood, as well as Major League Baseball Umpires Larry Barnett and Eddie Montague have been part of the DAV Celebrity Entertainment program for some time. Although the USO suspended its VA Hospital Visitation Program in 1982, it has long been known for entertaining our military personnel, both here and abroad. This program combines the best of both organizations, enabling us to accomplish what neither could do alone. In addition to celebrity visits, "Opera- tion Open Arms" also distributes free tickets, for concerts and sporting events, to VA and DoD hospitals nationwide. THE DAV'S STRUCTURE The DAV's national organization is structured to be operationally efficient while providing the highest possible degree of membership control of the organization's activities. The national efforts of the DAV are directed by en elected national commander and administered by an appointed national adjutant. A new national com- mander is elected every year at the DAV's annual national convention. Because na- tional commanders are not allowed to succeed themselves in office, the national adjutant acts as the DAV's chief executive officer, providing continuity in the leadership of the professional staff. Other elected officers in the DAV's national organization include a senior vice commander, four junior vice commanders, a judge advocate, and a national chaplain, all of whom participate in the decision-making process and help carry the DAV mes- sage to the membership and the general public. Between national conventions, the DAV's governing body is its National Executive Committee, which consists of repre~ sentatives from 21 districts across the nation. Functioning as a board of direc- tors, this committee must approve all major actions and policy decisions not COV- ered by resolutions passed by the national conventions. 9/91 AUG-02-1992 21:52 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.08 DAV The DAV: a nonprofit National Communications Dept. organization of more DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS than one million 807 Maine Avenue, S.W. wartime disabled vets Washington, D.C. 20024 (202)554-3501 NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Bruce Nitsche or Ashley McGinnis FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 7, 1992 "MR. AND MRS. DAV" OF MARTINSBURG NAMED NATION'S TOP VOLUNTEERS MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- Omar and Geraldine Mong of Martinsburg have written a new page in the history of the Disabled American Veterans' annual national volunteer awards. The Mongs are the first married couple to receive George H. Seal Memorial Trophies as outstanding volunteers from the DAV and DAV Auxiliary. They were selected from among the more than one million wartime disabled veterans and their wives who make up the two organizations. "Taken as a unit, the Mongs are an incredible team. But Omar and Gerri were chosen for their outstanding individual contributions," said DAV National Director of Voluntary Services Bruce G. Nitsche of the 1992 winners. Dottie Hough, who works with the Mongs in her position as Chief of Voluntary Services at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center, said the Mongs are known as "Mr. and Mrs. DAV" at the hospital. "They may arrive as a team, but they do beautiful things individually. Once they get to the hospital they go their separate ways. Then they meet to go home." The awards are presented annually to one member of the DAV and one DAV Auxiliary member who help hospitalized veterans and their families through Department of Veteran Affairs Voluntary Services (VAVS) activities. Omer is a life member of DAV Chapter 8 and Geraldine is a life member of DAV Auxiliary Unit 8, both in Mertinsburg. The awards are given in the name of George H. Seal, a leading organizer and administrator of the DAV's VAVS program from 1952 until his death in 1977. OMAR F. MONG Strictly speaking, Omar F. Mong has given over 9,100 hours of volunteer service, but according to Hough, the total "in no way reflects the many personal errands and special visitations Omar does but never records." Hough said Mong divides his hours among many tasks. Even though he has serious leg problems which make walking difficult, he completes his assignments without hesitation and never complains. He can be found at special events and hosting bingo games. Patients are often able to attend church because of the wheelchair escort service he coordinates on Sundays. Besides transporting patients to and from the hospital, he often takes them shopping. In addition to visiting patients in the hospital, he also visits patients in the local nursing homes. "He is low-key, but very effective in dealing with patients," said Medical Center Director Thomas H. Weaver. "He has a keen sense of humor and is extremely sensitive to the needs of our veterans. He is a joy to have around -- and he is here often. I can think of no one better qualified or more deserving of this prestigious award." AUG-02-1992 21:53 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.10 DAV National Communications Dept. The DAV: a nonprofit DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS organization of more 807 Maine Avenue. S.W. than one million Washington. D.C. 20024 wartime disabled vets (202) 554-3501 FACT SHEET BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Zengerle IS the new National JOSEPH C. ZENGERLE, Esq. Commander to be installed on Friday National Senior Vice Commander Thursday Disabled American Veterans elected National Senior Vice Commander of the more than one-million-member Disabled Joseph C. Zengerle, a disabled veteran with military service in Vietnam, was American Veterans (DAV) at the DAV's National Convention in New Orleans, La., in August 1991. He has been DAV's chief outside counsel for the last ten years. Zengerle is a partner in the law firm of Bingham, Dana & Gould. Zengerle is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Commissioned in the Infantry with Airborne and Ranger qualifications, he served in Vietnam in 1968 as special assistant to the U.S. Commander, General Westmoreland, and as a unit commander in I Corps, during which he received the Bronze Star. His other military assignments included duty as an infantry company commander in Germany and on the Army Staff in The Pentagon. Under the VA's vocational rehabilitation program, Zengerle attended the Univer- sity of Michigan Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 1972. He served as Note and Comment Editor of the Michigan Law Review. His legal career includes service as law clerk to the Honorable Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the U.S., from 1973 to 1974. He is a member of the District of Columbia bar. Zengerle represented DAV before the U.S. Supreme Court in two cases. DAV, as amicus curiae, or friend of the court, urged rejection of Constitutional challeng- es to the tax-exempt status of veterans' service organizations, and to the limita- tion on attorneys' fees for those representing veterans before the VA. In 1983 and 1985, the Supreme Court decided those cases in favor of DAV's position. Zengerle also represented DAV as the lead plaintiff in a class action on behalf of mentally incompetent disabled veterans whose VA compensation was terminated in late 1990 by Congress. In early 1992, a federal court in New York preliminarily enjoined the statute for likely violating the Constitution, resulting in the resump- tion of more than $50 million in benefit payments to the 13,500-member class. From 1979 to 1981, Zengerle served as Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, for which he was awarded the Air Force Exceptional Civilian Service Award. He was the first Vietnam veteran to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a civilian position in the Department of Defense. In 1985, Zengerle was appointed by Chief Judge Jack B. Weinstein to chair the board of the Agent Orange settlement fund. Beginning in 1981, he also served as a member of the National Sponsoring Committee of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Zengerle and his wife of more than 25 years, Lynda, live in Bethesda, Md., with their two teenage sons, Jason and Tucker. 4/92 AUG-02-1992 21:52 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.09 Disabled American Veterans 2-2-2 GERALDINE MONG Geraldine "Gerri" Mong has volunteered for over 40 years, but her efforts, too, far exceed what the record shows. Hough said that, along with two other auxiliary members, Mong has been dubbed one of the "Sunshine Girls," because of the patients who greet them with "here comes our sunshine." Hough said Mong's ready smile and automatic hug brightens every area. She motivates the most difficult patients to participate in activities and to cooperate with the professional staff. According to Hough, Mong's special gift is her work with hospice patients. She is a registered hospice volunteer for Berkeley County, but concentrates on working exclusively with veterans in the VA hospital and nursing homes. Hough says Mong understands what hospice care is all about and treats the terminally 111 patients and their families with compassion and respect. Medical Center Director Thomas H. Weaver said that Mong has "never met a stranger. She loves and treats each patient as if he or she was a father, mother, sister or brother. Her contributions are far beyond description and her value cannot be measured. She is a jewel. WORKING TOGETHER The Mongs occasionally work as a team. According to hospital officials, one particularly touching example is their work with a wheelchair-bound patient who needed transportation to visit his critically ill wife. Omar drove and Gerri held his hand and fed him lunch. When the veteran's wife passed away, they took him to the viewing and the funeral. Since the veteran does not have use of his upper extremities, Gerri was there to wipe away the tears. They continue to assist this veteran by taking him to visit his mother who lives in a nursing home. Jim Delgado, the VA's Chief of Voluntary Service at VA Central Office in Washington, D.C., said of the volunteers, "Recognition isn't the driving force. They do the work because it helps others. Receiving an award like this, or any certificate or plaque, is a small price to pay for all the work they do." The Mongs will receive their trophies from DAV National Commander Cleveland Jordan during the DAV's 71st National Convention in Reno, Nev., Aug. 1 to Aug. 6, 1992, at Bally's Casino Resort. -30- AUG-02-1992 21:53 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.11 ANNUAL REPORT JESSE BROWN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON OFFICE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS RENO, NEVADA THE 71st NATIONAL CONVENTION AUGUST 1 - 6, 1992 NATIONAL COMMANDER JORDAN, REVEREND CLERGY, NATIONAL OFFICERS, DISTINGUISHED GUESTS, DELEGATES, MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS: My friends, we are taking a lot of heat these days. People in Washington, D.C. are saying the DAV is just too critical that we won't let well enough alone that we just cannot be satisfied. I hear that message coming from several members of Congress. I hear it coming out of some offices over at the White House and the VA. You saw an example of this during our Mid-Winter Conference. There a powerful U.S. Senator really took us to task. And for what? For telling the truth about the state of veterans' programs in America, that's what. Frankly, we were just doing our job. If some power broker in Washington wants to bellow and bark about it, that is up to him. But, I pledge to you, the DAV is not going to knuckle under to that kind of intimidation not as long as we have your support. I get upset when I hear some public official accuse the DAV of not playing the game. Honestly, I do not like the way the game is played in our nation's capitol! Not when a war-wounded veteran cannot get a decent prosthesis for an arm or leg lost in the desert while standing down Saddam Hussein! Right now, today, health care programs for veterans are coming apart at the seams! Are we supposed to sit idly by, like Nero playing his fiddle while Rome goes up in flames? Right now, today, veterans must wait forever to get their claims through the appeals system at the VA! Are we supposed to twiddle our thumbs, meekly accepting the fate of the veterans we represent? The answer is NO! Such abuse of power might be the rule of the day in some corners of the world but not in the United States of America. Americans don't tolerate bullies. We fight back and we fight hard. And yes, we are going to practice the liberty we defended with life and limb. We are going to stand up and speak out whenever a veteran gets a raw deal. And if that topples a few apple carts in the halls of Congress, then too bad. AUG-02-1992 21:54 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.12 - 2 - I am reminded of a thought Robert F. Kennedy once expressed. "Few will have the greatness to bend history itself," he said. "But each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation." That thought exactly that thought is the engine that drives the DAV. Each of you, as a free American citizen, exercises a small amount of impact in this world. And, when you multiply that impact times 1.2 million DAV members, you have real power. For the next few minutes, I would like to discuss some areas where it is necessary to use that power. But before I do, let me ask you a question. Do we, as disabled veterans, have the right to. get angry? The answer is clearly "yes." After all, we are the survivors. We have seen 650,000 of our friends die on the field of battle since World War I. And over 3 million of us have been disabled in the service of our country. Yes, we earned the right to be heard! And we do have something to say! For starters, I got blood-boiling mad when I learned that our government treated more than 10,000 unsuspecting GIs like human guinea pigs, giving them massive doses of mind-altering drugs like LSD. I get even madder when I realize that our government, for nearly 35 years, has stubbornly refused to compensate these soldiers. Is this how our government leaders should behave after such a gross violation of human rights and decency? Thanks to the DAV, the plight of these soldiers got national attention, and the Senate ordered an investigation of this insult to human dignity. And now, government leaders are being forced to answer these charges. And address the question of compensation. Turning to another issue, nothing angers me more than our government's lack of commitment to gaining a full accounting of our prisoners of war and missing in action. If this cause is truly our nation's "highest priority," why don't we know the fate of so many of our wartime comrades 78,000 from World War II 8,000 from the Korean War and another 2,300 from the Vietnam War? To make matters worse, some government leaders want to normalize relations with Vietnam and lift the trade embargo before we get a full accounting of our missing comrades. Well, my friends, you and I will never stand for that! AUG-02-1992 21:56 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.15 - 5 - But no, our struggle continues. And we are still far from winning our war to achieve dignity and self respect for all disabled veterans. To ensure victory in our drive to protect our hard-earned benefits, we began a pilot voter registration program. Our program will establish a model we can all use to get our members and their families registered to vote. Once we are all registered and voting, Congress can no longer ignore us. In this spirit, we are fortunate to have so much tremendous support. First of all, there is you, the active members of the DAV who time after time demonstrated your commitment to this organization by responding to our calls for support when we need you to call or write members of Congress to speak out on legislation affecting veterans. Secondly, we are grateful for the leadership and guidance received from National Commander Cleveland Jordan and National Auxiliary Commander Claudia R. Roy during the past year. We are also led by a group of some of the finest Department Directors whose knowledge of the issues and ability to formulate a response is unparalleled in the community of veterans' service organizations. National Service Director Arthur Wilson, and his staff, lead our corps of highly trained National Service Officers and Staff Counsels in the critical area of delivering services to our nation's veterans and their families. This past year, our National Service Officers represented over 210,000 veterans and obtained over $1.2 billion in retroactive payments and increased monthly benefits. DAV has never wavered in its commitment to provide total quality service to veterans. For example, at the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals, the DAV has filed Notices of Appearance in more than 530 cases, more than 30% of all cases represented before the Court. We are quite proud of our staff at the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals as each day they break new ground in the area of veterans' law. This past year saw no end to the type of issues which in many respects we in the DAV find appalling. Our National Service Officers played an intricate role in responding to these issues by providing expert representation and assistance when needed. Issues such as DAV's lawsuit on behalf of incompetent veterans; and, assisting and identifying veterans who were used as guinea pigs in government experiments. We continue to be very proud of the work done by our NSOs and their ability to react efficiently and effectively to the needs of the organization and our membership. AUG-02-1992 21:55 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.14 - 4 - In one area at least, there is no question of right or wrong. Last fall, officials from the VA and the Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to treat nonveterans at some VA medical facilities. Can you imagine that? I can't! At a time when more and more sick, elderly and truly needy veterans are being turned away from VA health care, admitting nonveterans to those same facilities is dead wrong. We told them so but, they would not listen. If you don't listen to us, we warned, you will have to listen to our membership. We asked you for help, and your letters swamped the White House and Congress. You got their attention and you saw the result: Secretary Derwinski announced the cancellation of the Rural Health Care Initiative at our Mid-Winter Conference. Defeat of this ill-conceived idea was no small victory for veterans. It showed how much veterans can achieve when they join forces for the common good. It sent a loud and clear message to our nation's leaders: Do not sell the DAV short! Do not underestimate the determination of the DAV's members! There is yet another issue that requires our immediate attention. It is an issue we can and must win. Together, we must keep the Internal Revenue Service from dipping its fingers into our compensation checks. Yes, I'm sorry to say, you heard me right. The IRS recently issued an opinion that could require you to pay taxes on your disability check. Of course, we are not going to take this insult lying down. We have contacted Mr. Derwinski, Mr. Skinner, the Treasury Department, the White House, members of Congress, and our attorneys. Further, friends in Congress will soon introduce legislation to rectify this gross injustice. Listen, it is bad enough that we have to constantly watch our flanks for attacks on veterans' benefits from Congress and the Administration. Now we have to watch our rear for attacks from the IRS. Many of us thought our fight was over when we left the battlefields and returned to our homes from the hospitals and rehabilitation centers. AUG-02-1992 21:55 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.13 - 3 - If there are any U.S. servicemen still alive in Vietnam, we want them home! Now! And we want the remains of our fallen patriots returned so they can be buried in American soil. The soil which they were born on, lived on and died for! There is another issue that really burns me. Every time Congress hammers out a budget, it seems that veterans are the ones who get nailed! As a result, veterans' programs have suffered greatly. But the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 -- OBRA for short -- was the most devastating blow. Because of OBRA, veterans and their families will lose nearly four billion dollars by 1995. We are still fighting to have some of these benefits restored. Our fight has led us to vigorously resist the Administration's efforts to stop the compensation payments of certain incompetent veterans. These cuts in veterans' benefits were outrageous, and the issue of incompetent veterans is a clear case of the strong bullying the weak. Surely, these are the most defenseless veterans on the disability compensation rolls, and they were among OBRA's first targets. As you know, the DAV sued the VA on behalf of these veterans. While we won an initial victory that restored compensation payments to mentally incompetent veterans, that decision was overturned on appeal. I am still shocked that the government would appeal a court ruling that restored the constitutional rights of incompetent veterans, but we will keep on fighting to the bitter end. We know that if we let them get away with this outrageous behavior today -- they will take away our compensation tomorrow. How low can you go? I'll tell you how low. Congress is in the process of considering a bill that would provide tax credits to the gas and oil industry. Guess where they are going to get the money to pay for it? You are right. Out of the pockets of veterans. In fact they are taking 339 million dollars the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees planned to use to pay for much-needed and long-overdue service-connected death compensation reform. This scheme -- like so many others -- is dead wrong. And we will resist it until the bitter end. We owe that to our widows, dependents and orphans. AUG-02-1992 21:57 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.17 - 7 - I would like to thank our Communications staff headed by Jerry Atchison for publishing probably the finest and most informative veterans' service organization magazine in the country, and probably the world; Director of Administration, Walter Phillips for his coordination of the National Convention; and to my Executive Assistant Robert Hincken for his advice and counsel. I would like to thank Stephen Edmiston, Director of Administration and members of his staff at National Headquarters in Cold Spring, Kentucky for their cooperation and support for all we try to accomplish in Washington, D.C. And, of course, Maria Tedrow and her staff for their assistance. Most importantly I would like to thank National Adjutant Charles E. "Butch" Joeckel for his leadership, support and direction of all our departments. I have talked a bit about the support received from you, the battles we are currently waging in the halls of Congress, in the White House, and around the nation. But there is one challenge that touches each of our lives -- the struggle to keep the conscience of America alive and functioning. This is a campaign against the public apathy that seems to set in after each of our nation's wars. Thomas Payne was right when he said: "These are the times that try men souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from the service of his country. Be he that stands it now -- deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." Thomas Gordan was right when he wrote: "God and the soldier we alike adore, in time of danger not before. The danger past and all things righted, God is forgotten, the soldier slighted." I never want to see the day when America turns its back on those citizens who risked their lives, and lost so much, in defense of the land they love. I close with a poem that to my mind truly illustrates what we risk losing if we are not dedicated to our cause -- the cause of looking out for each other. It takes the form of a series of letters written by a soldier and his parents, and it goes like this: AUG-02-1992 21:56 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.16 - 6 - Our National Legislative staff is under the very capable direction of Rick Heilman. Rick and his staff shoulder an incredible burden for when weighing the benefits of veterans' legislation they must also be visionaries in terms of its future impact and benefit to those we serve. During the past year, Congress debated and passed such issues as a 3.7% increase (COLA) in service-connected disabilities and death compensation; and other pieces of key legislation in the area of benefit programs, VA health care, insurance and education. Among other bills introduced to Congress and yet to be decided include: concurrent receipt of VA compensation and military retired pay; taxation of VA compensation by the IRS; and DIC reform. Capitol Hill politicking in many instances thumbs its nose at those we consider most deserving such as a recent effort to take money earmarked for DIC reform to pay the tax credit for private oil and gas producers. Rick and his staff have accomplished a lot this past year and there is more to come. With many years of experience dealing with employment benefits and issues, the DAV is very fortunate to have Ron Drach as our National Employment Director. Because of Ron and his staff's tenacious approach to employment issues for disabled veterans, the DAV is acknowledged as a name to be reckoned with by many. This past year, Ron expressed appropriate outrage at, for example, the Postal Service hiring proposal which ignored veterans' preference by hiring so-called "transitional" employees; or, in the face of military downsizing, the government's effort to cut programs that help train and employ disabled veterans. With Ron and his staff leading the charge, I stand confidently before you secure in the knowledge that whatever can be done will be done to ensure employment laws are enforced and enacted in behalf of our nation's veterans. National Director of Voluntary Services Bruce Nitsche and his staff have done a wonderful job. Our Seventh Annual National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Grand Junction, Colorado drew participants and volunteers from all over the country. This is in addition to the Fifth National Veterans Golden Age Games in St. Petersburg, Florida that drew more than 250 veterans, age 55 and older competing in a number of recreational sports. Or how about our National Amputee Golf open championship. All of these activities recognize the unique abilities of the disabled, where disability doesn't count nearly as much as the thrill of the competitive American spirit and comradeship. This past year, our volunteers donated the equivalent of $35 million in hourly wages alone. More than $14.7 million was donated to VA hospitals all across the country in cash and other service related programs to VAVS. The National Organization has now donated 284 vans to medical centers nationwide at a cost of more than $4 million. These vans are driven by 4,083 volunteer drivers whose only reward is the knowledge they are helping a fellow veteran. These programs represent just a small part of all that Bruce and his staff have done this past year. I am sure you will be as proud as I am when you read his report. AUG-02-1992 21:58 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.18 - 8 - "Dear Mom and Dad, the war is done, my task is through, and, Mom, there is something I must ask of you. I have a friend, o such a friend, He has no home you see, and so, Mom, I would really like to bring him home with me." "Dear Son, we don't mind if someone comes home with you. I am sure he could stay perhaps a week or two. " "Dear Mom and Dad, there is something you must know. Now please don't be alarmed. My friend in battle was recently shot. And now he has no arm." "Dear Son, do not be afraid to bring him home with you. Perhaps he could stay a day or two." "Dear Mom and Dad, but Mom, he is not just a friend. He is like a brother, too. That is why I want him home with us, and like a son to you. Before you give your answer, Mom, I really don't want to beg, but my friend in battle was recently wounded, and also lost his leg." "Dear Son, it hurts me so much to say, the answer must be no. For Dad and I have no time for a boy who is crippled so." So months went by and a letter came, it said their Son had died. When they read the cause of death, the shock was suicide. Days later when the casket came, draped in the Army's flag. They saw their Son lying there without an arm and without a leg. AUG-02-1992 21:58 FROM RENO STAFF ADVANCE TO 12024562820 P.19 - 9 - Clearly, this poem is a tragedy. It grabs your heart and expresses a gross error in human judgement that you and I never want to make. However, in every human tragedy, there is a lesson and that is the good news. Because we, the members of the DAV, have made that transition from military to civilian life; we know what it is like to stand at the river of death we know what it is like to receive the red badge of courage and to make that long and often lonely and difficult journey to complete rehabilitation. What makes DAV members so outstanding is that they are willing to use their life experiences to help others. Therefore, we are -- each of us -- our brothers' keeper. We seek nothing that has not already been bought and paid for with shattered bodies and damaged minds. Truly, no citizen has paid a greater price or invested a larger stake in America than our veterans, particularly those who came home disabled. All of us in this room today must continue to remind the American people, the Congress and the White House of the consequences of war and the sacrifices made by veterans. If we do not, who will? It is our obligation. It is our duty. And it is, my good friends, our honor. Thank You. And God Bless each and every one of you. AIR FORCE ONE WED 05 AUG 92 21:09 PG.02 (Smith/Walters) August 5, 1992 RENO AF1-1 PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992 3:00 P.M. It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends. I want to thank Cleve Jordan for that introduction. Butch Joeckel, National Adjutant; Jesse Brown, National Executive Director of D.A.V.; Ed [Derwinski]; [Robin Higgins]. Thanks to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their families, and survivors -- fully 1.4 million strong. / ( ( Before I came here, I wanted to look in the dictionary for the definition of bravery. I'm pretty sure it says that bravery is what it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) // I bring you best wishes from a great friend and fan of yours named Barbara. 11 ( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I told her, the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She said, "the rate you are going, you'll soon be funnier than Johnny Carson. ")) // Last September, I was honored to attend your Salute to the Persian Gulf Veterans. Today, I'm proud to salute the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a sound economy / strong families / a world at peace. / You believe -- and I agree: America should serve those who served their country. AIR FORCE ONE WED 05 AUG 92 21:09 PG.03 2 That is why my Administration has never wavered in our commitment to you and your families. Let me be clear: As long as I am President, I will stand with you, and beside you. We must change our health care system in this nation, and we will. But we will not change our commitment to the integrity of Veterans health care. If Congress sends me legislation to dismantle the V A system, I will whip out my veto pen, and knock down that incoming SCUD missile aimed right at your wallet. If you ask how many V.A. hospitals I will close -- I will say not three, not two, not one. If anyone again suggests taxing your benefits, I'll say again -- don't take it from our Vets. 11 I know you're concerned about having your voice heard as the Washington bureaucracy debates your health care future. So just yesterday, I created a special panel, to guarantee your leadership's involvement. We will listen and we will act, to stand by those who stood up for America. // I am proud of the progress we have made together. We have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics, (and boosted our V.A. medical care budget by a billion dollars every year.) I am proud, too, of how we have built on these beginnings. / Two years ago we passed the Americans with Disabilities Act -- the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the 1960's. // AIR FORCE ONE WED 05 AUG 92 21:10 PG.04 3 It will help the disabled enter the mainstream -- and it's about time. 11 Here's the bottom line. By putting veterans first -- we will keep America first. I will continue to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to viet Nam -- from Korea to Kuwait City. 11 [[Three years ago I was on my way to address your convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a husband, a father, an American hero. with us today is the wife of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every American, I admire your courage from the bottom of my heart. ]] / Two years ago this week, I made a decision every President dreads -- to send our men and women in the Armed Forces into harm's way at the beginning of Operation Desert Shield. No President, no parent, makes that decision lightly. 11 I acted because America must stand for freedom -- stand by those who preserve it. / All of us have our stories. Mine came fifty years ago -- when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the current to keep from washing ashore on an enemy-infested island. when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at all -- I worried about who might find me first. // I was fortunate. I know that. / I learned first-hand in war what it means to know that America will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. / My family never had to face the agony of a phone call in the AIR FORCE ONE WED 05 AUG 92 21:11 PG.05 4 night or a knock on the door. Let me say to the families waiting still for their loved ones: we will not forget you. I am pleased that the League of Families has strongly supported our efforts, but though dramatic progress has been made, all are not accounted for. I will fight to guarantee that America stands with you, until every hero has come home. // Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's heroes have helped a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free those once enslaved. Our soldiers were not wounded in vain. You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. 11 Having won, we worked with the republics of the former Soviet Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic nuclear arms. President Yeltsin and I have agreed to go even further, to eliminate the most destabilizing nuclear weapons of all. By that agreement, we have reduced the threat of nuclear war. This is something that every family in America is grateful for. Yes, our victory in the Cold War means that our defenses can be smaller. So earlier this year, based on the recommendations of Secretary Cheney and Colin Powell, I responsibly cut our long- range defense budget. / But we can't lose sight of the fact that for all the great gains we've made for freedom -- for all the peace of mind we've secured for our children -- the world remains a dangerous place. 11 The Soviet bear may be extinct -- but there are still plenty of wolves in the world. Renegade rulers / terrorists / outlaw AIR FORCE ONE WED 05 AUG 92 21:12 PG.06 5 regimes / Baghdad bullies. As long as I am President, I will not allow a madman to get a finger on the nuclear trigger. / Today, some have forgotten every hard-won lesson of this American Century. So they propose to gut our national defense - - to cut $60 billion in defense beyond what we deem responsible. Well, let me answer them: The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels. / I know that to keep America safe -- we have to keep America strong. 11 That's why when the other side say: "We're better off without defense -- so let's ravage the Strategic Defense Initiative -- I say: Remember the lesson of Desert Storm. We will not leave the world defenseless against nuclear attacks. We will push forward with SDI. / / Think for a moment about what a strong America has helped achieve. Think about the worries we once faced -- and the world we see today: Not a Europe in flames, or a world at war, touched off by the death throes of the Soviet Empire -- but a world at peace, a new birth of freedom. / Not a Latin America consumed by revolution and resentment -- but a hemisphere moving toward free trade and free government. / Not a Middle East dominated by a dictator -- but a region where ancient enemies at long last are talking peace. / Our policies helped make all of this possible. So when the Sunday strategists say I've spent too much time on foreign policy, I say: I will never apologize for a single minute spent keeping America safe, strong, and free. / / 6 Where do we go next? Well, when I think about our challenges, I'm reminded of a football story -- a story of the freshman football player, thrust into the close of a tie game late in the fourth quarter, with the ball on his team's own one- yard-line. The coach grabbed the quarterback and said, "don't take any chances. Just fall on the ball three times, and then punt. On the first snap, a huge hole opened in the line, and the quarterback scrambled to the fifty. The next snap -- another huge hole -- down to the twenty five. On the third play -- the quarterback ran through an opening wider than the River Nile -- and fell just one yard short of a touchdown. The crowd was going crazy -- screaming for victory, when the freshman took the fourth snapped, stepped back, and calmly punted the ball out of the stadium. On the sideline, the coach was tearing his hair out. He ran on to the field screaming -- "what could you possibly be thinking!" And the freshman replied -- "I was just thinking you must be the dumbest coach in the entire world." As America's foreign policy "coach" -- it would be the height of stupidity for me to suggest that we just ignore our foreign commitments, as some now suggest. (And by the way, I'm tempted to say that now that the world playing field is so competitive, I'm not sure we should trust the team to a rookie, either.) My point is -- we can't "punt" our foreign concerns, we have major challenges. 11 7 First, we must do all we can to bolster the process of democracy -- especially where democratic friends have replaced totalitarian enemies in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. I hope you will stand with me and urge Congress to act immediately to approve the Freedom Support Act -- to lend a helping hand to people of the former Soviet Union. After World War I, we ignored the summons of help, and we paid dearly. After World War II, we lent a helping hand, and our lives are richer for it. Let us not ignore the lesson of history, let us act now to support freedom and free enterprise. Our second challenge is not to turn our back on the world economy. / Seventy percent of our economic growth since 1988 has come from exports -- 7.2 million American jobs are tied to trade. I will work to open foreign markets -- and to strengthen our schools so that we can compete. Because what is true today will be true tomorrow: Give an American worker the chance, and he will beat the pants off the competition. / / Over the past 3 and a half years, America has changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America. Building the kind of Nation here you fought so valiantly for abroad. 