[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
HONORING HEROES: MEMORIALIZING OUR NATION'S VETERANS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS
of the
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2018
__________
Serial No. 115-64
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
35-727 WASHINGTON : 2019
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee, Chairman
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida, Vice- TIM WALZ, Minnesota, Ranking
Chairman Member
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado MARK TAKANO, California
AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, American JULIA BROWNLEY, California
Samoa ANN M. KUSTER, New Hampshire
MIKE BOST, Illinois BETO O'ROURKE, Texas
BRUCE POLIQUIN, Maine KATHLEEN RICE, New York
NEAL DUNN, Florida J. LUIS CORREA, California
JODEY ARRINGTON, Texas CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania
CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana ELIZABETH ESTY, Connecticut
JACK BERGMAN, Michigan SCOTT PETERS, California
JIM BANKS, Indiana
JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON, Puerto
Rico
BRIAN MAST, Florida
Jon Towers, Staff Director
Ray Kelley, Democratic Staff Director
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS
MIKE BOST, Illinois, Chairman
MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado ELIZABETH ESTY, Connecticut,
AMATA RADEWAGEN, America Samoa Ranking Member
JACK BERGMAN, Michigan JULIA BROWNLEY, California
JIM BANKS, Indiana CONOR LAMB, Pennsylvania
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 occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
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Thursday, June 7, 2018
Page
Honoring Heroes: Memorializing Our Nation's Veterans............. 1
OPENING STATEMENTS
Honorable Mike Bost, Chairman.................................... 1
Honorable Elizabeth Esty, Ranking Member......................... 2
Honorable Phil Roe, Chairman, Full Committee on Veterans Affairs. 4
WITNESSES
Honorable Randy C. Reeves, Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs,
National Cemetery Administration, U. S. Department of Veterans
Affairs........................................................ 6
Prepared Statement........................................... 25
Accompanied by:
Mr. Ronald E. Walters, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for
Memorial Affairs, National Cemetery Administration, U. S.
Department of Veterans Affairs
Honorable William M. Matz, Jr., Secretary, American Battle
Monuments Commission........................................... 8
Prepared Statement........................................... 27
Mr. Gerardo Avila, Deputy Director, Medical Evaluation Board/
Physical Evaluation Board/Department of Defense Correction
Board, National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Division,
The American Legion............................................ 11
Prepared Statement........................................... 29
Mr. Ken Wiseman, Associate Director, National Legislative
Service, Veterans of Foreign Wars.............................. 13
Prepared Statement........................................... 32
HONORING HEROES: MEMORIALIZING OUR NATION'S VETERANS
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Thursday, June 7, 2018
U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance
and Memorial Affairs,
Washington, D.C.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:13 a.m., in
Room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Mike Bost
[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Bost, Coffman, Radewagen, Roe,
Esty, and Lamb.
OPENING STATEMENT OF MIKE BOST, CHAIRMAN
Mr. Bost. Good morning and welcome. This oversight hearing
of the Committee of Disabilities and Assistance and Memorial
Affairs will now come to order.
Before we begin, I want to welcome the Full Committee
Chairman, Phil Roe, to the hearing with us today. Today, we are
going to be discussing how our Nation honors veterans who have
passed on.
It is appropriate that we are holding this hearing so close
to Memorial Day and yesterday's anniversary of D-Day, and the
100th anniversary of the deadliest day of battle of Belleau
Woods when General John J. Percy ordered a counteroffensive to
drive the Germans out of Belleau Wood during World War I.
I recently had the privilege to travel with Chairman Roe to
visit some of the most hallowed ground in the world, including
that very battlefield and others.
On June 6th, 1918, the U.S. Marines, under the command of
General James Harbord, led the attack against four German
decisions in Belleau Wood.
I couldn't help but think about that battle as we walked
through the cemetery and the woods itself. Belleau Wood is very
important to me, not just because I am a Marine, but one of the
Marines who fought at Belleau Wood, Private Paul Stout, was
born in Jackson County, Illinois, right near my hometown. He
survived the battle of Belleau Wood, but he fell July 19, 1918,
less than a month later while the Marines were advancing
through the French countryside.
My American Legion post, my home American Legion post, 127
in Murphysboro, Illinois, now bears the name of Paul Stout. I
thought about Paul Stout, Private Stout, and the rest of those
determined and bullheaded Devil Dogs who spent June 6, 1918,
repeatedly charging entrenched German forces with no thought of
regret, and too many men are still there.
But by the end of that day, Marines had suffered more than
1,000 casualties. It was the bloodiest day of the battle, which
went on for almost 4 weeks. Eventually, the Marines drove the
Germans out, but at a horrible cost.
By the event of the battle of Belleau Wood, almost 10,000
Americans were dead, wounded, or missing in action. And walking
among the graves of those brave men who fought and died so far
from home was one of the most moving experiences of my life.
It was overwhelming to think that each headstone was a
monument to a husband, a father, a son, or a brother who didn't
make it home. It was unforgettable. It was also incredibly
inspiring.
That visit reminded me of how much I owe to these fallen
heroes, and I am very grateful that I was able to honor them.
Every American should have that experience. We all need to be
reminded that the freedom we enjoy is because of the brave men
and women who serve in our Armed Forces. We also need to ensure
that future generations understand that our freedom will always
depend on the service and sacrifice of our Nation's veterans.
The NCA and the ABMC are responsible for maintaining
national cemeteries, not just to demonstrate our gratitude, but
to help inspire our children and our grandchildren to follow
the example of patriotism and service embodied by those resting
in these cemeteries. That is the only way the United States
will continue to be a free country.
This is why this hearing is so important. As Chairman of
this Subcommittee, I don't hear many complaints about the NCA
and ABMC taking care of our national cemeteries, but there is
always more we can do. And certainly, I know the NCA and the
ABMC have ideas for improvements. And I am looking forward to
hearing from our witnesses about ways that we can better honor
these extraordinary Americans.
So thank you again for being here today. I will now yield
to Ranking Member Esty for any opening remarks she may have.
OPENING STATEMENT OF ELIZABETH ESTY, RANKING MEMBER
Ms. Esty. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I, too, note that it
is very appropriate that we are having this hearing today, a
day after the 74th anniversary of D-Day, and I must note, my
husband's birthday. It is very easy to remember.
I have been reflecting on our duty as Members of this
Committee to ensure the respectful and dignified
memorialization in perpetuity of America's military veterans.
And I want to welcome Under Secretary Reeves to his new
position, leading the National Cemetery Administration, and I
am looking forward to his ideas on how to further improve how
the agency deals with veterans' families. And I want to let you
know that, like Chairman Bost, I hear very good reports. And so
we want to continue to ensure that we are serving veterans and
their families in the way we would all want to.
Because this is the first hearing since 2014 on NCA, I want
to take a moment to publicly recognize the heroism of the
National Cemetery's workforce in Florida and Puerto Rico
following the hurricanes last year.
This Committee was receiving daily updates on VA asset
damage and operational status. And on the very first day, on
the very first day, the reports were that cemetery employees
were reporting in for duty within hours of the storm passing in
each case. Burials continued as scheduled within 36 hours
despite power outages and damage.
It was heroic. It was heroic of these people, many of whose
homes were destroyed or damaged or flooded, whose families
were, themselves, in distress, and I don't think they have ever
properly gotten the credit and the thanks from Congress and the
American people that they deserve for continuing to do their
duty and to ensure that we properly memorialize and care for
those who have served this country.
So I want you to know how much we appreciate that. And we
recognize there is no amount of compensation that can provide
and compensate for that sort of devotion to duty. And I wanted
to make sure we recognize that in our hearing today.
I also want to recognize and welcome Secretary Matz.
Congratulations on the work the Commission is doing all over
the world to ensure that the cemeteries and memorials honoring
fallen American servicemembers continue to be as beautiful and
hallowed places of remembrance as we would want them to be, but
more and more, as places to educate visitors who have no direct
memory or knowledge of the battles that were fought nearby.
This Committee recently visited the American cemetery in
Normandy. I understand that there is a new visitor's center and
that if the site is to be preserved, the Commission has plans
to design and install new pedestrian walks. And having visited
that cemetery with my children about 15 years ago, I can tell
you, for them, as young Americans, it was so remarkable that
visit of just seeing row after row after row and contemplating
the young men who fell who are now younger than my children are
now, was striking and overwhelming.
It is very different than what you read in textbooks. It is
vivid and remarkable. So preserving those sites, and again, the
education aspect is part of what our Nation needs to
memorialize and to remember and to understand the consequences
were and what our responsibilities are in the world.
I look forward to hearing from you Secretary Matz about
these plans and what is planned for next year's 75th
commemoration of D-Day.
I want to also welcome our good friends from the VFW and
The American Legion, our witnesses here today. You always join
us and provide incredibly important perspective and feedback
about what is happening on the ground. It is not just the laws
we pass and regulations and the funding, it needs to work for
people. And you help ensure that we understand whether our good
intentions are being realized for the families and the veterans
we are honored to serve. Your work with the Subcommittee is
greatly appreciated and greatly needed.
Mr. Matz, I want to, again, let you know how much we
appreciate your work on toxic exposure. We are very proud--Mr.
Wiseman. Where is Mr. Wiseman? I am sorry. Okay. I skipped a
line here. We know you are moving on. Moving on to be the
Virginia State VFW commander, but please know our gratitude to
you because of your work, in part, on your fierce advocacy on
toxic exposure. We are so pleased to have been unable to move
forward on Blue Water veterans, an issue near and dear to your
heart, and that of many veterans.
I can tell you in my district and Chairman Bost's district,
and around this country, that has been a long, hard-fought
battle, and you have helped us get near to the finish line. And
I want to thank you for your work on that, for Vietnam veterans
exposed to Agent Orange in Thailand whose children were born
with spina bifida will also appreciate so much your hard work.
So--
Mr. Wiseman. Thank you.
Ms. Esty [continued].--thank you. And wish you well on your
next endeavor. Again, I want to thank the Chairman and the
Chairman for holding today's hearing. We look forward to your
testimony.
Again, thank you all very much for the work you do serving
our Nation's veterans.
Mr. Bost. Thank you, Ms. Esty. Chairman Roe, do you have
any opening remarks?
OPENING STATEMENT OF PHIL ROE, CHAIRMAN, FULL COMMITTEE ON
VETERANS AFFAIRS
Mr. Roe. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I am feeling a little
bit outnumbered here with all these Marines. And Mr. Coffman
could be in the Army or Marines, so what we will do, is we will
have them, two Army and two Marines, if that is okay with you,
Mr. Chairman.
I want to thank you all both, and Ranking Member Esty, for
holding this hearing today. And one of my priorities is
ensuring that our Nation's veterans receive a proper resting
place.
Last month, the Chairman mentioned, I and others on the
Committee were honored to visit several overseas cemeteries and
monuments for the brave men and women who served in World Wars
I and II. And some of you already may know this, but before
World War I, most of our fallen heroes were buried on the
battlefield. And after the Great War, our country realized that
some families may want to bring their loved one's home who
perished in battle back to the United States, while others may
want them buried overseas where they fell in service to our
country.
And as the Chairman mentioned, in the battle of Belleau
Woods, we walked--I literally cannot imagine going across that
wheat field, which is still a wheat field today, in machine gun
fire that those men did. It is literally amazing. And also to
be at that cemetery to see where walls, literally walls of
marbled names that they never found that were missing in that.
