E2354 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks November 20, 2003 not have to pay for the contamination of the The cost of diabetes is rising, both in terms H.R. 1588, DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- water supplies that they caused, nor will they of the cost to treat the disease and the num- TION CONFERENCE REPORT have to pay to acquire new water sources for ber of American lives lost resulting from com- hundreds of thousands of customers. plications relating to the disease. We must HON. Nullify pending litigation against MTBE pro- support the National Institute of Health’s fund- OF ducers, leaving hundreds of thousands of peo- ing for diabetes research so that organizations IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ple without recourse—There are currently 130 like JDRF may continue to provide preventa- communities and water suppliers across the Wednesday, November 19, 2003 tive education and help curb the spread of the nation that have litigation pending to reclaim Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, when damages for MTBE pollution of public drinking disease. Education is a key component in pre- this House voted on H.R. 1588 in May, I voted water sources. Because this bill is retroactive, ventative efforts, by encouraging individuals to against it. I didn’t think the bill as it stood then taking effect for lawsuits pending on Sep- make life-style changes that will reduce their was one I could endorse. The conference re- tember 5, 2003, all of these lawsuits would be risk of getting diabetes. port that we are considering today is margin- nullified. Mr. Speaker, we have made great strides ally better. Although I still have strong reserva- The MTBE provisions contained in the En- over the years in diabetes research and out- tions, I will support the conference report. ergy Policy Act of 2003 benefit the wrong- reach education. I applaud the many organiza- We are 2 years into our war on terrorism doers and have a number of harmful con- tions that have contributed to this effort and I and still engaged in military action in Iraq. sequences for the victims of drinking water urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Na- There is no doubt that we must continue to contamination. Any policy that has the effect tional Diabetes Month. Let’s help give those focus on defending our homeland against ter- of leaving hundreds of thousands of victims rorism, we must support our military per- Americans living with diabetes hope that one without any recourse against their wrongdoers sonnel, and we must give our military the day soon, we will find a cure to diabetes. is bad policy. training, equipment, and weapons it needs to f beat terrorism around the world. f That’s why I’m in favor of provisions in the NATIONAL DIABETES MONTH bill that support those men and women who PAYING TRIBUTE TO RICHARD have put their lives on the line in Afghanistan WREN HON. DOUG OSE and Iraq. The bill provides an average 4.15 OF CALIFORNIA percent pay raise for service members, boosts IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES military special pay and extends bonuses, and Wednesday, November 19, 2003 HON. SCOTT McINNIS funds programs to improve living and working Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the OF COLORADO facilities on military installations. I am pleased that the report includes provi- Diabetes Caucus, I rise today in honor of Na- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tional Diabetes Month. Diabetes is a growing sions recognizing the importance of non-cit- concern in this country as each year increas- Wednesday, November 19, 2003 izen soldiers and the many sacrifices and con- ing numbers of Americans are being diag- tributions they have made. The report eases nosed with the disease. The disease does not Mr. MCINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great the naturalization process for these soldiers discriminate; children, adults and senior citi- pride that I pay tribute today to Police Captain and their families, reducing to one year the zens alike are realizing the devastating impact Richard Wren of La Junta, Colorado. Recently, length of service requirement for naturalization of diabetes and its tragic effects have touched Richard was honored by the La Junta City during peacetime; allowing soldiers to apply the lives of Americans across the country. Council for two decades of honorable service. and take oaths for citizenship overseas; and Diabetes itself is debilitating, but it can also Richard has dedicated his life to serving and granting permanent resident status to the sur- lead to heart, kidney, nervous system or den- protecting the citizens of Colorado and it is my viving family of U.S. citizen soldiers who are tal diseases, as well as blindness, high blood honor to call his many contributions to the at- granted posthumous citizenship as a result of pressure, complications during pregnancy, tention of this body of Congress here today. death incurred in combat. strokes, and even death. Today, 17 million I’m also pleased that this bill will allow ap- people live with diabetes and approximately 1 Richard was born in , Colorado and proximately one-third of eligible disabled mili- million new cases are diagnosed each year in moved to La Junta to attend Otero Junior Col- tary retirees to receive both their retirement people over the age of 20. It is the sixth lead- lege in 1980. Upon graduation, Richard at- and disability benefits. I would have preferred ing cause of death in the , with tended the Law Enforcement Academy in Trin- that the bill extend this ‘‘concurrent receipt’’ to 19 percent of Americans over the age of 25 idad and in 1983 he became a patrolman for all disabled retirees, but this is a great im- losing their lives to diabetes each year. The the La Junta Police Department. He rose provement on the bill the House considered statistic that 1 million children have been diag- quickly through the ranks to achieve his status earlier this year—which included no such pro- nosed with juvenile diabetes is particularly as Captain. visions. I am also pleased that the bill extends the military’s TRICARE health coverage to Na- unnerving. Richard has achieved a great deal in his In my home state of California, every half- tional Guard and reservists and their families tenure with the La Junta Police Department. hour a life is lost due to causes directly or in- if servicemembers have