M у PENSION BILLS AND BILLS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL / Vietnam veterans pension bills/ HEARINGS ་ ༢་ BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETIETH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON BILLS RELATED TO THE NON-SERVICE-CONNECTED PENSION 75-968 MARCH 2, 3, AND 6, 1967 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs Pages of all hearings are numbered cumulatively to permit a U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1967 CONTENTS J 66.2 √442 Page Adair, Hon. E. Ross- 282-284, 289, 290 American Expeditionary Forces of 1917-1919: Dwyer, Mike, National 219-225 American Legion : Golembieski, Edward H., Deputy Director, National Rehabilitation 229-240 Cone, Mrs. Mary (See: United Spanish American War Veterans) Disabled American Veterans: Flaherty, William J., Assistant Director of Legislation__ Dorn, Hon. W. J. Bryan__ 195-197 260-266 260, 263 1, 172-176, 178-181, 184, 185, 187, 188, 190-195, 197, 208, 211, 217–219, Huber, Charles L. (See: Disabled American Veterans) Hutchinson, Sam C. (See: United Spanish American War Veterans) Johnson, Hon. Lyndon B., President of the United States, Message from__ Kornegay, Hon. Horace R 1-5 190, 191 Subcommittee on Compensation and Pension (See: Compensation and Pen- United Spanish American War Veterans : Cone, Mrs. Mary, Auxiliary Liaison Officer... 255-257 Hutchinson, Sam C., Former National Commander-in-Chief_ 258,259 Stover, Francis W., Director, National Legislative Service___ 208–211, 216–219 NON-SERVICE-CONNECTED PENSION BILLS THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1967 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION AND PENSIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to call, in room 356, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. W. J. Bryan Dorn (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. DORN. The subcommittee will come to order. We are meeting this morning to open the hearings on all pending non-service-connected pension bills, as well as those which seek to provide additional benefits for the veterans of the Vietnam era. The authors of each of these bills have been advised of the hearings, and have been invited either to appear before the subcommittee or to submit a statement. Without objection, I will insert at this point in the record the text of the bills, together with the President's message of January 31, which indicates the administration's position on the general subect of this hearing. (Documents to be furnished follow :) [90th Cong., 1st sess., House of Representatives, Doc. No. 48] AMERICA'S SERVICEMEN AND VETERANS MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES RELATING TO AMERICA'S SERVICEMEN AND VETERANS January 31, 1967.-Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and ordered to be printed. To the Congress of the United States: On July 28, 1943, in a fireside chat on the progress of the war and plans for peace, President Franklin D. Roosevelt told the Nation: "***the members of the Armed Forces have been compelled to make greater sacrifices than the rest of us * ** they are entitled to definite action to take care of their special problems." America has taken that "definite action." It has responded to the needs of the men and women who have carried the banner of liberty in time of danger. We have not forgotten the veterans of past wars. At Belleau Wood and Chateau Thierry, at Normandy and Midway and at Heartbreak Ridge, these brave men earned an honored place in history. Their sacrifices have brought greater justice and decency to the world. Today, the members of our Armed Forces are again fighting and giving their lives in the defense of freedom. It is essential that we convey to them-and to all Americans-our full recognition and gratitude for their service in Vietnam and in other troubled areas of the world. Never have we had more cause to be proud of our Armed Forces. When I visited Cam Ranh Bay last October, I could see that the morale of our men was high for they are determined to succeed. Gen. William Westmoreland, their 1 |