And really remarkable.
And also, that this particular battle became of very
interest to me as I learned more about it, is that it is the
second infantry division, which I was in, was stood up in 1917.
It was 100 years old last year. That was our 100th
anniversaries, the second AD. And it is the only American Army
Division that has ever been commanded by a Marine. And Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina, obviously named after General Lejeune
who also commanded the second Army Division. And these Marines
were assigned to the second infantry division.
So there was a lot of history for me that I had really
passed over in school and really got deep into. And it is an
amazing part of our history. And most people in this country
don't realize the ferocity of those battles. And I mean, this
was hand-to-hand combat, when you are looking at four
divisions. And we are looking at a very small piece of real
estate. It wasn't very big at all. So really, rather amazing.
And since overseas cemeteries are thousands of miles from
American soil, the United States established the American
Battle Monuments Commission, or ABMC, in 1923 to ensure that
those graves are properly maintained. And I can assure you, Mr.
Director, they are properly maintained.
Now these cemeteries memorials are a symbol of our Nation's
commitment to preserving democracy. And I will never forget
visiting these incredible monuments for the brave men who made
the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great Nation.
One experience that resonates with me personally, is I
visited the graves of three of my Tennessee brothers, Robert
Tester, Glenn Tester, and James Tester, who lost their lives in
service to our Nation during World War II. The Tester brothers
perished in three separate countries during the war, but at the
request of their family, they were buried side-by-side at the
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. And these young men came from
one of, I think, nine children, this family. And they grew up
in a little community called New Victory, Tennessee, which is
in Washington County, where I live.
So seeing that they were laid to rest, reminded me of the
sacrifices that were made to secure the future of our country,
and I am forever grateful for their patriotism.
As I look over their headstones, and I have pictures of
them on my camera, I remember that these men were more than
just soldiers, but they were men who had left the comfort of
their homes, and tragically, never returned.
I couldn't stop thinking about what their mother and other
family members must have felt when they learned about the three
deaths. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for their
mother to have to have made the choice to bury them so far from
home. Yet, I can't help but think that she made the right
choice.
The Henri-Chapelle Cemetery is beautifully landscaped and
cared for, and respectfully maintained. It is an appropriate
resting place for the Tester brothers and their comrades in
arms.
And I would certainly, as Ms. Esty said, encourage any
Americans traveling abroad to travel to any one of these sites
and be inspired by the stories of those who are there now.
I would also like to thank the NCA and the ABMC for their
efforts to memorialize our veterans accordingly, and I look
forward to hearing from all the witnesses today about how we
can improve, how we honor our Nation's heroes.
And again, Chairman Bost, thanks so very much for holding
this hearing, and I yield back.
Mr. Bost. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First off, I ask all other Members waive their opening
remarks as per the Committee's custom. I want to welcome the
witnesses who have joined us this morning, and thank you for
taking the time to be here today.
Our first witness is the Honorable Randy C. Reeves, who is
the Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs. He is accompanied by
Mr. Ronald E. Walters, the NCA's Principal Deputy Under
Secretary of Memorial Affairs. Also joining us today is the
Honorable William M. Mats, Jr., who is the Secretary of the
American Battles Monument Commission.
Testifying on behalf of The American Legion is Mr. Gerardo
Avila, who is the Deputy Director of the MEB and PEB and DoD
Correction Board.
Joining us also for the--is this our last time?
Mr. Wiseman. For this Committee, it is. I will be
delivering the burn pit testimony this afternoon.
Mr. Bost. Okay. All right. Well, thank you for your service
and everything you have done here. But VFW is Mr. Ken Wiseman,
the Associate Director of the National Legislative Services.
So welcome to all of you. I want to remind the witnesses
that your complete written statement will be entered into the
hearing record. And before we begin, I want to--we need to
understand that the Under Secretary Reeves graciously reworked
his schedule so he could be here for most of the hearing, but
due to a long-standing commitment, he has to leave early to
catch a plane, and we will understand that.
But Principal Deputy Under Secretary Walters will remain
here at the hearing and be available to answer questions for
NCA issues.
Under Secretary Reeves, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE RANDY C. REEVES
Mr. Reeves. Thank you. Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Esty,
and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, I am deeply
honored to be here to provide an update on the National
Cemetery Administration. I appreciate being here with Secretary
Matz, who is a strong partner of the VA.
The Monuments Commission, the ABMC, continues to do great
work, and I thank you for that. I am honored to be here, also,
with our key veteran's service organization partners from The
American Legion, and from the VFW, who provide critical support
to us and to the veteran community.
Here with me, also, from my staff, as you mentioned, is Ron
Walters, who is my Principal Deputy Under Secretary.
It is, of course, my greatest honor to be able to serve
America's veterans and their families as the sixth Under
Secretary of Memorial Affairs at the National Cemetery
Administration.
Over the past few months, I have traveled across the
Nation, and I continue to be in awe of the commitment and
dedication of our NCA professionals.
As Under Secretary, I have directed one simple vision for
NCA, and that is, to ensure that no veteran ever dies.
You die the first time when breath leaves you for the very
last time, but you only truly die sometime in the future when
no one tells your story or speaks your name. And I am committed
to ensuring that our veterans don't suffer that second death.
From this vision, we have established three key priorities
that align with VA's core mission and NCAs long-range plan.
These are: preserving the legacy, which is ensuring no veteran
ever dies; providing access and choosing VA for our veterans;
and partnering to serve veterans.
I am pleased to note that in conversations that I have had
with many Members of Congress, I have found that you share
these priorities, and, again, you are helping us ensure that no
veteran ever dies.
NCA is dedicated to preserving the legacy of our Nation's
veterans, and VA's Veterans' Legacy Program supports a series
of partnerships between VA and academic institutions and engage
university students to research veteran stories and reach our
youngest generation by teaching K-12 students about the
sacrifice of our previous generations.
To complement Legacy, VA is creating an interactive Web
site that will allow veterans' families to upload letters,
pictures, photos, and videos to be shared with the public. And
one day, visitors will be able to use smart phones to scan a
veteran's headstone and learn their story. That is the future.
And I can tell you, the future is here now. I have seen it
tested, and it works.
Our second priority is to ensure that NCA continues to
improve burial access and choice for veterans and their
families. To accomplish this, NCA plans to open or expand
existing VA national cemeteries while recognizing the need to
provide burial options to rural and urban veterans.
NCA will establish seven rural national cemeteries and five
urban national cemeteries over the next few years. We
appreciate the great support of Congress by passing the Black
Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act signed by the
President on May 25th, which will allow NCA to obtain land from
the Bureau of Land Management adjacent to our existing
cemetery.
We are also appreciative of other recent legislation which
expanded the casket and urn benefit for unclaimed veterans
buried in State and Tribal cemeteries, and expanded the
eligibility for medallion based on the date of death.
The Subcommittee's support in getting these bills, and
various others, is a reflection of your understanding in
support of our enduring mission.
Our third priority is to continue our valuable partnership
with State and Tribal organizations through our Veterans
Cemetery Grants Program. It is celebrating its 40th anniversary
this year. And since 1978, the Grants Program has awarded over
$766 million in grants, which funded 110 State and Tribal
cemeteries in 47 States, Guam and Saipan.
We look forward to your assistance as we keep moving
forward with this valuable program, and these efforts are
designed to meet NCAs strategic goal of providing reasonable
burial access to 95 percent of eligible veterans. And we are
also working on, what I call, the hardest 5 percent.
Those that are hard to reach in our rural areas and those
that have those long distances to travel and such so that they
may also be honored.
We are committed to find ways to reach them and look
forward to working with you and many other partners, and I
welcome Members of the Committees, as well as their staff to
visit our national cemeteries at any time and to reach out to
me personally for any meeting requests.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for allowing me to be here today,
and I look forward to answering any questions that the
Subcommittee may have. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Randy Reeves appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Bost. Thank you. And Secretary Matz, you are recognized
for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF HONORABLE WILLIAM M. MATZ, JR.
Mr. Matz. Mr. Chairman, Chairman Roe, and Members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss the
mission, the operations, and the programs of the American
Battle Monuments Commission. And the subject of this hearing, I
noted, is honoring heroes, memorializing our Nation's veterans.
And this is so appropriate to our agency mission. And that
sentiment inspires the thoughts that I want to share with you
this morning.
Since the agency's establishment in 1923, our purpose has
not changed, and it is to commemorate the service and the
achievements of America's Armed Forces.
We execute our mission by creating memorials worldwide
where U.S. forces have served, and by maintaining overseas
military cemeteries. These are shrines to our fallen and to
those that fought by their side.
Our first Chairman, General John Pershing, he set the tone
for the Commission when he wrote that, and I quote, ``time will
not dim the glory of their deeds.''
These simple but very powerful words are, in fact, the
foundation of everything we do. When the President selected me
to serve as Secretary of the Commission, he presented me with
an opportunity of a lifetime, one that I don't take for
granted. Preserving these national treasures as symbols of
selfless devotion and beacons of freedom, this is not a job for
me, folks. It is a reverent calling. In fact, it is a duty for
this former infantryman.
Over this past Memorial Day weekend, we conducted
ceremonies at all 26 of our cemeteries, in 10 countries,
spanning four continents. And on Sunday morning of that
weekend, the 27th of May, just 10, 12 days ago, I stood at a
podium in Aisne-Marne American cemetery in France, it was one
of the cemeteries that your codel had an opportunity to visit
recently.
The Aisne-Marne Cemetery and the Belleau Wood battlefield
that you mentioned, sir, behind it honored those who fell in
the Aisne-Marne campaign. Memorialized there, shoulder-to-
shoulder, are more than 2,600 soldiers and nearly 500 Marines
who died during that campaign.
Then on Sunday afternoon, 3 hours later, we were over at
the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, and I understand your visit
did not permit you to go to that one, but we want you to
sometime return and visit that one. But at the Aisne-Marne
American Cemetery where we, again, offered our thanks and
respect to those who died in service to our Nation. There are
6,012 war dead buried in those beautiful grounds and 241 on the
walls of the missing, most of whom lost their lives on nearby
battlefields.
One of the dead, one of the dead in that cemetery is
Sergeant Joyce Kilmer, 165 Infantry, 42nd Division. He rests in
Plot B, Row 9, Grave 15. Probably best known for writing the
poem, Trees.
He also wrote these prophetic words taken from the poem
Rouge Bouquet, and I quote, ``There is on earth no worthier
grave to hold the bodies of the brave than the place of pain
and pride where they nobly fought and nobly died.''
In July 1918, Kilmer's 42nd Rainbow Division was attempting
to break German defensive position just a few kilometers from
the cemetery. In 8 days of fighting, that Rainbow Division lost
5,500 men. One of those men was Sergeant Joyce Kilmer. Then on
Sunday evening of that same day, I stood at the Chateau-Thierry
Monument, which you were able to visit, and we appreciate very
much. This is not far from the Aisne-Marne cemetery, and we
were there to dedicate a new visitor center.
It tells the story of men and women, like Joyce Kilmer,
providing historical context for events that occurred there 100
years ago. And so on that Sunday, May 27th, three historic
sites in honor and commemoration underscoring, in my view, the
importance of this morning's themes are honoring heroes,
memorializing our Nation's veterans.
