IS THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CEMETERY CONSTRUCTION POLICY MEETING THE NEEDS OF TODAY’S VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES? FIELD HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION MAY 2, 2008 HEARING HELD IN COLORADO SPRINGS, CO Serial No. 110–85 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 43–051 WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 05:15 Jan 08, 2009 Jkt 043051 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 E:\HR\OC\A051A.XXX A051A rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with HEARING COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS BOB FILNER, California, Chairman CORRINE BROWN, Florida STEVE BUYER, Indiana, Ranking VIC SNYDER, Arkansas CLIFF STEARNS, Florida MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine JERRY MORAN, Kansas STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, South HENRY E. BROWN, JR., South Carolina Dakota JEFF MILLER, Florida HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona JOHN BOOZMAN, Arkansas JOHN J. HALL, New York GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida PHIL HARE, Illinois MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio MICHAEL F. DOYLE, Pennsylvania BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado JOHN T. SALAZAR, Colorado GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ, Texas VERN BUCHANAN, Florida JOE DONNELLY, Indiana VACANT JERRY MCNERNEY, California ZACHARY T. SPACE, Ohio TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota MALCOM A. SHORTER, Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS JOHN J. HALL, New York, Chairman CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ, Texas DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado, Ranking PHIL HARE, Illinois MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public hearing records of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs are also published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process of converting between various electronic formats may introduce unintentional errors or omissions. Such occur- rences are inherent in the current publication process and should diminish as the process is further refined. ii VerDate Nov 24 2008 05:15 Jan 08, 2009 Jkt 043051 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\A051A.XXX A051A rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with HEARING C O N T E N T S May 2, 2008 Page Is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Cemetery Construction Policy Meeting the Needs of Today’s Veterans and Their Families? .......................... 1 OPENING STATEMENTS Chairman John J. Hall ............................................................................................ 1 Prepared statement of Chairman Hall ........................................................... 43 Hon. Doug Lamborn, Ranking Republican Member ............................................. 4 Prepared statement of Congressman Lamborn .............................................. 44 Hon. John T. Salazar ............................................................................................... 6 WITNESSES U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Hon. William F. Tuerk, Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, National Cemetery Administration ................................ 28 Prepared statement of Mr. Tuerk ................................................................... 59 American Legion, Tim Grabin, Department Commander, Department of Colo- rado ....................................................................................................................... 18 Prepared statement of Mr. Grabin .................................................................. 50 Colorado Military Survivors, Colorado Springs, CO, Milly Briseno, Co-Found- er ............................................................................................................................ 10 Prepared statement of Ms. Briseno ................................................................. 46 Colorado State Board of Veterans Affairs, C. Douglas Sterner, Past Chair- man ........................................................................................................................ 19 Prepared statement of Mr. Sterner ................................................................. 51 El Paso County, CO, Veteran and Military Affairs, Bud Sailar, Director .......... 17 Prepared statement of Mr. Sailar ................................................................... 49 Gold Star Wives of America, Linda Lee-Witt, Member, Peterson AFB, Colo- rado Springs, CO .................................................................................................. 8 Prepared statement of Ms. Lee-Witt ............................................................... 45 Pikes Peak Veterans Cemetery Committee, Colorado Springs, CO, Victor M. Fernandez, Member ............................................................................................. 16 Prepared statement of Mr. Fernandez ............................................................ 47 Pueblo County Board of Commissioners, Hon. Jeff Chostner, Colonel, USAF (Ret.), Commissioner, Pueblo, CO ....................................................................... 21 Prepared statement of Commissioner Chostner ............................................ 59 SUBMISSION FOR THE RECORD Udall, Hon. Mark, a Representative in Congress from the State of Colorado, statement .............................................................................................................. 61 MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD ‘‘A National Veterans Cemetery for the Pikes Peak Region,’’ a Report of the Pikes Peak Region Veterans’ Cemetery Project, prepared for the Pikes Peak Veterans’ Cemetery Committee, October 2007 ........................................ 63 Hon. William F. Tuerk, Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs, National Ceme- tery Administration, to Hon. John T. Salazar, U.S. House of Representa- tives, letter dated July 11, 2008, providing follow-up information regarding VA authority to accept, as a gift, funds for the construction for a national cemetery ................................................................................................................ 98 iii VerDate Nov 24 2008 05:15 Jan 08, 2009 Jkt 043051 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\A051A.XXX A051A rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with HEARING VerDate Nov 24 2008 05:15 Jan 08, 2009 Jkt 043051 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 E:\HR\OC\A051A.XXX A051A rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with HEARING IS THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CEMETERY CONSTRUCTION POLICY MEETING THE NEEDS OF TODAY’S VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES? FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2008 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 12:00 p.m., in the Board Room, Academy School District 20 Headquarters, 1110 Chapel Hills Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Hon. John J. Hall [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Hall, Lamborn, and Salazar. OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN HALL Mr. HALL. Good afternoon. Thank you for your patience. The Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Com- mittee on Veterans’ Affairs, hearing on ‘‘Is the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Cemetery Construction Policy Meeting the Needs of Today’s Veterans and Their Families,’’ will now come to order. I would ask everyone to please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. [Pledge of Allegiance.] Thank you all for coming today. I’m sorry my plane was a little bit delayed, but it’s wonderful to be here in Representative Doug Lamborn’s district. And we’re fortunate to also have Representative Salazar joining us. Without objection, he’s been asked to join us on the dais. The title you’ve just heard, a long but necessary one, ‘‘Is the VA Cemetery Construction Policy Meeting the Needs of Today’s Vet- erans and Their Families,’’ a topic of particular importance to this region and throughout the country. First a couple of preliminaries. I mentioned Congressman John Salazar, from the 3rd District of Colorado and also a Member of the Committee, who is, by unanimous consent, joining us on the dais. Without objection, so ordered. And I would also like to recognize Scott Prestige from the office of Congressman Mark Udall from the 2nd District of Colorado, who is in the audience and has a statement, which I will ask, without objection, if we can enter that into the record also. [The statement of Congressman Udall appears on p. 61.] (1) VerDate Nov 24 2008 05:15 Jan 08, 2009 Jkt 043051 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 E:\HR\OC\A051A.XXX A051A rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with HEARING 2 So it’s a pleasure to be here with all of you and to bring the Dis- ability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee out into the country and actually see people and have them see and speak to us and see how we operate. Congressman Lamborn was kind enough to come to the 19th Dis- trict of New York, where I live, the home of the military academy of West Point and which I am proud to represent. I’m proud and honored also to be in Air Force country, especially since it’s not football season. We’ll be working on that. I’m also pleased to know