been called to active Richard is an expert in canine police work. directly linked to diabetes. Currently, there are duty. These are all necessary and important two million Californians who have been diag- During his career, he established the La Junta provisions that I support. nosed with diabetes, putting California’s aver- canine program and attended two national I do have a number of serious reservations age above the national rate. That number is competitions for the United States Police Ca- about the bill. expected to double by the year 2020. nine Association. In 2002, Richard furthered I don’t believe it addresses 21st century Organizations such as the Juvenile Re- his law enforcement education by attending threats as well as it could. With the exception search Fund are vital to research efforts to the National Federal Bureau of Investigation’s of the Crusader artillery system, the Adminis- find a cure for diabetes. In addition to con- Academy in Quantico, Virginia. In addition, tration and Congress have continued every ducting its own research, JDRF provides valu- Richard is an expert in firearms and patrol major weapons system inherited from previous able outreach programs in schools and the procedures, and he holds teaching certificates administrations. So although the bill brings community to educate the public on diabetes in both of those disciplines. overall defense spending to levels 13 percent related issues. higher than the average Cold War levels, it Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to rise and pay This past June, the Sacramento chapter of doesn’t present a coherent vision of how to re- JDRF sent two of my constituents, Juleah tribute to Captain Richard Wren before this align our defense priorities. Cordi and Gianna Gallo, to the Children’s body of Congress and this nation. Richard has The bill still includes provisions that would Congress. At this conference, children afflicted managed to balance his tireless dedication to exempt the Department of Defense from com- with diabetes spoke with Members of Con- the citizens of La Junta, while gladly serving pliance with some requirements under the En- gress to raise awareness of this debilitating as a loving father and husband as well. The dangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine disease. As a congressional co-chair of this Citizens of La Junta Colorado are safer as the Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). There is event, I would like to thank Juleah, Gianna result of Richard’s tireless dedication to their broad-based support for existing environ- and other Children’s Congress participants for well-being and it is my honor to join them in mental laws—as there should be—and these their help in bringing attention to this issue. thanking him for his service. laws already allow case-by-case flexibility to

VerDate jul 14 2003 05:47 Nov 21, 2003 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A19NO8.047 E20PT1 November 20, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2355 protect national security. has VETERANS MEMORIAL AT THE sion of the United States military. The free- never sought to take advantage of this flexi- KOOTENAI COUNTY ADMINISTRA- dom we enjoy today did not come cheaply. It bility, so it strains belief that these laws are TION BUILDING was purchased during the Revolutionary War with the blood of American soldiers; for over undermining our national security. Indeed, the two hundred years it has been guarded and General Accounting Office has found that HON. C.L. ‘‘BUTCH’’ OTTER defended both here and abroad by the blood training readiness remains high at military in- OF of American soldiers; and it will be preserved stallations notwithstanding our environmental in the future by the blood of American sol- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES laws. I am not persuaded that the changes to diers. In the words of Daniel Webster, ‘‘God these acts proposed by the military are justi- Wednesday, November 19, 2003 grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard it and defend it.’’ fied. Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to The bill still includes worrisome provisions to It is because of our God-given freedom that bring to the attention of the House the creation we are the most prosperous and powerful na- overhaul DOD’s personnel system. Although of a Veterans Memorial at the Kootenai Coun- tion on earth. It is the desire for that free- they are improved from the bill the House con- ty Administration Building in Coeur d’Alene, dom that causes many from other countries sidered earlier this year, these provisions Idaho. Former commissioner Ron Rankin has to flock to our borders. It is envy of that would still strip DOD’s civilian employees of spearheaded the effort to pay tribute to freedom, and the prosperity and power it worker rights relating to due process, appeals, Kootenai County’s brave veterans with memo- produces, that causes others to hate and want to destroy us. and collective bargaining. rials honoring their sacrifice. Most disturbingly, the bill still includes provi- With oceans to our east and west and good The first phase of the Veterans Memorial, sions on nuclear weapons development. This neighbors to our north and south, we have dedicated on Veterans Day 1998, is a striking for many years felt secure in our freedom. bill provides funding to study the feasibility of seven-by-five-foot, 8,000-pound black granite We may even have taken it for granted. No developing nuclear earth-penetrating weapons monument naming Kootenai County veterans nation on earth could be powerful enough to and authorizes previously prohibited research killed in action from the Spanish American invade us. The tragic events of September 11, on low-yield nuclear weapons. Low-yield nu- War through the . Their names 2001, however, shattered that security. Al- clear weapons have an explosive yield of five though the enemies of freedom cannot take are etched in large gold letters followed by kilotons or less—‘‘only’’ a third of the explosive ours by force, they showed that they will try their branch of service, and the war in which yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Our to destroy it by fear. Those tragic events they served. ‘‘In God We Trust’’ is etched obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Pro- confirmed that to preserve our freedom here, above all the names in three-inch gold letters. we will sometimes