So what motivates a man to leave the safety of his trench,
to crawl through barbed wire, to attack enemy positions with
rifle and bayonet when artillery machine gun fire halts his
unit's advance? How do we ensure that we never forget such
courageous service and sacrifice?
Since 2007 opening of our Normandy American Cemetery
Visitors Center, ABMC has recognized its responsibility to
answer those questions by telling the stories of the men and
the women honored at these cemeteries and monuments, providing
historical context for visitors now far removed from the events
of the war years.
No one had to tell our first visitors the story. They were
the mothers, the fathers, the widows, brothers, sisters of the
war dead. They did not seek nor require context. They knew all
too well the story. They came to grieve, not to learn in the
1920s, 1930s. They came to say farewell.
Meticulously maintaining cemeteries and memorials is and
will remain ABMC's core mission, but that alone is no longer
enough to honor those who serve. The Commission must also
preserve and communicate their stories of competence, courage
and sacrifice. And so it goes to the Congresswoman's initial
comments about education. The visitor center at Chateau-Thierry
is the 7th the Commission has opened since 2007. Three more are
in development, all with a common purpose, and that is, to
enrich the visitor's experience and understanding of the
importance of these sacred sites, and the significance of the
historic events that led to their creation, and to educate our
young children.
We also pursued an educational outreach program in the
United States. And we are doing this through partnerships with
universities and organizations like the National History Day
and the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
And, folks, I invite you to visit our educational program
Web site at ABMCeducation.org to view the wealth of stories and
lesson plans that are developed by teachers for teachers.
We have begun to partner with the National Cemetery
Administration on World War II content, tying the stories of
national cemeteries to those from the overseas cemeteries.
Through all of this, we have not forgotten, though, our
core mission of building monuments to commemorate service and
sacrifice.
Last year, we dedicated a monument in Dartmouth, England
commemorating the Allied build-up, training and actual
launching of the D-Day invasion from the shores of England, and
the commemorative bronze plaque there in the Britannia Royal
Naval College, which served as the XI Amphibious Force
headquarters in World War II which oversaw the command of the
entire invasion force.
Later this year, we are going to dedicate a U.S. memorial
in the National War Memorial Park in Wellington, New Zealand,
and a monument in Iceland commemorating U.S. primarily naval
operations there in World War II is also in the early stages of
development.
So these two commemorations will bring the total number of
ABMC memorials and monuments to 31. And, of course, next year,
as has been already mentioned, we will commemorate the 75th
anniversary of D-Day. To prepare for that historic event, we
are refreshing the exhibits at the Normandy Visitors Center.
Eleven years have passed since the original exhibits opened to
the public. And over the next couple of years, we are also
going to be improving the cemeteries' entrance, traffic flow,
parking upgrade and add to existing comfort facilities, and, of
course, revamp the security screening areas to better handle
peak visitation periods.
And I will tell you, we are able to do this as a result of
Congress' $30 million one-time appropriation in 2016. And
believe me, I think we are good stewards. We are putting all of
that to good use.
At the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument just west of Normandy,
we are developing a site master plan to address the challenges
posed by the dual need of providing visitors a positive and
safe experience while protecting the integrity of this historic
cultural landscape.
With the support of the Subcommittee and by the authority
of the public law, as you know, we assumed ownership of the
Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery just outside Paris in
January 2017. This memorial honors American combat aviation
pioneers, 49 of whom are interred in a crypt beneath the
monument next to two French aviators.
We will better tell their incredible story next year when
we complete a conversion of the caretakers' cottage on the site
into a small visitor's center, and we are working to improve
the appearance of the memorial grounds to an ABMC standard
while preserving their naturally rustic character.
And finally, I am happy to report that the restoration of
the Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Philippines, where we have
interred 8,600 Americans, is progressing well.
We are in the final stages of improvements in the plot
areas where the headstones have been partially buried and
unreadable, really, since the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo
in 1991.
And I want to thank the National Cemetery Administration,
the Honorable Randy Reeves here, for partnering with us to
provide more than 3,000 new headstones to replace those that
were damaged beyond repair.
So, I say to the Committee, all of these programs and
projects have a singular focus: to honor and to memorialize
America's Armed forces, our heroes, for their unselfish and
their dedicated service and sacrifice.
The poet, Archibald MacLeish, served as an ambulance
driver, later as an artillery officer in World War I.
MacLeish's poem, The Young Dead Soldiers, includes this very
eloquent and timeless challenge. ``They say, we were young, we
have died. Remember us. They say, we leave you our deaths. Give
them their meaning.''
So many have given us their deaths. It is for us and our
children for generations to come to give them meaning. That is,
and it will remain the mission of the American Battle Monuments
Commission. Mr. Chairman, that concludes my remarks, and I
welcome any comments you might have.
[The prepared statement of William M. Matz appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Bost. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Mr. Avila, you are
recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF GERARDO AVILA
Mr. Avila. NCA's mission is simple: to honor veterans and
their families with final resting places in national shrines
with lasting tributes that commemorate the service and
sacrifice to our Nation. This mission can be traced back to
President Abraham Lincoln.
On July 17, 1862, President Lincoln signed legislation
authorizing the President of the United States the power to
purchase lands and establish national cemeteries to bury
soldiers who died in the service of the country.
In 1973, a new law authorized the transfer of 82 national
cemeteries from the Department of the Army to the Department of
Veterans Affairs, essentially creating and establishing the
NCA.
Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Esty, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and
Memorial Affairs, on behalf of National Commander Denise H.
Rohan, and the 2 million members of The American Legion, thank
you for the opportunity to testify on this important topic.
NCA operates 135 national cemeteries, 33 solider lots,
along with monument sites in 40 States and Puerto Rico. Under
its current purview, NCA is responsible for perpetuity care of
4.5 million interred veterans of every war and conflict, and
family members.
NCA also provides funding to establish and expand and
improve 109 cemeteries in 47 States and territories, including
Tribal trust lands.
NCA provides headstones, markers, medallions to commemorate
veterans service. From fiscal year 2017, NCA conducted over
171,000 internments in national and State cemeteries, provided
more than 361 headstones and markers, 13,000 bronze medallions,
and 670,000 presidential memorial certificates.
NCA's yearly customer satisfaction survey consistently
receives ranks in the mid-1990s. The last result of the latest
survey ranked at 99 percent on cemetery appearance, 96 percent
on quality of service, and 99 percent of respondents say they
would recommend to other veterans.
The American Legion have engaged our membership, and we
regularly hear veterans echo the sentiment found at NSA's
yearly satisfaction survey.
We frequently receive calls complimenting the level of
professionalism displayed by NCA employees when rendering final
respects for their loved ones.
The families often share with The American Legion that NCA
surprisingly well-managed, understanding, and extremely
helpful, which is quite contradictory to the expectations they
had considering NCA is a division of the Department of Veterans
Affairs, the second largest bureaucracy in the Federal
Government.
Ensuring veterans receive their postmortem respect they
deserve is a priority of The American Legion. In 1962, The
American Legion created and established the Graves Registration
at Memorial Affairs Committee, now known as the National
Cemetery Committee, an internal committee designed to focus on
these important issues impacting all veterans.
The American Legion maintains the professional staff
dedicated to formulating and recommend to our National
Executive Committee through the Veterans Affairs and
Rehabilitation Commission, policies, plans, and programs as
they relate to the National Cemetery Administration, and the
internment of veterans, Active Duty servicemembers and their
dependents.
Its response to issues and concerns, The American Legion
adopted two resolutions at our 2016 National Convention: The
Resolution No. 237, The American Legion supported legislation
to amend the Code of Federal regulation 38-632 and specify the
VA recognize accredited representatives be authorized to apply
for a headstone, marker, or a medallion in the absence of next-
of-kin.
This commonsense resolution was created because we have
seen a number of cases where a deceased veteran was not able to
receive a grave marker or have placement issue due to damage
simply because the relative did not make the request.
The American Legion also created and passed Resolution No.
9, allowing us to support the transfer of land from the Bureau
of Lands Management to NCA to expand the Black Hills National
Cemetery in South Dakota. Two weeks ago, on May 25th, President
Trump signed legislation transferring approximately 200 acres
to expand the cemetery.
The passing of this legislation confirms the commitment and
obligation we have to honor the memory of those that have
served. The American Legion is not aware of any obstacles to
access for any veteran wishing that their final resting place
be a cemetery operated by the NCA.
That stated, we do receive inquiries and concerns on two
topics: The issuing of NCA headstones and markers for veterans
buried in private cemeteries, and wait times when calling the
scheduling office in St. Louis, Missouri.
It is our sincere hope that VA, NCA, and this Committee
take a closer look, identify, and take the necessary
corrections to the discrepancy between veterans who are
authorized a headstone or marker in a private cemetery, and
those who are not, and eliminating the wait times at the
scheduling office.
Ensuring that those who have selflessly raised their right
hand in defense of the Nation receive the honorable and
respectable final resting place they deserve is the priority of
The American Legion. And by action of this Committee, we can
see it is for you as well.
Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Esty, and distinguished
Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to
share the position of 2 million members of this organization. I
look forward to any questions you might have.
[The prepared statement of Gerardo Avila appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Bost. Thank you, Mr. Avila.
Mr. Wiseman, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF KEN WISEMAN
Mr. Wiseman. Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Esty, and
Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the Veterans of
Foreign of the United States and its Auxiliary, thank you for
the opportunity to testify on the important issue of how our
Nation memorializes our veterans.
VA's mission to provide veterans a final resting place
worthy of their sacrifice to our Nation is a top priority for
the VFW. While the National Cemetery Administration and the
American Battle Monuments Commission generally do a good job,
there are always ways to improve the delivery of memorial
benefits to veterans.
We appreciate this opportunity to highlight several areas.
We hear from VFW posts around the world about the amazing
work that ABMC is doing. VFW Post 605 in Paris France, reports
that the ABMC efforts to care for cemeteries and monuments have
resulted in some of the most emotionally moving experiences a
visitor could have.
The VFW urges the Subcommittee to support efforts by ABMC
to establish visitor centers which would allow visitors to
properly honor and remember those who are buried in the
cemeteries.
The centers will also allow for better use of staff so that
they could focus on other management aspects of their job. The
ABMC management of Clark Cemetery in the Republic the
Philippines is another success story that the VFW is proud to
report.
VFW Post 2485 in Angeles City, the Philippines, notes that
the repairs and maintenance of the cemetery are superior, and
burials continue in a way that allows Americans to be buried
there with honor.
The VFW is very supportive of NCA's Veterans Legacy
Project. VLP leverages technology to preserve history and
spread awareness of the brave men and women buried in the
cemeteries. Updates on each veteran can be provided to ensure
the profile is accurate and truly reflects the life of the
veteran.
Modern technology will allow VLP to be viewed through a
mobile application, and online enabling future generations to
learn about the sacrifices made by generations that came before
them.
However, the VFW has learned that the call center for all
VA-managed burials have become overwhelmed due to staffing
issues.
A surviving sister of a veteran reported that she was told
it would be at least 6 weeks before a burial could be processed
for her brother, the deceased veteran. This is unacceptable.
The VFW calls for a review to ensure proper staffing is in
place so that burials can be scheduled in a timely manner. And
the Under Secretary has reached out to the VFW on this matter,
and we appreciate his outreach.