11 Think of what you fought for: An America of better jobs / better schools / safer neighborhoods / and equality for all. A land where our kids and grandkids would live in prosperity and peace. 11 Think of what we can now achieve: An America which eclipses even its greatest triumphs. But I need your help. 11 8 I learned about teamwork and the importance of sticking together more than four decades ago -- when I served in the military. I learned to depend on my wingmen -- for friendship, for support, for survival. When I was sitting in that raft in the Pacific, one of my wingmen pointed me to safety, the other flew above to keep enemy at bay. After the Navy, I didn't wear my uniform everyday, but friends have been part of every good fortune in my life. I am about to embark on my last political battle, and I'm sending a signal over my radio, I need my wingmen beside me. For years, you've been my supporters, my friends, my wingmen. And hope I can count on you to fly beside me -- as we take America to greater heights. # # # # (Smith/Walters) July 31, 1992 RENO PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992 It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends. I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks Imil. 2.2mil to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their affected families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. X*, X DAV FACT SHEET ( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of x people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) // NO! MrsB's In that sense, I'm glad my best friend is with me. ((Any Press ofc. of our kids will tell you Barbara's the five-star general in our family. Believe me, when she gives the orders, an entire division clears out. Keri Douglas Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your Scheduling Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to return the favor 9/12/91 -- and salute the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves No! safe streets / a sound economy / a world at peace. / You also FLOTUS believe -- and I agree: America should serve those who also served their country. // That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must, and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed 2 Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single, solitary medical center. // Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been closed beçause of review or lack of services. in What's more, we smash into have acted to create specialized centers from ambulatory to one Donna sen tence John community-based care. / Our Administration has funded new outpatient clinics. From FY 1991 to '93 our VA budget has risen VA Todd Grams almost a billion dollars per year 3' / By putting veterans first OMB -- we keep America first. I will continue to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. // Vet or non-vet -- we have to make the world's best health care system even better. / You know the story. Today, health care costs too much. Just as bad, too many are excluded under tab.Aff. the present system -- 34 million -- an army of uninsured Americans. / We have to defeat this terrorism which leaves people vulnerable and alone. // Some of you may recall how Sam Rayburn, former Speaker of the House, once said, "If a man has common sense, he has all the sense there is." Today, we need to use common sense as an arsenal of good. // Some claim: The answer to better health care is a nationalized health system. My answer: Anyone who's spent months trying to track down a missing VA check / or wasted a day in line at the DVM / is going to think long and hard before they let the government play doctor. // As long as I am President, we will not adopt the dead-end system of socialized medicine. / Instead, I ask you to support 3 my health care plan to stabilize costs by reforming the system. My plan will make health insurance more efficient, and tax deductions -- not tax hikes -- will make health insurance more affordable for low-to-middle income families. It will also confront this fact: Today we have too many malpractice suits / too many lawyers / too many hustlers looking to soak the system. ( (I don't want to get into trouble with the Bar Association, but I once told someone that line, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away. He asked, "What works for lawyers?") ) / We'd be better off if we spent more time caring for each other and less time suing each other. / So let's fight the terror of rising costs by reforming malpractice / and passing my health care plan. This brings me to another kind of terrorism. Terrorism against the innocent against brave Americans abroad. // Three Scheduling years ago I was on my way to address your convention. You know the event that changed my plans. / It was the death of a husband / father / American hero. With us today is the wife of Colonel Rich Higgins. Robin, on behalf of every American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. / Fellow veterans, what Colonel Higgins died for -- we must live for. The great victory he helped win based on strength -- we will not lose because of weakness. // It is a cause for which you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in Midway / Dan Nang / the Persian Gulf. A cause I describe as real peace -- the triumph of freedom, not merely the absence of war. 4 Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of the Navy Hymn that salutes freedom's leiegmen. You know the words: "Eternal Father, strong to save / O hear us when we cry to thee / For those in peril on the sea. / It reminded me of that day -- fifty years ago -- when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the current to keep from washing ashore on an empty island. I remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at all -- worrying about who might find me first. // I was fortunate. I know that. And I learned first-hand what it means to know that America will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. / I was on a three-man bombing crew -- where I learned of teamwork. / I learned how friendships in battle last. / Like you, I also learned about a purpose larger than ourselves. / I remember spending a month aboard the submarine Finback after being shot down -- and at night standing watch on the tower and looking at the dark. The sky was clear. The stars were brilliant -- like a blizzard of fireflies. There was calm, inner peace -- God's therapy. // How, given that, could I forget those who fought in the swamps and deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those disabled so that liberty might live? / I can't -- I won't. // Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. I can't forget that real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of 5 peril. / I won't forget that while the Soviet bear is dead -- there are a lot of wolves left around the world. // That's why we need a President who's earned the trust of America's allies. / It's why we need a President who knows what I learned in World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. / Above all, we need a President who knows: If the best way to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong. Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's defense has helped a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word: D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain. pause 41 Makehim do here. You helped end the Cold War --- and America won. // Having won, we agreed with the republics of the former Soviet Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic nuclear arms. Next year, President Yeltsin and I have agreed to go even further. Look at the record. In 1989, the enemy blinked. In 1991, it fell. America has changed the world -- just as we're now poised to change America. / / All this hasn't happened through smoke and mirrors. // It's come from a military that is practical -- national defense that works. / ((I'm reminded of how a writer was asked what he would take if his house were on fire and he could remove only one thing. His response? "I would take the fire.")) By taking away their fire --- we've seen that it's tyrants who've been burned. 6 One hundred and eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. / It was the day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words that describe every veteran: About how the American soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal, self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible might without losing faith an individual liberty." For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years. Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in Europe and less fear of war. Yet let me tell you: Our defense capacity will be even greater, and here's why: Our victory in the Cold War allows us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance means we will not reduce our resolve. // I know some doubt the need for a strong American military. Well, if tunnel-vision were an art form, they would be the Michelangelo of our age. / These are the same people who haven't supported any weapons since the slingshot and the pea-shooter. They were wrong about Viet Nam / the Mayaguez / wrong about the Shah of Iran, Afghanistan, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. They were wrong about the freezniks and peaceniks / wrong about Libya, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait. Now, to quote my predecessor, "there they go again." They're wrong about national defense. // Earlier this year I cut our-long range defense budget prudently -- sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in 7 the Gospel According to Congress. / So it wants to take $1 billion from defense spending and give it to defense bureaucracy. It wants to slash this year's defense budget by $7 billion / ravage SDI / gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / and harm troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and maintenance. All this reminds me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." Some people just don't understand: When it comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last. // Well, this President understands. Understands, and remembers. I know what veterans have fought for -- what they died for. I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace. Those who mock a strong defense are as obsolete as Communism / as passe as appeasement / as foolish as the slogan, "Make love, won't not war." Bumper stickers won't defeat bayonets / reduce nuclear weapons / won't remake America / won't send terrorism to its grave. What will is patience, planning, and personal diplomacy -- aided by the greatest people in the history of man. This "last best hope on earth." We Americans. Fellow veterans, thank you for your support, and may God bless this wondrous land we all fought to preserve -- the United States of America. WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM PRECEDENCE: IMMEDIATE RELEASER: PRIORITY ROUTINE DTG: MESSAGE NO. CLASSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED PAGES 33 3 FROM ED WALTERS 456-7750 111 1/2 (Name) (Phone Number) (Room No.) MESSAGE DESCRIPTION UPDATE FOR RENO LOCATION DELIVER TO AFI STEVE PROVOST CHRISTINA MARTIN REMARKS: saw this in this morning's News Summary. Dallas Morning News hasn't arrived yet today, but I pulled it off the wires. Insert for DAV? White House News Summary Wednesday, August 5, 1992 -- A-8 WHERE CANDIDATES' AGENDAS DIVERGE It may be a measure of health care's emergence as a hot- button issue in the 1992 presidential campaign that the rhetoric this week began sounding like something from the bad old days of the Cold War. Since Sunday President Bush has been saying Bill Clinton's health care system would have the compassion of the KGB. Clinton responded on Monday with his own charge that the President's proposal amounted to "the same old placebos" and that Bush "displays no passion" for solving the crisis. Beyond the attempt to cast each other's proposals in the most extreme and unfavorable light, there are very real differences between Bush's and Clinton's approach to fixing what both agree is a broken system. There is some common ground as well. Both candidates argue that their plans will preserve "what's best" in the American health care system, namely the ability of individuals to choose a personal physician or hospital. In fact, both proposals, health care analysts say, would push more Americans into HMOs and other managed care arrangements that are more cost efficient than traditional fee-for-service arrangements. (Dana Priest & Spencer Rich, Washington Post, A1) BUSH BACKS PLAN TO TRACK HEALTH OF GULF WAR VETS President Bush voiced support Tuesday for a proposal to track the health of veterans exposed to Iraq's environmental terrorism in the Persian Gulf War, and a senior Veterans Affairs official said his agency is committed to identifying and treating any related medical problems. Anthony Principi, deputy secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the pollution from sabotaged Kuwaiti oil wells raised the possibility of a long-term health problem similar to that caused by Agent Orange in Vietnam. Tuesday, Bush discussed with Principi a Department of Veterans Affairs proposal to monitor the health of Gulf War veterans. He later met with leaders of national veterans organizations to discuss health-care issues, including specific concerns about Gulf veterans. Several veterans and representatives of veteran groups have criticized the government's response to health problems that they believe are related to service in the Gulf. Active-duty service members say that their medical complaints frequently have been dismissed as being stress-related. Some people who left the military after the war -- as well as reservists and members of the National Guard -- complain that they have had difficulty getting medical attention from military or Veterans Affairs doctors. "I can understand that in a population of 570,000 Persian Gulf troops that some people might not be satisfied with the care that they've received or the response that they've received," Principi said. "To me, one case is too many." (Ed Timms, Dallas Morning News) - 5075kniga a BC-BUSHVET 08-04 1074 3C-BUSHVET national editors Bush backs plan to track health of Gulf War vets' (HAS TRIMS) By Eo Timms Dallas Mornino News President Eush voiced support Tuesday for a probosal to track the ealth of veterans exposed to Irao's environmental terrorism in the ergian Gulf war. and a senior Veterans Affairs official said his pericy is committed to identifying and treating any related medical roolems. Anthony I. Principi, deouty secretary of the Department of Veterans ffairs. saic the pollution from sabotaged Kuwaiti oil wells raised he possioility of a long-term health problem similar to that caused / the cefoliant Agent Orange in Vietnam. We learned some hard lessons in this country, in Vietnam with cent Orange. Principi said. ``I feel very personal about it. having erved in Vietnam and being exposed to Agent Orange, and maybe that's ny i Feel 50 strongly about it. acryiduals were subjected to the battlefield have more to onny about than just builet wounds. There's a whole new set or oncerns ano. in some cases, they're environmental. Sucn environmental threats, he said, potentially can be as isabling as the more traditional wounds. Tuesday, Busn discussed with Principi a VA proposal to monitor the ealth IT Gulf War veterans. He later met with leaders of national eterans organizations to dicuss health-care issues, including becific concerns about gulf veterans. Several veterans and reoresentatives of veterans groups have riticized the government's response to health problems that they elieve are related to service in the gulf. Active-duty service members say that their medical complaints requently have been dismissed as being stress-related. Some people no left one military after the war as well as reservists and members of the National Guard complain that they have had difficulty etting medical attention from military or VA doctors. The Dallas Morning News reported July 15 that private researchers no veterans groups have documented more than 200 cases of Gulf war ets suffering from mysterious illnesses. Civilian experts say that adverse rections to the hydrocarbons in betroleum may be responsible for many medical problems that veterans are exoeriencirg. I can understand that in a population of 570, 000 Persian Gulf roops that some people might not be satisfied with the care that hey've received or the response that they've received, Principi said. To me. one case is too many. Principi said the VA has a responsibility to determine if there is correlation between illnesses experienced by the veterans and their exposure À to collution in the Persian Gulf rather than wait 10 or 15 years and try to reconstruct the picture of precisely what happened, who was where. who was exposed, who wasn't exposed.' Then you get plagued with all the controversy, and the veterans are the ones who go unserved,' he said. Principi said the Veterans Affairs Department has taken several steps to ensure that does not happen. The department recently asked Congress to authorize a special program, a Persian Gulf Registry, that would provide long-term monitoring and keep veterans informed of scientific findings and medical advisories. (EDITORS: NEXT 2 GRAFS OPTIONAL) 2 similar registry for Agent Orange problems involved almost 120, 000 Vietnam-era veterans. Agent Orange. a chemical used to kill vegetation in Vietnam's rungles. has been linked to 2 variety of health problems, including tancer and birth defects. But official recognition of the problems inked to the defoliant came only after years of litigation by affected veterans. by which time documenting a veteran's exposure was are difficult. (END OPTIONAL TRIM) The Persian Gulf program essentially would allow the VA to examine veterans with concerns about exposure to the oetroleum pollution even :f they don't meet traditional eligibility requirements for VA care, such as financial need or aroof that their medical condition is service-connected. (EDITORS: NEXT 2 GRAFS OPTIONAL) VA attorneys are studying whether the department can evaluate Adividuals who do not meet the eligibility requirements before assage of the bending legislation. The VA has asked the Defense Department to provide a complete roster of the 570, 000 meri and women who served in the gulf, with their names and addresses as well as a complete list of the units each noividual was assigned to and where the units were located. That information ultimately will be compared with scientific data on the oil-well fires. (END OPTIONAL TRIM) Principal card the VA also 15 examinion natient treatment files from its hospitals and clinics nationwide, with plans for a computer match of ailments and treatments. Research would rely upon VA doctors, military doctors, experts with medical schools affiliated with VA facilities and civilian experts, he said. (EDITORS: STORY CAN TRIM HERE) I'm sure there's quite a bit of literature on petrochemical exposure in the orivate sector, he said. "But in the military and the VA, there's orobably not very much at all because I don't think we ever experienced this kind of sabotage before on the battlefield, exposing hundreds of thousands of personnel to that kind of level of smoke. " Principi said that Bush, during his meeting with the veterans groups' leaders, exoressed his concern about military personnel who served in the Persian Gulf. The White House had no comment on the meeting Tuesday. Dominic D. DiFrancesco, national commander of the American Legion, said he told the president that he was concerned about the declining quality and availability of health care for veterans, and the lack of programs' for recently discharged veterans to obtain the education and training they will need to re-enter the nation's workforce. The American Legion, the nation's largest veterans group, has spearheaded efforts to help chronically ill Persian Gulf war veterans. `Each year, we face a budget that is consistently $1 billion short of where it should be, and each year health care for veterans becomes less of a reality for the men and women who served this nation," DiFrancesco said in 2 statement. DiFrancesco also said that Bush promised to try to see that veterans' health-care programs do not suffer in future years. AP-NY-08-04-92 2328EDT< (Smith/Walters) August 3, 1992 RENO PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992 3:00 P.M. Kevin Hart It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends. Revo Adv. I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. / ((Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) // In that spirit, I bring you best wishes from my best friend. ( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ")) Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to salute the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I agree: America should serve those who also served their country. That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must, and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed 2 Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single, solitary medical center. // Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been closed because of review or lack of services. / What's more, we have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics, and boosted our VA budget almost a billion dollars per year. By putting veterans first -- we keep America first. I will continue to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. // This year we hear a lot about change. And, sure, there are things I'd like to change. Though maybe a better word is renewal -- because no one knows better than the American veteran: The changes we need must be based on principles that never change. / / Like you, my parents brought me up to understand that mankind's fundamental moral standards were established by Almighty God. / Our common law, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights are firmly rooted in this tradition -- the Judeo- Christian tradition. / Only recently have we seen the rise of legal theories and practices that reject our tradition. It's a deeply disturbing trend -- and it is diametrically opposed to my idea of the kind of change that's good for our country. / Last month on a stage 2,700 miles from here, there was another convention -- very different from this one. Now, I didn't hear any of those speeches. I was up in the mountains fishing -- where the air was clear, not hot. / But I understand one of the speakers, known for his florid language, called me "the captain of the ship of state.' He didn't mean it as a 3 compliment -- but believe me: As a Navy man surrounded by fellow vets -- the term suits me just fine. / / Whoever is chosen to pilot the ship of state must have a reliable moral compass. // ( (This leads me to a remarkable woman. Three years ago, I was on my way to address your convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. )) // Like all of you, Colonel Higgins knew that the things worth living for were also worth dying for. / I mean things like duty / honor / fidelity to country. / These are the values for which you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. // Any President must uphold them -- for as I see it, my job is more than managing the economy, or even serving as Commander in Chief. It is to also serve as moral leader of the Nation. An America without personal responsibility is not America at all. / Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of heroes who didn't just believe in good versus evil -- they lived it. / They would be Nat council appalled by how this year a mother abandoned her baby in the on Adytion restroom of a Connecticut mall -- and how some want legislation June 25,92 to help return that baby to his mother. / Yet the breakdown in responsibility runs the spectrum: It's also present among those 4 who flaunt their wealth -- and who flout the law. Crime isn't clean just because the crook wears a white collar. // Americans will make a choice this year about economic growth, and about keeping America safe and strong. But the choice is about more than that: It is about renewing moral strength, as well. Principles don't change from one day to the next. Principles aren't driven by polls. Principles endure. / This year, one side offers real change to make America One Nation under God. The other wrote a 10,000 word platform and never once Jeannie Bunton mentioned the one word which counts most: God. / You can see the differences of philosophy reflected in our policies. As a baseball umpire might put it, "You make the call." Consider our system of welfare. In too many cases, it's holding people down -- not lifting them up. The key to reform is personal responsibility. Yet on the other side of the debate are interests that want to protect bureaucracy and spending -- even if it means saying no to unwed mothers who want to get married. It's time the system said yes: Yes to people like Sandra NYT 1992 Rosado, who worked and saved money for college because she didn't want to leave a legacy of welfare for her kids. / The system said her family couldn't continue to get benefits while she saved 4,900 money for school. She saved $4,000. I call that amazing. The welfare bureaucrats? They called it fraud. / Something is wrong here. That's why I aim to shake up the top-down bureaucratic way of welfare and let our states find new ways that reward people like Sandra. Let's reward work and responsibility. / 5 Next, let's take education. / We know that renewing education depends on giving parents real freedom and real responsibility to choose their kids' schools. The other side tries to posture on behalf of parents -- but I don't think they're fooling anyone. / Remember how Henry Ford used to tell carlos his customers they could have any color Model T they wanted -- as pa long as it was black. The other side says parents can choose any :B school for their kids -- as long as it's run by the government. My plan is different -- it's called the G.I. Bill for kids Children. Like the original G.I. Bill, my new bill offers scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any qualified school -- private, public, or religious. My plan preserves religious freedom. So can another issue where there's a Grand Canyon of a divide. According to the Gallup Poll, America is the most religious Nation on earth. Sadly, one side this year thinks Granam kinneham it's fine to give condoms in school but not to say a prayer. I B/Q research disagree. So I again call on Congress to pass a Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer to the classroom. Let's bring the Faith of our Fathers back to our schools. Whatever the issue, the choice is clear. Who do you trust to change America -- to renew timeless values like personal responsibility? Who do you trust: The side with the courage to stand for what may not be popular -- but is right? or the side which talks a good game -- mouths the right rhetoric about values - but whose record, and example, make a mockery of their words? 6 Nowhere is trust more important than in the area I call real peace -- the triumph of democracy, not merely the absence of war. // Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. You know that real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of peril. / The Soviet bear may be dead -- but there are a lot of wolves left around the world. // That's why we need a President who knows what I learned in World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. / Above all, it's why need a President who knows: If the best way to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong. This year one side says, almost unbelievably: America is "ridiculed" around the world. / Our side says: Look at what America has achieved over the last 3 and 1/2 years. / We helped a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word: D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain. You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. / America has changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America. Here's a story about how we'll change it. One hundred and eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. It was the day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words that describe the American character: About how the American ? 7 soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal, self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible might without losing faith an individual liberty." For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years. Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in Europe and less fear of war. Yet our defense capacity will be even greater, and here's why: Our victory in the Cold War allows us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance means we will not reduce our resolve. // Earlier this year I cut our long range defense budget prudently, sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in the other side's dictionary. It's as if they never heard of the strategy -- "Peace through Strength" -- which has helped reshape the entire world. The other side proposes hearly fully $60 billion in Tell/ David defense cuts beyond what we deem responsible. On the Hill, its oppo. lackeys want to gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / harm troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and maintenance / and, yes, to ravage SDI. Here is my answer: I'm going to keep America safe -- keep America strong -- make sure the defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels. / When the other side says: We're better off without defenses -- I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm. // When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to 8 rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / Those trying to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." / We will push forward with SDI for the best of all reasons: When it comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last. You see, I remember. I know what veterans have fought for. I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace. Whatever the cost to me, I'm going to do what's right for America. / Now that America's moral values -- liberty, honor, personal responsibility -- are victorious around the globe -- why in the world would we abandon them at home? // We can not. As long as I am President, we will not. Let the other side support values that are trendy and transitory. I'm going to defend the values of those who fought in the swamps and the deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured the wounds of war so that liberty might live. // Fellow veterans, thank you for your support. Together, we'll keep a sure compass. We'll put our ship of state in finest sailing trim. We'll navigate our way to shining new horizons of renewal. May God bless you all -- and the country we all fought to preserve -- the United States of America. Document No. 342480 WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM DATE: AUGUST 4, 1992 ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA SUBJECT: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992 ACTION FYI ACTION FYI VICE PRESIDENT HORNER SKINNER MCBRIDE SCOWCROFT MOORE DARMAN PETERSMEYER BRADY PORTER BROMLEY PROVOST CALIO SMITH DEMAREST YEUTTER FITZWATER FINDLAY GRAY KAUFMAN HOLIDAY McGROARTY REMARKS: The attached has been forwarded to the President. RESPONSE: PHILLIP D. BRADY Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary Ext. 2702 T- \ FROM GENERAL Scowcroft, by phone, 34pm. omr. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON 2 AUG 4 P3: 38 August 4, 1992 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT THROUGH: STEVE PROVOST FROM: CURT SMITH SUBJECT: PROPOSED REMARKS FOR DISABLED VETERANS I. SUMMARY On Wednesday, August 5, at 3:00 p.m., you will address approximately 2,800 people at the Disabled American Veterans Convention in Reno, Nevada. II. DISCUSSION Your remarks (approximately 15 minutes / teleprompter), stress the importance of a strong defense and salute American veterans for their service and sacrifice. You also commend Marine Major Robin Higgins, wife of slain hostage Rich Higgins. She is currently trying to change her plans to stay for your speech, and your tribute to her is bracketed in your remarks. (Smith/Walters) August 4, 1992 RENO PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992 3:00 P.M. It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends. I want to thank Cleve Jordan for that introduction. Thanks to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. / ( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ") ) // In that sense, I bring you best wishes from my best friend. ((Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ")) // Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your Salute to the Persian Gulf Veterans. Today, I'm proud to salute the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I agree: America should serve those who also served their country. That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must, and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the future structure of VA medical facilities. // 2 Today, I can tell you: Not one VA hospital has been closed because of this review or lack of money. / What's more, we have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics, and boosted our VA medical care budget by a billion dollars per year. I am proud, too, of how we have built on these beginnings. / Two years ago we passed the Americans With Disabilities Act -- the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the 1960s. 11 It will help the disabled enter the mainstream -- and it's about time. 11 Next, I have rejected taxation of veterans' disability compensation -- and I will continue to. No veteran should have to pay twice -- once in battle, and once in peace. / Finally, yesterday I created a White House panel to address the future of the VA health care system -- and how overall health care reform will affect VA health care. // Our goal is to ensure veterans the world's best medical care. One way we will reach it is to have disabled vets play a key role on our panel. / By putting veterans first -- we will keep America first. I will continue to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Viet Nam and from Korea to Kuwait city. // [[Three years ago I was on my way to address your convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every American, I admire your courage from the bottom of my heart. ]] / 3 Two years ago this week, I made a decision every President dreads -- to send our men and women in the Armed Forces into harm's way at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm. No President, no parent, makes that decision likely. // I acted because America must stand for freedom -- and thus, by those who preserve it: Her veterans. America must stand with anyone who wore the uniform. / All of us have our stories. Mine came fifty years ago -- when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the current to keep from washing ashore on an empty island. I remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at all -- worrying about who might find me first. // I was fortunate. I know that. / I learned first-hand in war what it means to know that America will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. / My family never had to face the agony of a phone call in the night or a knock on the door. Let me say to the families waiting we achieve still for their loved ones: America will stand with you -- until every hero has come home the fullest possible accounting. // Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's heroes have helped a wall crumblè in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word: D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain. You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. // Having won, we agreed with the republics of the former Soviet Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic 4 nuclear arms. Next year, President Yeltsin and I have agreed to go even further. In 1989, the enemy blinked. In 1991, it fell. The great victory we won based on strength we will not lose because of weakness. / It is a cause for which you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in Midway / Da Nang / Inchon the Persian Gulf. A cause I describe as real peace -- the triumph of freedom -- not merely the absence of war. Yes, our victory in the Cold War means that our defenses can be smaller. So earlier this year I cut our-long range defense budget prudently -- sensibly. / But we can't lose sight of the fact that for all the great gains we've made for freedom -- for all the peace of mind we've secured for our children -- the world remains a dangerous place. // The Soviet bear may be extinct -- but there are still plenty of wolves in the world. Renegade rulers / outlaw regimes / Baghdad bullies. Madmen we can't allow to get a finger on the nuclear trigger. / You have my word: This President will never allow a lone wolf to endanger American security. // I will never forget those who fought in the swamps and deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured the wounds of war so that liberty might live. / Nor will I forget how real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of peril. // 5 Today, some have forgotten every hard-won lesson of this American Century. So they propose to gut our national defense - - to cut $60 billion in defense beyond what we deem responsible. Well, let me answer them: The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels. / I know that to keep America safe -- we have to keep America strong. // That is why when the other side says: We're better off some say: without defense -- so let's ravage the Strategic Defense Initiative / I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm. // When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / We will not leave America defenseless against nuclear attack. We will push forward with SDI. // The people trying to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." They don't understand -- never will -- that when it comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last. // Think for a moment about what a strong America has helped achieve. Think about the worries we once faced -- and the world we see today: Not a Europe in flames, or a world at war, touched off by the death throes of the Soviet Empire -- but a world at peace, a new birth of freedom. / Not a Latin America consumed by revolution and resentment -- but a hemisphere moving toward free 6 trade and free government. / Not a Middle East dominated by a dictator -- but a region where ancient enemies at long last are talking peace. / Our policies helped make all of this possible. So when the Sunday strategists say I've spent too much time on foreign policy, I say: I will never apologize for a single