Dear Friends,
"HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD" are the words that read on the Tomb of Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. This afternoon, I made the trip across the river into Virginia from Washington D.C., to lay a wreath at the foot of the tomb.
Arlington National Cemetery is one of the most awe inspiring places in the entire world. Sitting on a hill over looking our Nation's Capital, the endless rows of gravesites containing some of the bravest heroes in American history can make even the most stoic of men overcome with emotion.
Click the image to watch the video of Rep. Hill placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. |
Placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers was particularly touching because it was the same day we commemorated the 75th Anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
As I was standing there, I was thinking about the generations of servicemembers who have gone to battle and never returned home, especially those who--75 years ago today-- woke up to what appeared to be another peaceful day in Hawaii only to become a part of one the worst days in American history.
The men who are entombed inside the USS Arizona will never make it home, but like those whose remains sit in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington, their lives have become a symbol for the determination and heroism of the American people and our warriors.
Those who died that day at Pearl Harbor were survived by a Nation determined to defeat the enemy responsible for that attack. At the time, President Franklin Roosevelt called the attack on Pearl Harbor "a day that will live in infamy" but it turned into something much more than that; it became a rallying cry for our Greatest Generation.
Today, visitors at the USS Arizona Memorial in Honolulu will see the drops of oil bubble to the surface on the calm waters of Pearl Harbor. With each drop, we are reminded of our gratitude for the lives of those lost that day and the sacrifice of their entire generation to rid the world one of the most evil alliances ever created.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill |
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Photos for the Week
Rep. Hill and his wife, Martha, at the National World War II Memorial in Washington during the wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. |
Rep. Hill at the Toys for Tots Motorcycle Rally in Little Rock this past weekend. |
Rep. Hill with Arkansas State Rep. Charles Blake and his family during their visit to Washington this week. |
Click the image above to watch Rep. Hill's speech before the House of Representatives titled "Reflections of a Freshman." In his remarks, Rep. Hill outlines his views after his first two years in Congress. |
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House Passes Bill Named for Arkansas Veteran
Yesterday, the House passed S. 3076, the Charles Duncan Buried with Honor Act of 2016. S. 3076, named after Charles Duncan of Little Rock, Arkansas, and introduced earlier this year by Senator Tom Cotton, would amend the Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2012.
Under current law, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides a casket or urn for a deceased veteran whose families do not have the financial means to pay for a burial. However, families that utilize the burial benefits are eligible to be buried at national cemeteries only.
At the time of his death last year, Charles Duncan’s family required assistance from VA to pay for his burial, and, under current law, he was buried at the closest national cemetery—Fort Smith, Arkansas—which is over 150 miles away from his hometown in Little Rock, Arkansas. S. 3076 would allow veterans in similar situations to be buried at a state or tribal cemetery if it is geographically closer to the veteran’s home.
Prior to passage of the bill, Rep. Hill stated on the House Floor:
“Mr. Speaker: I rise in support of S. 3076, the Charles Duncan Buried with Honor Act.
“On Saturday, July 25, 2015, U.S. Navy veteran and Little Rock resident Charles Duncan passed away at the age of 66, leaving behind a daughter, three grandsons, three great-grandsons, and a brother and sister, along with many more family, friends, and loved ones.
“Sadly, like too many of our veterans, Mr. Duncan was financially insolvent and could not afford the costs of his funeral.
“Thankfully, he was eligible for essential VA benefits to cover these costs, however, these benefits required that he be buried at the national cemetery in Fort Smith, instead of close to his home and family in Little Rock.
“By expanding the cemetery burial options offered by the VA to our veterans in need, we can provide families with the solace and peace they deserve.
“I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and support the peaceful rest of the veterans we have lost.”
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Pentagon Gets Golden Fleece
The Washington Post published a report that Pentagon officials buried evidence of $125 billion in bureaucratic waste in 2015. Following the Post’s reporting, Congressman French Hill announced the Department of Defense (DoD) would receive this month’s Golden Fleece Award.
The buried report identified $134 billion of the DoD’s $580 billion budget was spent on overhead and operations including human resources, accounting, and property management, and that DoD employed 1 million people in business operations compared to the 1.3 million active-duty troops serving our country. The report suggested offering early retirement, encouraging attrition, using fewer contractors, and making better use of information technology to save nearly $125 billion, but top DoD officials buried the report, expressing concerns that Congress would seek to cut its budget.
The Post’s report also notes the intransigence of Congress. “We are all too often to blame for blocking even modest attempts to reform the workforce needs at DoD with local, parochial concerns getting in the way of the bigger picture,” said Hill. “I saw this firsthand last year when a plan to consolidate our Air Force C-130J planes for effectiveness and efficiency was defeated. Previously, U.S. Air Force officials had highlighted the transfer of 10 C-130J aircraft from Keesler Air Force Base to Little Rock Air Force Base as a critical cost saving initiative, along with other force structure changes, of $922 million, across the future years defense plan (FYDP), a five-year plan, for savings.”
Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act included language to postpone the transfer of these aircraft, and due to Congressional pressures and the argument for a one-time savings of $24.3 million and a total estimated savings of $751 million over the FYDP, the Air Force rescinded its plan and maintained the more costly unit.
U.S. Air Force officials had argued for years in favor of this transfer, stating that the move to LRAFB “would have integrated all three elements of the Total Force at a single location, eliminating the overhead personnel and logistics support required at a stand-alone unit and enabling formal and informal exchanges of personnel, equipment, and expertise.”
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