The VFW strongly supports passage of H.R. 5588, legislation
that would transfer Mare Island Naval Cemetery to NCA for
management. The U.S. Navy use this cemetery as the final
resting place for more than 800 veterans.
Included in this number are three medal of honor
recipients. One of them is James Cooney. He was born in Ireland
and emigrated to the United States. He enlisted in the United
States Marine Corps and deployed with the first Marine Regiment
to the Boxer Rebellion in China.
Private Cooney was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest
award of valor that can be bestowed upon an individual in the
U.S. military for his distinguished service in the presence of
the enemy.
Yet, VA has refused to take responsibility of ensuring that
Private Cooney and the other honorable veterans buried at Mare
Island Naval Cemetery has a final resting place worthy of their
service to our Nation.
These are photos of headstones at Mare Island Naval
Cemetery. This is unacceptable. And the VFW wants to see, and
is willing to work with both the Committee and NCA to ensure
that proper steps are taken.
The Mare Island Naval Cemetery is in disrepair, and the VFW
will not rest until it is fixed and properly maintained. The
lasting legacy of those who have served our countries on
display in cemeteries and is a testament to the cost of
freedom.
While our Nation remembers the service of veterans who are
no longer with us on Memorial Day, NCA and ABMC ensure that a
daily reminder withstands the test of time.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. And I want to
thank you and the Ranking Member for the kind words at the
beginning of the hearing. Your staff was key to all of the
success that we have had so far with the Blue Water Navy bill.
I want to particularly thank Carolyn, Chris, and Maria for
their help. They have represented you well, and I personally
thank them. One of my key projects next year as a State
commander and as an accredited service officer, is to find
every Blue Water Navy sailor and every surviving spouse in the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
On January 1st, the VA will be getting a whole lot of
claims from Virginia. I thank you, I yield back, and I welcome
your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ken Wiseman appears in the
Appendix]
Mr. Bost. Thank you, Mr. Wiseman.
Just so you know, I am going to go ahead and start the
questioning. So I will yield myself 5 minutes for questions.
Secretary Matz, in your testimony, we know that Congress
has recently passed legislation allowing the AMBC to take
jurisdiction over the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery
outside of Paris.
This memorial and cemetery, which I had the opportunity to
visit last month, includes a final resting place for 49
American aviators who helped train French pilots before we
entered World War I. I understand that the site was in rough
shape when we took it over, but let me tell you that it looks
very good, and, obviously, headed towards looking even better.
Can you please describe the work that you are doing there
right now?
Mr. Matz. Yes, sir, we took ownership in January of 2017.
And prior to that, we partnered with what, heretofore, had been
a French foundation and the French Government had actually
owned the cemetery and the land. And from that partnership, we
got $1.7 million from the French Government and from those
private funds, and did a lot of restoration there 2015 through
2016.
We cleaned, repaired the stonework, did some releveling, we
did some repointing, repaired plaster and the--of course, if
you got down into the crypt and the vault, that was leaking. So
we put a lot of money into that and upgraded that. Also
painting, metal work, et cetera.
What we have planned now, and as you say, you went through
there, we have a project, as I mentioned very briefly in my
opening comments, to turn the old caretakers' cottage into a
small visitor's center.
And I will tell you, I report that is going along very
nicely. Completion is anticipated next Memorial Day, and that
should be a very nice dedication.
We are also in the process of looking at waterproofing and
repaving the memorial surface there. And that is at a cost of
$1 million. Improving a disabled access ramp that we need there
for folks. And also, replacing paths and curbstones. We also
have a horticulturist in our Paris office, has been spending a
lot of time there in the grounds to bring the grounds up to a
standard, and the woodland areas up to a standard.
So these are the things we are looking at there. And in
fact, I would say, folks from our Paris office are out there
probably on a weekly basis seeing how we can continue to repair
and bring that up-to-date.
Mr. Bost. That is wonderful because it has an unbelievable
potential, and I know you will do well with that.
Mr. Matz. Well, thank you, sir.
Mr. Bost. Under Secretary Reeves, can you describe for me
the Legacy, the Preserving the Legacy Program in detail and
what you see as a vision there?
Mr. Reeves. Mr. Chairman, thank you. The Veterans Legacy
Program itself is set up to be able to have both an educational
component that I discussed before and also what I like to look
at as my prime mission. I am the Under Secretary for Memorial
Affairs, so it is to memorialize and remember those who have
served our country so well.
Through a number of different partnerships, and also
partnerships with ABMC that were discussed earlier, we have
awarded nine grants this year. The original program awarded
three. So we have got that many, you know, universities and
others who are doing the research and learning about those
veterans, doing the lesson plans that are used in middle
schools, high schools and others. But the other component is
the component that we are developing so that you could walk up,
as I said, with your smart phone and be able to put that smart
phone in front of a headstone.
It will decipher the arrangement of the letters on the
headstone and pull up the information about that veteran and
their service; in most cases, where we are able to, the service
that they provided and the things they did after military
service. And when I said that the future is here, I have seen
the demonstration at the University of Central Florida, and I
was able to walk up to a headstone, it accessed the database,
and I was able to see what that veteran had done, both before
and after.
And I just want to bring this, you know, to a little bit of
reality about what it is doing for students out there. I spoke
to a graduate student at the University of Central Florida, and
I asked, what does this program mean to you? And he looked at
me with tears in his eyes, and he said, I was able to bring my
veteran back to life.
And what he meant by that is it is a World War I veteran,
African American who have served actually in Europe that had
been lost through history. And through his research and his
learning, he was able to tell that story, and now that veteran
will never die.
Mr. Bost. Thank you. My time is expired.
Ms. Esty, I recognize you for 5 minutes.
Ms. Esty. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And again, I want to
thank all you gentlemen for your hard work joining us here
today and making yourselves available to help ensure that we
all fulfill our duty to honor and memorialize those who have
served this country.
Under Secretary Reeves, I have three areas I am hoping to
cover in the less than 5 minutes I have. One, is to Mr. Avila's
question about clarifying the criteria for headstones in
private cemeteries, that is questions that we often get as
Members of Congress, and I think that would be helpful.
Two, on the wait times, which I know you are working on,
but that was raised by both Mr. Avila and Mr. Wiseman. And
again, I know that you have got some plans, and if you can
briefly share with us your proposals going forward, I think
that would be helpful for us to know. And also, hopefully,
encourage veterans who may be watching or reading about this
about how important it is to bring these concerns forward. That
is the only way we can fix things is if we know about them.
And the last is on Mare Island. You and I discussed this
yesterday. Thank you, Mr. Wiseman. And I know that Ms. Brownley
was hoping to join us, I think she had a scheduling conflict.
As the daughter of a Navy man, grew up in Northern California,
I am familiar with that. I will be seeing the site in the next
week or two.
Mr. Reeves, we talked about this, Under Secretary Reeves,
if you can talk about your proposal at this point to begin to
address the sorry state of repair of the headstones, et cetera.
And Mr. Bilirakis is not with us here. He is the cosponsor of
that bill, and I would like you to address, if you can, all
three of those. Thank you.
Mr. Reeves. Absolutely.
First of all, I will go ahead and address the wait times
first, if that is okay.
The first thing I want to tell you is I called the call
center myself this morning before I came here, at what would
normally be a peak time. I went into the call queue and I was
talking to a representative in less than 5 minutes. Okay? And I
asked some questions about workload and those kinds of things,
because I want to know what is going on in the field.
Secondly, one of the places I went first was the call
center. I will be returning personally to the call center later
this month. As you know, we provided copies of our plan that we
are working on. I want to be fully transparent. We provided to
both our VSO partners and to, also, your staff, and will
provide it to anybody that would like to see what we are doing
to rectify what I see as some issues that we have got there.
First of all, to that, one of the problems that we had that
was showing, you know, peak, more than peak, you know, call
times, had to do with our phone system. And we are working with
our IT folks in VA getting, you know, very good support from
that. And we will be, you know, correcting that. We have
corrected some of the issues.
And also to the issue that Mr. Wiseman specifically, the
specific case. I am going to be talking to that individual
myself, because I am going to tell you, whether it is 6 weeks,
whether it is actually 2 weeks, or any other time--and my
numbers show me that it was about 2 weeks, and they may be
wrong, so I am not assuming anything. So I am going to be
talking to that individual myself.
If we have things like that, it doesn't go to my philosophy
and our belief that we only have one time to get it right. That
one time we don't get it right is one time too many. And I am
going to correct that, I can assure you.
And we will work with the Committee and staff to provide
any further information that you need. But I will be very
detailed in those responses and the information I gave you.
Okay?
Secondly, I will now go to Mare Island, because that is a
little more complicated. First of all, I want to tell you that
I was in California last week for some other events. And
because this means so much to me, I went to Mare Island myself.
And I am going to tell you, Mr. Wiseman, thank you for the
passion that you and VFW have to bring the attention to this.
My heart is broken. I got pictures, too. And I don't like them.
And I am very upset by what I saw.
But beyond that, now I have to look at what really needs to
be done. As soon as we found out about this, and this was in
the news, the National Cemetery Administration reached out to
the city of Vallejo, California.
They also reached out to the Navy. And we have been working
with the Navy to bring forth an IRT grant that would refurbish
that cemetery. And I believe that should be approved fairly
quickly. I can't speak for the Navy. I am not going to speak
for their process, but I believe it should be approved fairly
quickly. I think there is a good chance of that.
And then secondly, we have committed to doing whatever we
need to do to replace headstones, or anything else that is
there, to bring that to a standard where those veterans and
their family members and others that are there, will be
appropriately honored.
I do realize that Mare Island was transferred to the city
of Vallejo in 1996, and there has been nothing to keep it in
repair since that time, as far as I can tell.
I am not here to cast aspersions or throw rocks at anyone.
What I am here to do is to tell you that what we need to focus
on right now, I believe, is what steps we can take immediately.
And those things that we are doing, that I have just described,
to make sure that those veterans that are there are
appropriately honored.
I will say one thing, and this is not anything other than
the fact that I feel personally that we need to be careful
about every time someone does, because there was an MOU between
the Navy and Vallejo to keep this cemetery up. I would
recommend that we be careful about immediately going to, say,
we should take over something every time someone doesn't meet
their obligation, because that could set a precedent that, you
know, that maybe we don't want to. But that is a matter for the
Committee and for Congress to consider, not me.
And then if I have answered that, then the headstones, and,
let's see, I am going to have to get just a little bit of
information on headstones.
I think the question was the inscription for the spouse,
right? Is that correct?
Mr. Walters. Correct.
Mr. Reeves. Okay. We can't provide inscription for spouse
or dependent on a headstone that is currently in a private
cemetery, and that is based upon the statute. So we are
following the law. And I can't, you know, ask or suggest, but,
you know, if that is something that Congress might take up, you
know, that might be appropriate.
And then we do have a legislative proposal that would allow
us to do that. And I would like to be able to talk to your
staffs and others, and our VSO partners, to be able to get more
information on that for you and more detailed information.
Ms. Esty. Thank you very much. I went over time. But--
Mr. Reeves. I am sorry.
Ms. Esty. No. But I appreciate that and the transparency
and importance of--again, on Mare Island, I think we need to
start with getting it to an appropriate state where it should
be, and then we will continue to stay at the table, and do our
best to get it right.
Again, I want to thank you for your effort.