minute spent keeping America safe, strong, and free. // You see, I don't believe foreign policy is a footnote ... a loose end we wrap up, and then safely forget. // That's why we need a President who's earned the trust of America's allies. / It's why we need a President who knows what I learned in World War II -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. / For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved these principles on America's soul. / Our task is now to meet two key foreign policy challenges in the years ahead. // First, we must do all we can to bolster the process of democratization -- especially where democratic friends have replaced totalitarian enemies in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. / We must also continue to help our alliances, the United Nations, and other international organizations deal with the prospect of conflicts made more dangerous by weapons of mass destruction. / Above all, we must understand what would truly threaten our economic recovery. Not too much attention to foreign policy. Instead, too little attention to foreign policy would encourage the very threats you put your lives on the line 7 to defeat. As your President -- as your Commander in Chief -- this I will not do. // Our second challenge is to bolster the process of free market reform and especially the continued liberalization of world trade. One thing is certain: The United States cannot turn its back on the world economy. / Seventy percent of our economic growth since 1988 has come from exports. That's 7.2 million American jobs tied to trade. More than ever, we depend on a stable, prosperous and growing world economy. Either we strive to open up markets and do whatever it takes here at home - - either we take the steps we must to improve education, technology, job training, and productivity -- or we will watch trade barriers go up everywhere and suffer the consequences. / Remember: In the 1930s, protectionism was the companion to Depression --- and the prelude to war. So I say: Let's welcome the competition -- and trust that our ingenuity will make us great in the future as it has in the past. // Over the past 3 and a half years, America has changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America. Building the kind of Nation here you fought so valiantly for abroad. // Think of what you fought for: An America of better jobs / better schools / safer neighborhoods / and equality for all. A land where our kids and grandkids would live in prosperity and peace. // Think of what we can now achieve: An America which eclipses even its greatest triumphs. But only with a military that is truly Number One. 11 8 Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of the Navy Hymn that salutes freedom's liegemen. You know the words: "Eternal Father, strong to save / O hear us when we cry to thee / For those in peril on the sea. " / I know what veterans have fought for -- died for. I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your sacrifice in the war- torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace. Those who mock a strong defense are as obsolete as Communism / as passe as appeasement / as foolish as the slogan, "Make love, not war. " / Bumper stickers won't defeat bayonets / won't reduce nuclear weapons / won't remake America / won't send tyranny to its grave. / What will is patience, planning, and personal diplomacy -- aided by the greatest people in the history of man. This "last best hope on earth." We Americans. // Fellow veterans, thank you for your support, and may God bless this wondrous land we all fought to preserve -- the United States of America. # # # # THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON TO: Speechwriters/ Research "Cleve" Jordan - National Commander "Butch" Joeckel - Watronal Adjutant Jesse Brown - National Executive Director Secre tary Denwinski, "Ed" ADA- 5933 7/26/90 5 Three months ago, I announced a "Points of Light Initiative" to bring community service to every corner of America. Well, I'll confess it: You beat me to the punch. I think, for instance, of how the Legion aids handicapped kids. Or builds good government through Boys State and Girls State programs. And I know you will build on these beginnings: Since 1985 -- Money given to scholarships -- $13 million; and to all causes -- $144 million; blood donated -- pints; and hours - given to charity -- count 'em: over 60 million. Freedom from apathy. You show it, live it. And nowhere more than in the VA health system. At last count, over 11,000 Legion and Auxiliary members volunteered at VA hospitals. Now, let us take an even bigger step toward ensuring veterans' access to quality health care. By supporting our proposed National Commission to review the alignment of VA medical facilities. This Commission will outline the future structure of the VA system. And it will be modeled after the Department of Defense Base Closure Commission. But here's the difference: Our bill will forbid the closing of a single, solitary medical center. We will ask Congress to approve or disapprove our proposals as a single package. And it's a good package. For it will create specialized centers from ambulatory to community-based care. And strengthen veterans' overall care. So I ask you to support VA's realignment commission. And ensure veterans care that is accessible to all. (714) 774-5000 EXIT & PAGE JUL 29 '92 10:30 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 001 OSD/LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS Room 3D918. The Pentagon, Washington. D.C. 20301-1300 To verify transmission, contact the sender at the number below: Please deliver to: Ed Walters Location: WH Spuckwriters Fax number: 202456-6218 We are sending 28 pages, including this cover page. Sender: Susan hockerd Phone: (703) 695-2504/3 The Senate armed Services Committee just Completed markup of the F493 Defense Authorization They have not filed the report yet so all we have is a press release (attached). If you need more guidance, please call Pete Williams (703) 697-9312. JUL 29 '92 10:43 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 028 SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE ACTION ON SELECTED DEFENSE PROGRAMS (Dollars in millions) Amended FY1993 Committee Request Authorized # $ Amount # $ Amount PROCUREMENT B-2 bomber 4 $2,687 4 $2,687 B- 1 bomber $265 $100 C- 17 airlift aircraft 8 $2,514 4 $1,624 C- 17 contingency fund $232 F- 16 C/D fighter 24 $683 Terminated E- 8A JSTARS aircraft 1 $311 2 $500 AMRAAM missile (AF) 1,015 $731 1,015 $633 F/A- 18 C/D fighter 48 $1,658 24 $1,078 Trident II (D-5) missile 21 $764 21 $764 Tomahawk cruise missile 200 $404 100 $229 DDG-51 destroyer 4 $3,347 4 $3,347 LHD Amphibious assault ship $0 1 $1,205 Aircraft carrier replacement program $832 $350 Bradley Fighting Vehicle 0 $104 120 $254 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Armored Systems Modernization $367 $332 Comanche helicopter $443 Terminated Apache Longbow $282 $307 AX attack aircraft $166 $50 V-22 tilt-rotor $0 $755 F/A- 18 E/F fighter $1,134 $944 F-22 Advanced Tactical Fighter $2,224 $2,224 B-1 bomber $91 $24 MILSTAR satellite $1,262 $1,262 National Aerospace Plane $175 Terminated Advanced Launch System $125 $85 Strategic Environmental Research $0 $200 Strategic Defense Initiative $4,315 $3,240 Theater Missile Defense $998 $998 High Definition Displays $10 $100 SEMATECH $80 $100 Advanced Lithography $0 $75 Multichip Modules $44 $75 Manufacturing Technology (Services/OSD) $139 $434 JUL 29 '92 10:35 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 012 7/10/92 "OVERSEAS" ACTIONS House-Passed Authorization Bill (HR 5006) Directs President to achieve agreements by the end of fiscal 1994 with NATO nations and South Korea to assume a greater share of the costs of U.S. military installations, reallocating the savings to activities at military installations in the U.S. Reduces by five percent in FY 1993 and ten percent in FY 94 the amount available for the operation and maintenance for overseas basing activities (Kasich). Reduces authorization by $3.5B by accelerated withdrawal of U.S. forces or equipment in Europe, Japan and Korean or an increased level of host-nation support (Frank). Reduces the maximum number of military personnel in Europe to 100,000 by the end of FY 95 (Schroeder). Reduces expenditures to support troops stationed outside the United States by the end of FY 95 by 40% of the level at the FY 92. (May be waived if the President declares. an emergency.) (Gephardt) - Projected force level for Europe at the end of FY 92 is 208,000. -- Administration's projected European force level for end of FY 95 is 150,000. -- Effect of this language would limit U.S. military end strength in Europe to no more than 124,800 by FY 95. Reduces NATO infrastructure request to $121.1M (vs. $221.1M request). Reduces funds for foreign nationals by $150M (in anticipation of successful negotia- tions with the Japanese on labor costs.) House-Passed Appropriations Bill (HR 5504) Deletes all funding for foreign national employees (1.6B) Deletes all funding for real property maintenance outside CONUS ($801M) Reduces NATO infrastructure request to $121.1M (vs. $221.1M request) (MILCON Appropriations Bill). Eliminates funding of severance pay for foreign nationals employed by DoD in the Philippines if the discontinuation of employment is the result of the termination of U.S. basing rights in that country (Kasich). JUL 29 '92 10:36 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 013 PRESS RELEASE United States Senate Sam Nunn, Georgia Committee on Armed Services Chairman SR-228 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-3871 Contact: Scott Williams FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Senator Nunn's office) July 24, 1992 (202) 224-3521 Phil Smith (Senator Warner's office) (202) 224-6290 NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1993 Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA.) and Senator John Warner (R-VA.), the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Armed Services Committee, announced today that the Committee has completed its mark-up of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993. The bill authorizes funding for the Department of Defense, the national security programs of the Department of Energy, and civil defense. The bill approved by the Committee continues to shape U.S. military forces for a post-Cold War world. Responding to the diminished threats from the former Soviet bloc, the bill reduces military spending in many accounts while promoting an across-the- board review of military roles and missions. A major initiative assists individuals, communities, and businesses in adjusting to the effects of the defense drawdown. The Committee's bill also calls for increased civilian-military cooperation to extend the benefits of military training to meet some of the nation's critical needs. Funding Authorization The Committee bill authorizes a total of $274.5 billion in budget authority for the National Defense function for fiscal year 1993, which is $7 billion below the President's amended request. The Committee reduced the defense budget $2.9 billion below the level required to comply with the Budget Resolution for fiscal year 1993. This reduction is intended to help reduce the federal deficit. It includes funding reductions for intelligence programs recommended by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The funding level recommended by the Committee is $3.5 billion higher than the House-passed defense authorization bill. MARK-UP HIGHLIGHTS o Authorized $1.2 billion for defense conversion assistance to individuals, communities, and the industrial base. JUL 29 '92 10:36 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 014 2 o Promoted roles and missions review with reports and funding decisions on tactical aircraft, standoff jamming aircraft, tactical intelligence aircraft, heavy bombers, the new aircraft carrier, and other areas. Established a program to encourage civil-military cooperation in addressing domestic problems. Saved $3.2 billion by improving DOD inventory management. o Approved the requested end strength level of 1,766,500 for active duty forces in fiscal year 1993, and a 3.7% pay raise on January 1, 1993. o Moderated the requested reductions in National Guard and Reserve components, and approved an- end strength total of 1,122,405 in fiscal year 1993. O Required Secretary of Defense to promptly and thoroughly review policies and programs related to the treatment of women in the military, and to submit a report on this matter to Congress by December 15, 1992. Approved the following elements of a tactical aircraft modernization package: - $2.2 billion (requested amount) to continue development of the F-22 Air Force fighter; - $50 million ($115 million less than requested amount) to initiate a competitive prototype phase for the AX long-range bomber; - $943.6 million ($190 million less than requested amount) for F-18 E/F aircraft; directed Air Force to use it as its future multirole fighter; - Terminated RAH-66 Comanche Army helicopter and accelerated modification of existing AH-64 Apache helicopters (net savings of $365 million); and - Scaled back F-18 C/D aircraft ($580 million less than requested amount) and eliminated final 24 F-16 aircraft ($608 million less than requested amount). o Approved request for 4 DDG-51 destroyers and 2 mine countermeasures ships; added 1 LHD amphibious assault ship (addition of $1.2 billion); split request for aircraft carrier advance procurement funds by authorizing $350 million in fiscal year 1993 and $482 million in fiscal year 1994. JUL 29 '92 10:37 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 015 3 Approved $225 million in new sealift funds ($1 billion less than requested amount), which will make a total of $2.1 billion available (when combined with $1.9 billion in previous years' funds). Added $755 million for 3 production representative V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. No more than 50% of the fiscal year 1993 funds could be spent until the Marine Corps Commandant provided to Congress an investigation report on the recent crash of one of the V-22 prototype aircraft. Authorized $1.8 billion for 4 C-17 airlifters with a contingent authorization of $232 million to be used for additional production, depending on the contractor's performance. Authorized a total of $4.3 billion for the Strategic Defense Initiative, including: - $1.1 billion for theater missile defenses; - $2.1 billion for an initial treaty-compliant ABM site; - $350 million for Brilliant Pebbles; I deleted from the Missile Defense Act the 1996 target date for deployment of first ABM site; instead, required DOD to develop initial ABM deployment according to sound acquisition procedures and with adequate integrated testing of all system components; - recognized a goal of 1996 for initial contingency theater missile defense capability and a goal of 2002 for initial operational capability deployment of an initial ABM system; : clarified that the bill is not to be construed as authorizing SDIO at this time to field test missile prototypes and a test radar to provide a contingency capability at the first ABM site, as such a decision is unnecessary until fiscal year 1995; and - raffirmed SDIO authority to transfer up to 10% among SDI funding elements. 0 Authorized $125 million for procurement and R&D ($231 million less than requested amount) for the B-1 bomber, and mandated additional B-52 and B-1 testing against defenses to demonstrate conventional bombing capabilities. JUL 29 '92 10:37 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 016 4 0 Approved the requested $2.6 billion for 4 additional B- 2 bombers. o Agreed to continue discussions of nuclear testing with the goal of developing a Committee position on this issue. JUL 29 '92 10:37 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 017 5 MAJOR MARK-UP INITIATIVES Seven major initiatives guided the Committee in its mark-up of the bill: (1) Assist personnel, communities, and the industrial base in adjusting to the defense drawdown (2) Promote a comprehensive review of the military services' roles and missions (3) Encourage civil-military cooperation in addressing domestic problems (4) Increase efficiency and reduce costs of Defense Department operations (5) Utilize the National Guard and Reserves more (6) Require multiservice cooperation on future tactical aircraft (7) Improve training and weapons design with simulation technology * * * * I. Assist Personnel, Communities, and the Industrial Base in Adjusting to the Defense Drawdown The Committee developed a broad range of programs to address the needs of individuals, communities, and businesses in adjusting to the defense drawdown. The Committee authorized $1.2 billion for these programs for fiscal year 1993. In addition, the committee authorized $463 million for the up-front accrual costs of early retirement incentives for military members. Over the five-year transition period, these incentives will produce a net savings of $1.1 billion due to reductions in the number of senior military personnel. A. Personnel Transition Initiatives O Authorized active duty personnel in nontransferable skills, such as combat arms, to apply for up to one year of educational leave of absence to obtain civilian skill training. O Authorized active duty personnel who have 15 but less than 20 years of service to apply for early retirement, and JUL 29 '92 10:38 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 018 6 to accrue additional military retirement credit if they take critical jobs in areas such as education, law enforcement, and health care. 0 Authorized Selected Reservists who have 15 but less than 20 years of service to apply for reserve retirement, with benefits commencing at age 60. Authorized Selected Reservists who have at least 20 years of service to apply for an immediate, reduced retirement annuity. Authorized separation pay for Selected Reservists who are involuntarily separated. Continued Reserve G.I. Bill assistance for Selected Reservists who are involuntarily separated. Authorized Job Training Partnership Act assistance for DOD civilian employees 12 months in advance of a base closure or realignment. O Authorized a resignation incentive of up to $20,000, and an early retirement incentive of up to $20,000, for DOD civilian employees in surplus skill categories and for employees at military installations facing closure or realignment. Authorized DOD to pay for up to 18 months the Government's contribution for a federal health insurance plan for a DOD civilian employee who is involuntarily separated due to a reduction in force. o Authorized $50 million for DOD support for the Department of Labor's worker relocation and training programs under the Job Training Partnership Act. B. Community Adjustment Assistance 0 Added $25 million to the $4.9 million requested for the DOD Office of Economic Adjustment. Of this amount, $20 million would be for -planning grants to communities adversely affected by the closure of military installations or the drawdown of defense business. o Authorized $150 million for economic development grants administered by the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration for the capital investment needs of communities adversely affected by base or defense plant closures. Authorized $50 million for DOD to make supplemental grants to local school districts with large numbers of DOD JUL 29 '92 10:38 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 019 7 dependents to mitigate the effect of the dependents on the districts. Also authorized $8 million for payments to local school districts that are losing large numbers of DOD dependents through base closures or realignments. C. National Defense Technology and Industrial Base Established post-Cold War era policy objectives for the national defense technology and industrial base, with particular focus on dual-use capabilities. Authorized $100 million for Dual-Use Critical Technology Partnerships to stimulate industry investment in vital defense technologies. Authorized $50 million for Commercial-Military Integration Partnerships to foster the development of viable commercial technologies that can also meet future reconstitution requirements and other needs of DOD. Authorized $100 million for Regional Technology Alliances to promote the development of products that build upon regional strengths in particular industries and technologies. 0 Authorized $25 million for Defense Advanced Manufacturing Technology Partnerships to encourage government- industry cooperative efforts in manufacturing technologies, especially those which would significantly reduce the health, safety, and environmental hazards of existing manufacturing processes. o Authorized $100 million for Defense Manufacturing Extension Programs to support the manufacturing programs of regions, states, local governments, and private, nonprofit organizations. 0 Authorized $30 million for manufacturing engineering education programs. Authorized $200 million for Dual-Use Technology and Industrial Base Extension Programs. Would enable the Secretary of Defense, working with the Secretaries of Energy and Commerce, to support programs sponsored by the federal government, regions, states, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private entities that assist defense-dependent companies in acquiring dual-use capabilities. Required cost-sharing from nonfederal sources for all the technology and industrial base programs. JUL 29 '92 10:39 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 020 8 0 Expanded the Small Business Innovative Research Program, which uses a percentage of funds from each agency's research and development budget to fund research proposals from small business concerns. DOD and other agencies would increase their share from the current rate of 1.25% to 1.5% in fiscal year 1993, 2.0% in fiscal year 1994, and 2.5% in fiscal year 1995 and thereafter. Established a DOD Office of Technology Transition which would be responsible for monitoring DOD research and development activities, identifying activities that have potential commercial applications, serving as a clearinghouse to facilitate the transition of technologies to the private sector, and assisting firms with regulatory problems associated with technology transition. Q Established a statutory charter for the Advanced Research Projects Agency which would emphasize its role in the development of dual-use technologies. II. Promote a Comprehensive Review of the Military Services' Roles and Missions Required the JCS Chairman's roles and missions report, together with the Secretary of Defense's views, to be submitted to Congress. Assigned the mission of standoff jamming for all tactical air operations to the Navy; denied request of $68.6 million to upgrade the Air Force EF-111 jammer aircraft and doubled the funds requested for advance procurement for the Navy EA-6B aircraft (to a new level of $97.3 million). o Prohibited obligation of more than 50% of funds authorized for major new tactical aircraft until 60 days after Congress receives the roles and mission review. Expressed the sense of Congress that the Army and Marine Corps should seek ways to complement each other's capabilities and should emphasize areas in which each service has a comparative advantage. Directed the JCS Chairman to examine the integration and cooperation of Marine Corps and Army capabilities in his roles and missions review. Expressed the sense of Congress that the Army should not proceed with any new air defense system or upgrades until Congress receives the JCS Chairman's roles and missions review. Removed legislative restrictions on the Defense Department's ability to compete maintenance workload between DOD depots and the private sector during fiscal year 1993. JUL 29 '92 10:40 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE 021 9 0 Required a competition between Navy EP-3 and Air Force RC-135 tactical intelligence aircraft by transferring all the requested upgrade funds to a central account and requiring the Secretary of Defense to select only one aircraft to be upgraded. 0 Shifted procurement of a new aircraft carrier from fiscal year 1995 to fiscal year 1996, as originally planned. Split the advance procurement funds by authorizing $350 million in fiscal year 1993 and $482 million in fiscal year 1994. No funds could be obligated after the end of fiscal year 1993 until (1) Congress receives the roles and missions report, which should include a review of the trade-offs between land-based and sea- based bomber forces, and (2) the Secretary of Defense submits a study of alternative ways of providing naval forward presence. Deferred major commitments for upgrades to both B-1B and B-52 heavy, non-stealthy bomber forces, pending receipt of the roles and missions report, certain overdue reports, and further testing to quantify the capabilities of heavy bombers in conventional conflicts. O Restructured the budget and missions of the Defense Nuclear Agency to reflect the de-emphasis on nuclear weapons and the application of unique Agency expertise to other defense problems. III. Encourage Civil-Military Cooperation in Addressing Domestic Problems Established a new Civil-Military Cooperative Action Program. Would encourage DOD assistance to civilian projects that address critical domestic problems in areas such as health care, nutrition, education, and infrastructure. 0 Projects must be consistent with the military mission, and must avoid duplication with other government programs and competition with the private sector. O Would offer military personnel the opportunity to serve as role models for disadvantaged young people. IV. Increase Efficiency and Reduce Costs of Defense Department Operations The Committee made a concerted effort to increase the efficiency and reduce the costs of operations throughout the Defense Department. Many of the funding adjustments recommended by the Committee are based on recommendations made by the General Accounting Office; the DOD Inspector General; and the military service audit agencies. JUL 29 '92 10:40 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 022 10 o Adopted at major initiative to improve DOD inventory management that results in savings of $3.2 billion in fiscal year 1993. This initiative would: - reduce new inventory coming into the DOD supply system by putting a cap on new purchases of inventory through the Defense Business Operations Fund; - reduce future purchases by encouraging the military services to return excess inventory held in units to the DOD supply system; - address the problem of "excess on order" procurements identified by GAO -- procurements for items for which a requirement no longer exists; - reduce overall funding available to operating units and weapons system program offices to purchase secondary items by 58, or $1.1 billion; and - direct DOD to review its retention policy for secondary items in the DOD supply system. 0 Authorized the sale of 51 different commodities which the Defense Department has determined are no longer required in the National Defense Stockpile. Projected revenues from these sales are approximately $500 million in fiscal year 1993 and $600 million in fiscal year 1994. 0 Reduced recruiting support costs by 5%, or $27 million; required a 10% reduction in the number of military personnel serving in recruiting activities over the next two years; and directed the Navy and Air Force to consider consolidating their active and reserve recruiting functions into a single organization like the Army and Marine Corps. o Reduced funds for administrative travel (-$200 million) ; consultants (-$60 million) ; printing and reproduction costs (-$16 million) ; and administrative airlift flying hours (-$18 million). O Reduced funds for classroom training and education programs for military members (-$200 million) to reflect lower force levels. 0 Applied $667 million in prior year funds for low priority Navy programs to offset funds requested for fiscal year 1993 programs. Department of Veterans Affairs THE HONORABLE EDWARD J. DERWINSKI Secretary of Veterans Affairs Edward J. Derwinski, President Bush's choice to become the first Sec- retary of the newly created Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Af- fairs, was confirmed by the Senate on March 2, and sworn in on March 15, 1989. Secretary Derwinski directs the activities of the federal government's second largest department, responsible for a nationwide system of health-care services and benefits programs for America's 27.3 million veterans. A member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 to 1983, representing Illinois's 4th congressional District, he was senior minority member of the House Foreign Affairs committee and the House Post Office and Civil Service committee. He played a major role in the pas- sage of landmark Civil Service Reform, Postal Service Reorganization, and Foreign Service Reform legislation. As a congressman he handled his own casework for numerous veterans in the Chicago area. Mr. Derwinski also served as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in 1971. From 1970-72, and from 1978-80, he was chairman of the U.S. delegation to the Interparliamen- tary Union, an international body of legislators from over 100 countries. From 1983 until his nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Derwinski served at the State Department, first as Counselor and later as Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology. As Counselor, he participated in developing congressional strategy, conducted special international negotiations with Canada, Ice- land and nations in the Pacific, coordinated policy with respect to international sports events (such as the Olympics and the Pan American Games) and acted as senior advisor for refugee policy and programs. As Under Secretary, he was responsible for implementing the President's worldwide security assistance and arms transfer programs, prevent- ing the diversion of sensitive U.S. technology to unfriendly nations, and overseeing international communications and environmental, oceans and science policy. His most recent awards include the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and the Icelandic Order of the Falcon. Mr. Derwinski was born September 15, 1926, in Chicago, entered the U.S. Army as a private in 1945, and served in the Pacific Theater and the Japan occupation. He graduated from Loyola University (Chicago) with a Bachelor of Science in History. He is married to the former Bonita Hickey of Chicago. Mr. Derwinski has a daughter. Maureen, and a son, Michael. April, 1989 SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 8- 4-32 111:02AM 2024566218,# 2 a0019reute r P PM-CAMPAIGN-GORE 08-04 0264 PM-CAMPAIGN-GORE GORE CHIDES BUSH FOR TELLING MIA FAMILIES TO SHUT UP RENO, Nev., Reuter - Democratic vice presidential nominee Al Gore chided President Bush Monday for his angry response to relatives of missing Vietnam servicemen who heckled him during a recent speech. I don't think that any president of the United States should tell families of POWs (prisoners of war) and MIAs (missing in action) -- who are heartbroken and concerned and who have been Faced with some untruths - to sit down and shut up, Gore said in an address to the Disabled American Veterans convention. Critics interrupted Bush with shouts of No More Lies'' and similar reproaches when he addressed the annual meeting in July of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. Gore, himself a Vietnam veteran, accused the Bush administration of doing too little to help disabled veterans and to soothe the suffering of the relatives of MIAs. The Tennessee senator said MIA Families have been misled for years by government officials. ' ' I believe it's time for no more lies, he told an audience of several thousand veterans gathered at a Reno hotel-casino. Gore said it was wrong to take veterans hospitals that are, in most cases, stretched too thinly, overburdened and understaffed, and proposed opening them up to non-veterans. He said Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton will appoint a real veteran's advocate as secretary of veterans' affairs. Gore said veterans' hospitals would serve as ' 'a a cornerstone and buiding block of the national health insurance program Clinton has proposed. REUTER Reut00:92 08-04 SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 8- 4-92 :11:01AM ; 2024566218:# 1 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< News Summary THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY WASHINGTON FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION TO: Ed FROM: Elmer News Summary OEOB 412 Washington, D.C. 20500 voice (202) 456-2950 fax (202) 456-6422 COMMENTS: SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 8- 4-92 111:02AM 2024560210 2 a0019reute r P PM-CAMPAIGN-GORE 08-04 0264 PM-CAMPAIGN-GORE GORE CHIDES BUSH FOR TELLING MIA FAMILIES TO SHUT UP'' RENO, Nev., Reuter - Democratic vice presidential nominee Al Gore chided President Bush Monday for his angry response to relatives of missing Vietnam servicemen who heckled him during a recent speech. I don't think that any president of the United States should tell families of POWs (prisoners of war) and MIAs (missing in action) -- who are heartbroken and concerned and who have been faced with some untruths - to sit down and shut up, Gore said in an address to the Disabled American Veterans convention. Critics interrupted Bush with shouts of No More Lies and similar reproaches when he addressed the annual meeting in July of the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. Gore, himself a Vietnam veteran, accused the Bush administration of doing too little to help disabled veterans and to soothe the suffering of the relatives of MIAs. The Tennessee senator said MIA Families have been misled for years by government officials. I believe it's time for no more lies, he told an audience of several thousand veterans gathered at a Reno hotel-casino. Gore said it was wrong to take veterans hospitals that are, in most cases, stretched too thinly, overburdened and understaffed, and proposed opening them up to non-veterans. 