On the recordJune 7, 2016
let me respond to my friend from South Carolina. I keep giving examples of medical research in this program that relate directly to members of the military and their families and to veterans. All I hear back in return is: Well, we ought to be doing this research someplace else. Why? Don't we want the research to be done by the Department that has a special responsibility to the men and women in uniform and their families as well as veterans? Let me give you another example that I think really helps to tell this story of research that is jeopardized by the McCain language in this authorization bill. Joan Gray graduated from West Point in the first class that included women. She was commissioned in the U.S. Army as a platoon leader, commander, staff officer. After 5 years of service, she sustained a spinal cord injury in a midair collision during a nighttime tactical parachute jump. Joan Gray's wounds required 12 vertebral fusions. She is now an ambulatory paraplegic and a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Spinal injuries sustained from trauma impact servicemembers deployed overseas and in training. Over 5 percent of combat evacuations in Iraq and Afghanistan were for spinal trauma. Spinal cord injuries require specialized care and support for acute injury, disability adjustment, pain management, quality of life.…