Mr. Reeves. And thank you for that, because, in any case,
we need to focus first on honoring our veterans.
Ms. Esty. Absolutely.
Thank you.
Mr. Bost. Thank you, Ms. Esty.
Mr. Reeves. Mr. Secretary, I would like to extend this
until 12:30, sir.
Mr. Bost. Okay. That is fine.
Mr. Reeves. I am going to extend my--
Mr. Bost. We are just glad to have you here.
Mr. Reeves. They will just have to go fast, sir
Mr. Bost. All right.
Mrs. Radewagen, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Radewagen. Thank you, Chairman Bost, and Ranking
Member Esty for holding this hearing today. Thank you to the
panel for your testimony. Honoring our fallen heroes is an
important, sensitive issue, and I am glad we can hold this
hearing today to ensure that we get it right.
I would like to focus on services for our veterans and
families in remote and rural areas. For example, my home
district of American Samoa is thousands of miles from the
nearest veteran cemetery, and families of these veterans do
have options for honoring their fallen loved ones in the form
of VA-issued grave markers. This is a very good program.
However, I believe it is being underutilized and could benefit
from some improvements.
American Samoa is beautiful but small. Small enough that we
don't have street addresses for mail to be delivered, and we
instead have to rely on P.O. boxes. The VA-issued grave markers
can't be delivered to P.O. boxes and need to be delivered to a
physical address. As you can see, this presents a problem for
my district. Fortunately, our local VSOs and the good folks at
our local VA clinic have established a workaround and will help
facilitate the delivery by holding the marker at the clinic for
pick-up. However, this workaround process is not always
immediately apparent to my constituents.
While VA reported to my office that no grave markers have
ever failed to be delivered once ordered, I believe the initial
confusion on the instructions for a grave marker application
regarding P.O. boxes means that not all families are taking
advantage of this service. So Under Secretary Reeves, what
improvements could the VA make to ensure that families in
remote and rural areas who may not have access to a nearby
burial option have the ability to honor their deceased loved
ones, either with the grave marker program or other
initiatives?
Mr. Reeves. Thank you very much for that question. And I
understand, having been briefed on this, you know, a little bit
ago, is that, in the case of Samoa, that, I believe, is a
misinterpretation both on our part, and I am going to take that
for action, on what a P.O. box actually means. And in Samoa, I
know that, and you can correct me if I am wrong, a P.O. box is
actually, in most cases, a physical address. And we are now
delivering them based upon the fact that those are actual
physical addresses. And we are in the process of clarifying how
we need to do that for our workforce also, so that people won't
go through that.
Because it says P.O. box, we were interpreting that, I
think, as what we would normally see as a P.O. box, you know,
centrally located P.O. box, you know, like here in the
mainland. But that not--that is not really the case, I think
there. So I am seeing, the reports that I have gotten is that
we have been successfully delivering them to P.O. boxes because
they are actually physical addresses. And I think the biggest
thing we have got to do is make sure that we clarify that both
on the form and that we clarify that for our folks so that
there is no misunderstanding.
Mrs. Radewagen. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. Bost. Thank you.
Just so you know, Ms. Esty had to leave, so Mr. Lamb has
moved into the chair, so the Marines are now in charge.
Mr. Lamb, you are recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. Lamb. They are going to give us an Army infantry
division next, Mr. Chairman.
Gentlemen, thank you for being here. Thank you to Mr. Matz,
and Mr. Reeves in particular, for giving us some poetry this
morning. I really enjoyed that. And it reminded me of a story
about the building of the World War II Memorial here in
Washington, D.C. When that was being built, the man who was the
overall manager of the construction site stayed in a trailer on
the site where they were building the memorial. And he told a
story afterward about getting a knock on the door of the
trailer after hours one night. And there was an older gentleman
on the other side of the door who had driven across the country
by himself for two days, from Kansas or someplace like that.
And when he opened the door, the man just handed over his
dog tags from World War II. And he told the construction
manager, ``I just want you to throw those down in the ground
underneath one of those big pillars that are going in the World
War II Memorial.''
And he didn't want anything else. He didn't want his name
on a plaque. He didn't want a ceremony or anything special. He
just wanted to know that those are going to be down there
forever. I think that is consistent with some of the things
that you gentlemen said, which is that we owe it to veterans
just to let them know that that connection that they have made
to each other and to our Nation through their service is never
going to be broken and that we are never going to let it be
broken. And that is what I took from your comments. And just
know that you have a partner here in that effort.
I also think that, with the passage of time, you know, you
placed the focus in the right place which was that we need to
tell the people of this generation and our future generations
about these men and women who came before us and what they did
to allow us to still stand on this ground today.
So with that, I am interested in hearing a little bit more,
Mr. Reeves, if you don't mind, about the educational program
and the mobile app that you talked about. How wildly in use is
that right now? Or where are we going timewise with that?
Mr. Reeves. Thank you very much for that question.
And where we are at right now is, as I said, we have nine
institutions across the country right now that are doing that.
Now, each one of those institutions has multiple, you know,
cemeteries that they are actually working with. And it is
actually happening right now in some of our national
cemeteries. And what I will do is, just for the sake of time,
is I will have my staff provide the full list--
Mr. Lamb. Great.
Mr. Reeves [continued].--and who is doing what and what the
program in each area specifically entails, if that would be
acceptable.
Mr. Lamb. That would be great, sir. Thank you.
Mr. Reeves. But I would like to say is, as Members of
Congress are back in your districts, if you have universities
that have history and research components, encourage them to
seek out and apply for these Legacy grants so that I can take
that to more parts of the country.
I will tell you that the timeline would move, as everything
does with the amount of funding that is available for grants, I
mean, we have to be realistic about that. But my vision is that
there will be at least one, you know, educational affiliate,
meaning university or other affiliate, in every State by the
time I am done with this.
Mr. Lamb. Excellent.
I am from the 18th District of Pennsylvania, which has the
National Cemetery of the Alleghenies there.
Have you had the chance to visit that one yet, Mr. Reeves?
Mr. Reeves. I have not been to the Alleghenies yet.
However, one of my colleagues, one of my senior colleagues at
the VA actually went and spoke there on Memorial Day, which
that is what we do, is we ask our senior folks to go out to all
of our cemeteries. And she came back raving about the beauty of
the cemetery and the outpouring mainly of the community for
that program.
So I am impressed with what they are doing there, and I am
impressed that--and glad that you mentioned that, because that
is one of the highlighted places that I had.
Mr. Lamb. I am thrilled to hear that.
I am running out of time, so I just want to say, I would
like to personally invite you out there. The next chance that
you get, I would love to have you there. And I would love to
explore ways to expand the educational offerings.
And I think there are some infrastructural needs there as
well as with it being a newer cemetery that just came online.
So I hope I can work with you on than, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. Reeves. Absolutely. And if I may say, I would ask,
please, encourage the schools in your area to apply.
Mr. Bost. If it is all right, with the blessing of the
Committee, I got a couple more questions I would still like to
ask.
Mr. Avila, your testimony highlighted a new NCA initiative,
the pre-need eligibility determination. In your experience, has
this program successfully reduced delays and red tape for
veterans and their families?
Mr. Avila. So the pre-need eligibility program, I believe
it started several years ago. Veterans can basically file an
application. It doesn't guarantee them a slot, but it just
eliminates the initial eligibility criteria that NCA has to
confirm that a veteran is eligible for interment at National or
State cemetery. So by having that done, I think the biggest
thing that we see is that the veteran had that conversation
with the family, which is a very important conversation to
have, because most of the time the calls that we receive are
when a next-of-kin, the spouse or family member, saying, Look,
my father or brother, veteran, or sister is the veteran that
passed away. What do we need to do? A lot of it comes to they
never had the conversation. Where is the D214 that the NCA is
going to need?
So we find this program extremely helpful. We think it does
reduce the waiting period. And like I state on my remarks and
my testimony, it is not an emergency as far as the waiting. The
background sheet that NCA provided for us clearly states kind
of what we have been hearing where the wait time is 32 to 45
minutes. And this is for the scheduling, not the official
report or the verification.
So if you are able to do the pre-need eligibility
determination and already take out the first step, it is going
to increase and expedite when this veteran can be interred and
buried. So, yes, it is beneficial.
Mr. Bost. Good.
Secretary Matz, what is the status on the restoration of
the Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Philippines?
Mr. Matz. We are making very good headway. As I think I
covered this very quickly in my opening remarks, what we have
done since we took it over, we are working very closely with
Honorable Reeves' agency. They are providing the headstones for
us. So we are still doing that. We have done a lot of work in
putting paths in and some security, et cetera.
I have not been out there yet myself. That is on my visit
list in the next 2 months to get out and visit the Pacific and
our superintendent there. But I will tell you, sir, it is
coming--I have seen photos of it. It is coming along fine, and
we have certainly got the dollars for it right now to do what
we need to do.
Mr. Bost. Good.
Mr. Matz. And, of course, as you know, its sister right
there, Manila, which is our largest cemetery of all 26, we are
doing a lot of work there in the irrigation systems, and also
in putting a new visitor center there. And also in the Clark,
we are doing irrigation systems there too.
Mr. Bost. That is good to hear. Thank you.
With that, I want to thank the witnesses again. I would
recognize Mr. Lamb as the Ranking Member if he wants to do any
closing remarks or--
Mr. Lamb. No, thank you, Mr. Chairman. But thank you for
recognizing me.
Mr. Bost. Thank you.
Well, I want to thank the witnesses again for being here
today. And as I said earlier, your statements for today's
witnesses will be entered into the hearing record.
And I want to close out by saying this: Thank you so much
both of you for what you do. And when you say that we need to
make sure that our veterans--that their history is not
forgotten.
When we were in--we were actually at American Flanders
Field. And watching and hearing their Memorial Day services,
that they take students from right there that come in and take
the names of those veterans and study their history. And on
Memorial Day, students, not from this Nation, from that Nation,
because of the liberation that they received by our Americans,
they actually study those histories and give testimony about
that individual that they had studied that year for that
Memorial Day. What an amazing thing. And I think our children
should do the same and understand what it is that put forth,
not only abroad, but here in the United States with the
cemeteries that are there.
But I do want to say this, too, because this is something
that stuck--that I have held onto. When you leave the museum or
visitors center at Arlington, one of your predecessors has a
quote, Mr. Matz, on the wall. That is General Mark Clark. And
he was the chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission
from 1969 to 1984. And here is what he says: ``If ever proof
were needed that we fought for a cause and not for a conquest,
it could be found in these cemeteries. Here is our only
conquest: All we ask was enough soil in which to bury our
gallant dead.'' That is hallowed soil. That is hallowed soil.
And we need to make sure that that ground, which we do hold
with our most gallant men and women, is never ever forsaken.
And I thank both of you for doing that.
Mr. Matz. Absolutely, sir. Thank you.
Mr. Reeves. Thank you, sir
Mr. Bost. With that, I also want to--with unanimous
consent, that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and
extend their remarks, including extraneous material. Hearing no
objection, so ordered.