'He said Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton will appoint a real veteran's advocate as secretary of veterans' affairs. Gore said veterans' hospitals would serve as ``a cornerstone and buiding block of the national health insurance program Clinton has proposed. REUTER Reut00:52 08-04 July 28, 1992 MEMORANDUM TO CURT SMITH FROM: ED WALTERS SUBJECT: DAV REMARKS Significant differences between the Administration and Congress are highlighted in the attached Statement of Administration Policy from OMB (responding to the House bill). The clearest and easiest to describe differences lie with funding of SDI, conduct of abortions in military medical clinics, and "defense reinvestment," wherein Democrats steal $1 billion in critical defense spending to redouble the efforts of existing programs to retrain our forces. As usual, I have attached the relevant documents. July 28, 1992 MEMORANDUM TO CURT SMITH FROM: ED WALTERS SUBJECT: DAV REMARKS The world has changed. The cold war is over. Our planet is no longer a zero-sum, bipolar, hair-triggered, nuclear nightmare. It is a world with one benevolent superpower committed to world peace and the rule of law. The change took place in four years. Warfare has changed. Flexible response and global deterrence have been vindicated in the combat arena. In one of the shortest wars in history, the United States offered a new model for geopolitical stability -- stay put or pay. Democracy, capitalism, and liberty are at all-time high-water marks. Peoples of the world are choosing their own governments, and their choice is clear: democracy works, free trade works, and political freedom works. The democratic revolution has not receded. Having won the cold war, we have agreed with the republics of the former Soviet Union to reduce missile levels to the lowest levels since . No period in history has made the world a safer place to live than the last four years have. Since 1980, we have engaged the enemy. In 1989, under the leadership of George Bush, the enemy blinked, and in 1991, he fell. The conflict over ideology has subsided, only to give rise to a new clash -- the battle for world economic markets. Now, more than ever before, global markets are essential to success. European and Asian economic unity have created a revolution in trade -- a true global marketplace. NAFTA will ally the United States in one of the largest trading blocs in the world, and it will prepare our markets to meet that challenge. GIS blame illnesses on fires first described 1½ years ago by an ing oil fires, according to the group's group's findings as support for their Army can't official Pentagon panel examining final report, obtained yesterday by argument that hundreds of soldiers the hazards of fighting near Ku- The Washington Times. are experiencing oil-related health confirm link wait's burning oil wells. The panel of military doctors and problems-even while the Pentagon The Army says it has yet to find a petroleum experts recommended remains skeptical. definite link between soldiers' com- that units be equipped with special Virginia Stephanakis, spokeswo- protective gear and with devices to man for the Army Surgeon General's plaints of breathing problems and dizziness and their prolonged expo- detect the presence of dangerous Office, said yesterday, "As soon as By Joyce Price and Rowan Scarborough sure to thick, black smoke bellowing gases leaking from the wells. they lit the oil wells, we knew there THE WASHINGTON TIMES from wells set afire by Iraqi troops. But the report apparently came could be a problem," but added, "So Yet, during the war a Naval Medi- too late to affect any unit's equipping, far, we haven't seen anyone suffering A number of Gulf war veterans cal Research Institute workshop de- since the war ended a day after its with petroleum poisoning." are turning up at sick call with termined that American GIs faced a completion. Some veterans are pointing to the see OIL, page A6 symptoms of petroleum poisoning number of health risks from the rag- "And, quite frankly, I've seen no concerted effort on the part of the Defense Department to try to do anything," Mr. Johnson said. Mrs. Zuspann said the Navy "did nothing" for her husband and he was admitted to the Army hospital through the he help of Sen. Lloyd Bent- sen, Texas Democrat. Marine Capt. David Fournier of Jacksonville, N.C., said he has been diagnosed as having respiratory air- way disease since returning from the Gulf and has body pain. I'm in pain all the time in both hands and my right foot," Capt. Four- nier said. "And I feel fatigued all the time" and am unable to work. He said he was camped in Kuwait for 30 days after the end of the ground war and sometimes was as close as 50 yards from a burning oil well. "There were days when I trav- eled through thick darkness and smoke," he said. Capt. Fournier said the military sometimes put out warnings on the radio, advising soldiers to cover their noses and mouths with a scarf if they were exposed to fire and smoke from oil-well fires. "But even with a scarf, I could still taste the oil," he said yesterday. Mrs. Zuspann said her husband did not receive such warnings, as his ship was blacked out to eliminate light and sound. Capt. Fournier said he speaks daily with Petty Officer Zuspann by phone and has many of the same symptoms. But he said he has hit a brick wall in his bid to enter Walter Reed and hopes he, too, can get some congressional assistance. Maj. Pete Keating, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon, said the service sent in preventive medicine teams, including environmental health specialists. The experts took air samples before, during and after the war in the entire Kuwaiti theater, Maj. Keating said exposure to oil smoke in Kuwait after the war "was deemed not to be of significance." "Just the stuff in the air was not considered a big concern," he said. "The concern was for long expo- sure" in close vicinity to the oil fires. Maj. Keating said the Army has a "good record" of investigating health complaints to see if they are linked to a particular theater of op- "We're not leaving anything to chance," he said. "If we come across some sort of health problem and we can trace it back to the Gulf war, we'll do a very, very thorough follow- up. We've been in the business of deploying to foreign and hostile en- he said. eration. vironments for some time." OIL From page Al Still, she said, "we haven't ruled anything out. And we're getting some outside experts with expertise in this area to work with military doctors who are knowledgeable in "They haven't ruled anything 'in' is more like it," said Betty Zuspann, wife of Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Gary Zuspann, who is undergoing tests at the Walter Reed Army Medi- Mrs. Zuspann, of Euless, Texas, said yesterday that preliminary tests indicated the presence of hy- drocarbons in her husband's body, which she believes are the result of his six-month exposure to "smoke, crude oil" and other products of the field. combustion emitted by the oil-well fires in Kuwait. She said he re- mained on a ship in the Gulf off the coast of Kuwait until he returned home late last August. At least two Desert Storm veter- ans already have been diagnosed as having petroleum poisoning, ac- cording to the Dallas Morning News. Dr. Theron Randolph, a Chicago- area internist, allergist and self- styled founder of "environmental medicine," made the diagnoses. Dr. Randolph said in a telephone interview yesterday that symptoms of this disorder can also include ex- treme fatigue, breathing diffi- culties, headaches, arthritis, muscle aches and pains, and a runny or He said the big problem with pe- cal Center. stuffy nose. troleum poisoning is that "it tends to persist and spread to related chem- ical exposures." Soldiers in the Gulf, he said, could have developed the problem as the result of exposure to burning oil wells or to "petroleum products which were used on roads to cut down on the dust or to pes- ticides which were used everywhere Over here, he said, a person's over there." symptoms could worsen if he is given petroleum-based drugs or breathes auto exhaust or perfumes. Mrs. Zuspann said she has a publi- cation of a chemical manufacturer that identifies heart palpitations, an enlarged aorta and "extreme airway restriction" as other possible com- plications of petroleum poisoning. "Personally, I've seen about 10' cases myself" of Persian Gulf veter- ans with mysterious "respiratory" illnesses, said Dick Johnson, legisla- tive affairs director for the 170,000- member Non-Commissioned Offi- cers Association. July 28, 1992 MEMORANDUM TO CURT SMITH FROM: ED WALTERS SUBJECT: DAV REMARKS According to Bernie Martin in OMB, Secretary Derwinski had suggested legislation to establish a national commission to review VA hospitals in 1989. But Sonny Montgomery, Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, blew up because he was never consulted. Derwinski instead created a commission with his own administrative authority, eliminating some functions of the commission that would require legislative authority. The President canceled an address to the DAV annual convention in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 31, 1989 when he learned that Col. William R. Higgins had been killed. Higgins was succeeded by Marine Major Robin Higgins, a Marine public affairs officer in New Orleans. I have attached relevant source materials. PAGE 2 24TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format. Copyright (c) 1991 The New York Times Company The New York Times August 14, 1991, Wednesday, Late Edition - Final SECTION: Section A; Page 19; Column 3; Editorial Desk LENGTH: 255 words HEADLINE: The Forgotten Hostage BYLINE: By Robin L. Higgins DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS BODY: Does anybody remember Lieut. Col. William R. Higgins? Does anybody remember he had a wife and daughter and had dreams for the future? Lieutenant Colonel Higgins was stationed with the U.N. when he was kidnapped three and a half years ago in Lebanon. Do you remember him now? When CNN flashed pictures of the nine American hostages in 1988, he was one of them. Two years ago, his captors claimed to have executed him in retaliation for the Israeli capture of Sheik Obeid. Do you remember him now, the hanged man on the front pages? No one has heard a word about him since then. When the State Department calls "the hostage families," the Higgins family is no longer on the list. In a year when Americans sported T-shirts saying "Support our troops," did that include Lieutenant Colonel Higgins? In all the rhetoric now about the release of hostages, is anyone talking about him? When Peggy Say praises her brother's captors for the good treatment he is receiving, when she says they are not liars, when she implores Israel to think about freeing Sheik Obeid, does she remember Lieutenant Colonel Higgins? When these animals who call themselves Hezbollah seek the help of the U.N. Secretary General, do they remember what they did to one of his men? I ache for the families of Terry Anderson, Thomas Sutherland, Joseph Cicippio, Alann Steen and Jesse Turner. I pray for the release of these innocent men. I rejoice as each man is freed. But I also remember Lieutenant Colonel Higgins. He was my husband and I miss him. TYPE: Op-Ed SUBJECT: KIDNAPPING; MARINE CORPS; HOSTAGES; UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS NAME: HIGGINS, ROBIN; HIGGINS, WILLIAM R (LT COL) GEOGRAPHIC: MIDDLE EAST LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 4 9TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1991 News World Communications, Inc. The Washington Times December 24, 1991, Tuesday, Final Edition SECTION: Part A; Pg. A1 LENGTH: 970 words HEADLINE: Higgins nearly home ; Marine to be laid to rest at Quantico BYLINE: Frank J. Murray; THE WASHINGTON TIMES BODY: The Marine Corps prepared to receive the body of murdered hostage Col. William R. Higgins back home today. After formal identification and granting of honors, the Marines will bury their colonel at Quantico, "the crossroads of the corps," where his career began 25 years ago. His widow, Marine Maj. Robin Higgins, said she doesn't share the joy felt by families of returning hostages after she learned that her husband's body had been given up by the kidnappers who shocked the nation with videotapes of his 1989 hanging. "Fourteen years ago on my birthday, Rich married me. Now it appears that 14 years later today he is returning to me in a flag-draped casket," said the stoic Maj. Higgins, now a Marine public affairs officer in New Orleans. Her husband, who would have been 47 on Jan. 15, was promoted without fanfare to full colonel on March 1, 1989, the Marine Corps said yesterday. The Vietnam veteran also left a daughter Christine, 21. After kidnappers dumped his body near a Beirut graveyard, it was taken Sunday to American University Hospital. Col. Higgins' body was identified yesterday after two medical examinations and visits from U.S. and U.N. officials and soldiers he had commanded. Lebanon's coroner-general, Dr. Ahmed Harati, reviewed dental records, hair samples and other data to make what he called "positive identification." Dr. Harati said the body had been "wrapped in cotton and bandages" in an attempt to preserve it. "From what I've seen of the neck, it looks like there was an attempt to embalm the body, but it was poorly done." The partially decomposed body of the crewcut colonel was placed in a casket draped with a U.S. flag and driven from the morgue to the U.S. Embassy in the eastern suburb of Aukar. There it awaited a C-141 that will fly it today to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for an autopsy. When that is complete, his body will be flown to an Andrews Air Force Base ceremony for a homecoming hero. That will include a Marine honor guard and the U.S. Marine Corps Band. Then the casket will be taken to the National TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 5 The Washington Times, December 24, 1991 Cemetery at Quantico and buried the same day, Chief Warrant Officer Randy Gaddo said. Col. Higgins' career ends where it began as a second lieutenant in April 1967 after graduating from an ROTC program at Miami University of Ohio. The forensic exam is intended to eliminate any doubt about identity and obtain information on the manner and timing of his death for use at trial should his killers be captured, which was the only prospect mentioned yesterday for punishment or retaliation. Official statements read at the White House and State Department mentioned no punitive action but said, "We also support the release of all those held outside the legal system in the region and an accounting for all of the missing, including Ron Arad," who is an Israeli pilot lost in the region. They also praised the work of U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar and his deputy, Giandomenico Picco, who has led recent efforts to free Western hostages and retrieve the bodies. "Thus a dark chapter in the history of U.N. peacekeeping forces has been closed," said a statement from Mr. Perez de Cuellar, who offered condolences to Col. Higgins' widow and family. The man his friends call Rich Higgins, then a Marine lieutenant colonel commanding a United Nations observer force on the Lebanese-Israeli border, was abducted Feb. 17, 1988, the last American seized in Lebanon by pro-Iranian Shi'ite Muslims. On July 31, 1989, President Bush expressed shock and outrage moments after being told Col. Higgins had been executed on a gallows and was recognizable in the videotape released by a group called the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth. The group said it hanged Col. Higgins to retaliate for Israel's abduction of a Shi'ite cleric, Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid, who remains in custody in Israel. U.N. sources in Lebanon have said they believed the Danville, Ky., native actually died of torture in December 1988 after an escape attempt and was not hanged. At the time, Mr. Bush flew back to Washington for crisis-atmosphere meetings and canceled the rest of a trip to Nevada and Oklahoma. "I know I speak for all here when I try to express to the American people the sense of outrage that we all feel about this kind of brutality, this kind of uncalled-for terrorism," Mr. Bush said then. Immediately after the videotape was released, congressional and Bush administration officials said the president was considering several military and diplomatic responses, ranging from a swift military strike against the terrorists taking responsibility for the execution to seeking Israeli cooperation in winning the release of other Western hostages held by the pro-Iranian groups. TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS'NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 6 The Washington Times, December 24, 1991 No operation is known to have been launched and relations have since improved somewhat with the countries believed to have ties to the crime - Iran and Syria. Maj. Higgins remained cautious yesterday, saying she should keep silent until the return of the body of the remaining American - William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut - the bodies of two Europeans, and two Germans still believed to be held hostage in Lebanon. The body of another American who died in captivity, American University librarian Peter Kilburn, also was returned. "This is not the end result that we would have hoped for. We are not sharing in the joy of the families of returning hostages," said Maj. Higgins, who now is public affairs officer at the 4th Marine Corps Division and Aircraft Wing in New Orleans. A plaque to Col. Higgins was installed at the National Cemetery during a 1990 memorial service and his family asked that he be buried there. GRAPHIC: Photo (color), Slain hostage: The flag-draped casket containing the body of Col. William Higgins is driven yesterday from Beirut's morgue to the U.S. Embassy in suburban Aukar. The body will be flown today to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware., By AP TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 7 18TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1991 Reuters August 14, 1991, Wednesday, AM cycle LENGTH: 591 words HEADLINE: BUSH SAYS ADMINISTRATION "WILL NEVER REST" UNTIL HOSTAGES FREE BYLINE: By Susan Cornwell DATELINE: PITTSBURGH KEYWORD: HOSTAGES-USA BODY: President Bush pledged Wednesday as hostage Edward Tracy flew home that his administration "will never rest" until all American hostages are freed in Lebanon but offered no new information on the prospect for their release. Tracy, 63, returned to the United States for the first time in a quarter century after being released from nearly five years captivity in Lebanon. He was cheered by a crowd of 300 as he emerged from a jet which had brought him from Wiesbaden, Germany, to Hanscom Air Force Base. The former captive was taken to a Veterans Administration hospital in Boston which specializes in treating people with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Bush, speaking in Pittsburgh to a police organization, praised the efforts of U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar to work for the release of the hostages. "We cannot tell what lies ahead but this administration will never rest until every hostage is free to rejoin his loved ones and return to the America that loves them," Bush told the Fraternal Order of Police convention. Bush reminded the group's members he was scheduled to address them two years ago but canceled the speech after the "tragic death" of Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins at the hands of kidnappers in Lebanon. "Today, I'm delighted to be here at a time when hostages are being released from the Middle East," said Bush, who briefly interrupted his Maine vacation for the speech. Kidnappers have released Briton John McCarthy and American Edward Tracy from Lebanon in recent days but 10 Western hostages are still being held. Aboard Air Force One as he returned to Maine, where he was on vacation, Bush said he had nothing new to say about the hostages and had not spoken to Perez de Cuellar since Tuesday. Earlier Wednesday, a three-man Israeli delegation returned to Geneva to discuss the Middle East hostage crisis with Perez de Cuellar amid signs that a partial release of prisoners might possibly begin soon. TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 8 Reuters, August 14, 1991 The Israelis were to relay their government's reaction to a proposal from a radical Lebanese group, Islamic Jihad, for a comprehensive exchange of Middle Eastern detainees and Western hostages in Lebanon. Israel's chief hostage negotiator, Uri Lubrani, said on arrival that he would take "as long as it takes me to carry out my business." Perez de Cuellar, asked if he was hoping for two stages of a prisoner exchange, perhaps with Israel making a partial release this weekend to improve the atmosphere, replied: "That is my hope but I'm not quite sure unfortunately. We have to be patient until the meeting this afternoon (in Geneva) and at the same time be careful (not to expect) that this afternoon everything will be solved." "If we could have a gesture on the part of one side or other, that would be extremely positive," he told reporters at the European headquarters of the United Nations. A senior Moslem fundamentalist source said in Beirut Wednesday that no more Western hostages would be freed in Lebanon until Israel released some of its Arab prisoners. Bush had only praise for the U.N secretary-general and his aides in his speech Wednesday. "They are doing a good job there, trying hard and we support him 100 percent," Bush said. The president also expressed sympathy for the hostage families, acknowledging they are suffering through a "very difficult time." "For years they've endured the cruel water torture of occasional vague promises, following by crushing disappointment," Bush said. "They've seen their loved ones used as political puppets." LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable July 28, 1992 MEMORANDUM TO CURT SMITH FROM: ED WALTERS SUBJECT: DAV REMARKS No hospitals have been closed because of review or because of lack of services since Derwinski set up the commission in 1989. However, one VA hospital in Martinez, CA was closed in August 1991 for safety reasons; it could not withstand earthquake tremors. A new site in northern California is being studied to replace the Martinez hospital. Additionally, health care for veterans is not a large plank of the HHS grand scheme. The leading doctor in veterans health at HHS tells me that conventional wisdom focuses on those who have no health care. Veterans have their own health insurance and their own hospitals, and are generally pretty well taken care of, this doctor says. Sullivan met just yesterday with a group called Amvets, but the meeting was little more than ceremonial, and no initiatives came from it. July 28, 1992 MEMORANDUM TO CURT SMITH FROM: ED WALTERS SUBJECT: DAV REMARKS Todd Grams, a budget examiner for veterans affairs in OMB, tells me that the legislative initiatives were dropped at the time, but that the concerns have probably been addressed in other ways since 1989. The three things we were asking for in the remarks, as I read them, are 1) keeping all the hospitals open, 2) creating specialized centers for ambulatory and community-based care, and 3) strengthening veterans' overall care. 1) We have not closed a single hospital, except the one I mentioned earlier b/c of earthquake safety. 2) Budgets since 1989 have included funding for new outpatient clinics. 3) We have increased the VA budget almost 1 billion dollars a year each year from 1991 to 1993. In 1990, the VA budget was $11.4 billion, 1993 proposed funding is $14.6 billion. BUSH *** QUAYLE 92 SCHEDULE PROPOSAL MAY 21, 1992 TO: KATHY SUPER DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR APPOINTMENTS AND SCHEDULING FROM: MIMI DAWSON MV DIRECTOR NATIONAL COALITIONS REQUEST: For the President to announce his Bush/Quayle '92 National Veterans Coalition at an event with Former Senator Barry Goldwater, Honorary Chairman, and the two National Chairmen of the Bush/Quayle '92 National Veterans Coalition. PURPOSE: To provide the President with an opportunity to reaffirm his continuing commitment to America's veterans by issuing a formal Campaign statement announcing the formation of his National Veterans Coalition for Bush/Quayle '92. BACKGROUND: Former Senator Goldwater, U.S. Senator John McCain, and Former Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration, Everett Alvarez, would join the President as he formally announces. his Bush/Quayle '92 Veteran Coalition at the American Legion's Luke Greenway Post in Phoenix, Arizona. This American Legion Post claims a membership of approximately 2,500 to 3,000 who would also be invited to attend the event along with other local veterans. Arizona has the ninth largest population of retired veterans in the country, with the Phoenix area alone claiming approximately one million retired veterans. The President has requested that Veterans for Bush/Quayle '92 be the first campaign coalition to be announced. The Veterans Coalition consists of 27 prominent veterans, many of whom served as members of Bush/Quayle '88 Veterans Coalition. (Please see attached National Veterans Coalition Leadership list.) 1030 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20005 Paid for by Bush-Quayle '92 Primary Committee, Inc. Printed on Recycled Paper BACKGROUND CONTINUED: The Veterans Coalition will enable the President to re-build ties and renew past commitments to the nation's more than 27 million veterans. The Coalition is designed to be inclusive and augmented as the Campaign progresses. In addition, the Coalition will serve as a cohesive mechanism to unite all veterans across the country in support of the President's re-election effort. A press release will be issued from Bush/Quayle Campaign Headquarters for distribution to Veterans specialty media outlets. DATE AND TIME: May 28, 1992 DURATION: 30 minutes LOCATION: American Legion Post #1 340 North 7th Avenue Phoenix, Arizona (602) 235-8431 PARTICIPANTS: The President Former Senator Barry Goldwater, Honorary Chairman, Bush/Quayle '92 Veterans Coalition Senator John McCain (R-AZ), National Chairman, Bush/Quayle '92 Veterans Coalition Everett Alvarez, National Chairman, Bush/Quayle '92 Veterans Coalition OUTLINE OF EVENTS: -- The President greets Bush/Quayle '92 Coalition Chairmen at the American Legion Hall. -- The President delivers brief remarks and announces the formation of his Bush/Quayle '92 National Veterans Coalition. -- The President and the National Chairmen and Honorary Chairman participate in photo-op. -- The President departs American Legion Hall. REMARKS REQUIRED: None. MEDIA COVERAGE: Wires/Stills/Campaign photographer. Local Veterans specialty media to be invited. RECOMMENDED BY: Mimi Dawson, Director, Bush/Quayle National Coalitions '92-05-26 11:06 DOUG GAMBLE P.1 DOUG GAMBLE 424- 36th Place Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 May 26/92 (310) 546-6409 TO: CHRISTINA MARTIN AMERICAN LEGION, PHOENIX (Curt Smith) I WAS SORRY THAT PHOENIX WAS PASSED OVER FOR A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM. SOMEONE IN CLEVELAND TOLD ME HE FEELS THE SAM WAY ABOUT HIS CITY. OUR VICTORY IN THE COLD WAR ALLOWS US TO REDUCE OUR DEFENSE SPENDING, BUT OUR COMMITMENT TO VIGILENCE MEANS WE WILL NEVER REDUCE OUR RESOLVE. THE VICTORY YOU WON BASED ON STRENGTH, MUST NOT NOW BE LOST BECAUSE OF WEAKNESS. DEFENDING AS LONG AS I AM PRESIDENT, THE MILITARY'S COMMITMENT TO FREEDOM WILL BE MATCHED BY OUR COMMITMENT TO DEFENDING THE STRENGTH OF THE MILITARY. WEAKENING OUR DEFENSES DURING A TIME OF PEACE WOULD BE AN OPEN INVITATION TO THOSE WITH THE POTENTIAL TO WAGE WAR. AMERICA CAN NEVER PROPERLY REPAY YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR OUR COUNTRY. FROM THE TIME THE TORCH OF LIBERTY WAS FIRST LIT IN AMERICA OVER 200 YEARS AGO, YOU HAVE SHED YOUR BLOOD TO MAKE SURE IT WILL NEVER GO OUT. THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON March 18, 1991 I am delighted to know of the "Operation Open Arms" program sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans and the USO. It has been truly heartening to learn of the number of projects initiated by outstanding groups like these to welcome home Operation Desert Storm personnel. By arranging a variety of support services for veterans, as well as celebrity visits to wounded personnel in Veterans Administration medical centers and Department of Defense hospitals, the DAV and the USO are helping to provide a special touch that is beyond the power of the government to give. Operation Desert Storm presented many difficult challenges for our service men and women, but projects like these let them know that they are returning to a Nation filled with respect and appreciation for their courageous efforts. I commend the members of the DAV and the USO for all that they are doing in behalf of these dedicated Americans and their families. Barbara joins me in sending best wishes for the success of these efforts. God bless you. Cy Banl Banl THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON OCTOBER 5, 1990 PHOTO-OPPORTUNITY WITH JOSEPH E. ANDRY 1990-91 NATIONAL COMMANDER OF THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS DATE: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1990 TIME: 1:15 P.M. LOCATION: OVAL OFFICE & THROUGH: DAVID DEMAREST ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS FROM: LEIGH ANN METZGER fam SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC LIAISON I. PURPOSE: To meet and have your picture taken with Joseph E. Andry, National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans. II. BACKGROUND: The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) was formed in 1920, has over one million members, and represents all of America's 2.2 million disabled veterans. They assist disabled veterans and their families, promote patriotism and foster a sense of responsibility to the community and nation. Joseph E. Andry, a combat-disabled Vietnam veteran, was elected National Commander in August 1990, at the organization's National Convention in Anaheim, California. After joining the Army in 1969, Andry became the victim of a Viet Cong booby trap explosion that took his left leg and right eye. He and his wife, Julie, live in Westerville, Ohio, with their five children. Jesse Brown, also a combat-disabled Vietnam veteran, was appointed Executive Director of the DAV in 1989. In 1965, two years into his Marine Corp enlistment, Brown sustained serious injury due to a gunshot wound while engaged in combat during a patrol in the DaNang area of Vietnam. He and his wife, Sylvia live in Warrenton, Virginia, with their two children. III. PARTICIPANTS: The President Secretary of Veterans Affairs Edward J. Derwinski Joseph E. Andry, 1990-91 DAV National Commander Jesse Brown, Executive Director, DAV Washington Office Joseph E. Samora, Jr., Associate Director Office of Public Liaison IV. PRESS PLAN: White House Photographer only V. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS: -- The Secretary and Disabled American Veterans officials enter the Oval Office. -- The DAV Commander presents the President with unsealed envelope containing a letter-invitation an to Louisiana, during July 27 through August 1, 1991. attend the DAV National Convention in New Orleans, -- Photo-opportunity -- The Secretary and DAV officials depart. SENT BY.DAV, NSLA, DAV The DAV: a nonprofit National Communications Dept. DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS organization of more 807 Maine Avenue, S.W. than one million Washington, D.C. 20024 wartime disabled vets (202) 554-3501 FACT SHEET BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS Treaties are signed and the battles of nations end, but the personal battles of those disabled in war only begin when the guns fall silent. These men and women must struggle to regain health, reshape lives shattered by disability, learn new trades or professions, and rejoin the civilian world. At each step, they need help to help themselves. For 71 years, that aid has come from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization of more than one-million veterans dis- abled during time of war or in combat. Formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932, the DAV is the official voice of America's service-connected disabled veterans -- a strong, insistent voice that represents all of America's 2.2 million disabled veterans, their families, and survivors. Its nationwide network of services -- available free of charge to all veterans and members of their families :- is totally supported by membership dues and contributions from the American public. The DAV is not a government agency. Its national organization receives no government funds. THE DAV'S MEMBERSHIP Some people simply assume that any veterans' organization with a little history behind it is a politically conservative group made up of older, male veterans. Emphatically, the DAV doesn't fit that traditional stereotype. Membership is open to any honorably discharged veteran with a disability incurred in wartime military service or under conditions similar to war. Veterans disabled during the Vietnam War make up one third of the DAV's member- ship, and eight Vietnam veterans have served one-year terms as national commander, the DAV's highest office. Vietnam era veterans represent more than 98 percent of the DAV's management and professional staff at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, as well as its offices nationwide. That staff is led by Na- tional Adjutant Charles E. Joeckel, Jr., who lost both legs in Vietnam combat. The DAV's current national commander is Joseph E. Andry, who lost an eye and leg in Vietnam combat. His fellow national officers include one World War II vet, two Korean War vets and four Vietnam vets. The DAV is not a political association. Its members reflect all shades of American political opinion. They count on the DAV to advocate their needs as disabled veter- ans, and the DAV concentrates its attention and resources on this single, nonparti- san concern. Unlike some other veterans' groups, the DAV has no political action committee and does not endorse candidates for political office. Several women have attained leadership positions in the DAV. SENT BY:DAV, NSLH, WASH, DC ;10- 3-90 2:28PM 1202554356 2024500210:# -2- DAV programs and activities also enjoy the support of an Auxiliary that focuses its attention on disabled veterans' families. Women in the DAV Auxiliary are all relatives of DAV members, Gold Star mothers or wives, or women who are also mem- bers of the DAV. For more information on the Auxiliary, write to: DAV Auxiliary National Headquarters, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, Ky. 41076. THE DAV'S HISTORY When the troops came home from World War I, 300,000 carried grim reminders of war: disabling injuries, battle scars, gas-seared lungs, and prolonged illnesses. Fol- lowing a tumultuous hero's welcome, America wiped the horror of war from its mind almost as quickly as the ticker tape was swept from the streets of New York City. The nation's makeshift response to the needs of its disabled heroes soon broke down. And these angry young veterans took matters into their own hands, starting local self-help groups that soon merged to become the DAV. After forming a national organization headquartered in Cincinnati in 1920, the DAV began planning a Washington, D.C., office to work toward needed legislation and expedite veterans' claims. During its first six months of operation in 1922, this office handled 7,000 claims for veterans across America. These young disabled vets also worked with other organizations, initiating much of the legislation that led to & centralized government agency to handle all veterans' affairs. This was the Veterans' Bureau, forerunner of today's Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 1935, the DAV began stationing veterans' benefits experts in Veterans' Bureau claims offices and hospitals across the country. When the specter of World War II raised its head, the DAV upgraded its facilities and training programs to meet the new demands that would be placed on its service programs. As the first disabled vets returned from World War II, a formal program to train DAV National Service Officers (NSOs) was started at American University. There, disabled vets studied the disciplines they'd need to help other returning veterans. THE DAV'S NATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAM Today, the DAV employs some 290 NSOs in 68 offices across the United States, pro- viding numerous services to veterans and their families free of charge. Veterans need not be members of the DAV to take advantage of the free service of the DAV's veterans' benefits experts. DAV NSOs do much more than just counsel veterans and their families on veterans' benefits and services. After obtaining power of attor- ney, they function as attorneys-in-fact, assisting their clients in filing claims for disability compensation, death benefits, pension, and other benefits provided under federal, state and local law. In the year ended June 30, 1990, DAV NSOs interviewed more than 214,000 veterans and members of their families. Submitting nearly 189,000 claims on behalf of these clients, they secured over $1 billion in new and retroactive benefits. DAV NSOs are skilled, highly trained professionals. They build the disabled veter- an's case from the ground up, reviewing medical histories, guidelines, regulations and pertinent legislation. In representing their clients, they prepare claims forms and briefs, helping clients assemble evidence in support of claims. When needed, they request hearings before government boards to present clients' briefs orally. They also review board decisions, advising their clients if appeals are warranted. In addition, DAV NSOs work closely with the VA, Social Security Adminis- tration, Labor Department, and other federal, state, and local agencies to keep veterans and their families informed of available programs and services. SENT BY:DAV, NSLH, WASH. DC :10- 3-90 ; 2:29PM ; 12025543581- 2024566218;# 4 -3- All DAV NSOs are disabled veterans with compensable, service-connected, wartime disabilities. Like their clients, they learned to face the handicaps that overshad- owed their lives. All disabled vets have trouble adjusting to these realities, but this ordeal prepares NSOs for their professional role, sharpening their understand- ing of the anguish and frustrations of the disabled veterans with whom they work. The DAV's National Service Program and its NSOs are crucial to America's disabled vets and their families for two reasons. First, the government doesn't automatical- ly grant veterans' benefits and services; veterans and their families must apply for them. Second, these claims must be thoroughly verified and justified. Faced by red tape and a bureaucracy that's often regrettably unresponsive, disabled veter- ans and their families need expert help to obtain the rights and benefits that their blood and sacrifices have earned. That expert is their DAV NSO. Two years ago Congress established the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals (COVA), which has exclusive jurisdiction to review decisions of the VA Board of Veterans Appeals. In DAV's continuing effort to provide quality service, the DAV has ex- panded its programs to include representation before this new Court. Since the opening of the DAV's newest Service Office in September, 1989, the DAV representa- tives that practice before COVA have been involved in 632 filings and 59 disposi- tions. NSOs also visit towns and cities distant from the DAV's offices in a fleet of 15 office-equipped vans, called field service units. Since these vans hit the road in 1974, they've brought DAV services to more than half a million veterans, depen- dents, and survivors. In times of crisis, DAV NSOs are there too. When such natu- ral disasters as floods, earthquakes or tornados strike, NSOs 80 to the area to search out disabled veterans who need assistance, providing it on the spot from the DAV's Disaster Relief Fund. Since 1968, more than $2.6 million have been dis- bursed in disaster assistance, $400,000 in 1989 alone. Disabled veterans facing temporary financial emergencies may apply, through a DAV NSO, for assistance from the DAV Emergency Relief Fund. In 1989, $860,890 in Emergency Relief grants were given to needy disabled veterans and their families. Since the program's inception in 1973, more than $11 million has been disbursed in Emergency Relief grants. The DAV also provides scholarships to children of disabled veterans who are unable to afford the cost of higher education. During the 1990-91 academic year, a total of $605,802 was spent on this program, providing scholarships to 205 students. Disabled veterans need not be members of the DAV to apply for assistance under the DAV's Disaster OI Emergency Relief Programs. The same is true for parents of chil- dren applying for assistance under the DAV Scholarship Program. But they must be able to prove that their disabilities are connected with their military service. THE DAV'S NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM In large part, the DAV was born out of an extreme need for veterans' health and benefit programs following World War I. At that time, several federal agencies with overlapping and conflicting missions handled veterans' affairs. Distressed by the situation, the DAV sent a group of young disabled veterans to Washington to straighten out the bureaucratic tangle. As these vets grew older, they seasoned as professionals in dealing with Congress. Today a legislative staff made up of dis- abled veterans follows in their footsteps, promoting reasonable, responsible legis- lation to assist all disabled veterans, their families and survivors. At the same time, the DAV's legislative specialists guard present laws against attack -- a function that's truly necessary. History shows that the understanding of the American public and their elected representatives for the problems of dis- abled veterans fades as the memory of war grows weaker. This happened with alarm- ing speed after the Vietnam War. SENT BY:DAV, NSLH, WASH. , DC :10- 3-90 ; 2:30PM ; 12025543581- 2024566218:# 5 -4- The pressure to cut federal spending is intense, and the temptation to economize at the expense of needed veterans' programs is more than many politicians can resist. Under such circumstances, a man or woman who was once injured in wartime hostility can again be injured by peacetime apathy. Over the past two decades, for example, funding of VA medical programs has decreased substantially 85 measured in dollars. Às a result, facilities are deteriorating, and thousands of vets each month are left with no source for the medical treatment they need. This is happen- ing as an aging veterans' population faces increasing health-care needs. Though the DAV's legislative efforts in Washington are carried out by a profession- al staff, the organization's legislative objectives originate at the grassroots level. From the DAV's local chapters, measures that members would like to see enacted into law are proposed to state conventions of the DAV. If a state conven- tion approves a legislative mandate, it goes to the national convention, where delegates from DAV chapters and state departments across the country democratical- ly decide if it should be pursued as part of the DAV National Legislative Program. THE DAV'S NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM No matter how high the unemployment rate for the United States work force may go, the statistics for disabled veterans are always unacceptably higher. And, no mat- ter how these statistics are sorted, handicapped people -- including disabled vets -- are a minority that suffer employment discrimination. Data released by the VA and the Labor Department in 1988 revealed the depth of the problem, finding that one out of five disabled Vietnam veterans suffered a 6.2 percent unemployment rate, compared to a 4.7 percent rate among their nondisabled counterparts. Most alarming, however, is the fact that fully two-thirds of those with conditions rated at 60 percent or more disabling have simply given up looking for work, The question must be asked: Who deserves fulfilling employment more than men and women disabled in honorable, wartime, military service to their country? No matter how well disabled veterans recover from illness or injury, no matter how well they adjust to and overcome their handicaps, they aren't participating fully in our society until they're working in jobs suited to their capabilities. More than simply complaining about high unemployment among disabled veterans, the DAV attacks the problem head-on. On behalf of hundreds of individual disabled veterans, the DAV has filed formal complaints of job discrimination with the prop- er government agencies. Because not nearly enough has been done to alleviate unem- ployment among disabled veterans, the DAV takes whatever action is necessary to make equal employment opportunity a reality for disabled veterans. In striving toward this goal, the DAV works closely with the President's Committee on Employ- ment of Persons with Disabilities, the Labor Department, the Office of Personnel Management, other groups of handicapped people, and other private and public organ- izations concerned with this critical issue. VOLUNTARY SERVICE The ways in which DAV members at the chapter, state, and national levels serve their country and its disabled veterans are many. Mention of just a few services will indicate how deeply DAV members are involved in their communities. Perhaps the most eloquent example of DAV service provided by rank-and-file members is the amount of time DAV and DAV Auxiliary members spend working with patients in VA hospitals under the VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) program. Each year, these volun- teers contribute more than 2 million hours in humanitarian service to hospitalized veterans in the VA medical system. Another million hours are donated to serving patients in state veterans' homes and other veterans' medical facilities. SENT BY:DAV, NSLH, WASH. DC ;10- 3-90 ; 2:30PM ; 12025543581- 2024566218;# 6 -5- The services these volunteers provide are varied, but there's one thing all VAVS volunteers do: They bring veteran patients the comfort that the community outside the hospital and nursing home remembers them and cares about them. DAV Chapters and Departments are actively involved in transportation programs designed to assist veterans who have no way to get to VA hospitals and clinics for the medical attention they need. VA travel benefits were severely curtailed in 1987, and they have not yet been fully restored, not by a long shot. That's why the DAV Transportation Network is so essential to veterans nationwide. Since 1987, DAV volunteer drivers have driven more than 10 million miles, transporting over 200,000 veterans to VA hospitals and clinics nationwide. Dovetailing with these volunteer programs is the DAV Older Veterans Assistance Program, a response to the growing needs of an aging population of veterans. The number of older vets grows daily. By the year 2000, the number of vets over age 65 will surpass 9 million. DAV and Auxiliary volunteers are responding at the local level to meet needs in such areas as transportation, nutrition, clothing, shelter, recreation and much more. Other DAV and Auxiliary volunteer projects include efforts to eliminate architec- tural and other barriers to the handicapped, helping employers and local govern- ment officials place disabled veterans in jobs and job programs, assisting the families of disabled veterans in times of need, and a wide variety of other commu- nity services. THE DAV'S STRUCTURE The DAV's national organization is structured to be operationally efficient while providing the highest possible degree of membership control of the organization's activities. The national efforts of the DAV are directed by an elected national commander and administered by an appointed national adjutant. A new national com- mander is elected every year at the DAV's annual national convention. Because na- tional commanders are not allowed to succeed themselves in office, the national adjutant acts as the DAV's chief executive officer, providing continuity in the leadership of the professional staff. Other elected officers in the DAV's national organization include a senior vice commander, four junior vice commanders, a judge advocate, and a national chaplain, all of whom participate in the decision-making process and help carry the DAV mes- sage to the membership and the general public. Between national conventions, the DAV's governing body is its National Executive Committee, which consists of repre- sentatives from 21 districts across the nation. Functioning as a board of direc- tors, this committee must approve all major actions and policy decisions not cov- ered by resolutions passed by the national conventions. 