Legislature(2013 - 2014)CAPITOL 120
02/28/2013 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HCR2 | |
| HB59 | |
| Overview: Veterans' Transportation Project | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HCR 2 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 59 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HCR 2-PURPLE HEART STATE
1:04:04 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 2, Proclaiming the state as a
Purple Heart State to honor the service and sacrifice of our
nation's men and women in uniform wounded or killed by the enemy
while serving to protect the freedom enjoyed by all Americans.
1:04:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SHELLEY HUGHES, Alaska State Legislature,
speaking as the sponsor of HCR 2, informed the committee the
resolution would proclaim Alaska as a Purple Heart State,
honoring the services and sacrifices of our nation's men and
women in uniform wounded or killed by the enemy while serving to
protect the freedom enjoyed by all Americans. She opined that
it is appropriate for Alaska to become a Purple Heart State.
The honor of the Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration
and was established during the Revolutionary War by General
George Washington. Although its use was discontinued after the
Revolutionary War, in the 1920s General Douglas MacArthur
encouraged reinstatement of the award and in 1932 - on the 200th
anniversary of George Washington's birth - a newly designed
award was reinstated for use by the U.S. Army. In 1942,
President Franklin Roosevelt expanded its use to all branches of
the armed forces, and in 1962 President John F. Kennedy
authorized its use as a posthumous award. Finally, in 1984
President Ronald Reagan authorized its use for those eligible as
a result of terrorist attacks and in 1998 civilians were removed
from the list of personnel eligible for the medal. The Military
Order of the Purple Heart (Order) was chartered in 1958 for
those who have received the award. It is estimated that 1.7
million Americans have received the award and about 300 members
of the Order live in Alaska; in fact, the Division of Motor
Vehicles, Department of Administration, has issued 716 Purple
Heart license plates in Alaska. Only four other states have
taken this step, however, forty-eight cities, including Wasilla
and Palmer, have been declared Purple Heart Cities.
Representative Hughes provided committee members a Purple Heart
Stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2003. She urged the
committee to support the resolution.
1:10:27 PM
VIRGINIA SMILEY, staff to Representative Shelley Hughes, Alaska
State Legislature, said on June 6, 1944, her father landed at
Utah Beach in France with the 4th Infantry Division and spent
the first night on the beach with a young Ohio soldier who lost
his weapon during the landing. Ms. Smiley said her father was
later terribly wounded, but never considered himself disabled.
She said the intent of the resolution is to honor and recognize
all soldiers like her father who were wounded, [and others who
were killed].
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether passage of the resolution
would provide an opportunity to help encourage wounded combat
veterans to sign up for the benefits offered to them by the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA).
1:13:45 PM
MCHUGH PIERRE, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the
Commissioner/Adjutant General, Department of Military &
Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), assured the committee that DMVA will
use the status as a Purple Heart State to build awareness for
veterans to sign up for health care benefits from USDVA. When
more veterans in Alaska sign up, the USDVA will dramatically
increase health care and the range of services provided in the
state.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER expressed his support for the resolution.
1:14:55 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX opened public testimony.
1:15:17 PM
JOHNNY WHITE said that he earned a Purple Heart in 2005 while
serving with the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne in Iraq. During his
deployment, the mission was to stop the flow of insurgents into
Iraq, and 34 Marines were lost in one fight. His wounds were
inflicted on November 19, and his first memory afterward is of a
World War II veteran who was also a Purple Heart recipient.
With the assistance of the Purple Heart Foundation he finally
received the Purple Heart in 2012 and began to receive the help
and benefits he had earned. If Alaska becomes a Purple Heart
State, every veteran will benefit.
1:17:14 PM
HENRY HUNTER, SR. said he received a Purple Heart in 1971 while
serving with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He said
his neighbor received the Purple Heart posthumously after being
killed in action in Vietnam, and expressed his hope that the
state will recognize all the veterans who received the Purple
Heart. His experience as a veteran in the USDVA system is that
he does not fully receive his benefits, but if Alaska becomes a
Purple Heart State benefits may become more available. In fact,
outside of Bethel there are 56 villages with many veterans
living there. Mr. Hunter said he was inspired to enlist and
help our country with no questions asked.
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD said it was an honor to hear Mr.
Hunter's story.
1:20:59 PM
FRANCIS BOISSEAU said he has been a resident of Fairbanks for 40
years after retiring from the U.S. Army in 1973. He served
three tours in Vietnam and was wounded in 1967 while flying in
support of an extraction helicopter in western Vietnam. During
his 23 years in the Army, he served 16 years as a pilot and then
flew for 25 years as a civilian helicopter pilot. In the
Interior there was one service officer serving a large area, and
Mr. Boisseau is now a service officer of the Order in Fairbanks.