This hearing is now adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:27 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
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Prepared Statement of Randy Reeves
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and Members of the Subcommittee, I am
pleased to be here today to provide the views of the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) on the maintenance, construction, and expansion
of cemeteries managed by the VA, including VA's plans to provide burial
access for eligible Veterans within 75 miles of the Veterans' home. I
would also like to provide you with information about other VA
memorialization programs, which help demonstrate our Nation's
appreciation for the sacrifices made by Veterans and their families. I
appreciate the presence of Mr. Matz, representing the American Battle
Monuments Commission (ABMC), a strong partner with VA in these same
efforts. I defer to him to provide information about ABMC's similar
efforts. I am also honored by the presence of our key Veteran service
organization partners, who provide such critical support to us and the
Veteran community.
First, let me tell you how proud and honored I am to serve
America's Veterans and their families as the sixth Under Secretary for
Memorial Affairs at the National Cemetery Administration (NCA). NCA is
a world-class organization with a long-standing commitment to caring
for Veterans and their families in perpetuity at our 135 VA national
cemeteries in operation. Every day we have the honor and privilege to
fulfill President Lincoln's promise, to care for those who shall have
borne the battle.
Earlier this year, I shared my vision with NCA's staff and outlined
my priorities as Under Secretary. These priorities are based on my own
guiding principles, and align not only with VA's core mission and NCA's
Long Range Plan, but also with the subjects of this hearing. As I speak
to you today, I will touch on these principles of ``Preserving the
Legacy,'' by which I hope we can ensure that ``no Veteran ever dies'';
of ``Providing Access; and Choosing VA'' by building on NCA's strategic
goal to provide reasonable access to a burial option in a national or
VA-funded state or tribal Veteran's cemetery to 95 percent of U.S.
Veterans; and finally of ``Partnering to Serve Veterans,'' as shown by
NCA's strong history and bright future of working with communities and
organizations to raise the national profile and importance of the
American civic tradition of honoring Veterans through memorialization.
NCA is dedicated to preserving the memory of our Nation's Veterans.
In our 135 national cemeteries, we provide perpetual care for eligible
Veterans, Servicemembers, Reservists and family members in 3.6 million
gravesites. Our cemeteries include 9,138 developed acres.
One of NCA's strategic goals is to provide reasonable access
(access within 75 miles of a Veteran's residence) to a burial option in
a national or VA-funded state or tribal Veteran's cemetery to 95
percent of U.S. Veterans. NCA strives to achieve this goal, in part, by
establishing new national cemeteries and expanding or replacing
existing national cemeteries. We also partner with state and tribal
organizations through our Veterans Cemetery Grants Program.
NCA determines the need to open a new national cemetery based on
whether 80,000 or more Veterans reside within a 75-mile service area of
a proposed cemetery location, and who do not already have reasonable
access to burial in a VA national or VA-funded state or tribal Veterans
cemetery. Under these criteria, which were approved by Congress in
fiscal year (FY) 2011, NCA determined a need to establish five new
national cemeteries. In 2015, we opened two of these cemeteries in
Florida at Cape Canaveral and Tallahassee. On August 5, 2016, we
dedicated Omaha National Cemetery and on May 25th, we dedicated our
136th national cemetery in southern Colorado that will serve over
95,000 Veterans and their families. We anticipate a construction award
in this fiscal year for a new national cemetery in western New York.
NCA also recognizes the need to provide new or enhanced burial
access in certain rural and urban locations. Under the rural
initiative, NCA will establish new national cemeteries in states that
do not have an open national cemetery and have areas where fewer than
25,000 Veterans reside within a 75-mile service area of a proposed
cemetery site. These Veterans do not already have reasonable access to
a VA national cemetery in another state or a VA-funded state or tribal
Veterans cemetery that offers a casketed or cremation first interment
option. NCA opened its first rural cemetery at Yellowstone National
Cemetery in Montana in 2014. Progress is underway for rural national
cemeteries in seven other locations: Twin Falls, Idaho; Fargo, North
Dakota; Rhinelander, Wisconsin; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Elko, Nevada; Cedar
City, Utah; and Machias, Maine.
NCA's urban initiatives are planned for St. Albans, New York; West
Los Angeles, California; Alameda, California; Indianapolis, Indiana;
and Chicago, Illinois. At these sites, NCA plans to establish new
columbaria-only national cemeteries to enhance service in urban areas
where distance and travel time from the center of the city (urban core)
to an existing national cemetery present barriers to visitation and
contribute to lower usage rates than national cemeteries in other
large, urban areas.
NCA also expands existing national cemeteries to maintain current
burial access options. We appreciate the recent passage of the Black
Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act, which will allow NCA to
obtain land from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that is adjacent
to our existing national cemetery.
Our discussion of final resting places for Veterans would not be
complete without including the valuable partnerships we have
established with the state and tribal organizations through our
Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP). In 2018, we are celebrating
the 40th anniversary of the program. VCGP was established in 1978 to
complement service provided by VA's national cemeteries. The program
assists states, territories and tribal governments in providing
gravesites for Veterans in those areas where NCA cannot fully satisfy
their burial needs. Grants may be used to establish, expand or improve
Veterans cemeteries that are owned and operated by a state, territory
or tribal government or to assist the states or tribal communities with
issues of operation and maintenance.
VCGP has awarded over $766 million in grants since 1978, funding
109 state and tribal cemeteries in 47 states, Guam and Saipan, and 11
operational tribal cemeteries. In FY 2017, these cemeteries provided
38,219 burials.
All of these initiatives are designed, as I mentioned, to meet
NCA's strategic goal of providing reasonable access to 95 percent of
eligible Veterans. We are currently at 92 percent, and when we attain
our strategic goal, we know there are others-those that I call the
``hardest 5 percent''-who still would be outside our reasonable access
standard. We continue to look for ways to reach them as well, and are
open to working with you to find innovative approaches to do that.
Of course, NCA leads the way in providing a variety of world class
burial and memorial benefits for Veterans and their families. But
beyond providing perpetual care in our national cemeteries, NCA is
working on several exciting initiatives that will ensure lasting
tributes to the sacrifices made by Veterans and their families.
NCA is striving to embrace technology by making significant
improvements to our digital landscape to better serve the Veterans and
their families. For example, in September 2017, we launched a new NCA
mobile site. This mobile redesign has easy-to-understand language,
intuitive file paths, a sleek design, and a user-friendly interface.
Some of the improvements to the mobile site and to the overall user
experience include integration with popular maps; the ability to link
to or display a cemetery map; and integration with the new cemetery
lookup feature.
Also in 2017, VA inaugurated the Veterans Legacy Program (VLP), a
series of unique partnerships between VA and academic institutions,
which engage university students to research Veterans' stories, make
their stories accessible to the public, and teach K-12 students what
they learned about Veterans. While similar in their mission to
memorialize Veterans through student engagement, each of the
partnerships reflects the unique characteristics of the local
communities. VA will expand these partnerships in the future. To date,
Legacy programs have engaged 38 university professors and 64 K-12
teachers. The programs have impacted approximately 750 undergraduates
and 6,400 K-12 students. Legacy programs have produced 42 lesson plans
for K-12 teachers, 119 Veteran biographies, and 6 Veterans cemetery
walking tours, all based on research conducted on-site in national
cemeteries by students. To maximize programmatic flexibility, the
Legacy program is seeking grant authority through an FY 2019
legislative proposal, as grants are Federal award instruments that most
universities use. The award and distribution process for grants
provides a valuable tool that will allow NCA to manage programs and
stakeholders in a more responsive and efficient manner.
The Legacy program partnered with the American Battle Monuments
Commission on the Understanding Sacrifice program of teacher education.
Teachers from all over the country participated in this program to
learn about the Pacific Theater of World War II and to do research on
hometown heroes of that war who are interred in NCA and ABMC
cemeteries. ABMC and VLP will continue their partnership in a new
program in FY 2018.
VLP and the Library of Congress worked with the Department of the
Army to host cadet-interns from the United States Military Academy at
West Point, New York. They spent their first 3 days in Washington, DC,
learning the basics of Veteran research, and then they went to Fort
Snelling National Cemetery and Santa Fe National Cemetery, where they
worked on researching Veterans in those cemeteries.
Complementing Legacy research and engagement efforts, VA took the
first steps of a major transformation of public digital engagement in
Veteran memorialization. VA is creating an interactive website, which
we expect to be operational in 2019, that will enable virtual
memorialization of the millions of Veterans buried at VA national
cemeteries. When fully implemented, the platform will allow online
visitors to pay their respects and will permit researchers, students,
and professionals to share information about more than 3.2 million
Veterans memorialized by NCA. Most importantly, it will allow families
to upload materials related to a Veteran's service, such as letters,
pictures, and videos, to be shared with the public. Visitors to a
gravesite will be able to use their smartphones or other devices to
``scan'' a Veteran's headstone and access the uploaded information,
thereby creating an interactive memorial experience.
All of these efforts will help ensure that ``no Veteran ever
dies.'' This may seem an odd statement, but let me explain. It has been
said that we all die two deaths. The first, a physical one, and the
second, the last time someone speaks our name. As Under Secretary, I am
dedicated to ensuring that the names of our Veterans laid to rest in
our VA national cemeteries, and those Veterans buried in state and
tribal Veterans cemeteries around the country, are never forgotten for
their service to our Nation. As long as we remember and continue to
speak their names and share their stories, they are never truly gone.
This is my commitment-and that of all NCA team members-to the families
and friends of loved ones now not with us.
This concludes my statement, Mr. Chairman. We would be happy now to
entertain any questions you or the other members of the Subcommittee
may have.
Prepared Statement of Honorable William M. Matz
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for this
opportunity to discuss the mission, operations and programs of the
American Battle Monuments Commission. The subject of this hearing -
Honoring Heroes: Memorializing our Nation's Veterans - is so
appropriate to our agency mission, and that sentiment inspires the
thoughts I share with you this morning.
Since the agency's establishment in 1923, our purpose has not
changed - to commemorate the service and achievements of America's
armed forces - yet our methods have changed. We execute our mission by
creating memorials worldwide where U.S. forces have served, and by
maintaining overseas military cemeteries - shrines to our fallen and
those that fought by their side - to a standard appropriate to the
sacrifice they represent.
Our first Chairman, General John J. Pershing, set the tone for the
Commission when he wrote that, ``Time will not dim the glory of their
deeds.'' These simple but powerful words are the foundation of
everything we do. The cemeteries and memorials we administer have been
entrusted to our care by the American people - we take that as a solemn
responsibility.
When the President selected me to serve as Secretary of the
Commission, he presented me with an opportunity of a lifetime; one I
don't take for granted. Preserving these ``national treasures'' as
symbols of selfless devotion and beacons of freedom is not a job; it is
a reverent calling, a duty.
Over Memorial Day weekend, we conducted ceremonies in 26
cemeteries, in 10 countries across four continents. On Sunday morning
of that weekend, I stood at a podium at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
in France. The Aisne-Marne cemetery and the Belleau Wood battlefield
behind it honor those who fell in the Aisne-Marne Campaign. Ten U.S.
Army divisions and one U.S. Marine Corps brigade fought alongside
French comrades in arms, in America's first major offensive campaign of
the war. Memorialized there, shoulder-to-shoulder, are more than 2,600
soldiers and nearly 500 Marines, who died during that campaign with the
common goal of making the world safe for democracy and bringing a final
peace to Europe.