have to root out evil and liferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) require The monument is strategically placed at the tyranny in other parts of the world. We can- the United States to work towards nuclear dis- main entrance of the new administration build- not be truly free unless people around the armament, rather than further increase the ing to remind visitors of the heroes who gave world are free. The enemies of freedom will size and diversity of our arsenal. By continuing their lives for our freedom. always desire to extinguish the beacons of the development of new U.S. nuclear weapons liberty shining around the world, and ours On Memorial Day 1999, the county dedi- at the same time that we are trying to con- shines the brightest. The tragic events of cated 13 unique murals for the outside of the vince other nations to forego obtaining such September 11th also rekindled a deep appre- new courthouse. The 39-by-42-inch granite weapons, we undermine our credibility in the ciation and respect for those who have plaques depict historically significant military donned the uniform of the United States fight to stop nuclear proliferation. events in the 20th century. They are reproduc- military. Mr. Speaker, I am very disappointed that We are here today to honor some of those this conference report rolls back civil service tions of photographs and paintings that were laser-etched in color on polished granite slabs. who have helped to preserve our freedom. We protections, environmental protections, and have come together to dedicate the Hall of our work in the area of nuclear nonprolifera- The first two were completed at a cost of Heroes, to honor those from Kootenai Coun- tion. But some of these provisions were im- $2,000 each while the remaining 11 will have ty who have been awarded a medal for her- proved in conference, and the addition of con- been added at a cost of $3,000 each. The oism while serving in our nation’s military. current receipt provisions for our nation’s vet- scenes include: Pearl Harbor, the Bataan By honoring them, we are not in any way erans is critical. In view of these changes to Death March, the Battle of Midway, the flag minimizing the sacrifice and contribution of raising on Iwo Jima, Army rangers climbing a all others who have served in uniform. Any the bill, added to my belief in the importance of you who saw the movie ‘‘We Were Sol- of supporting our men and women in uniform, 100-foot Normandy cliff on ‘‘D’’ Day, troops assaulting the beach at Normandy, gun ships diers’’ may remember the helicopter pilot in I will support the conference report today. the movie whose nickname was ‘‘Too Tall.’’ off the coast of Vietnam, and ‘‘Dust Off’ heli- f The real ‘‘Too Tall’’ is a friend of mine copters retrieving the wounded in Vietnam. named Ed Freeman who lives in Boise. The TRIBUTE TO SAGINAW VALLEY When the entire project is completed, there movie does not do justice to what Ed actu- STATE UNIVERSITY, SAGINAW, will be pamphlets in the foyer of the new ad- ally did during that battle. MICHIGAN ministration building describing each scene in On November 14, 1965, after LZ X–Ray had detail. The foyer already includes interesting been closed to helicopters because of intense information, photos and paintings of our heroic enemy fire, Ed flew fourteen missions into HON. DAVE CAMP and out of that landing zone delivering am- OF MICHIGAN armed forces from battle scenes of 20th cen- munition, water, and medical supplies to the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tury wars. troops on the ground and evacuating 30 seri- Wednesday, November 19, 2003 A Honor Roll now is in place ously wounded soldiers. For his actions, Ed in the courthouse foyer, and a wall of gold- was awarded the Congressional Medal of Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay framed certificates of veterans who were Honor, our nation’s highest award for her- tribute to the Saginaw Valley State University awarded medals of valor will complete the oism. Ed’s was certainly in celebration of its 40th Anniversary. project. The display was dedicated at a cere- well-deserved, but he could not have made Founded in 1963, Saginaw Valley State Uni- mony on November 10, 2003. The event’s the impact he did without the help of others. versity has quickly become one of the fastest- He could not have delivered the much-needed keynote speaker was Idaho Supreme Court growing universities in Michigan. The univer- ammunition, water, and medical supplies to Justice Daniel Eismann, who earned two Pur- sity’s humble beginnings as a community col- the men on the ground unless others had ple Hearts and three Air Medals during the lege in the late 1950s have encouraged the worked to have those items waiting at his Vietnam War. I would like to submit the rapid growth and expansion of the university base to be loaded on his helicopter. Few if speech Justice Eismann delivered at the dedi- any of the seriously wounded soldiers that he as demonstrated by their recent additions. cation for the RECORD. rescued would have survived had it not been From holding early classes in the basement of for the medical personnel who were waiting HALL OF HEROES DEDICATION—KOOTENAI Delta College, to its current situation on a 782- to care for them. COUNTY acre campus, Saginaw Valley State University The military is a team, with every person has become an unrivaled success story in (Hon. Daniel T. Eismann, Nov. 10, 2003) doing his or her part. Those of us who served mid-Michigan. I first want to commend the citizens of in combat would not have lasted long with- I am honored today to recognize Saginaw Kootenai County for this impressive memo- out others who kept us supplied with needed rial to those who have served in the United Valley State University for its many accom- materiel—weapons, munitions; equipment, States military. As a veteran, I thank you. I fuel, medical supplies, and food—or who plishments, and to thank the many staff, fac- also commend Ron Rankin, who was the equipped and directed the planes, artillery, ulty, students, and families who have endeav- driving force behind this growing monument. and ships that rained bombs, missiles, and ored to support Saginaw Valley State Univer- The words ‘‘Keeping America Free’’ on the shells on the enemy. Thus, by honoring those sity. murals outside summarize the primary mis- who have been awarded medals for heroism

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