He said he belongs to eight service organizations and Chapter
675 in Fairbanks has approximately 75 members. The Alaska
Chapters of the Order have established a Purple Heart memorial
and the Purple Heart Trail. Mr. Boisseau provided the following
statistics: In Vietnam over 58,000 service members died and
300,000 were wounded; In Iraq and Afghanistan, 6,280 service
members died and 41,936 were wounded; during the years between
1955 and 1999, others gave their lives in conflicts; and from
1775 to present about 2.7 million military personnel have been
wounded or killed. If Alaska becomes a Purple Heart State,
everyone who has served in the military will be honored, in
addition to their relatives. He urged the committee to not let
the opportunity slip by.
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD expressed her hope that Mr. Boisseau
will celebrate the passage of Vietnam Veteran's Day. On behalf
of the committee, she thanked him for his service and testimony.
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX echoed Representative Reinbold's comments.
1:25:48 PM
KENNETH ROSS, a member of the Order, the Marine Corps League,
and Vietnam Veterans of America, informed the committee he is
working to make Talkeetna a Purple Heart City along with
Wasilla, Huston, Palmer, and the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su)
Borough. Mr. Ross was wounded in 1968 during the end of the Tet
Offensive era. He expressed his appreciation to the mayor of
Wasilla because becoming the fifth Purple Heart State will help
the USDVA reach more Alaska residents living in the Bush with
their medical benefits in order to improve lives. He urged for
the passage of HCR 2.
1:28:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for Mr. Ross's affiliation.
MR. ROSS said he was speaking as a representative of all three
organizations and as an individual.
1:29:28 PM
PAUL BEALS reviewed his military history, including as a
corpsman in Vietnam during 1967, 1968, and 1969. He expressed
his belief that he is a member of a generation of warriors who
had an obligation and rite of passage to serve. However, many
Vietnam veterans returned home to a country "at war with
itself." He was wounded in 1967 and during two years of service
saw many young men die. Not too long ago he obtained a Purple
Heart license plate to remember those who died. At graduate
school at the University of Alaska Fairbanks his thesis was an
analysis of conversations with Alaska Native Vietnam combat
veterans, and he learned that in the small villages a high
percentage were drafted and died in service, or who died later
from service-related difficulties. Mr. Beals is now a licensed
counselor working in suicide prevention, intervention, and
postvention, and his experience is that those living in
isolation, as many veterans do, are most vulnerable. He advised
recognition is valuable to bring one out of isolation. He
recalled a national representative of USDVA who showed
indifference to those who returned home to their villages in
Alaska after being drafted into military service. Although
there has been improvement, there is still room for more. He
said the resolution raises the consciousness of society, and
stated his support.
1:34:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD thanked Mr. Beals for his testimony and
for helping others at risk for suicide.
1:35:37 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX asked for whom Mr. Beals was testifying.
MR. BEAL
S said he was speaking for himself, for those who died in his
arms, and for those living in villages.
REPRESENTATIVE HIGGINS said he has been a member of the military
for 11 years. His heartache is that the government is "not
producing what they promised us." He asked whether the
resolution would help in this regard.
1:37:14 PM
VERDIE BOWEN, Director, Office of Veteran Affairs, DMVA, said
yes, the resolution will help because retired service members
generally are invisible in the community. Producing recognition
such as this, and other memorial events, will often bring
veterans out into the community so other can see that they have
served. Some veterans are silent about their service.
1:38:47 PM
TIM ARMSTRONG, Chief of Staff, Southeast District, Department of
Alaska Military Order of the Purple Heart, informed the
committee he was speaking on behalf of the Order. The Military
Order of the Purple Heart is a congressionally charted veterans'
organization comprised 100 percent of combat veterans wounded or
killed in the theatre of war, and many are awarded the medal
posthumously. The Order is a support mechanism, aiding veterans
in obtaining the benefits and medical attention they earned by
providing assistance, guidance, and legal representation.
Alaska has the highest ratio of veterans to population in the
U.S., and veterans contribute to the health and economy of the
state. Alaska recognizes the value of veterans and their
contributions; in fact, Alaska was one of the first states to
award high school diplomas to veterans who interrupted their
education for service during World War II. Alaska has also
established memorials and August 7 as Purple Heart Day holiday.
Mr. Armstrong urged the committee to support Alaska as a Purple
Heart State beside its other designations. For the benefit of
the committee, he displayed his Purple Heart medal, which was
awarded for wounds received during his service in Vietnam in
1968, and which was used as a model to craft the highway signs
along the Purple Heart Trail from Tok to Fairbanks.
1:43:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD thanked Mr. Armstrong for his service
and his testimony.
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX thanked Mr. Armstrong for his service and his
testimony. After determining no one else wished to testify, she
closed public testimony.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES thanked all who testified and all who came
to her expressing interest and hope in this effort. The
resolution attempts to express the gratitude of the state.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG appreciated all of the testimony as co-
sponsor of the resolution. He relayed an experience that
occurred during his service in Vietnam.
1:45:45 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RIENBOLD moved to report HCR 2 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no objection, HCR 2 was reported from the
House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.