That Sunday afternoon we were at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery,
where we again offered our thanks and respect to those who served and
died in service to our Nation. 6,012 war dead are buried on those
beautiful grounds and 241 are listed as missing - most of whom lost
their lives on nearby battlefields. One of the dead is Sergeant Joyce
Kilmer, 165th Infantry, 42nd Division - he rests in Plot B, Row 9,
Grave 15. Probably best known for writing the poem Trees, he also wrote
these prophetic words taken from his poem Rouge Bouquet:
THERE IS ON EARTH NO WORTHIER GRAVE
TO HOLD THE BODIES OF THE BRAVE
THAN THIS PLACE OF PAIN AND PRIDE
WHERE THEY NOBLY FOUGHT AND NOBLY DIED.
Kilmer's poem speaks of life and death. Joyce Kilmer didn't have to
put his life on the line. He served as the senior regimental
statistician under the direction of the regimental chaplain. But that
didn't meet his personal criteria for service to his country. He
requested a transfer to the regimental intelligence section, knowing it
would get him closer to the front lines. In July 1918, Kilmer's 42nd
``Rainbow'' Division was attempting to break German defensive positions
along the Ourq River, a few kilometers from the cemetery. In eight days
of fighting, the Rainbow Division lost 5,500 men - one of those men was
Sergeant Joyce Kilmer.
On Sunday evening, I stood behind a ribbon at the Chateau-Thierry
Monument, not far from the Aisne-Marne cemetery, to dedicate a new
visitor center that tells the story of men and women like Joyce Kilmer;
providing historical context for the events that occurred there 100
years ago; preserving the memory of the thousands of Joyce Kilmer's,
whose unselfish willingness to serve a cause greater than them, allows
us to live in a world that would be a much different and desirable
place than the one we enjoy today.
One Sunday in May - three historic sites of honor and commemoration
- underscoring the importance of this morning's theme: Honoring Heroes:
Memorializing our Nation's Veterans.
What motivates a man to leave the safety of his trench, to crawl
through barbed wire to attack enemy positions with rifle and bayonet
when artillery and machine gun fire halts his unit's advance? What
motivates someone to ignore their own wounds to care for others, all
while under enemy fire? How do we ensure that we never forget such
courageous service and sacrifice?
Since the 2007 opening of our Normandy American Cemetery Visitor
Center, ABMC has recognized its responsibility to answer those
questions by ``telling the stories'' of the men and women honored at
its cemeteries and monuments, providing historical context for visitors
now far removed from the events of the war years. Following the world
wars, no one had to tell our visitors the story. They were the mothers
and fathers, the widows, the brothers and sisters of the war dead. They
did not seek nor require context; they knew all too well the story.
They came to grieve not to learn . they came to say farewell.
Meticulously maintaining cemeteries and memorials is and will
remain ABMC's core mission. But that alone is no longer enough to honor
those who served; the Commission must also preserve and communicate
their stories of competence, courage, and sacrifice. The visitor center
at Chateau-Thierry is the seventh the Commission has opened since 2007.
Three more are in development, all with a common purpose - to enrich
the visitor's experience and understanding of the importance of these
sacred sites, and the significance of the historic events that led to
their creation.
We also, over the past several years, have aggressively pursued an
educational outreach program in the U.S., through partnerships with
universities and organizations like National History Day and the
National World War II Museum in New Orleans. I invite you to visit our
educational program website at ABMCeducation.org - to view the wealth
of stories and lesson plans developed by teachers for teachers. We are
updating the World War I materials, and we have begun to partner with
the National Cemetery Administration on World War II content, tying the
stories of our stateside national cemeteries to those from our overseas
commemorative sites.
Through all of this, we have not forgotten our core mission of
building monuments to commemorate service and sacrifice. Last year ABMC
dedicated its 28th and 29th Federal markers in Dartmouth, England: a
granite monument commemorating the Allied build-up, training and launch
of the D-Day invasion from the shores of England, and a commemorative
bronze plaque in the Britannia Royal Naval College, which served as XI
Amphibious Force headquarters in World War II. Later this year, at the
invitation of the Government of New Zealand, we expect to dedicate a
U.S. memorial in the National War Memorial Park in Wellington. And a
monument in Iceland commemorating operations there in World War II is
in the early stages of development. When completed, these two
commemorations will bring the total number of ABMC memorials, monuments
and markers to 31.
Next year, we will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day
landings. To prepare for that historic event we are refreshing the
exhibits and media at the Normandy visitor center, recognizing that 11
years have passed since the original exhibits opened to the public. And
over the next couple of years, we also will improve the cemetery's
entrance traffic flow and parking, upgrade and add to existing comfort
facilities, and revamp security screening areas to better handle peak
visitation periods.
At the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument, west of Normandy, we are
developing a site master plan to address the challenges posed by the
dual need of providing visitors a positive and safe experience while
protecting the integrity of this historic cultural landscape. The plan
will be completed by the end of this fiscal year, allowing us to define
specific actions, timelines and costs for the way ahead. Together,
Normandy and Pointe du Hoc are our most visited sites worldwide.
With the support of the Subcommittee, we assumed ownership of the
Lafayette Escadrille Memorial Cemetery outside Paris in January 2017.
The memorial honors American combat aviation pioneers, 49 of whom are
interred in the crypt beneath the monument. We will better tell their
incredible story next year, when we complete a conversion of an old
caretaker's cottage on the site into a small visitor center. We hope to
dedicate the new center on Memorial Day 2019.
The memorial cemetery is located in a rustic park environment,
which makes impractical the maintenance of a ``fine lawn'' standard as
seen in our cemetery plot areas. Nonetheless, a maintenance and
rejuvenation plan has been completed by an arborist specialized in the
care of ancient woodlands, who will oversee the execution of the effort
to improve the appearance of the grounds while preserving their
naturally rustic character. We also have plans to waterproof and repave
the memorial terrace, improve the accessibility ramp, and replace paths
and curbstones to raise the memorial's condition to ABMC standards.
Finally, I am happy to report that the restoration of Clark
Veterans Cemetery in the Philippines is progressing well. We have
obligated the $5 million authorized for the restoration, and are in the
final stages of improvements in the plot areas, where the headstones
had been partially buried and unreadable since the volcanic eruption of
Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. I want to thank the National Cemetery
Administration for partnering with us to provide more than 3,000 new
headstones to replace those at Clark cemetery that had been damaged
beyond repair.
All of these programs and projects have a singular focus, to honor
and memorialize America's armed forces - our heroes - for their
unselfish and dedicated service and sacrifice.
The poet Archibald MacLeish served as an ambulance driver and later
as an artillery officer in World War I. He fought in the Second Battle
of the Marne. His brother was killed in action during the war.
MacLeish's poem - The Young Dead Soldiers - includes this eloquent and
timeless challenge:
THEY SAY, WE WERE YOUNG, WE HAVE DIED,
REMEMBER US .
THEY SAY, WE LEAVE YOU OUR DEATHS:
GIVE THEM THEIR MEANING.
So many have given us their deaths - it is for us, and our
children, for generations to come, to give them meaning. That is and
will remain the mission of the American Battle Monuments Commission.
Prepared Statement of Gerardo Avila
Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Esty and distinguished members of the
Subcommittee on Disability Assistnce and Memorial Affairs (DAMA); on
behalf of National Commander Denise H. Rohan and the 2 million members
of The American Legion, the largest patriotic service organization for
veterans, serving every man and woman who has worn the uniform for this
country, thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration
(NCA).
BACKGROUND
NCA's mission is simple: to honor veterans and their families with
final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that
commemorate their services and sacrifice to our nation. This veteran-
centric mission can be traced back to President Abraham Lincoln, who
famously stated, ``To care for him who shall have borne the battle and
for his widow, and his orphan,'' which is now the mission of the entire
Department of Veterans Affairs.
On July 17, 1862, President Lincoln signed legislation (Omnibus Act
Public Law 165 \1\) authorizing the President of the United States the
power to purchase lands and establish national cemeteries to bury
soldiers who died in the service of the country. In 1973 Public Law 93-
43 authorized the transfer of 82 national cemeteries from the
Department of the Army to the Department of Veterans Affairs,
essentially creating and establishing the NCA.
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\1\ Omnibus Act Public Law 165: https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/history/
timeline/timeline-1862.asp
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NCA operates 135 national cemeteries, 33 soldiers' lots, along with
monument sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico. Under its current purview,
NCA is responsible for perpetuity care of 4.5 million interred
veterans, veterans of every war and conflict, and family members. NCA
also provides funding to establish, expand, improve and maintain 105
veteran cemeteries in 47 states and territories including tribal trust
lands, Guam, and Saipan. For veterans not buried in a VA national
cemetery, NCA provides headstones, markers or medallions, to
commemorate their service \2\. During fiscal year 2017, NCA conducted
over 171,000 interments in National and State cemeteries, provided more
than 361,000 headstone and markers, 13,000 bronze medallions, and
670,000 Presidential Memorial Certificates \3\.
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\2\ Arlington National Cemetery Report to Congress: https://
www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/Portals/0/Docs/Public-Notices/ANC-Capacity-
Planning-Congressional-Report-Apr-2017.pdf
\3\ 2017 NCA Annual Report: https://www.cem.va.gov/pdf/NCA--YIR--
FY2017.pdf
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NCA's SATISFACTION SURVEY
NCA's yearly customer satisfaction survey consistently receives
ranks in the mid-nineties, the results of the latest survey ranked it
99% on cemetery appearance, 96% on quality of service, and 99% of
responders say they would recommend it to other veterans \4\. The
American Legion has engaged our membership and we regularly hear
veterans echo the sentiments found in the NCA yearly satisfaction
survey. We frequently receive calls complimenting the level of
professionalism displayed by NCA employees when rendering final
respects to their loved one, which is undoubtedly during a very
difficult and emotional time.
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\4\ ACSI Report, January 31, 2017: https://content.govdelivery.com/
accounts/USVANCA/bulletins/184ee83
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The families often share with The American Legion that NCA is
surprisingly well-managed, understanding, and extremely helpful, which
is quite contradictory to the expectations they had considering NCA is
a division of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the second largest
bureaucracy in the federal government. Having a process that is easy to
navigate is appreciated by families and veterans.
NCA INITITATIVES
In an effort to provide a higher level of quality service and
improve customer satisfaction, NCA has implemented new initiatives and
continues its efforts to provide a burial option to veterans within 75
miles from their home. NCA estimates that 92% of all living veterans
currently have this option available to them, provided by a national or
state cemetery \5\.
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\5\ NCA FY 2017 Year In Review Report: https://www.cem.va.gov/pdf/
NCA--YIR--FY2017.pdf
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Furthermore, 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the Veterans
Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP) which has been instrumental in providing
gravesites for veterans in areas that is not supported by NCA or a
state cemetery. VCGP is designed to complement NCA's 135 national
cemeteries across the country. It helps states, federally recognized
tribal governments or U.S. Territories establish new veterans
cemeteries, and expand or improve existing veterans cemeteries. To
date, nearly $800 million has been granted to establish, expand or
improve cemeteries to provide a final resting place for veterans and,
in certain cases, their families \6\.
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\6\ National Cemetery Administration: https://www.cem.va.gov/cem/
grants/
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There are two NCA initiatives that we have chosen to highlight.
They are the Veterans Legacy Program and the Pre-Need Eligibility
Determination initiative.