9/90 DAV The DAV: a nonprofit National Communications Dept. organization of more DISABLET AMERICANVETERANS Maine Avenue. S.W. than one million wartime disabled vets Washington, D.C. 20024 (202) 554-3501 FACT SHEET BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION JESSE BROWN Executive Director, Washington Office Disabled American Veterans Jesse Brown, a combat-disabled Vietnam veteran, was appointed Executive Director of the one-million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in 1989. The Marine Corps veteran works at the DAV's National Service and Legislative Headquarters in Washington, D.C. As Executive Director, Brown directs the activities of the DAV's Washington Office, including supervision of the DAV's National Service, Legislative, Employment and Voluntary Service programs. In addition, he acts as manager of the DAV's Washington Headquarters' property. Brown was promoted to his current position from that of Executive Assistant to the National Adjutant. He has been employed by the DAV for more than 20 years in a variety of supervisory and executive-level positions. He is the principal author of the DAV's extensive, continuing training program for NSOs. This training program has achieved status as the hallmark of excellence in the field of veterans' benefits and programs. Brown enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1963. Two years later, while on patrol in the DaNang area of Vietnam, Brown sustained serious injury due to a gunshot wound while engaged in combat. An honors graduate of Chicago City College, he also attended Roosevelt University in Chicago and Catholic University in Washington, D.C. He joined the DAV's professional staff in 1967 as an NSO trainee in Chicago. He moved to Washington in 1973 to supervise the DAV's National Service Office there. In 1976, he was promoted to supervisor of the DAV National Appeals Staff. In 1981, he moved to the DAV's National Service & Legislative Headquarters in Washington, D.C., as Chief of Claims. In 1983, he was named Deputy National Service Director. Brown is a life member of DAV Chapter 6 in Chicago and has served as vice president of the Vietnam Civic Council, as well as a member of the White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals and the Chicago Mayor's Committee on Employment of the Handicapped. In addition, he is active in church affairs. Brown and his wife, Sylvia, live in Warrenton, Va., with their two children, Scott and Carmen. 8/90 Pls. FILE THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON October 24, 1991 MEMORANDUM TO: PRESIDENT BUSH THROUGH: DAVID F. DEMAREST, JR. ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS FROM: LEIGH ANN METZGER fam SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR PUBLIC LIAISON SUBJECT: DISABLED AMERICAN VETERAN (DAV) MONTHLY PUBLICATION On September 12, 1991 you participated in the Disabled American Veterans special recognition ceremony for those men and women who were injured or disabled during Operation Desert Storm. The cover of this months' publication highlights your visit with the organization. There are additional photographs inside the issue, marked by paperclips. The DAV magazine is a monthly publication, with a cirulation of over 1.3 million. The feedback from this visit, and this coverage, has been extremely positive. Of particular note was the fact that most veterans recognize you attended this event because your genuine concern for veterans, not for political reasons. DAV FILE AMERICA.Y DISABLED VETERANS BILLY E. KIRBY PHONE: 154-3504 NATIONAL COMMANDER AREA CODE IDI September 12, 1988 Vice President of the United States of America The White House. Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. Vice President: All of us in the Disabled American Veterans were heartened when you mentioned our organization as an example of community service in your acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. I'm sure this gesture of recognition earned the appreciation of all of the DAV's 1.1 million members, as well as the nearly 200,000 members of our Auxiliary. So often, no one remembers what these men and women gave to America during our nation's wars. So frequently, no one notices what they continue to give to other disabled veterans and their families in peacetime. They may be driving veterans to and from a VA hospital or bringing cheer to veterans on the wards. They may be fixing the plumbing in an older vet's home or offering comfort in the living room of a veteran's grieving widow. All of what they do makes a difference in the lives of individual people. Yet, because this work is seldom glamorous, it attracts so little attention. This is why your mention of our organization in a speech that marked a crucial turning point in your life means so much to the members of the DAV and Auxil- iary. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for thinking of them. Sincerely, Billy E. Kirby BILLY E. KIRBY National Commander Disabled American Veterans BEJ:cp Paid for by Bush-Quayle 88 NATIONAL SERVICE AND LEGISLATIVE HEADQUARTERS - S07 MAINE AVENUE. S.W.. WASHINGTON. D.C. 20034 the THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON July 15, 1988 It is a great pleasure to extend my warmest greetings to the members of the Disabled American Veterans as you gather in Dallas for your 67th annual convention. During some of this century's darkest hours, you responded to our Nation's call to arms. In so doing, each of you faced grave danger, many of you suffering greatly and very nearly losing your lives. Your valor earned you the lasting respect and gratitude of your fellow citizens. We will never forget your selflessness, nor the honor you brought to yourselves, to your families, and to your country. By overcoming your disabilities and through your efforts to help your fellow disabled veterans and their families, you continue to teach us the meaning of living well by living for others. At this, your last gathering during my Presidency, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you've done for our Nation. In no small way, you have helped ensure that America will continue to be a beacon of liberty to all -- "the last, best hope of earth." God bless you always. Ronald Reagon LAM Office of Public Affairs Washington, D.C. 20420 News Service (202) 535-8300 Department of Veterans Affairs News Feature Please note our new phone number: (202) 535-8300 EDITOR'S NOTE: Following are representative questions answered daily by VA counselors. Full information is available at any VA office. Q - I was called to active duty during the Persian Gulf War. Can I get my old job back? A - Federal law requires your reinstatement along with seniority and pay rate, plus increases that may have been granted in your absence. You must apply for reemployment within 90 days of separation. The law is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor. Your local chapter of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve can also be helpful, should you encounter any difficulties. I - What is the current automobile allowance payable by the VA? A - VA will make a one-time payment of up to $5,500 toward the purchase of an automobile or other conveyance for certain severely disabled veterans. VA will pay for adaptive equipment, its repair, replacement or re-installation on a vehicle purchased with VA assistance or for a previously or subsequently acquired vehicle. Disabilities entitling a veteran to the allowance include loss of one or both feet or hands, loss of their use, or blindness. ### August 29, 1991 (Dist: I,7,9,10) D DISABLE A Motto: "If I cannot speak good of my comrade, I will not speak ill of him." VETERANS DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS NATIONAL SERVICE and LEGISLATIVE HEADQUARTERS 807 MAINE AVENUE, S.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20024 (202) 554-3501 August 28, 1991 Mr. John H. Sununu Chief of Staff The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. Sununu: I am pleased to announce the election on August 1, 1991, of Cleveland Jordan of Washington, D.C., to the position of National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans. Commander Jordan, a former Army paratrooper, was unanimously elected to lead the 1.1 million members of the DAV by the delegates to our 70th Annual National Convention held in New Orleans, Louisiana. He will serve in this position until August 1992. For your information, I have enclosed Commander Jordan's biography. Sincerely, Jose Brown Executive Director Washington Office JB:lrd Enclosure DAV The DAV: a nonprofit National Communications Dept. organization of more DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS than one million 807 Maine Avenue. S.W. wartime disabled vets Washington. D.C. 20024 (202) 554-3501 FACT SHEET BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION CLEVELAND JORDAN National Commander Disabled American Veterans Cleve Jordan, who was disabled during the early years of the Vietnam War, was elected National Commander of the one-million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) at the DAV's National Convention in New Orleans, La., in August 1991. He has also served the DAV as National 1st, 2nd and 3rd Junior and Senior Vice Commander, a member of the National Executive Committee, and Chairman of the National Finance Committee. In professional life, he heads the Office of Veterans Affairs, District of Columbia Department of Human Services. Born in Darlington County, S.C., Jordan enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1959, serving with the famed 101st Airborne Division. During a live-fire training exer- cise at Ft. Campbell, Ky., he suffered serious gunshot wounds that hospitalized him for four months. Because his injuries barred him from jumping, he was reas- signed to the 128th Signal Corps, Tobyhanna, Pa., until he was discharged from the Army in 1963 with a service-connected disability. Jordan studied business administration at Benedict College from 1964 to 1967 under the VA Vocational Rehabilitation program. In 1967, the former paratrooper decided to devote his career to his fellow vets, continuing his studies at Catho- lic University under the National Service Officer (NSO) Training Program. During this period, he became active in the DAV as a life member of Chapter 9 in Washing- ton, D.C. After graduation, he worked as a DAV NSO in New York and the District of Columbia, until accepting a position as a Claims Representative with the District of Columbia government office he now heads. Jordan has never been a man to leave his concern for his fellow veterans in the office. At the end of a hard day's work at the office, he simply puts on his DAV cap and continues to work for the best interests of veterans. Along the WAV. he has held numerous elected and appointed positions in the DAV at the Chapter. Department and National levels. Highlights of his DAV involvement include service as Commander of DAV Chapter 9 in 1971-72, Commander of the Department of the District of Columbia from 1972 to 1974, President of the Commanders & Adjutants Association in 1974-35. and Chairman of the DAV's 1984 National Convention in Washington, D.C. He currently is Adjutant and Treasurer of Chapter 9. Jordan and his wife, Delores, live in Washington and are the parents of son, Carlton. a " JUL 29 '92 10:30 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 002 7/29/92 OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS STATUS OF LEGISLATION LEGISLATION STATUS NEXT ACTION COMMENTS FY 93 DoD Authorization Passed House 6/5/92 (HR 5006/S 2629) (HRpt 102-527) Senate Floor consideration (pos- sibly week of August 10) Appeal package sent to SASCmarkup completed 7/24/92 the Hill 6/15/92 FY 93 DoD Appropriations (HR 5504) Passed House 7/2/92 (HRpt 102-627) SAC markup FY 93 MILCON Appropriations (HR 5428) Passed House 6/23/92 (H Rpt 102-580) SAC markup FY 92 Supplemental Appropria- tions (HR 5620) Passed House 7/28/92 (H Rpt 102-672) SAC markup JUL 29 '92 10:33 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE.008 SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 : 6- 3-92 : 2:56PM ; 2023853513-703 697 8299 :# 2 EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503 June 3, 1992 (House Floor) STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY (THIS STATEMENT HAS BEEN COORDINATED BY OMB WITH THE CONCERNED AGENCIES.) H.R. 5006 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1993 (Aspin (D) WI and Dickinson (R) AL) If H.R. 5006, as reported by the House Rules Committee, is presented to the President, his senior advisers would recommend a veto. The scorekeeping language in section 4 is unacceptable. This section contains the CBO scoring language required by House Rule XXI. In a letter of December 21, 1990, the President stated that he would vete any bill containing such language. The effect of this provision is to overturn a key element of the Federal spending control mechanisms enacted pursuant to the 1990 Budget Agreement. The Administration urges the House to adopt the Gradison Amendment (No. 179), which would strike section 4. The Administration strongly opposes the Aucoin amendment. The Administration has repeatedly made clear its opposition to the use of Federal funds for abortion. In addition, H.R. 5006 fails to conform to the President's Budget and encumbers certain management initiatives. The Administration urges the House to amend the bill to make it consistent with the President's request. H.R. 5006 would authorize fiscal year 1993 appropriations of $274.0 billion for national defense, $7 billion less than the President's request. of particular concern, the bill would: -- Authorize only $4.2 billion for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), approximately $1.1 billion less than requested. This cut would undermine last year's landmark "Missile Defense Act of 1992" and delay initial deployment of strategic defenses. H.R. 5006 would also eliminate the entire $576 million request for space-based interceptor development, thus removing the global element of the President's proposal for ballistic missile defense. In addition, the bill's proposal to create a new organization for theater defenses, separate from the SDI Organization, would needlessly complicate the acquisition of missile defenses, while increasing overhead costs. The Administration urges the House to restore funding that was originally requested in the President's Budget. Furthermore, the Administration strongly JUL 29 '92 10:33 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 009 SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 : 6- 3-92 ; 2:58PM : 2023953513-703 697 8299 3 2 and the amendment to be offered by Representative Dellums which would terminate the SDI Organization, opposes the amendment to be offered by Representative Durbin which would further cut SDI funding. -- Reduce funding for Operation and Maintenance to $79.7 billion, $6.7 billion less than requested. A cut of purchases and overhead activities, as assumed in the this magnitude cannot be achieved by reducing supply Committee report, without harming troop readiness. The Department of Defense is reducing inventory levels and overhead costs. The proposed reductions would disrupt current operations, lead to low levels of needed supplies, and do nothing to help reduce the inventory of excess supplies. of by Representative the Andrews, which would terminate new offered The Administration strongly opposes the amendment to be amendments B-2 bomber. The Administration also strongly production the regarding the one year moratorium on nuclear testing. to be offered by Representatives Kopetski and opposes Green Morsover, the bill would authorize unrequested programs at add: expense of high priority programs. Specifically, the bill would the - $1.0 billion for economic conversion programs that Administration programs and that are inappropriate are unnecessary in view of currently planned for funding within the national defense category. -- $635 million for unrequested Guard and Reserve equipment, as well as authorize Guard and Reserve personnel levels that are 49,050 higher than those requested by the Administration. -- $420 million for a replacement facility for community that is estimated to have an excess health Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Denver, Colorado -- a replacement facility unnecessary. care capacity of 40 percent, thus making a -- $150 million for flat panel displays and for X-ray developed for commercial applications, even lithography. These items would apparently be private firms would do a better job of selecting though and funding technologies to meet market demands. -- Substantial health care benefits for Department changes in health care benefits should be considered Defense health care beneficiaries. Any significant of JUL 29 '92 10:34 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE.010 SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 ; 8~ 3-92 ; 2:57PM : 2023953513-703 697 8299 :# 4 3 in the health care study required by the FY 1992 Defense Authorization Act. -- More than $800 million for unrequested aircraft programs. Furthermore, H.R. 5006 contains other objectionable provisions that would either impede cost-saving initiatives or impose cumbersome requirements affecting departmental operations. The most troubling features would: - Fail to approve the Administration's National Defense Sealift Fund, which would establish & more effective mechanism for financing the acquisition of needed sealift. -- Restructure and recrient development programs for the Navy's F/A-18E/F and AX tactical aircraft. The effect of Committee actions would be to raise costs unnecessarily and to delay the entry into service of these badly needed aircraft. -- Prohibit the Secretary of Defense from entering into contracts or evaluating the potential savings offered by conversions to in-house or contract performance pursuant to an A-76 cost comparison decision. -- Impose inappropriate and counterproductive Federal procurement requirements, such as requiring subcontracting plans as a significant evaluation factor of the same magnitude as cost and technical considerations in & contract solicitation. -- Grant piecemeal exemptions from the current honoraria restrictions to faculty and students of certain Department of Defense schools. -- Prohibit the obligation of funds for non-nuclear consolidation until the Secretary of Energy certifies to Congress that each of the thousands of components produced in government-owned contractor-operated facilities are cost-effective on a component-by- component basis. This unnecessarily detailed review and analysis would preclude the Department of Energy from proceeding with cost-saving non-nuclear consolidation. -- Convey certain Federal real property in a manner which is at variance with the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 or the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949. JUL 29 '92 10:35 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE.011 SENT BY:Xerox Telecopier 7020 : 6- 3-92 : 2:57PM : 2023953513-703 697 8299 :# 104 4 The Administration also strongly objects to several provisions which raise constitutional concerns. Some of these provisions would infringe upon the President's authority to make recommendations to Congress, to conduct foreign affairs, and to act as Commander in Chief. As the review of H.R. 5006 continues, the Administration may propose additional amendments to the bill. Scoring for the Purpose of PAYGO and Discrationary Caps H.R. 5006 would increase direct spending; therefore, it would be subject to the pay-as-you-go requirement of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (OBRA). No offsets to the direct spending increase are provided in the bill. A budget point of order applies in both the House and Senate against any bill that is not fully offset under CBO scoring. If, contrary to the Administration's recommendation, the House waives any such point of order that applies against H.R. 5006, the effects of enactment of this legislation would be included in the look back pay-as- you-go sequester report at the end of the Congressional session. ONB's preliminary scoring estimates of this bill are presented in the table below. Final scoring of this legislation may deviate estimates will be published within five days of enactment, as from these estimates, If H.R. 5006 is enacted, final OMB scoring required by CBRA. The cumulative effects of all enacted transmitted to Congress. legislation on direct spending will be issued in monthly reports Estimates For Pay-As-You-Go (in millions) 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1993-97 $ -4 $ 33 $ 46 $ 51 $ 48 $ 174 ***** JUL 29 '92 10:32 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE.007 THE THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1000 July 22, 1992 Honorable John Warner Ranking Republican Committee on Armed Services United States Senate Washington, D. C. 20510-6050 Dear Senator Warner: Thank you for your oral update outlining the preliminary figures contained in the Senate Armed Services Committee's subcommittee mark-ups for the FY 93 Defense Authorization Bill. As you describe it, I am very concerned about the bill the Committee is producing. It appears that the Democrats on the Committee believe that they can cut defense deeply and rapidly and still have a strong military. I do not believe that they can have it both ways. You will recall that, in response to changing The Committee markup makes deeper cuts that are excessive in amount and misguided in priorities. world circumstances, President Bush cut his long range defense budget request by $50 billion earlier this year. For instance, it is very important to support our plan to implement the Missile Defense Act of 1991, which I have directed be accomplished as a top national priority. The SASC majority approach walks away n this critically important initiative of the Congress. denying protection against ballistic missile attack - the American people in this decade. And in so doing, this undercuts our ability to pursue, with Russia and our Allies, a Global Protection System - including updating the ABM Treaty -- at precisely the time that the high level talks have begun to make progress. The committee is proposing an unacceptably low level of nuclear testing. In response to changes in the world, our new policy already calls for fewer tests, while continuing to emphasize the need to maintain the highest standards of safety and reliability as we reduce our nuclear deterrent. Prohibiting testing to deterrence. ensure the reliability of our remaining weapons and the survivability of our military forces would undermine Changing world circumstances make it possible to reduce and reorganize our military forces. We can save significant amounts of tax dollars while still maintaining a strong, highly trained and capable military, if we do it right. So far, it appears that the bill being marked up in your committee would force us to spend money for programs and systems we do not need, such as national guard and reserve units with no mission, (including around $600 million for unrequested and unnecessary guard and reserve equipment) and additional tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, at the very time that we have excess inventory in those weapons systems. your Committee to enact the Administration's budget proposals. Although we have not had a chance to see We have many concerns with the annual defense legislation developed in Congress to date and we urge your Committee's final product, I am concerned by your report of the efforts to date. If the legislation ultimately presented to the President is deficient as outlined above, I would recommend he veto it. Sincerely, Die Chinag JUL 29 '92 10:41 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 023 11 0 Required efficiencies in the operation of the military service academies that, when fully implemented, will result in saving $70 million per year. 0 Placed a ceiling on permanent change of station moves for military members to stabilize tour lengths, saving $150 million. O Lowered the ceiling on enlisted aides for flag and. general officers from 300 to 240. V. Utilize the National Guard and Reserves More The Committee's recommendations on the National Guard and - Reserves are intended to maintain robust forces that would emphasize small unit combat, combat support, and combat service support roles. The Committee also recognized that in peacetime, National Guard and Reserve forces should assist civic improvement programs consistent with military training requirements. Moderated the requested reductions in National Guard and Reserve components to allow time for DOD to realign their roles and missions. 0 Authorized more combat support and combat service support equipment for the National Guard to fill warfighting shortfalls and to enable the Guard to better participate in civic-military cooperation projects. Authorized a pilot program to be operated in 10 states for a National Guard Civilian Youth Opportunities Program. Would provide an environment for at-risk youth in which they could learn life skills while working on community service projects. o Authorized an expansion of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program from 1,600 to 3,500 high schools. Military retirees would instruct in these programs geared toward promoting concepts of good citizenship, national service, personal responsibility, and self-esteem. Authorized funding for the National Guard program Science and Technology Academies Reinforcing Basic Aviation and Space Exploration (STARBASE). In partnership with private sector sponsors, would encourage disadvantaged youth in the areas of science, mathematics, technology, and personal achievement. VI. Require Multiservice Cooperation on Future Tactical Aircraft o Authorized the budget request of $2.2 billion for the F-22 Air Force fighter. Directed that not more than half of the JUL 29 '92 10:41 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 024 12 funds may be obligated until a comprehensive roles and missions analysis has been completed. 0 Authorized $50 million (a reduction of $115 million) to initiate a competitive prototype development of the AX long-range bomber. Directed that its future would be determined by a DOD roles and missions analysis that compares long-range, land-based aviation with carrier-based aviation. 0 Authorized $943.6 million (a reduction of $190 million) for development of the F-18E/F aircraft and directed the Air Force to use it as its future multirole fighter. Restricted the funds until DOD caps the development and production costs, conducts a cost and operational effectiveness analysis, and independently assesses the risk of proceeding without prototyping. 0 Terminated further development of the RAH-66 Comanche Army helicopter, and accelerated modification of the existing AH- 64 Apache helicopter fleet (net savings of $365 million). O Scaled back procurement of the existing F-18C/D aircraft (a reduction of $580 million) in light of prospective consolidation of Navy and Marine Corps F-18 squadrons, and eliminated the final 24 F-16 aircraft which are not needed because of excess F-16 inventories (a reduction of $608 million). VII. Improve Training and Weapons Design with Simulation Technology Authorized $70 million for continued work of the Defense Modeling and Simulation Office. Directed the Joint Chiefs of Staff to establish a Joint Simulation Center for Doctrine and Concept Development that would use simulation techniques to refine joint doctrine and improve joint operations. 0 Authorized $20 million to continue a joint simulation project between the National Guard Bureau and DARPA to improve the training and mobilization potential of Guard roundout brigades. 0 Authorized $10 million to establish a National Guard Simulation Center at Ft. Knox, utilizing the existing simulation capabilities for training National Guard armor task forces. Other Committee Initiatives o Expanded the 1991 Soviet Nuclear Threat Reduction Act (the "Nunn-Lugar amendment") by authorizing U.S. assistance for JUL 29 '92 10:42 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE. 025 13 defense conversion in the former Soviet Union and for expanded military-to-military contacts. Increased DOD transfer authority for "Nunn-Lugar" funding from $400 million to $650 million. 0 Added $200 million for the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program. Authorized improvements in health care benefits for military personnel and their families, such as the phase-in of a mail-order pharmacy service, CHAMPUS payment for comprehensive home care, and a reduction in the CHAMPUS catastrophic cap for military retirees. Authorized improvements in the dental health insurance program for military personnel and their families. o Established a mechanism for the identification and early lease or sale of the contaminated or uncontaminated portions of military bases scheduled for closure or realignment. 0 Reduced the funding requested for Department of Energy nuclear weapons programs by $249 million. Added $47 million for DOE environmental cleanup programs. O Added $295 million to the budget request of $139 million to fully fund the manufacturing technology (MANTECH) programs in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. 0 Increased the funding for the Army technology base by $154 million, reversing the decline in Army technology base research. o Authorized $350 million ($216 million more than requested amount) for cost-shared development programs for cutting edge electronics technology in semiconductor manufacturing, multi-chip modules, high definition displays, and advanced lithography. Authorized $55 million for the Mentor-Protege Program to encourage defense contractors to subcontract with small disadvantaged businesses. Extended through fiscal year 2000 a 5 percent goal for the award of DOD contract dollars to small disadvantaged businesses. 0 Prohibited foreign government-owned firms from buying certain large or highly sensitive U.S. defense companies (subject to a waiver by the Secretary of Defense). JUL 29 '92 10:42 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE AFRS PAGE.026 14 0 Authorized $25 million for an expanded drug demand reduction program to reach inner city youth in the civilian economy. JOL ACTIVE DUTY END STRENGTHS FY1991 FY1992 FY1993 Request Actual Planned and Recommendation Army 710,000 640,700 589,900 Navy 573,086 551,400 535,800 Marine Corps 195,672 188,000 181,900 Air Force 514,000 486,800 449,90.0 Totals 1,992,758 1,866,900 1,766,500 SELECTED RESERVE END STRENGTHS FY1991 FY1992 FY1993 FY1993 Component 29 '92 10:43 FROM OASD/LEGISLATIVE Actual Planned Request Recommendation Army National Guard 457,300 410,900 383,100 425,450 -74,200 -31,850 Army Reserve 318,700 282,700 257,500 296,230 Diff (FY1991/1993) -61,200 -22,470 AFRS Naval Reserve 153,400 134,600 125,800 141,545 Diff(FY1991/1993) -27,600 -11,855 Marine Corps Reserve 43,900 40,900 38,900 42,230 -5,000 -1,670 Air National Guard 117,035 118,100 119,200 119,400 +2,165 +2,365 Air Force Reserve 85,591 81,200 82,200 82,400 -3,391 -3,191 Coast Guard Reserve 12,700 15,150 12,000 15,150 Diff (FY1991/1993) -700 +2,450 PAGE 027 TOTALS 1,188,626 1,083,550 1,018,700 1,122,405 -169,926 -66,221 PAGE 2 3RD DOCUMENT of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Public Papers of the Presidents Remarks to the American Legion in Phoenix, Arizona 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 May 28, 1992 LENGTH: 1160 words May I thank our great Senator John McCain for that introduction and single out our Governor, Fife Symington. Greetings to all the commanders on the dais, Tony Valenzuela, Don Silva, Don Gentry. Thanks to our master of ceremonies, Joe Abodeely. And it's great, of course, to see Everett Alvarez here. And I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Bob Stump, the Congressman from Arizona, the ranking Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee. He has worked hard up on Capitol Hill for the veterans of this country. I'm very sorry he couldn't be with us today, but I have great respect for his work. It's not normal that I'm standing up here with three, maybe you're used to it in this great State of Arizona, but three winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor standing here. It really says something. I salute all of them. And I'd like to think in some cross-sectional way that people out here in this audience and standing behind me represent, at least for today, more than 26 million veterans. It's great to be back here. An old saying goes, "Save the best for last." Well, today we're saving the best for first, and the first campaign coalition to be announced for our campaign, Barry Goldwater, its honorary chairman; John McCain and Everett Alvarez, its national chairmen, and that is the Bush-Quayle '92 National Veterans Coalition. They're going to be good and strong, and I'm glad to have their support. Now, I hope you know why I insisted the veterans be first to be unveiled. You know how service has preserved the values that make and keep us strong. John touched on that in that wonderful generous introduction. You know how veterans have given of themselves and often of their lives in places whose names we all know, from the Argonne, Normandy, Da Nang, and of course, most recently, in the Persian Gulf. Think of our kids and our grandkids, and they have inherited your bequest of faith in the country, in family, in democracy, in God. They can never repay the veterans, all of you, for what you've done for freedom. From the time the torch of liberty was first lit in America, veterans have shed their blood to make sure that it would never go out. And that's what this campaign must be about, what we've got to fight for, enlist our hearts and minds for: to ensure people choice for the schools, for example; for a society, pluralism for God's children, the freedom to go about their lives, their daily lives, free of fear. Freedom can let us vote as we want and pray as we choose. Freedom can ensure the legacies for our kids of family, peace, and jobs. Above all, freedom can secure what we fought for, Guadalcanal or Inchon or Hue City or Kuwait City: A world where liberty's tide is coming in. It's running in, just as tyranny's tide is running out. TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 3 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 I renew my pledge today in this opening to do all that's humanly possible to account for our comrades that are missing from the past wars. As long as I am President we will never forget those POW's and MIA's. Another pledge: As we move to a post-cold-war defense force, we cannot forget to take care of our military and civilian men and women who worked and fought so hard to ensure that freedom and democracy would prevail. For them, we will continue to work together to make sure that American veterans receive quality health care that is second to none. Now, there is a benefit to the end of the cold war, and that is that there will be substantial defense savings made possible in this new environment. However, it is my conviction that this transition must be managed in a rational manner. First, we've got to achieve an orderly reduction in our forces. We're talking about 25 percent over the next 5 years. That is substantial. But as John McCain can tell you, there are people in the Congress that want to take everything out of defense and out of the national security and shift it over to some mandated program from Washington. Some have called for far deeper cuts than we have, and I reject this approach. As I told the graduating midshipmen down in Annapolis yesterday, never in the history of man has the world been a benign place. There is no substitute for America's strength, and no substitute for our sense of purpose. I am not going to let the Congress gut the muscle of our defense. Next, Secretary Cheney and I are mindful of our obligation to treat defense and uniform employees and their communities fairly. Our plan already includes spending more than $ 7.1 billion to address defense transition over the next 2 years. And today I'm proposing a number of additional programs, including new GI bill benefits and an expansion of job training, employment, and other educational opportunities. We're going to dedicate more than one billion additional dollars through 1996 on these vital defense transition activities. Whether they're working as teachers in an elementary school or as environmental engineers, I am committed to ensuring that the vast talents of these former defense personnel can be put to productive use in private life. With us today are talented and capable men and women who believe in this new world of freedom. No one needs to tell them about the inhumanity of war. Instead, they know that only a strong America can preserve the humanity of peace. I am proud of these men and proud that they have agreed to help me. And I thank you for your support. I hope to be worthy of your prayers. Thirty years ago, Douglas MacArthur put it well. Returning to the plain up at West Point, he gave a speech to the cadets. "The soldier," he told them, "above all other people, prays for peace, for he must bear the deepest wounds and scars of war." You've all been soldiers in the crusade of freedom, and this year I ask you to reenlist and help keep America what Lincoln called "the last best hope of Earth." For 200 years our veterans have fought for what is right and what is good, and I ask you to help me defend those values. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am very happy that the young kids now go to sleep every night without the fear, that constant fear of nuclear war that the generations before them had. I think that's a significant and a major accomplishment. And Barbara and I have LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 4 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 -- I was going to say 10 -- I think it's 12 grandchildren. I take great pride in that fact, that in some way perhaps my Presidency was a part of all of that. But that is there. Now we've got to keep this movement towards freedom and towards peace around the world going forward. We've got to do it. With your help, I'm confident we can do it for the next 4 years. Many, many thanks to all of you. The President spoke at 4:55 p.m. at the American Legion Luke Greenway Post. In his remarks, he referred to Arizona State Commanders Tony Valenzuela, American Legion, Don Silva, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Don Gentry, Disabled American Veterans. TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 5 4TH DOCUMENT of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Public Papers of the Presidents Remarks at a Fundraising Dinner for Senator John McCain in Phoenix 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 May 28, 1992 LENGTH: 2328 words Thank you all very, very much for that welcome. May I pay my tribute to Jim Click. He's been a staunch supporter of the Republican cause for a long, long time, and I'm very grateful to see him again and grateful for that introduction. Of course, I'm proud to be at the side of John McCain and his wife Cindy. I want to salute two from our Cabinet: Secretary Lynn Martin, our Seccretary of Labor over here, who's doing a superb job, job training and a wide array of other issues; and then our irrepressible Secretary of HUD, who is going with me as we head back out to Los Angeles, but a man who is doing a superb job in this concept of homeownership, giving people a part of the action, Jack Kemp, our Secretary of HUD. And may I salute Governor Fife Symington and Ann; and of course, a special warm abraso for Barry and Susan Goldwater; and our chairman, Jerry Davis; Pastor Jackson, whom I've been privileged to be with before; Everett Alvarez, who today was announced as one of our cochairmen of our veterans effort, a great American. Brenda High, appropriately named for the way she did that "Star-Spangled Banner.' It was outstanding. You can't help but be stirred when you hear a rendition like that of our great national anthem. And thanks to the -- where is the band? I can't see them, but I understand you've got a great Chaparral High School band over here. Thank you for your music. And thanks to Shannon Marketic, Miss U.S.A., for the Pledge. And out with us in the audience, a guy I visited with earlier on, a true Point of Light, Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns, and all he does for the young people out here. And then another old friend who I had a chance to greet earlier on, Joe Bugel of the Cardinals, a great guy and a great sportsman. And I'm proud to see him. So it's a pleasure to be back, and I'm sorry Barbara's not here. And I will apologize; they told me that broccoli is on the menu, and I'm out of here as soon as I finish speaking. [Laughter] But seriously, we do have to head back out to Los Angeles, be sure we're following up the way we should there. But I'm glad to have this opportunity to express my appreciation to our Senator, and I say "ours" because Barbara and I feel like he's just part of us, Senator John McCain, for his help in fighting against that pork-barrel spending back in Washington and for his leadership and support for the line-item veto. He is a man of principle. John, your leadership has been absolutely invaluable. And when I see it I say to myself, if only we had control of the United States Senate. On budget, on taxes, on health care, on the needs of older Americans, John McCain's efforts mean so much to me and 50 much to our country, and they, of course, mean an awful lot to the great State of Arizona and to have him in the Senate, and WE must have him back come fall. And of course, special tribute to Senator Barry Goldwater for his half-century of principled, and I use that word advisedly, principled service LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 6 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 to our great country. What a record of achievement. What an example. What an accomplishment. Fifty years in public service, and underlying it all, character and integrity totally intact. I am proud to be his friend. I am grateful for his support. There have been some tough times in my political life, and one of them was 4 years ago. Barry came up there, suited up, got on a long flight and flew up to New Hampshire and bailed me out. I'll never, ever forget it. Not out of jail, but out of some political hot water up there. [Laughter] How about this backdrop? I like it very much, not only as a great art work, but coming from a city where Congress spends SD much money, it's always good to see something in black ink. [Laughter] It was Barry who put it this way, "Those who do not have courage want complicated answers.' Well, Republicans are courageous people, and our solutions to America's problems are simple and effective, not complicated out of a maze of redtape. While the Democrats put their faith in adding new bricks to the old bureaucratic programs, and they try to do it every single day up there in the Congress, WE Republicans are focusing on leaving our children and grandchildren three fundamental legacies that are integral to their own future: Strong families to sustain individuals, to nurture and encourage children, and to preserve our Nation's character and our culture; and then, number two, peace, in our schools, on our streets, and yes, all around the world; and then, third one, jobs, both for those who are seeking work and for graduates entering the work force. I might add, at long last our national economy is beginning to move. It's recovering, and consumer confidence, you might have seen it yesterday, is starting back up, is returning. These legacies, all of them don't always translate into sound bites, but they are definitely sound policy. Senator Barry Goldwater and Senator John McCain have both been at the forefront in helping to establish these legacies and in building a sound Republican policy, policy that sees problems as something more than excuses for new centralized, mandated programs. This is the message I will be taking to the American people in the fall, and this is the message that is going to win for us not only the White House but control of the Congress. You watch and see, now. What we are trying to do is to offer innovation and change. American industries lead the world in growth and efficiency. America is the world's leading exporter, producing $ 422 billion worth last year along, $ 422 billion. Over the past 5 years, our exports have supported 7 million jobs. These are impressive accomplishments, a record of economic growth and international competitiveness to make any country proud. Instead of excuses, we're offering education. More than one of four American workers has a college degree; another 20 percent have at least a year of college. Through this program we've got, the break-the-mold school program, and parental choice and choice for public, private, or religious schools for their children, I might add, our America 2000 initiative for education: it is new; it is revolutionary, and it doesn't mandate it from Wahington. It says let the communities, let the States, let the families have a say in deciding what king of education is best for our own children. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 7 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 And yes, we are opening more and more doors of opportunity for Americans. And now we must address ways that we can strengthen our national spirit and return to the bedrock principles, faith, family, that made our Nation great. I would hate to be taking a case to the American people in the fall that was predicated on everything being bad, that the only way you can win is if the country's going to hell in a handbasket. We are America, and we are moving forward. And by fall we are going to show them that the positive message of change is the message of hope for the American people. John McCain and I have the responsibility to provide the leadership that we need, the country needs, to get back to sound principles upon which our Nation was founded, principles that helped make us the world's leading Nation and principles that gave us a standard of living that is the envy of the entire world. The cynics say that social conditions are too bad to turn around. And the skeptics say that faith and ideals are puny and inconsequential when put up against the problems that we face as a Nation. Well, I think they're wrong. I believe, along with Calvin Coolidge, "there is no force 50 democratic as the force of an ideal." I believe that the forces of character, of compassion, and goodness will ultimately triumph over the forces that can only tear down and destroy. Tonight, as soon as we finish here, I'm going to be going back to Los Angeles to check on the progress of Federal aid efforts out there and to expand on my ideas for an urban agenda, an agenda of hope and opportunity in all our cities. I might say I am very proud of the rapid response of our Federal Agencies to that crisis out there: the Army, the Marines, there to restore law and order; the SBA and HUD and Labor and FEMA and Agriculture and HHS and others, too. They responded fast. We did it in a coordinated way, and all of them did very, very well. But I am less proud of the fact that the Congress has not moved on our program to bring instant hope to the cities, not just Los Angeles but the cities all across our country, on enterprise zones or on the other proposals that we've made that would instantly bring hope to the cities. I challenge the Congress right here and now: Please take action. Let's set the partisanship aside for just long enough to get something done to help people in this country. So let others out there take their message of pessimism. They say that America's best days are behind us. The truth is that our Nation stands at a pinnacle of achievement that is unmatched. We are the unquestioned leader of the free world, which now includes more countries than ever before. All those new democracies are looking to America, to the United States of American, for leadership. Yes, there is much left to be done in our own country. But many of the changes that we are pushing are stuck up there on Capitol Hill. There was no one who wants to work cooperatively with Congress any more than I do. And from my very first State of the Union Address I held out my hand and said, "The people didn't send us here to bicker; let's try to get something done." I don't think there's anyone, I might say, who has been a better friend up there on Capitol Hill than John McCain because he understands these principles. He advocates them, articulates them. We bent over backwards to try to get the TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 8 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 liberals who control the Congress to support our efforts to reform, reform programs that simply are not working anymore. We've tried to change things that aren't working. Now, the time has come to change the control of the United States Congress itself and watch this country move forward. There is a mood for change. There was talk in all of them. The Nation needs an infusion of fresh, new Republican Congressmen and Senators who will be statesmen, like Barry Goldwater, like John McCain, leaders willing to try out new ideas. We unveiled this plan for the cities, and some cynics out there on the Democratic side are saying, "These aren't new. You proposed them before." They are new because they have not been tried. We need people who will put the best interest of the Nation first and foremost. There are other problems that Government alone cannot reverse. At the top of the list is action to restore the American family. Simply put, our children cannot dream the American dream when they are living a nightmare. Look at a few brief and sad facts. In comparison with other industrialized countries, the Census Bureau found that the United States has the highest divorce rate, the highest number of children involved in divorce, the highest teenage pregnancy rates, the highest abortion rates, the highest percentage of children living in a single-parent household, the highest percentage of violent deaths among our precious young. These are not the kinds of records that we want to have as a great country. Our Federal Government, of course, we have responsibilities. As President, I've got responsibilities in all of this. We must do more. We must do what we can. The American people must do those things that Government cannot do. Government can and must provide school choice, but parents must read to their kids and instill a love for learning. Government can and must fight crime, but fathers and mothers must teach discipline and instill values in their children. Government can and must foster American competitiveness, but parents must teach the kids the dignity of work. To paraphrase that great philosopher of the silver hair, Barbara Bush - [laughter] -- what you teach at your house is more important than what happens at the White House. And she is absolutely right about that. So we're a country that has a lot of problems, big problems. But I am absolutely convinced we can solve them. We have laid the groundwork, and we've developed sound plans. We can transform America into the Nation we all want her to be. It hasn't been much fun in the political arena lately. We've been hammered out there a little bit. Somebody said that builds character. I said, I'm a little long on character and looking forward to a change. But let me tell you this. I am quietly confident about the election this fall. In sum, I am absolutely convinced as this economy moves back, as we sort out where everybody stands on these highly complex issues, when the country assesses the fact that we are at peace and that our children go to bed at night with less fear of nuclear war -- and that is a major accomplishment of which I am very proud to have been a part -- and it's when we get in focus the agenda, see who wants to pass this agenda of hope and opportunity and who wants to stifle it, when we take forward the values that you and I believe in to the American people again this fall on family and faith, I am absolutely convinced TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 9 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 943 we're going to win this election. We are going to win it. We're going to transform our problems into challengine opportunities to realize the American dream. Thank you for your fantastic support for our great Senator. May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America, the freest and greatest country on the face of the Earth. Thank you very, very much. Note: The President spoke at 6:23 p.m. at the Phoenix Civic Plaza. In his remarks, he referred to Jim Click, Bush-Quayle Arizona finance chairman; Gerald Davis, chairman, Arizona Republican Party; and Richard Jackson, pastor, North Phoenix Baptist Church. LEXIS NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 10 7TH DOCUMENT of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Public Papers of the Presidents Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session in Goffstown, New Hampshire 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 274 February 15, 1992 LENGTH: 3251 words The President. Thank you for that warm welcome back. Before we get started, let me just thank Dr. Conway, the superintendent, and to thank Ms. Colby, who is the assistant principal here, and Vivian Blondeau, the chairman of the school board, and say how pleased I am to be here and pleased that we have this opportunity to meet in this wonderful school. What we are going to do today is just, in the 20 minutes allocated, take questions. So, I think the way to do it is just let me say one word: I'm up here to ask the support of the people of New Hampshire to be President of the United States for 4 more years. And we've made a lot of progress in the world. The cold war is over. International imperial communism, the aggressive part, reaching out, trying to do in others, that's finished; it's dead. Aggression has been pushed back and international law established by the international defeat, you might say, of Saddam Hussein when we kicked him out of Kuwait. So, a lot of good things have happened. And we are clearly the leaders of the world. And I do not want to see us pull back into isolation in fear because the economy of this State and other States is hurting. And so, what I'm asking the American people to do is say please help me get through Congress the economic growth package that I have sitting down there now. It would move the housing industry, the real estate industry, would lift the spirits of this State. So, we've got a plan. It isn't a campaign plan. It's enshrined, enrolled in two big pieces of legislation. And I need your help leaning on the United States Congress. Let me thank the man who introduced me, who is our leader here, Governor Gregg of this State. I'm very fortunate to have him as my campaign chairman and delighted he's here and has just introduced me. Now, with no further ado, I'd be glad to take any questions. Yes, sir. Banking Industry Q. Mr. President, my question is, the banking industry in this State is very, very, very tight. I would like to know, what can our Government do to relieve the rules and the pressures of the Fannie Mae, which is from a one-family to a four-family home, and to stop the foreclosures that are going on with people that should not have their home foreclosed on? And then also, in the business sector, relieve the pressures from the banks so they can loan us money 50 we can put people back to work? They will not loan money to any business. Thank you. TM TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 11 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 274 The President. Well, it's a very important question. And one thing we are trying to do is to relieve this credit crunch by doing a better job on regulation. We've called in all the regulators. We can't go back to forgiving bad practices; we're not going to do that. But they've gone too far the other way. And I think the best answer to freeing up credit is trying to get these regulators to go forward and take a hard look at the existing regulations, as we've done, and say, "Look, good banks should make good loans; don't discourage them." Interest rates are down. We are poised, because of where interest rates are and inflation is, to make a real recovery in this country. And so, I'm optimistic that these banks will begin to start making loans. Their balance sheets are in much better shape nationally. The regulation load is being lightened, although I'm having a big fight with Congress on some of that right now in the Senate Banking Committee. And I think it's going to move in the right direction. On Fannie Mae, it's tough because those are independent, and we can't snap our fingers and control them. But credit crunch, it's hurt us. My appeal is to the good, sound institutions to make sound banking loans, and I think that's the kind you're talking about. I don't think anyone wants to go back to the excesses of the eighties in terms of savings and loan excess or financial excess. One thing that's cost us and has hurt the deficit is the money that the Government has had to put in to cover the depositors. One good thing is not one single depositor has lost money. And I'm determined to keep it that way. But I think this change in regulations is going to help. Thank you. Who's over -- yes? Capital Gains Tax Cut Q. Welcome, President Bush, thank you. I'm a student of business right now, and I have a business question for you. You proposed a capital gains cut which, it seems to me, is going to benefit people who are investing in art, in jewelry, and other things, instead of an investment tax credit which would invest in business and make it more competitive and more productive. Why is that? The President. We have proposed, maybe you missed it, in our proposal we have before the Congress right now an investment tax allowance. The ITC, itself, what you call investment tax, is terribly expensive. I think the revenue loss estimates were something like $ 250 billion. So, we couldn't do that and fit it into our budget plan without a tax increase which I would like to firmly avoid, and I'm determined to avoid. Investment tax allowance is what you might more appropriately call more rapid depreciation which will stimulate the kind of investment you're talking about. The capital gains cut, I am absolutely convinced, will stimulate jobs and stimulate investment, too. It worked under the Steiger amendment in 1978. And I think it would have a very salutary effect. And it isn't what some of the opponents call it, a tax break for the rich. It's going to create jobs. It's going to create people taking more risks. So, look at how it worked in '78. And I think you'll find that this combination of these two things really will stimulate the economy. And what's LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 12 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 274 happened, I send this seven-point -- they're all stimulatory tax provisions - say to the Congress, "Pass it by March 20th." They go in behind closed doors, beat it on a straight party-line vote, including this investment tax allowance, ITC type of thing, and come out and say, "Well, what we've got to do is redistribute the wealth by increasing taxes." I do not think that's what the American people want, and I'm going to fight for this growth package. I'm not going to give up on it. I think we can make some headway in the Senate and in the House floor. But I'm not sure; we may not agree on a capital gains. You take a look at this ITA, this tax allowance, this stimulation; I think you'll find it's good. Yes, sir? Federal Government Spending Q. Thank you for coming here. My question to you, I've heard your speech recently, is reducing the size of the Government. We've gotten so big and so out of control. Can you speak to us, Federal level, what can be done to lower the cost and the size of the Government? The President. Lowering the cost of it, it's a good point. It is too big and takes too much out in the gross national product in taxes. The only good thing about the budget agreement that was passed in 1990 is that it put caps on the Federal spending. It put caps on discretionary spending. Now, I hear some candidates running around here, around this State, saying they're going to freeze all spending. That sounds attractive, but I don't think that's fair to the senior citizen, for example. I don't think that he should be denied, he or she denied the cost of living increase, for example. So it's easy to say that. And I think we've got to control the growth of the entitlements, but I don't think the freeze is the answer. I do believe that this proposal of holding the caps on Federal discretionary spending is important. And right now, you listen to the Congress, Democrat Congress, they're talking about getting rid of those caps or shifting the caps. The best protection for the taxpayer is to hold those caps on Federal spending. And I believe, I think we an be able to do that. That's the key. Who's next? Way in the back, Father. Education Q. Thank you, Mr. President. First of all, I commend you on your courageous position regarding the life of the unborn in our country. As president of a college, I'd like to ask a question on higher education and ask if you'd comment, please, on your plans to help low- and middle-income families have access to colleges of their choice and particularly independent colleges in terms of Federal aid. The President. Father, let me say this: I believe in school choice. We have an excellent education program. It is called America 2000. It is not Republican. It's not Democrat. It's not conservative. It's not liberal. It works to implement the six national education goals that were passed by the Governors, Democrat and Republican alike. One of the provisions of our TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 13 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 274 America 2000 program is choice. When I got out of college, I was recipient of the GI bill. I fought for my country, and one of the ghings that veterans got way back then was a GI bill. And they didn't say what kind of school you could go to. They simply said, "Take your choice. I believe that choice is one of the best ways to increase the quality of education from all schools, and I'm going to continue to fight for it. And that, I think, gets to your question. That is the fundamental part of America 2000. It is a fundamental part of how we improve education. And you do it through vouchers, but different private schools ought not to be denied. One of the allegations is, well, people will leave a bad school to go to a good school. Where that's happened, the bad schools have improved. Take a look at Rochester, New York, as a good example. So, the answer to the question you're raising is choice. And back it up 50 that the parents will have the main say. I had the mayors, I mentioned this in the State of the Union, I had the mayors from the National League of Cities in. And they were Mayor Bradley of Los Angeles, great big, complex metropolitan area, a Democrat; a tiny town in North Carolina with a Republican mayor, 3,000. And they said, "The one thing that concerns us is that the fundamental cause of a lot of these problems is the demise of the family." And what we're trying to do there is strengthen the family. And choice, I think, is one of the best ways to go about it. Way in the back. Yes, ma'am. We can hear you. Go ahead. Energy Policy Q. This is something I don't hear a lot about. I would like to know what plans are in the works for the future development of solar energy, particularly where it appears we may have a lot more sun than we know what to do with soon? [Laughter] The President. I'm very proud of our administration for first having taken the lead on phasing out CFC's and then speeding it up when new scientific information came in. We moved very fast on that. And I believe that set a good example for other countries around the world, and I confidently expect that the EC and other countries will follow the lead of this country in phasing out these CFC's that do damage to the ozone layer. Our energy program puts a good deal of emphasis on alternate sources of energy, not simply solar, incidentally. It is all sources of energy other than hydrocarbons. And we are not going to be independent 50 that we can get rid of all burning hydrocarbons; that simply can't be done. It's unrealistic. I want to see this country less dependent on foreign oil. And if our energy program gets passed, it will do that. Alternate sources, conservation, and certainly not neglecting the domestic side of the hydrocarbon industry. So, it's in our energy bill, and I think we can move relatively fast. But to say to the country, as I've heard some people up here do, we can solve all these problems by going to solar energy today, that simply is not technologically feasible. We just don't have the delivery system of that kind of energy source. TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 14 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 274 Also, I know this one might be controversial, and I don't know where you come down on this one, but I also happen to believe that safe utilization of nuclear power is in our interests. It burns clean, and technology is good. And I know you get a lively debate on it, but as I look at the energy requirements, we ought to do that. United Nations Environmental Conference Q. I was wondering if you could let us know whether or not you're planning to attend the United Nations conference on the environment and development? The President. Her question was whether I plan to attend the United Nations conference which will be held in Brazil on the environment. We're talking about that right now. The problem is it comes at a time when we've got a relatively hot political year here. But the United States must lead, and I have not told President Collor of Brazil yet whether I can do it. I'm talking to other world leaders as to whether they're attending. Bill Reilly, who is doing a superb job as head of the EPA, is back; we're going to have a meeting with him next week. So, the answer is, a decision has not been made on that. I just don't know. By whether I'm there or not, they're certainly going to have full cooperation and, I'd say, leadership from the United States. It's an important conference. Way in the back. Student Loans Q. Yes, Mr. President, I am an ex-student from the New England area, and I'm sure you know that probably a good portion of the schools in the United States are located in the East. As of this year I'm not able to deduct the interest on my student loans anymore. That really hurts because I owe about $ 25,000 for school. So where do you stand on that? The President. I stand on asking your support for the bill that I referred to that's before the Ways and Means Committee right now, before the Senate Finance Committee, because it does permit the deduction of interest on student loans. And I think you're absolutely right; it should be done. So, we need your help getting it passed. But we've got that in this legislation. I hope we can succeed. The Economy Q. Mr. President, in tough times what can Americans do by pulling their own bootstraps? The President. Well, I think what Americans can do is what we've always done, work hard, et cetera. But I think the economy needs some assistance now, like a tax credit for the first-time homebuyer. I have proposed that, $ 5,000. The National Association of Home Builders tell us that that would really stimulate this economy and do it fast. So, I think what we must do in Government is to try to give incentive, but it cannot be Government make-work programs. It has to be freeing up this economy to do a better job for the citizens. See, I'm not as discouraged as some people are. I know people have had a tough time in this State. But I've seen what we can do when we come together. TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 15 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 274 I saw what we've done around the world in establishing our leadership. We're still the number one country in terms of our gross national product, by far. So, what we've got to do is jumpstart this economy and then get the Government out of the way as much as possible and let this ingenuity that you're talking about come to the fore more. So, let's not be 50 discouraged that we cannot see any hope out there. I know people are hurting, but you've got interest rates at an all-time low; you've got inflation down; the economy is poised to come back. And I'm saying, give me the support I need in the Congress to get this one package passed, and then this ingenuity you're talking about really can flourish. I think you've got it in perspective. How about this guy right over here? Q. May I have your autograph? [Laughter] The President. Come on. The answer to that question is yes. Here you go. I signed that for you. Q. Thank you. The President. You're welcome. That's a tough question. [Laughter] Health Care Q. Mr. President, can you please assure us that you will not push through a national health plan? We would like to keep health care private. The President. I have a strong health proposal, health care plan. It's printed; it's out there. It does not nationalize health care. We've got a lot of criticism about our health care. We still have the best quality health care in the entire world, the best. Otherwise, why do people come here from other countries to get it? And you hear some of these people --- somebody told them a few months ago, health care's an issue. So they'll come out trying to emulate some foreign plan. We're not going to have that. We are going to have the kind of plan that I put forward that will keep the quality and still make health care affordable to all through insurance. And people say, "Well, poor guy doesn't have money to pay for the insurance." Then we have the voucher system, where he goes to a central location, name is on there, they have access to a privately held, competitive insurance coverage. And that is the answer, not what you've asked about, this national health care plan. And you've got to take a look at the cost, too. And ours is much easier to pay for. Now, I'm getting a signal that we have time. Let's say two more. Then I've got a special treat for you. Way back here in the red shirt, yes, sir. Congressional Term Limitations Q. My question very simply, Mr. President, is: Understanding we have today career politicians in Congress, how do you feel about term limitations? TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 16 28 Weekly Comp. Pres. Doc. 274 The President. I am in favor of term limitations. I'm in favor of that, and if it's good enough for the President it ought to be good enough for some of these Congressmen. All right. Yes, sir, right here. Government Decentralization Q. Mr. President, with the high degree of communications technology that exists today, when can we look forward to decentralizing the large, expensive Washington-based form of Government? The President. I'm not sure. I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. [Laughter] I think your point is well-taken. There can be a more diffused Government, Government closer to the people through technology. Computer networks are doing that. I don't honestly see, though, that it is going to be 50 decentralized that one agency will be in one place and one agency in another place. With the kind of Government we have where the action of Congress is very, very important, I don't see a really diffused transfer of these departments around the country. It has certain appeal, but I don't want to be unrealistic. It ain't going to happen. All right. Now, let me tell you, we've got a special treat here, a good friend of mine. And this man is doing an awful lot on fitness. Somebody mentions health care; one of the reasons you do is you prevent bad health by keeping fit. And 50 let me introduce to you a supporter and a great friend of mine, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Give them the fitness test. Mr. Schwarzenegger. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Thank you. The President. He's part of our health plan, see. [At this point, Mr. Schwarzenegger spoke.] The President. Thanks 50 much. I guess we're out of here. Good to see you all. Thanks for coming. Glad to see you. Thanks for taking the time. Note: The President spoke at 1:04 p.m. at Mountain View Middle School. Arnold Schwarzenegger is Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 2 2ND STORY of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1992 Newsday, Inc. Newsday July 25, 1992, Saturday, NASSAU AND SUFFOLK EDITION SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 11 LENGTH: 661 words HEADLINE: VA Hospital Chief Assails U.S. Charges BYLINE: By Jim Puzzanghera. STAFF WRITER KEYWORD: UNITED STATES; VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HOSPITAL; NORTHPORT VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER; SERVICE; INVESTIGATION; HOSPITAL; PATIENT BODY: The director of the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center yesterday rebutted charges of poor health care, even as another federal audit completed last month revealed more problems, including delays in physical therapy appointments and failure to provide some around-the-clock support services. Northport Director Alice L. Wood defended the medical center in a three-page written statement, noting several changes she has made since taking over in 1990 that have improved problems with poorly kept medical records and lengthy waiting times for outpatient clinic appointments. She also criticized the first review by the VA's Office of the Inspector General, which was released last week. Responding to a finding that lengthy delays in patient treatment occurred because too many doctors were involved in cases, Wood said, "The Medical Center has been accused of having too many doctors involved in the patient's care! In our view, greater physician involvement is what our patients need and want; it can only help in assuring better outcomes for them." The review said that too many doctors on some cases - an average of at least eight per patient in one sample of 35 cases - led to delays such as the case of a veteran who had to wait 43 days before doctors decided to insert a feeding tube. Another audit of some Northport services completed last month and obtained by Newsday this week, gave more details about some of the charges in the special review. It was the fourth of five reports to be released by the Inspector General's office in response to complaints about Northport. Since the beginning of 1991, the Inspector General's special hotline has received more complaints about Northport than any other center, said Maureen Regan, counselor to the Inspector General. The audit said that on Aug. 15, 1991, a review team found 102 unscheduled consultation requests for outpatient physical therapy, with waiting times ranging from 23 to 216 days. The VA said that outpatients should not have to wait more than 30 days for outpatient physical therapy. In the audit, Wood agreed with the problem but said that at times it was "nearly impossible" to recruit physical therapists in the New York area. But the audit noted that some job applications were delayed in personnel, including TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 3 Newsday, July 25, 1992 those of two therapists, which sat in the personnel office for two weeks. When the applicants were offered jobs, they already had found other employment. Wood said the hiring of one therapist recently helped ease the problem. The audit also said that Northport did not have 24-hour support teams to draw blood or to insert intravenous tubes, or escort services to transport patients and medical samples. Since 1989, New York has required those teams to ease the burden on medical residents. The audit noted a case where a patient could not have an X-ray because no transportation was available. Wood said more nurses and use of other staff and volunteers should solve the problem by the end of the year. The audit also included findings such as outdated drugs in the center's pharmacy, a $ 7,500 piece of orthopedic lab equipment and an air-conditioning unit being delivered but not installed for nine months and two years respectively, and preventive maintenance not being done on nine pieces of "critical" equipment. Wood provided plans, included in the audit, to solve all the problems. Northport spokesman Ben Bernstein said yesterday the center considers all the problems resolved. But Inspector General investigators will visit Northport again to determine that, Regan said. The five reports done or pending on Northport are the most for any center recently, she said. Harry Jackson, commander of the Suffolk American Legion, said Wood and other Northport staff were working hard to solve the problems. But Dennis Dunne, director of Nassau County's Veterans Service Agency, said many of the the problems have been known for several years. TM LEXIS® NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 4 3RD STORY of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Copyright (c) The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., 1992 BNA PENSIONS & BENEFITS DAILY July 24, 1992 LENGTH: 276 words TEXT: Health Care REPUBLICANS SHOULD CONVEY DISLIKE FOR GLOBAL BUDGETS, JOHNSON SAYS WASHINGTON (BNA) -- Republicans need to convey their opposition to "global budgets," or expenditure caps on overall health care spending, during the presidential campaign, Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-Conn) said July 23. Global budgeting, a concept key to some Democratic health care ref proposals, has been tried without success in the form of price controls in the Veterans Administration system, the Medicaid program, and the Medicare program, Johnson asserted. Rather than a single-payer national health care plan, the nation needs a national health care policy, she said at a meeting hosted by the National Health Council. "Hopefully during the presidential campaign WE who oppose global budgets can get our message across," Johnson said. "We will show that a government run (health care) program can't work," she asserted. Johnson emphasized the fact that 40 percent of Medicare costs are spent during patients' last month of life, while 60 percent of Medicare costs are spent during patients' last three months of life. The nation cannot afford to "extend life inappropriately," she said, in reference to the Medicare expenditures and the high cost of technology used to save damaged infants. A health care reform program must address these "high cost" areas, she said. Health care reform needs to be based on "models that work," Johnson said. The approach taken by House Republicans emphasizes competition, research on medical outcomes, managed care, and malpractice reform, she said. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 5 6TH STORY of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1992 Newsday, Inc. Newsday July 24, 1992, Friday, NASSAU EDITION SECTION: VIEWPOINTS; Pg. 60 Other Edition: Suffolk Pg. 58 LENGTH: 315 words HEADLINE: Don't Permit Sloppy Medical Care for LI Veterans KEYWORD: VETERAN; EDITORIAL; LONG ISLAND; HEALTH; QUALITY BODY: A federal review of the veterans' hospital at Northport recently found serious patient-care lapses, but it noted the failings are similar to those at other veterans' hospitals. That's no excuse; it's a double indictment. The fact that the evaluation is the product of the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general's office does not much improve the outlook. If this is what the VA's own watchdog is accustomed to finding, it's hard to understand how a poor report could represent much of a spur to reform. Such reports, however, should renew congressional interest in the Veterans Health Administration. A Senate report only last year expressed "outrage" over problems at the North Chicago Veterans Medical Center. The report said improving the quality of care should be the health administration's top priority. The failings at Northport suggest lax administrative oversight, and that should be correctable without new mandates or funding from Congress. Medical records, for example, were found to be poorly kept, a condition clearly related to the quality of supervision. The need for better management 15 also implied in the complaint that the system of case review could stand a sweeping overhaul. When treatment is held up while an average of eight physicians review the records of a single case, something is wrong. It suggests that the Veterans Health Administration is so deeply involved with paperwork that it forgets its purpose is patient care. The health administration is funded at more than $ 13 billion, which makes its operation a major management challenge. That money goes toward the support of 172 medical centers, 339 outpatient clinics, 126 nursing homes and 32 soldiers' homes, and according to congressional reports and in-house assessments, it's not doing it well. Apparently, the Senate needs to bolster its outrage with closer oversight. LEXIS: NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 6 23RD STORY of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1992 Cable News Network, Inc. All rights reserved CNN Sonya Live July 21, 1992 Transcript # 97 TYPE: Show; Interview SECTION: News; Domestic LENGTH: 7063 words HEADLINE: Desert Storm Related Illnesses GUESTS: STEVE ROBERTSON, Desert Storm Veteran; BETTY ZUSPANN, Wife of Desert Storm Veteran; BRIG. GEN. RONALD BLANCK, D.O., Army Surgeon General's Office. BYLINE: SONYA FRIEDMAN; HIGHLIGHT: Many military personnel returning from Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf are experiencing similar symtoms relating to Leishmaniasis, a blood parasite contracted from sandflies. This and other disorders are disc BODY: SONYA: Hello, and welcome to our Tuesday program. For U.S. military personnel serving in Desert Storm, returning home was supposed to mean getting their lives back to normal. But an unexplained illness seems to be making that impossible for a number of veterans. According to the Army, 300 vets are reporting similar symptoms. Other say the number is much higher. Steve Robertson says that he began experiencing symptoms nine days after arriving in the Gulf. He served as part of the D.C. Army National Guard during the war. Betty Zuspann's husband, Gary, became ill after serving in the Gulf. He's now in Walter Reed Army Medical Center. And also with us today, Anne Talmage, director of The Manhattan Vet Center, a counseling center run by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Brigadier General Ronald D. Blanck. He is chief of Medical Corps Affairs in the Office of the Army Surgeon General. Welcome to all of you! Let me begin with you, Steve. I'm interested in knowing something about your symptoms and what you're seeing out there; if you feel that you're alone or if there is a band of people all having a number of common symptoms. STEVE ROBERTSON, Desert Storm Veteran: It all started when I returned from Saudi Arabia. We were getting ready to deploy back. They'd asked us for any medical problems we were experiencing before we left the country. At the time, I had a chronic cough. I had flu-like symptoms; aching joints, and found fatigue to TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 7 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 be easing into my lifestyle. When I returned to Ft. Mead, Maryland, I also articulated the same symptoms at the time of separation. After I came back to work for the American Legion, I began to receive phone calls. There were a few at first, people saying, you know, 'I think there's something wrong with me, and I think the military missed it.' About that same time is when the story broke on Leishmaniasis, the blood parasite that we've heard 50 much about. SONYA: Tell us a little bit about what that is. Mr. ROBERTSON: It's a disease that you're supposed to contract from sandfly bites. There were all kinds of insects over there, so, I can't tell you right off the bat that I know what a sandfly looks like. But I know that they had to be over there. SONYA: Let's go to Betty, if we can now. Any of these symptoms sound familiar to you in terms of what your husband's been experiencing? BETTY ZUSPANN, Wife of Desert Storm Veteran: Exactly. Exactly the same symptoms, and he also has heart palpitations and severe weight loss. SONYA: Now, he had to go back on active duty, in effect, to get into Walter Reed. Is that correct? Ms. ZUSPANN: Yes, ma'am, they did put him on temporary active duty after quite some time. He's been sick since he's retired from the Persian Gulf in August. SONYA: Anne, are you seeing a lot of this as you work with vets? After all, that's your exclusive province. I would imagine this 15 not news to you; or is it? ANNE TALMAGE, Vet Center Counselor: Well, our mission in the vet center program is really readjustment counseling for veterans who served in Operation Desert Storm, as well as other eras. So, our work is limited to the psychological consequences of war. SONYA: Well, we all recognize that there is a tie between psychology and the body and which a variety of symptoms could cause psychological stress, because you're feeling out of control. At the same time, an enormous amount of stress can cause physical symptoms. So, are you hearing about physical symptoms with Gulf vets? Ms. TALMAGE: Occasionally. Certainly, there are connections, as you point out, between psychological health and physical well-being. SONYA: But some of this is new to you? You don't have someone specifically who's come in with what we've heard our previous two guests talking about? Ms. TALMAGE: Not specifically, but certainly, other kinds of somatic complaints, which may or may not be related to posttraumatic stress or other psychological difficulties. SONYA: Give us an illustration on some of the symptoms you're hearing. Ms. TALMAGE: Well, for example, fatigue. One of the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder is often sleep disturbance. And, certainly, someone who's LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 8 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 waking up with recurring nightmares of traumatic events in combat will be significantly fatigued during daytime hours. That might be one example. SONYA: Let's go to the general. General, I'm interested in knowing what commonalities you have seen in determining whether or not there may be some problems that are coming to the fore that are of a physical orientation or if you think it may be emotional stress, chronic fatigue, or the posttraumatic stress syndrome. BRIG. GEN. RONALD BLANCK, D.O., Army Surgeon General's Office: We're seeing several commonalities of fatigue sometimes with fever of abdominal pain, of diarrhea in that symptomatology that may be due to any one of a number of things starting with infections. We were aware of the variety of infectious diseases that were in that area. We tested for them, tried to prevent them; in some cases, immunized against them. And you've already heard that we found 27 cases of Leishmaniasis of this disease transmitted by the sandfly. So, the first thing that you think of with this constellation of symptoms, this commonality is infections. We didn't find many infections, however, other than the Leishmaniasis which we're still looking for. So, now we're starting to think of some combination of exposure to toxins, to the oil fires, to all of those kinds of things and looking very, very hard for evidence of that. And with all of this, with any disease, obviously, there's an element of stress that will be manifested by a worsening of symptoms, though, I would say in no way do we ascribe everything that these folks have to stress. That's just not SO. There's something else going on, and we're looking very hard to find out what it is. SONYA: Steve, are you comfortable that the military is doing everything they can to look for this, or have you some concerns, and this has been brought to the fore? It's certainly been brought to the fore in the Vietnam era, things like Agent Orange that the military may not be telling all. Mr. ROBERTSON: Well, as you know, the American Legion is a firm advocate of D.O.D., and we would never really question what they were trying to do. But we believe we need to learn from the lessons of the past. We are still trying to get legislation through concerning radiation exposure to the people that were- the veterans that were around during the testing of the A-bomb. We're also still working on legislation for Agent Orange. We've asked that there be a registry established to where the D.O.D. and y A together will take a listing of all participants of Desert Storm and do a long-term evaluation of the medical effects that may happen to them if we start having break outs of cancer. Then we may be able to find a common link that would provide the service connectability there. SONYA: General, as you well know, I mean, there certainly have been some concerns in terms of issues of military cover up or military forthrightness. We frankly saw some evidence just recently with the U.S.S. Vinsens [sp?]. There was some concern about the U.S.S. Iowa. And 50 that comes out of the Naval department. And here again, people want to know if they're getting the truth. Can you give assurance to veterans who are watching, and their families, that they will get the truth about this and not have someone just try to make them go away or make it a psychological issue that in some way suggests there's something wrong with them mentally? Brig. Gen. BLANCK: Oh, absolutely. I can give you definite assurance of that. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 9 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 I can well understand the frustration that patients with symptoms for which we can't really find a cause might have in this whole process. We sometimes are overly bureaucratic, but we care very much about these patients, and we want to do the right thing for them. I think as evidence of our openness is when we did find the Leishmania organism, the Leishmaniasis in the, thankfully, few patients 50 far, that we were open about it, that we told the world, and we put out information on how to get tested for it and all of that kind of thing. Again, I'm certain that there was some frustrations and folks taking advantage of this. But we've done it. And we have put this out. Similarly, we have reported the results of the several studies that we've done on veterans who have all these kinds of conditions, and we've tried to make as available as possible treatment or workups in our own facilities. And also, we're working very, very closely with the Veterans Administration who now, as you already saw, has counseling available. Any veteran 15 able to apply to the V.A. for evaluation and care and 50 forth. SONYA: Right. But General, let me stop you for a moment, 'cause I want to go to our audience. And one of the things that we know in psychology and that you know in medicine, of course, is first, do no harm. And so, you would never want to treat for a psychological disorder if, in fact, there is a physical disorder present. And we'll go to our counselor and talk a little bit about how they make that discrimination, that differential diagnosis, as well as find out whether or not the wife of one of the veterans feels satisfied. But now to the audience - 212-643-0077. [Commercial break] SONYA: We are talking about mysterious ailments affecting a number of Desert Storm veterans. Steve Robertson was in the Gulf on February to June of 1991. Also with us, Betty Zuspann whose husband, Gary, served in the Gulf; Brigadier General Ronald Blanck, chief of Medical Corps Affairs in the Office of the Army Surgeon General; and Anne Talmage, director of The Manhattan Vet Center. Let's go right to our phones and hear our audience's response. Nora from North Carolina with us now. Welcome! 1st CALLER: [North Carolina] Hi! SONYA: Your comment. 1st CALLER: I just wanted to comment that my husband was an officer stationed over there in the Gulf from December to April. And as soon as he returned, he experienced all of these symptoms, and to this day, is even still having problems. Started with hacking, hacking cough, constant coughing, and then extreme abdominal pains where he was finally put in the emergency room. And even with a battery of tests run in the emergency room, nothing was ever done. It just kind of subsided. Then he was treated with antibiotics. And now, he's experiencing a lot of hair loss; thinning, just all over thinning. SONYA: Doctor, let me ask you something. When it came to Guillain-Barre disease, when it came to chronic fatigue, in some cases, PMS, there's been a lot of dispute about the emotional versus the physical side as a variety of medicines, frankly, because of the types of tests to determine may not be developed. One would be very careful about that, in this instance, I would think. Yes? TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 10 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 Brig. Gen. BLANCK: Absolutely correct. As you just heard described, the frustration is that the standard battery of tests often don't show anything, but we're not saying that there isn't anything there. It simply means that we know lots of things it's not. We still have to determine what it is and what's going on. And it may well vary from case to case. That is, there may be different kinds of things going on. SONYA: Indeed. Let's go to Nevada and now to Linda. Welcome! 2nd CALLER: [Nevada] Yes. I'm Linda Monroe and I live in Elko, Nevada. And I would like to ask if this is any relation to crying fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome. SONYA: Doctor? Brig. Gen. BLANCK: I think there is a similarity. It doesn't quite fit the often subjective criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome. But clearly, there's a lot of similarities to it, and that's one of the considerations that we're entertaining for this diagnosis. SONYA: Betty, let me ask you if you feel satisfied that everything is being done to investigate the origin of your husband's symptoms. Ms. ZUSPANN: I think that the eyes are being opened as to some other aspects of what may really be going on here. I feel comfortable with that, and especially after meeting with Brigadier General Blanck, and we're going to meet after this show. I have a meeting tomorrow on Capitol Hill with some senators. 1 think they're starting to see that there's really something going on here other than the stress. 1 would like to think that they really are. SONYA: So, let me read your answer as 'no' becoming 'yes.' Would you say that that's accurate? Ms. ZUSPANN: Pretty much. I guess I'm a good politician. I don't know. SONYA: You did that very, very carefully. Let me go to Anne and ask about differential diagnosis. How do you know if you're dealing with a posttraumatic stress disorder or something that may have a physical origin? or do you insist in each case upon a thorough physical exam? Ms. TALMAGE: Well, I think whenever there are somatic complaints, it becomes the responsibility of the clinician to refer for a complete medical workup. Also, posttraumatic stress disorder is clearly defined with a clear set of symptoms that are often quite different from the complaints being presented here. SONYA: OK. We're going to move on to Marty in Texas. Welcome, Marty! 3rd CALLER: [Texas] Thank you, Sonya. This is addressed to the general. I'm a retired colonel in the Air Force that's spent two tours in Vietnam, and we covered up Agent Orange and we cover up the V.A. all the time. We have the poorest V.A. medical care that I have seen, and I used to work in the V.A. back in the '50s. And the last 12 years, we've talked big talk, but we haven't TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS'NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 11 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 walked our walk with the current administration. NOW, I have been in the health care field 38 years, General, and I have not seen the persistence and the ethical- SONYA: Doctor, you're really being called here to make a statement. We often don't like to hear critique from within, but certainly, here's someone who sounds as though she knows whereof she speaks. Response? Brig. Gen. BLANCK: I understand what she's saying and where she's coming from. I disagree with her on her comments on the V.A. system and 50 forth. But I don't think I know that there is no intention here to cover up anything. We want to find out what's going on. That's my and our responsibility to take care of these people who, after all, served their country. And that's what we have to do. And 1 would, again, refer you back to the openness with which WE addressed the Leishmaniasis. The release of the studies that we've done on veterans when we've been called to do 50 and to look into these kinds of things- SONYA: Doctor, thank you. We're going to move on to Virginia and to Colleen. Hello, Colleen! 4th CALLER: [Virginia] Hi! I have a question. My husband was stationed over at Desert Storm, and he has all the same symptoms, but he's been going to sick hall, and they've just been giving him medication. They've never dealt with what's been going on with him. We don't know what we're supposed to do. SONYA: Steve, I'm curious to have you respond to that. Mr. ROBERTSON: Sonya, this 15 one of the things that we've heard repeatedly that active duty members are afraid to come forward because they're afraid they're going to be discharged. Everyone knows that there is a down-sizing in the military, and that they're looking for reasons to discharge people. We are encouraging every veteran that served in Desert Storm to file a V.A. claim, if you have this, for documentation purposes. Continue to see professional medical attention. We are very concerned about the people that are running up bills in the private sector. Betty's a classic example. I think they're, like, $ 30,000 in debt already. Somebody decides Betty and Gary need to be picking up that debt. SONYA: Let's take a pause SO more of our audience can join us now, as we talk about this mystery disease or diseases coming back from the Gulf - 212-643-0077. [Commercial break] SONYA: We continue talking about the mystery illnesses affecting some Desert Storm veterans as we go to Greg in Texas. Hi, Greg! 5th CALLER: [Texas] Yes. I wanted to ask the general. I was in Desert Storm, and we came back and they never told us anything about these symptoms or these diseases or anything. I was wondering who you go through to find out how to get testing and such things like that, 'cause I'm not worried that I have it, but I'm worried that something might be happening. SONYA: General? LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 12 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 Brig. Gen. BLANCK: Well, you can go to the Veterans Administration and ask for it, obviously, a private physician, or if you're in active duty, to a military health care facility. I would say that not everybody that's been there needs testing. These are not diseases, the infections that I talked about that remain dormant for very long. Leishmaniasis causes symptoms. It causes the kinds of symptoms in some cases that we've been discussing. And with those symptoms, sometimes, it's reasonable to test. But if you're not symptomatic, my advice would be not to do that. We don't have an automated testing. It's a rather labor intensive test. It doesn't mean we can't do it; obviously, we can. SONYA: OK. So, the answer is really go to the V.A. and check in there. Brig. Gen. BLANCK: Sure. SONYA: Let's go to Joan in Florida, now. Hi, Joan! 6th CALLER: [Florida] Good afternoon! My name is Joan Connors, and I'm with Concerned Americans for Military Improvement. And I am the national secretary. Last year, while we were at the Pentagon, we had questioned them at that particular time about the fires over in the Gulf. And also, this year, while we were there at our annual meeting, we questioned them about some diseases, because we've had a lot of veterans who have come to our organization. SONYA: Let me stop you at that moment. Steve, have you heard anything about this issues of concern? Mr. ROBERTSON: on, yes, ma'am. As veterans have called our office and contacted us, we're beginning to find little cells of organizations that are addressing these issues. And most of them, confidentiality will prohibit them from releasing the names. But, for example, there's a group down around Ft. Bragg, North Carolina that has about a hundred people in their register. There's a group down in South Carolina that 1 understand has a group that's growing. So, it is true that there are people coming forth and identifying these symptoms. SONYA: Doctor, let's talk about that in terms of flames. Anything that you know of medically, historically that might make a contribution about the oil wells burning there? Brig. Gen. BLANCK: Certainly, that's possible. We did an extensive study on the 11th Armored Calvary Regimen in Germany before they went to Saudi Arabia where they were intentionally exposed to these fires. We also tested them midway through there - or to Kuwait, more correctly - tested them midway through it, and then after there redeployment back to Germany, we're still analyzing that data. But it doesn't look like there's extensive problems from the fires themselves. Now, from the petroleum that's around there, the petro-chemicals, all of that that was left, they're may well be problems, and that we don't know. We're still looking. SONYA: OK. We'll go to Virginia now and Larry. Welcome! 7th CALLER: [Virginia] Thank you. Question. When I was- Before we rolled into Iraq, they had us take a nerve agent pill, or something to counteract the nerve and biological agents. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 13 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 Brig. Gen. BLANCK: Right. 7th CALLER: And several [unintelligible] was experienced like tingling of the nerves and dysfunction of nervous disorders. And not all of mine have completely cleared up or gone away. SONYA: Doctor? Brig. Gen. BLANCK: Pyridostigmine is the tablet that we used. We used it in 1/3rd to 1/10th the dose that's normally used in this country for it to treat diseases. I'm an internist, and so, I've used that for the last 20 years to treat neuromuscular diseases. It's a medication that we have lots of experience with. It has some side effects when you give it initially. These generally do not persist, and I'm surprised to hear you say that it does, because it's not been our experience. SONYA: Doctor, with all of the knowledge that's coming in about psychoneuro immunology, one of the things I think that we would say is that stress can trigger the immune system and can, in many ways, break down the immune system so that a variety of diseases or potential diseases can come to the fore. Now, that's very different from somebody seeing themselves as weak, psychologically. Yet, because it may be something that's within the body themselves, I think people might have a struggle with that. A lot easier to accept something from the outside that's making you ill. Is that an issue that you think may be a part of this? Brig. Gen. BLANCK: The issue of stress is real that exists, and that is contributing to all of this. In some cases, maybe it's the explanation. In others, it's clearly not but contributes. What its role is in actually causing or allowing to occur real illness, I don't know, and obviously, that's something to consider. SONYA: Steve, are you satisfied and comfortable with what you heard here today? Mr. ROBERTSON: Well, I'm very satisfied and comfortable to hear that they are continuing to explore avenues. I think that 15 the key is we've got to take all the symptoms and address them. Not just say, 'Well, it could be anthrax [sp?] shots,' or, 'It could be the malaria pills, or, 'It could be the nerve agent pills,' or, 'It could be-' They've got to go and explore all avenues; not just one or two. SONYA: And clearly, Steve, you are asking all veterans who may be suffering from any of these symptoms not be fearful to step up to allow themselves to be accounted for and to find out what's going on. Mr. ROBERTSON: Exactly right. The worse fear that I have is that we have another Agent Orange where we have people dying of cancer and their families are left completely separated from the military or the V.A. as they source of the problem. SONYA: I want to thank all of you for being with us today and giving us what I'm sure you feel is the best information for those who are here 50 that they can get some help. Thank you again. We'll be right back. TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 14 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 [Commercial break] SONYA: Is homosexuality a choice? A Iot of people say 'no,' and some people say, 'Well, I'm not sure.' When we continue, we're going to meet two members of the Transformation Ex-Gay Ministry who say that they've changed their own lives and are working now to help others change their sexual orientation. {Commercial break] Homosexuality SONYA: Welcome back! In just a moment, we're going to talk about homosexuality and whether gays can actually change their sexual orientation. But first, let's get the latest in financial news from Myron Kandel. [Financial News] SONYA: The old argument continues: nature versus nurture. Many scientists, psychiatrists, and gay leaders increasingly say that homosexuality is not a choice. But our next guests say it is a learned behavior, and therefore, it can be unlearned. Anthony Falzarano says that he lived a gay lifestyle for nine years. He is executive director of the Washington Office of The Transformation Ex-Gay Ministry. Sandra Figley is also a member of the ministry and says that she is a former lesbian. With us to disagree, Jerry Stevenson, an openly gay fundamentalist preacher; and Dr. Richard Isay who chairs the committee of Gay and Lesbian issues at the American Psychiatric Association. He's the author of Being Homosexual, Gay Men and Their Development. Welcome to all of you! Let's go to Anthony and Sandra first. And Dr. Isay, let us listen to what they have to say. Anthony, was there a moment, an epiphany, if you like, where you took a look at your life and you said, 'This 15 not something I want to do, and I'm going to do everything I can to change it'? ANTHONY FALZARANO, Ex-Gay Ministry: Yes, Sonya. I was living in the gay lifestyle for nine years. And as far as everyone else was concerned, I was a very happy, well-adjusted homosexual. But something inside of me always told me that what I was doing was wrong. I did try it out. I lived in the New York gay scene, the Boston gay scene, and the Washington, D.C. gay scene. And I really thought I had found myself. But around 9 years ago, I had what most people would call a 'born again Christian experience' where someone who had a sexual fall with me witnessed to me and showed me in the bible clearly that God did not want'anyone to be homosexual. And something happened to me at that point, and my life was never the same. And I didn't know how I was going to change until I came to Ex-Gay Ministry, but I just knew that there was hope for me the first time I walked into an Ex-Gay Ministry. SONYA: How did you change? Mr. FALZARANO: Well, Transformation is one of 90 ex-gay ministries in the LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 15 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 United States. They're part of Exodus International, which is out of San Raphael, California. This is a group of ex-gay ministries in the United States which help you understand what caused your homosexuality. I always thought I was born that way. SONYA: And what caused your homosexuality? Mr. FALZARANO: I always thought I was born that way. SONYA: And what caused it as you 528 it now? Mr. FALZARANO: Well, I never bonded with my father. My father was a very good man. He had seven children. I was the last of seven. He was working to support the family. He was an absentee father. SONYA: So, you 522 this from a traditional, psychoanalytic point of view, really, that is that this is a developmental fixation, that it's something that you can undo by somehow nourishing that part of you, and then you will go along the straight path, literally? Mr. FALZARANO: Absolutely. It's like a dam. SONYA: OK. Let me just stop, because I want to go on to Sandra, and I want to hear- Is your story basically the same? SANDRA FIGLEY, Ex-Gay Ministry: Basically, I had been drawn towards a homosexual lifestyle, or I acted out from the time I was 13, very young, until I was about 40. And I think the root causes that I have found recently and have been able to understand 15 the lack of affirmation from my father. My father was a good man. He was a hard worker, and he loved to come home every night. But one thing that he had to struggle with was showing his affection and his proper affirmation of myself. SONYA: Sandra, then I would think that you would seek out all kinds of men in order to have that void filled by another man or men. Ms. FIGLEY: No. Actually, as it turned out, there was some other issues that I feel had caused this orientation. One being that I had a very traumatic birth. Three months premature, incubated two months, and then right after this time, my mother had contracted breast cancer and had a radical mastectomy. Now, what I'm trying- SONYA: Now, I think that it is along the same lines. Just to move the conversation forward a little bit without being rude, are you with a man now and do you feel the core of yourself is heterosexual? Ms. FIGLEY: I feel that I am a whole person. I don't feel homosexual; I don't feel heterosexual. 1 feel that 1 am becoming a whole person created in the image of God. SONYA: I understand the religious part. But just in terms of your sexual pleasure, is that a part of your life? And if so, with whom? Mr. FALZARANO: I'm not dating anyone at this time. I do have some wonderful male friends that- TM TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 16 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 SONYA: That you have sexual arousal and interest in? Ms. FIGLEY: I have no sexual interest at this time or arousals. SONYA: Let's stop then, if we may. Mr. FALZARANO: Sonya, we really don't- SONYA: Anthony, I must get to our other guests, and I must get to Dr. Isay. I promise I'll be back to you. But Jerry Stevenson isn't with us at the moment, Dr. Isay, because we're having a little problem with the satellite in Florida. But he'll be with us. Tell me what you've heard and how you hear that as a psychiatrist. RICHARD A. ISAY, M.D., Psychiatrist: First of all, I want to make it clear that 1 think any human being has a perfect right to live the kind of life that he or she desires to live. SONYA: Right. Dr. ISAY: That being understood, I think it's important for our listeners to understand that generally, the scientific community believes that sexuality, whether it be homosexual or heterosexual, is inborn. There's a great deal of evidence to this. In fact, recent studies- Mr. FALZARANO: That's not true. Dr. ISAY: Recent studies by Simon LeVay [sp?] on the anterior hypothalamus, the twin studies by Bailey and Tooward [sp?] at Northwestern from Boston University. All are very suggestive of this. My own clinical work over the last 10 or 15 years suggests that those who are most accepting of their sexual orientation come from the most stable backgrounds, family backgrounds, interpersonal backgrounds. And that what psychoanalysts and others who feel that there is an interpersonal early family causation of homosexuality have seen is men and women from distressed backgrounds with narcissistic injuries or masochistic kinds of inclinations that make it very difficult for them to accept and express and integrate their sexuality. SONYA: Now, let me ask you, is there anything wrong what these two folks are doing? 1 mean, if they are here to say, 'Ladies and gentlemen of this audience, if you want to change, if you're not happy with who you are, come to us. We can help you, is there anything wrong with that, Dr. Isay? Dr. ISAY: I think the only thing wrong with it is that their clients should be forewarned that the results of their efforts can cause severe psychological disturbances. Mr. FALZARANO: That's not true, Dr. Isay, not at all. Dr. ISAY: Depression, anxiety, self-esteem injury, and certainly, as the last guest suggested, a lack of being in touch with ones sexual passion, which is devastating. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 17 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 SONYA: All right. Now, let's stop and go back to our guest. Anthony? Mr. FALZARANO: Dr. Isay, that's not true. There is definitely a period when you come to Transformation or Exodus that you're going to have an asexual period in your life. There's going to be feelings of anxiety. You are possibly involved in a lifestyle, and this has been the only identity you've ever had as an adult. And there's going to be some anxiety as you walk out of the gay lifestyle. But thousands of people are changing. And we have no- We're not burdened any more. I feel whole. I have a beautiful wife and two wonderful children right now. And if 1 believed what the gay community was telling me that I was born that way just as you mentioned in your book, then I would have lived out my entire life as an unhappy person. And 1 knew that once 1 came to Ex-Gay Ministry that this was the right thing to do. I have high regard for you. You have done an awful lot of research in this area, but your research is premature. It's underdeveloped. And what you are espousing in your book is totally different from what Exodus believes. SONYA: And your own experiences and I think that that's just something that I choose to say. Let us both be aware of whatever sides we take that it's difficult for us to really make a statement about the validity or veracity of another, particularly as they present evidence, scientific evidence without a personal agenda. And I think we just have to be cautious. May I make that caution to you as we continue. Let's go to our audience now at 212-643-0077. [Commercial break] SONYA: We are talking about homosexuality; the argument of nature versus nurture and conversion. And we're speaking to two members of the Transformation Ex-Gay Ministry, Anthony Falzarano and Sandra Figley. We had hoped to have with us - we're still going to try - Jerry Stevenson, an openly gay fundamentalist preacher. And here with me in New York, psychiatrist Dr. Richard Isay. I want to go straight to the phones and hear what our audience has to say. Tom from New York, welcome! 1st CALLER: [New York] Howard Stern. SONYA: We're going to continue with Troy in Arizona. Welcome! 2nd CALLER: [Arizona] Hi, Sonya! I just want to make a comment that I think it's real good for the gay community to have a say- have the opportunity to have an out and to know that there are organizations that can help us if WE aren't happy in our lifestyles. However, we do like the support of the psychiatric institutions that will enable us to lead rewarding lives as homosexuals. I can see both points here, and both are very valid. SONYA: Well, when you say you can 522 both points, Anthony, we know that there are a number of churches that have gay congregations. Now, are you suggesting that there is no room for them within the church? And by the way, are you a minister, since you call this a ministry? Mr. FALZARANO: I'm about to enter seminary, Sonya. I have a calling to serve God. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 18 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 SONYA: So, the answer is 'no.' Mr. FALZARANO: But right now, I am not in seminary, no. SONYA: And is there a minister who is the head of this ministry? Mr. FALZARANO: Yes. We have a board of directors. Every Ex-Gay Ministry, every affiliated city has a board of directors, and the pastor of my church, and a Christian psychologist is on our board of directors. SONYA: Christian psychologist. But everyone is led by a minister. Now, Sandra, what happens to you if you're a Christian and if you're gay? Do you commit a sin every day of your life when you wake up? Ms. FIGLEY: I would suspect that. Yes, you do, because according to the bible, homosexuality is B sin. And because of the wonder working power of Jesus Christ, doing his work and his people this day, this sin can be removed. SONYA: Now, could you have made this transformation without your giving yourself over to God and the power of Jesus? Ms. FIGLEY: No, I could not have. I give all the credit and the glory to Him. SONYA: OK. Now, what does this do to other people, Dr. Isay? I mean, as I listen to this, and 1 think of people who have religion and spirituality in their life but in a different form. Dr. ISAY: I think that these two guests [come] from the position of moral and ethical judgment and values and not from a point of view of health values to the individual. I do not argue that behavior for varying periods of time usually on the part of gay men and women for short periods of time can be changed by variety of means including religious coercion, psychotherapeutic coercion, negative reinforcement and SO forth. But the basic orientation and the other way we can measure basic orientation is through the internal fantasy life. Basic orientation cannot be changed. And even fantasy - masturbation fantasy, day dreams, dreams and so forth - even fantasy as expressed in this way because of the repressiveness and the hatred in our society is not a good judge of what sexual orientation- Mr. FALZARANO: Dr. Isay? SONYA: Yes, yes. Anthony? Mr. FALZARANO: Sonya, I can tell you that there's no repression here. I just want to make that point perfectly clear. When I came out of the gay lifestyle, I wasn't even a member of a church. It was a calling directly from God to stop what I WB5 doing, that 1 would end up as an AIDS statistic. SONYA: Dr. Isay wants to say something to that. Mr. FALZARANO: I was going to end up as an AIDS statistic. I had 400 sexual partners. I was gay for nine years. I didn't even have a desire to sleep with a woman. And now, I've had a successful marriage for nine years and have LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 19 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 brought forth two very healthy, psychologically healthy children. Dr. ISAY: Well, Anthony, first of all, HIV is caused by unsafe sex and not one particular form of sexual activity. Secondly, 1 think you have to be aware that there's coercion in all varieties and forms. There is therapy that comes from needing to please a parent. There's coercion that comes from needing to please God, if you will. Mr. FALZARANO: That's the way to do it. Dr. ISAY: There is coercion that comes from needing to please- SONYA: You know, I'm a little distressed. May I just say, Anthony, I am SD happy to have your point of view. I really am pleased about- I'd like to just ask that we allow Dr. Isay to finish his statements, if you will, please, while he is making them. And give us a chance to hear more than one point of view. I think it's important for all of us to have that option. I want to also give our callers an opportunity to call in to give the number and to get with us so that we hear their views of the variety of sides, particularly if you're gay and if you've tried for a conversion, if you felt the need to do that. Has it worked for you? If so, why, and if not, why not? 212-643-0077. [Commercial break] SONYA: Let's continue with calls as we go to Dick in New York. Welcome! 3rd CALLER: [New York] Hi! I have just a brief statement, then a question for Anthony. In both this program and others I've heard on this in the past, the words that I hear coming out are 'religious, moralistic, blame, repression, wrong.' None of these sound very healthy to me. And I certainly don't think having children or being married is proof that you're straight. I've seen proof just the opposite. SONYA: I don't know about the opposite, but I don't think that I have interviewed - in the 20 years of my practice - one gay man who had not had an experience with a woman, but go ahead, Anthony. Mr. FALZARANO: OK. What I'd like you to know is that we counsel people every single day that are married. They got married thinking that if they just obey what the bible had to say, a refraining from homosexual activity, that God would take it away. And what the church has not done has come on the side of the psychological community. The mixture of the bible and modern psychology is what's going to take people out of homosexuality. SONYA: Sandra, I need to say to you that while you were asking Dr. Isay to be open to another point of view, 1 don't hear a lot of openness from you. That there may be something called the 'homosexualities,' more than one kind. Ms. FIGLEY: on, no. You know, the aspect that he gives, the doctor gives, and I've lived, 1 have lived and tried to work out in my life. And what I have seen throughout all the years of struggle of trying to understand my identity, my sexual identity, my identity as a person, I've found the most help and the most health in my life through Christ. SONYA: I'm going to stop you as we go on to Chuck. LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 20 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 Chuck, welcome! Chuck from Pennsylvania. 4th CALLER: [Pennsylvania] Good afternoon! I just have a question. The question is: What role, if any, does bisexuality play in their decision to convert? SONYA: Anthony? Mr. FALZARANO: Well, we can help people that are bisexual, too. Bisexuality is just- You haven't been damaged as much as a homosexual. SONYA: OK. That's not quite what he asked. But Dr. Isay, in a book yet to be published coming out this fall by Helen Slater, who is an anthropologist, called Anatomy of Love. we will see that homosexuality is consistent in the animal world and is consistent in populations around the world. Now, if it exists, even if it is deviant from the norm - and I use that in a scientific way - what does that mean? Dr. ISAY: What does it mean that- SONYA: Yes. If we 522 it throughout the animal kingdom. We 522 societies around the world- Dr. ISAY: Well, I think it means that there is a- Homosexuality is a sexual orientation that is normal for some. And 1 want to respond to the question of bisexuality. There are real bisexuals. Most bisexuals in our society choose to live a heterosexual, conventional life because it is easier to do 50. That doesn't mean it's necessarily healthier to do so, but it is easier to do SO. I also want to make a couple of very important comments about the suicidal men that I $28 in my practice who have attempted conversion therapy including people from the Ex-Gay Ministry. If you work with these men, you find that it is an enormously distressing phenomena, because they not only are in marriages with children that they have to get out of, but they have to re-adapt to adapt to their sexual orientation, and it is enormously distressing. Furthermore, both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association have firmly repudiated conversion therapies. SONYA: I want to thank all of you for being here today, and I just want to say to our audience and to friends of theirs who may hear about this, we just want you to make sure that you investigate for yourself any kind of therapy that you go into, that you check their credentials of the people, and that you feel comfortable both going in when it comes to therapy, and getting out. And thanks again. We'll be right back. [Commercial break] SONYA: Thank you for joining us today. Tomorrow, a look at father-daughter and mother-son relationships. Also, we're going to hear about one gay man's efforts to keep his job in the U.S. Navy. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Now for a look at what's ahead on Newsday. We go to Lou Waters in Atlanta. LOU WATERS, 'Newsday': OK, Sonya. Just ahead on Newsday, time to ask George Bush questions on education at a Philadelphia high school. More about that. LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 21 CNN Transcripts, July 21, 1992 And on the bus in small town, America, it's Bill and Al's excellent adventure. All just ahead. Join Sharyl Attkisson and me for Newsday next here on CNN. Copyright 1992 Cable News Network, Inc. FURTHER INFORMATION: Being Homosexual, Say Men and Their Development by Richard A. Isay, M.D., available in bookstores. The preceding text has been professionally transcribed. However, although the text has been checked against an audio track, in order to meet rigid distribution and transmission deadlines, it has not yet been proofread against videotape. TM TM LEXIS® NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 24 31ST STORY of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1992 Chicago Tribune Company Chicago Tribune July 19, 1992, Sunday, FINAL EDITION SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 19; ZONE: C LENGTH: 473 words HEADLINE: Army: Sick gulf vets have stress BYLINE: Associated Press DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS BODY: Stress, not disease, most likely caused mysterious ailments afflicting dozens of Persian Gulf war veterans from Indiana reserve units, Army physicians said in a study released Saturday. Two of the reservists disputed the report, and the American Legion said it may be premature. Disorders reported by 79 veterans from four Indiana reserve units include chronic fatigue, depression, hair loss, aching joints, rashes and bleeding gums. Researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute in Washington, D.C., and physicians with the 123rd Army Reserve Command, based at Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, began physical examinations and blood tests in April of the complaining veterans. "There's no evidence to suggest the outbreak of any disease," said Lt. Col. Robert Defraites, a Walter Reed researcher. "Stress associated with the return to civilian life is a plausible explanation for many of the symptoms." Lee Harris, a spokesman for the American Legion's headquarters in Indianapolis, said it may be premature to conclude the symptoms aren't related. He said underlying health problems could exist that doctors haven't identified. The legion has urged gulf veterans to file claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs. A number of gulf veterans from around the country have complained of similar disorders. The physicians said they didn't know if anyone was keeping track of them. Col. Norman Teer, command surgeon for the 123rd, said the Indiana study wasn't necessarily applicable to other veterans. Stress-management teams, which include a psychiatrist, will conduct follow-up studies on the Indiana veterans, Teer said. Lori Rosalius and other veterans who were informed of the test results disputed the conclusion that stress is the probable cause. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 25 Chicago Tribune, July 19, 1992 Rosalius, 29, of Danville, 111., suffered from hair loss and halitosis. She said those problems have cleared up but fatigue persists. "I honestly believe there's some type of cover-up going on out there," said Rosalius, an operations sergeant with the 209th Supply Army Reserve of Lafayette, Ind. "If they don't know the answer, why blame it on stress? Why not just say 'we don't know?' " John Lawhorn, 44, chief warrant officer with 425th Quartermaster Corps. of Jeffersonville, Ind., which was posted in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, said he believes his excessive weight gain and daily headaches go deeper than the Army's report indicates. "I just don't believe stress is going to put you in the hospital for three days," Lawhorn said. "I just keep taking aspirins and try to keep going." Lawhorn said he and others in his unit have linked their problems to exposure to petrochemicals. The 425th supplied diesel and jet fuel to combat units. DeFraites of Walter Reed said researchers ruled out those fuels as a cause of the problems. TERMS: MILITARY; DISEASE; VETERAN; REPORT; UNITED STATES; IRAQ LEXIS® NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 26 32ND STORY of Level 2 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1992 The Times Mirror Company Los Angeles Times July 19, 1992, Sunday, Home Edition SECTION: Part A; Page 12; Column 1; National Desk LENGTH: 469 words HEADLINE: ARMY LINKS AFFLICTIONS AMONG GULF VETERANS TO STRESS BYLINE: From Associated Press DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS BODY: Stress, not disease, most likely caused mysterious ailments afflicting dozens of Persian Gulf War veterans from Indiana reserve units, Army physicians said in a study released Saturday. Two of the reservists disputed the report, and the American Legion said it may be premature. Disorders reported by 79 veterans from four Indiana reserve units included chronic fatigue, depression, hair loss, aching joints, rashes and sore and bleeding gums. Researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute in Washington and physicians with the 123rd Army Reserve Command, based at Ft. Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, began physical examinations and blood tests in April of the complaining veterans. "There is no evidence to suggest the outbreak of any disease," said Lt. Col. Robert F. Defraites, a Walter Reed researcher. "Stress associated with the return to civilian life is a plausible explanation for many of the symptoms," he said. Lee Harris, a spokesman for the American Legion's national headquarters in Indianapolis, said it may be premature to conclude that the symptoms are not related. He said underlying health problems could exist that doctors still have not identified. The legion has urged Gulf War veterans to file claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs if they have health problems. A number of Gulf War veterans from around the country have complained of similar disorders. The physicians said they do not know if anyone is keeping track of them. Col. Norman H. Teer, commanding surgeon for the 123rd Reserve Command, said Saturday that the Indiana study was not necessarily applicable to other veterans. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 27 Los Angeles Times, July 19, 1992 Stress-management teams, which include a psychiatrist, will conduct follow-up studies on the Indiana veterans, Teer said. Lori Rosalius and other ailing veterans who were informed of the test results earlier disputed the conclusion that stress is the probable cause. Rosalius, 29, of Danville, III., suffered from hair loss and halitosis. She said those problems have cleared up but fatigue and joint pain persist. "I honestly believe there's some type of cover-up going on out there," said Rosalius, an operations sergeant with the 209th Supply Army Reserve of Lafayette, Ind. "If they don't know the answer, why blame it on stress? Why not just say, 'We don't know?' " John Lawhorn, 44, chief warrant officer with the 425th Quartermaster Corps of Jeffersonville, Ind., which was posted in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, said he believes his excessive weight gain and daily headaches go deeper than the Army's report indicates. Lawhorn said he and others in his unit have linked their problems to exposure to petrochemicals. The 425th supplied diesel and jet fuel to combat units. DeFraites of Walter Reed said researchers ruled out those fuels as a cause of the problems. TYPE: Wire SUBJECT: OPERATION DESERT STORM VETERANS; STRESS; ILLNESS; MEDICAL DISORDERS; MEDICAL RESEARCH TM TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 28 34TH STORY of Level 2 printed in FULL format. The Associated Press The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press. July 18, 1992, Saturday, AM cycle SECTION: Domestic News LENGTH: 534 words HEADLINE: Army: Stress, Not Disease, Cause of Afflictions Among Gulf Vets BYLINE: AP Photo NA1, By BOB SEAVEY, Associated Press Writer DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS KEYWORD: Gulf War-Health BODY: Stress, not disease, most likely caused mysterious ailments afflicting dozens of Persian Gulf War veterans from Indiana reserve units, Army physicians said in a study released Saturday. Two of the reservists disputed the report, and the American Legion said it may be premature. Disorders reported by 79 veterans from four Indiana reserve units include chronic fatigue, depression, hair loss, aching joints, rashes and sore and bleeding gums. Researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute in Washington, D.C., and physicians with the 123rd Army Reserve Command, based at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, began physical examinations and blood tests in April of the complaining veterans. "There's no evidence to suggest the outbreak of any disease," Lt. Col. Robert F. DeFraites, a Walter Reed researcher, said at a news conference. "Stress associated with the return to civilian life is a plausible explanation for many of the symptoms," he said. Lee Harris, a spokesman for the American Legion's national headquarters in Indianapolis, said it may be premature to conclude the symptoms aren't related. He said underlying health problems could exist that doctors still haven't identified. The legion has urged Gulf War veterans to file claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs promptly if they have health problems. A number of Gulf War veterans from around the country have complained of similar disorders. The physicians said they didn't know if anyone was keeping track of them. TM TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 29 The Associated Press, July 18, 1992 Col. Norman H. Teer, command surgeon for the 123rd, said Saturday the Indiana study wasn't necessarily applicable to other veterans. Stress-management teams, which include a psychiatrist, will conduct follow-up studies on the Indiana veterans, Teer said. Lori Rosalius and other ailing veterans who were informed of the test results earlier disputed the conclusion that stress is the probable cause. Rosalius, 29, of Danville, III., suffered from hair loss and halitosis. She said those problems have cleared up but fatigue and joint pain persist. "I honestly believe there's some type of cover-up going on out there," said Rosalius, an operations sergeant with the 209th Supply Army Reserve of Lafayette, Ind. "If they don't know the answer, why blame it on stress? Why not just say 'we don't know?"' John Lawhorn, 44, chief warrant officer with 425th Quartermaster Corps. of Jeffersonville, Ind., which was posted in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, said he believes his excessive weight gain and daily headaches go deeper than Army's report indicates. "I just don't believe stress is going to put you in the hospital for three days," said Lawhorn. "I just keep taking aspirins and try to keep going," he said. Lawhorn said he and others in his unit have linked their problems to exposure to petrochemicals. The 425th supplied diesel and jet fuel to combat units. DeFraites of Walter Reed said researchers ruled out those fuels as a cause of the problems. "Most of it seemed to be stress of normal people to very abnormal circumstances," DeFraites said. "Deployment was an intense experience for a long period of time. Why would you expect to get back to a normal lifestyle right away?" TM TM TM LEXIS:NEXIS LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 8 ABC NEWS, MARCH 1, 1992 charge. With the Rangers down four to one to Minnesota last week, in the third period, he scored the tying and winning goals. In overtime against Philadelphia, he set up rookie Tony Amonte for the winning goal. TONY AMONTE / NY RANGERS: You know, if he doesn't' think your working hard enough out there, he'll come right up to me and say, "You know, you got to turn it up a notch. You know, I don't think you're working hard enough". COACH ROGER NEILSON / RANGERS: Whether they need a kick in the pants or a pat on the back, he seems to know the right time to do it. RAY GANDOLF: [PRACTICE] Right now, the Rangers have the best record in the League. Can Mark Messier shepherd them all the way to the Stanley Cup, or will they swoon again for the fifty-second consecutive time? MARK MESSIER: One person certainly can't win it by himself. I think one person can be the difference, and if we are in position, I can be the difference. RAY GANDOLF: Messier is scoring at a pace that would break the all-time Ranger record of 109 points. Yes, he could be the difference. Carole? CAROLE SIMPSON: Thanks Ray. When we come back learning business ethics the hard way. [Commercial break] CAROLE SIMPSON: A lot is being said these days about the quality of American labor and the integrity of American business management. Even the most patriotic analyst has to admit that, in pursuit of the bottom line, some executives have crossed the line of legal and ethical behavior. Now, as Gary Shepard reports, some are trying to help tomorrows business leaders avoid making the same mistakes. GARY SHEPARD: That man on the right is former multimillionaire Jerry Smith. Alsor [SMITH] He's helping conduct a seminar in business ethics for a group of from graduate students from California's Pepperdine University. What makes this unusual is that it's taking place at a federal prison in Nevada. [STUDENTS] Smith is serving a 10 year sentence for looting a savings and loan of millions of dollars. [SEMINAR] JERRY SMITH: So my problem was, I love to play on the edge. I love to get right down there, grab that ball, and run right down the sidelines. You can make plenty of money playing in the middle of the field. GARY SHEPARD: [LANDERMAN] Attorney Richard Landerman is doing two years for falsifying income tax returns. [TOUR] He and the other inmates give tours around the prison camps, located on the corner of Nellis Air Force Base, near Las Vegas. RICHARD LANDERMAN: Each one of you kids has a conscience. If you learn how to listen to that conscience, I think it'll help you a lot. GARY SHEPARD: The most famous inmate here is one-time Assistant Secretary of the Navy Melvyn Paisley. [PAISLEY] A former World War II flying ace and Boeing executive, Paisley is the highest ranking Pentagon official to go to jail for LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NE' Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. PAGE 9 ABC NEWS, MARCH 1, 1992 his involvement in a conspiracy to rig bids on government contracts. MELVYN PAISLEY: The virtues of yesterday will not take care of the sins of today. I found that out. GARY SHEPARD: The students listen intently as these white-collar criminals give them a lot to think about. JOHN CAMPBELL: I was stupid and I was greedy, because all the while I enjoyed, up until that failure, enjoyed the nice cars and I enjoyed an image that got me in trouble. JERRY SMITH: I think there was a reason for me being here. I think I made decisions that were wrong. LARRY DUNNING: These decisions will be in front of you in your life, and when you make them, understand that the consequence is also one that you're going to receive. GARY SHEPARD: [SU] Groups of students from Pepperdine come to meet the inmates here 10 times a year. [BASE EXT] They say it is one of the most worthwhile events of their entire business school program. MAN: I've never really thought about the consequences of my actions. And what I learned today was this is where I could end up by crossing the line. WOMAN: I thought it was something that could never be learned in the classroom, and basically, my personal reaction to it is that I will probable be more conservative in my business decisions. GARY SHEPARD: Then it was time to say good-bye. The students had to get back to their books; and the inmates had to get back to doing their time. JOHN CAMPBELL: Adios, folks. STUDENTS: [IN UNISON] Bye-bye. GARY SHEPARD: Gary Shepard, ABC News, Las Vegas. CAROLE SIMPSON: At that's World News Sunday. I'm Carole Simpson, good night. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS-NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 10 2ND STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1992 The Seattle Times Company The Seattle Times June 25, 1992, Thursday, Final Edition SECTION: EAST; Pg. G1 LENGTH: 599 words HEADLINE: CROOK FAKES CHECKS TO COP COMPUTERS -- LOCAL MERCHANTS TAKEN FOR $ 23,000 BYLINE: BY KAY KUSUMOTO DATELINE: BELLEVUE BODY: BELLEVUE - If they can't get cash, most people trying to sell something prefer cashier's checks - drawn directly on a bank's name, not from a private individual's account. David W. Hoover prefers cashier's checks, too. But he doesn't get his from the bank, police say. Hoover apparently makes his own. Then he goes shopping. Bellevue police believe Hoover, who is apparently still at large but gone from the Seattle area, bilked two people in Federal Way and one man in Bellevue out of about $ 23,000 worth of computer and stereo equipment last month. Police also expect to find more victims. Hoover, who police say has a number of aliases, has outstanding warrants in Arizona, California, Colorado and Canada on fraud-related crimes, including an FBI warrant out of Arizona for leaving the state after an earlier fraud charge. He is described as being 6-1, weighing about 180 pounds and having short, brown hair. Police say he often wears glasses. He has been convicted of similar crimes since 1977 in Oregon, Texas and Nevada. Last week Bellevue police, who are heading the investigation locally, got their best lead to date - the victim in Bellevue told police he thought he'd seen an ad in a California-based computer bulletin board for the very computer he sold to Hoover for $ 3,700. Bellevue police have sent information on Hoover to California police agencies, who are also looking for him. Lt. Jack McDonald of Bellevue police says Hoover likes to travel. Police figure he moves every three months or so and prefers the West. In the Federal Way cases, one man was swindled out of a $ 10,439 computer, and a stereo company lost a $ 9,091 car stereo. EXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® ervices of Mead, Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 11 The Seattle Times, June 25, 1992 McDonald said Hoover places ads in computer bulletin boards and newspapers saying he wants to buy a computer. When he finds someone who wants to sell, police say, he apparently makes up authentic-looking cashier's checks on a computer and runs them through a laser printer. Then, police say, he uses a check protector, a device commonly used by banks and some businesses to emboss the dollar amount onto the check. "The checks look perfect," McDonald said. "It's hard to tell they're phony." In some cases, there's a phony bank name on the check. In others, the bank actually exists. There are even bank routing numbers on the bottom of the checks, signifying the state and the branch of the bank the check is drawn on. Once Hoover allegedly buys the computers, he goes back to computer bulletin boards and places ads to sell the equipment, police believe. Detective Mel Dunbar, of Bellevue's white-collar-crime unit, said he knew the checks were bad when he saw them because they lacked a perforated edge. "All checks, except government-issued checks, have a perforated edge," Dunbar said. "But most people don't know that." What makes the operation so slick, Dunbar says, is that the route numbers on the checks that identify the supposed state of origin are real and provide the check writer some delay time. When the victims in Federal Way took the suspicious checks to their banks to deposit, for example, the checks were routed to New York because of the routing numbers, even though the bank the checks were supposedly drawn on was in Auburn. "It takes a minimum of a week to figure out there's a problem," said Dunbar. "He's gone by then." Hoover's aliases include Richard Lewis, Lewis Richard, Daniel Lewis and Lewis Funding Co. "He's a very accomplished crook," said McDonald. "One of his victims runs a small computer store and the loss he took was so great his business is going under." SUBJECT: COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS; COUNTERFEITING AND FORGERY; FRAUD; CHECKS AND CHECKING ACCOUNTS; BELLEVUE EXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® rvices of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 12 5TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format. Copyright 1992 Southam Inc. Calgary Herald March 28, 1992, Saturday, FINAL EDITION SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. H10 LENGTH: 1030 words HEADLINE: Scam artists preying on unemployed BYLINE: STEPHEN FRANKLIN, CHICAGO TRIBUNE BODY: The newspaper ad caught Lesa Wunderlich's eye last October. "Top salary, excellent benefits with telephone company," it said. That seemed like a sweet dream to Wunderlich, 36, an office worker who was jobless and recovering from two medical operations. But the ad was not placed by an employment agency. A firm was selling a $ 49 directory of telephone jobs. The directory proved to be of little use to Wunderlich, but its publisher held on to her money for months despite a promise to return her fee if she could not find a job. After much complaining, she appears to have won that particular battle. But in the depth of an unrelenting recession, consumer advocates and government officials say there are far too many losers and far too many people taking advantage of their hard luck. Lesa Wunderlich only had to wait for her money. Others have lost money to firms promising local or overseas jobs that do not exist; they have paid upfront for loans or credit cards that never materialized; or they used needed cash for at-home work schemes that fell flat. "We are seeing that white-collar crime pays, and it pays damn well," said Stuart Rado, a veteran consumer advocate in Miami. Victims usually are unemployed, less educated and often desperate because they have just lost a house or business, Rado and other experts said. The biggest scams in the United States have been advance-fee loan operations, according to the Better Business Bureau. By last fall, the bureau counted 300,000 complaints about such scams nationally, far exceeding any other complaint category. At congressional hearings in December, Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat, estimated that consumers and businesses were losing $ 1 million monthly to "loan broker con-artists." He since has called for federal legislation similar to a law Florida passed in July banning advance fees for loan brokers. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 13 Calgary Herald, March 28, 1992 The firms lure consumers by promising easily approved loans or credit cards for those who have bad credit. Their fees range from $ 100 to $ 100,000 and they use 900-number telephone operations, allowing them to tack on added charges by the minute. To avoid local officials, they operate like "hit-and-run artists," stringing customers along and moving on as complaints pile up, said Diane Ward of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in Arlington, Va. Because federal and most state laws are unclear about advance fees for loans, according to Lieberman and the council, these firms have stymied law enforcement efforts. Indeed, some firms chased from Florida set up in Georgia, North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas and New York, consumer-protection officials said. Like the advance-fee loan operations, a number of firms promising high pay for work done at home have been spurred by the recession. The problem with their promises, said Ward, is that "often there is no market for the product" or the companies reject the homemade items because of workmanship. "So you wind up with the inventory," she said. Long before the recession, consumer groups battled scam employment guides. The flood of unemployment has only boosted demand from unsuspecting consumers for these guides. The trouble, consumer groups say, is telling honest operations from the rest. Often the high-priced information sold by firms can be obtained for nothing at libraries or in the local newspaper's want ads, Ward said. In some cases, firms take applicants' money and never send them information. Worse yet, they raise false hopes by directing workers toward jobs that do not exist, said Steve Bernas of Chicago's Better Business Bureau. Many promise jobs in exotic settings such as the Middle East and Caribbean, he said. But there are no jobs, especially not in the pay brackets cited by the firms, he said. Dismayed by a number of firms touting jobs in Australia, for example, the Australian government contacted the Council of Better Business Bureaus recently, asking it to "dispel the myth" of plentiful jobs, Ward said. "They said their unemployment rate was the highest in years," he added. The firms survive by shifting locations or using long-distance phone numbers to elude local officials. That was the case until recently in Colorado, where the state's attorney general put out of business 14 telemarketing firms involved in advance-fee loans, employment guides and credit-card scams. The state cited consumer-protection and public-nuisance laws. LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable PAGE 14 Calgary Herald, March 28, 1992 Some of the firms had moved to Colorado from Arizona and Nevada, and Colorado Assistant Attorney General Jack Wesoky suspects that those booted out of his state will move on. "It seems like it's just one more stop for them," he said. The firm that Lesa Wunderlich tangled with was based in Boulder, Colo. After seeing its ad last fall in the Chicago Tribune, she called a local telephone number for Telephone Employment Information Center, which, according to the Better Business Bureau in Denver, was one of several trade names for Sceptor Inc. Sceptor also operated until recently under names such as Airline Employment Information Center, Postal Information Center and Career Images, said Ron Hamblin of Denver's Better Business Bureau. In the last three years, Hamblin said, his office received numerous complaints, alleging problems in receiving refunds from the company. In a number of cases, however, the firm agreed to make some form of refund, he said. Much to Wunderlich's surprise, the firm billed her twice on her credit card for its services last fall, when she asked for the employment guide. Bob Hinde, director of administrative services in Des Plaines, Ill., handles consumer complaints and helped Wunderlich. The firm eventually agreed to return her money. Ron Hoosen, listed as president of Sceptor, according to the Denver Better Business Bureau, said in a telephone interview that the money was sent to Wunderlich from an escrow account left behind by the firm. He also said he only operates a telephone answering service in Boulder and contended that he has never had links to the employment centres. "They are out of business," he added before hanging up. TM LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS:NEXIS® LEXIS·NEXIS® Services of Mead Data Central, Inc. Recyclable

nara / coll_gb-spe / doc

Disabled Veterans 8/4/92 [OA 7578]

ID: 323154176
Type: document

Citation Image

Metadata

id	323154176
sourceUrl	https://catalog.archives.gov/id/323154176
contentType	document
identifierLocal	13825-003
collections	Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration) Speech Backup Chronological Files
iiifBase	https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/bush/gb-spe/speechwriting_backup_chron_579003/41-bpr-speech-backup-chron-13825-003_323154176.pdf
thumbnailUrl	https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/bush/gb-spe/speechwriting_backup_chron_579003/41-bpr-speech-backup-chron-13825-003_323154176.pdf
largeImageUrl	https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/bush/gb-spe/speechwriting_backup_chron_579003/41-bpr-speech-backup-chron-13825-003_323154176.pdf
imageCount	1
hasImages	yes
source	import

Additional Source Fields

url	https://catalog.archives.gov/id/323154176
naId	323154176
levelOfDescription	fileUnit
recordType	description
ocrSource	nara-archive

Pages

Page 1 OCR

Survos folio item chat

Ask the Scholar

Scholar Source Context