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.