The Veterans Legacy Program (VLP) is a grant-based
partnership with local universities which allows them to conduct
genealogy research on veterans buried at NCA cemeteries. One of the
goals of the program is to carry the legacy of service and veterans
forward by educating the community and the nation of the sacrifice made
by these selfless heroes. It is said that we die twice: when we
physically take our last breath; and when people don't remember our
names. The Veterans Legacy Program is an important step to ensure that
veterans are never forgotten.
The Pre-Need Eligibility Determination initiative makes
it easier for veterans and their families to plan ahead for difficult
situations. The Pre-Need Eligibility Program is helpful in minimizing
delays when trying to finalize a veteran's final wishes. Veterans are
typically involved in this process, allowing them to dictate and share
their desires.
AMERICAN LEGION ENGAGEMENT & RESOLUTIONS
Ensuring veterans receive the postmortem respect they deserve is a
priority of The American Legion. In 1962, The American Legion created
and established the Graves Registration and Memorial Affairs Committee,
now known as the National Cemetery Committee, an internal committee
designed to focus on these important issues impacting all veterans. The
American Legion maintains a professional staff dedicated to formulate
and recommend to our National Executive Committee, through the Veterans
Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission, polices, plans and programs as
they relate to the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetery
Administration, and the internment of veterans, active duty
servicemembers and their dependents.
In response to issues and concerns, The American Legion created and
passed two resolutions at our 2016 National Convention in Cincinnati,
Ohio. Through Resolution No. 237, The American Legion supports
legislation to amend Code of Federal Regulation 38-632 and specify that
VA recognize accredited representatives be authorized to apply for
headstone, markers or medallion, in the absence of next-of-kin \7\.
This common-sense resolution was created because we have seen a number
of cases where a deceased veteran was not able to receive a grave
marker or have a replacement issued due to damage, simply because a
relative did not make the request. This sometimes happens because there
is no next-of-kin available or aware.
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\7\ Resolution No. 237 Authorization to Apply for a headstone,
Marker, or Medallion https://archive.legion.org/bitstream/handle/
20.500.12203/5561/2016N237.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
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The American Legion also created and passed Resolution No. 9,
allowing us to support the transfer of land from the Bureau of Land
Management to the NCA to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery in
South Dakota, to ensure ample land and space for future expansion \8\.
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\8\ Resolution No. 9 Black Hills National Cemetery Expansion
https://archive.legion.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12203/5741/
2016N009.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y
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Two weeks ago, on May 25th, President Trump signed legislation
transferring approximately 200 acres to expand the cemetery. The
passing of this legislation confirms the commitment and obligation we
have to honor the memory of those that have served the United States of
America in uniform.
CONCERNS
The American Legion is not aware of any obstacles to access for any
veteran wishing that their final resting place be a cemetery operated
by the NCA. That stated, we do receive inquiries and concerns on two
topics: the issuing of NCA headstone or markers for veterans buried in
private cemeteries; and wait times when calling the scheduling office
in St. Louis, MO.
1.The current policy authorizes NCA to issue a headstone or marker
for any unmarked grave. For graves that are marked with a private
marker, NCA will provide a headstone or marker for veterans who died on
November 1, 1990 to present. Veterans who died prior to this date, can
be provided with a medallion to commemorate their veteran status. The
American Legion firmly believes there should not be inconsistency or
discrepancy between veterans based on era of service, and our members
are in favor of having NCA headstones replace the private markers, if
the veteran or veteran's family prefers.
2.Shortly after a veteran passes away, it is incumbent of the
family to contact NCA and begin the process of burial planning,
regardless of the location of the cemetery (private or NCA operated).
Coordinating funeral arrangements may be overwhelming and many people,
who have gone through the process, have expressed their concerns about
the amount of time spent waiting for an NCA representative to speak
with them on the phone. Once the family makes contact, the process, as
described, is great. The American Legion is concerned with the long
wait times family members and veterans are enduring to speak to an NCA
representative during this emotional period.
It is our sincere hope that VA, NCA and this committee take a
closer look, identify and make the necessary corrections to the
discrepancy between veterans who are authorized a headstone or marker
at private cemeteries and those who are not, and eliminating the wait
times at the scheduling office.
CONCLUSION
Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Esty, and distinguished members of
this veteran-centric committee, The American Legion thanks you for the
opportunity to elucidate the position of the 2 million veteran members
of this organization.
Ensuring that those who have selflessly raised their right hand in
defense of this nation receive the honorable and respectful final
resting place they deserve is a priority of The American Legion, and by
action of this committee, we can see that it is for you as well.
For additional information regarding this testimony, please contact
Mr. Matthew Shuman, Director of The American Legion's Legislative
Division at (202) 861-2700 or [email protected].
Prepared Statement of Ken Wiseman
Chairman Bost, Ranking Member Etsy and members of the Subcommittee,
on behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW)
and its Auxiliary, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the
important issue of how our nation memorializes our veterans.
The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) mission to provide
veterans a final resting place worthy of their sacrifice to our nation
is a top priority for the VFW. While the National Cemetery
Administration (NCA) and the American Battle Monuments Commission
(ABMC) generally do a good job, there are always ways to improve the
delivery of memorial benefits to veterans. As such, our focus concerns
staffing and IT issues, our support for the Veterans Legacy Project
(VLP) and ABMC's efforts at several locations, our concerns with VA's
call center for burials, and the VFW's position on Arlington National
Cemetery (ANC) and the Mare Island Naval Cemetery.
VFW Post 605 in Paris, France, reports that the ABMC efforts to
care for cemeteries and monuments have resulted in some of the most
emotionally moving experiences a visitor could have. Efforts by ABMC to
establish visitor centers will allow visitors to properly honor and
remember those who are buried in the cemeteries. These centers will
also allow for better use of staff so that they can focus on other
management aspects of their jobs. The VFW supports ABMC's efforts to
establish and refurbish visitor centers.
The ABMC management of Clark Cemetery in the Republic of the
Philippines is another success story that the VFW is proud to report.
VFW Post 2485 in Angeles City, the Philippines worked from 1994 until
2013 to maintain the cemetery and conduct burials after the closure of
Clark Air Force Base. VFW Post 2485 notes that the repairs and
maintenance of the cemetery are superior and burials continue in a way
that allows Americans to be buried there with honor.
The VFW is very supportive of NCA's Veterans Legacy Project. VLP
will allow for the use of technology so that every grave in a VA-
managed cemetery can be seen and a biography about each veteran can be
read. Updates on each veteran can be provided to ensure the profile is
as accurate as possible and truly reflects the life of the veteran. The
VFW understands the desire of families to ensure that any edits are
correct and appropriate, and we support NCA's inclusion of the families
in the development of these biographies and in review of future
updates. Modern technology will allow VLP to be viewed through a mobile
application and online enabling future generations to learn about the
sacrifices made by generations who came before them.
Survivors are generally satisfied with services provided by NCA.
However, the VFW has learned that the call center for all VA-managed
burials has become overwhelmed due to staffing issues. A surviving
spouse of a veteran reported she was told it would be at least six
weeks before a burial could be processed. This is unacceptable. The VFW
calls for a review to ensure proper staffing is in place so that
burials can be scheduled in a timely manner.
Arlington National Cemetery is a national shrine and continues to
be a highly active cemetery. The VFW understands recent efforts by the
Department of the Army to evaluate ways to ensure Arlington remains an
active cemetery for future service members killed in action and Medal
of Honor recipients. While the VFW cannot support many of the options
being considered to extend the life of Arlington National Cemetery,
there are several options to ensure the longevity of this national
shrine without severely limiting eligibility. After many meetings with
top officials within the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the
Department of the Army, as well as surveys and roundtables conducted by
ANC, the VFW supports restricting eligibility to veterans who served 24
months of active-duty service. This does not include those killed in
action or the dependents of active-duty service members with more than
24 months of service, who must continue to be eligible. Enacting this
eligibility restriction would make the in-ground interment policy at
ANC commensurate with that of cemeteries within VA's National Cemetery
Administration and would reduce workload at ANC by approximately 200
burials per year.
While the VFW acknowledges that restricting eligibility to those
killed in action or to Medal of Honor recipients would ensure that ANC
remains open in perpetuity, the VFW has an obligation to advocate for
and preserve the integrity of the option best suited to do the most
good for the most number of veterans. Restricting eligibility to a very
small category of veterans is not feasible if the true goal is to
provide those who deserve to be laid to rest in America's most hallowed
grounds the ability to do so, specifically those who are already making
end-of-life plans based on their current eligibility.
To the VFW, it is imperative that the way forward includes the
acquisition of additional space in some form or another, as land is a
finite resource, especially in the Washington, D.C., metro area. This
is why the VFW fully supports the proposed southern expansion, which
would add an additional 37 to 40 acres to the cemetery and provide
approximately 40,000-60,000 new gravesites. When combined with the
proposed 24-month eligibility restriction, the life of the ANC would be
extended through 2074.
As previously stated, there is no easy answer in terms of what
happens after 2074 given the current land shortage in the area.
However, there is one property in the area that may offer a solution --
the Armed Forces Retirement Home. For the past decade, VFW members have
donated time and manpower to assist the residents of the Armed Forces
Retirement Home by helping to maintain the property through various
service projects. Every year we go out and we see unused space. We see
a golf course that is struggling to remain open. We read articles in
the local press concerning proposals to develop up to 80 acres of
excess space on the property for commercial use, but have seen such
requests go unnoticed.
The cemetery at the Armed Forces Retirement Home is arguably one of
the most historic and oldest cemeteries in this country, aside from
ANC. From 1861 to 1864, the cemetery accepted thousands of soldiers'
remains from the Union states, which quickly filled the grounds to
capacity. An 1874 report on the cemetery chronicled more than 5,600
interments, including 278 unknown, 125 Confederate prisoners of war,
and 117 civilian relatives of the deceased and employees of the
retirement home. In 1883, more than nine additional acres were added to
the grounds, bringing the cemetery's total size to nearly sixteen
acres. Additionally, the cemetery is the final resting place of 21
Medal of Honor recipients. Given that the southern expansion would
reclaim 40 acres at ANC which would provide an additional 40,000-60,000
gravesites, then it follows that reclaiming the 80 acres of surplus
land at the Armed Forces Retirement Home would give us an additional
80,000-120,000 gravesites, which would push us well beyond 2074. The
VFW considers reclamation to be a viable option.
Another option is additional support for state cemeteries.
Expansion of current cemeteries in the Capitol region and construction
of new cemeteries is an option the VFW supports. For example, Virginia
operates state veteran cemeteries and is in the process of adding a new
cemetery in the northern portion of the state. Actions like this will
help solve the problem of needed space for burials.
The VFW strongly supports passage of H.R. 5588, legislation that
would transfer the Mare Island Naval Cemetery to NCA for management.
The U.S. Navy used this cemetery as the final resting place of more
than 800 veterans. Concern that non-veterans had been buried there has
been raised as a possible reason to prevent NCA from managing the
cemetery. The VFW feels that the Navy made the decision to bury those
people there, that the decision should be respected, and that this is
not a reason to oppose the legislation. This cemetery is in disrepair
and the VFW will never support allowing the final resting place of
veterans to be forgotten.
The lasting legacy of those who have served our country is on
display in cemeteries and is a testament to the cost of freedom. While
our nation remembers the service of veterans who are no longer with us
on Memorial Day, NCA and ABMC ensure that a daily reminder withstands
the test of time.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I am prepared to take
any questions you or the subcommittee members may have.
[all]