Angie Craig: “prior to a vote on the amendment as amended, I would like to speak for up to 3 minutes. I have sought recognition to…”

“prior to a vote on the amendment as amended, I would like to speak for up to 3 minutes. I have sought recognition to comment on an amendment I have offered to address a tremendous gap in coverage that exists in our treatment of the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, who are fighting for our country. My amendment addresses that coverage gap through the creation of a new ``Traumatic Injury Protection'' insurance program for the benefit of severely disabled servicemembers. But before I describe my amendment, let me further discuss the nature of the problem my amendment would attend to. It is widely known that due to incredible advances in medicine, servicemembers who may not have survived life-threatening injuries in previous wars are now making it back home from Iraq and Afghanistan alive. That is the good news. The bad news, however, is that they must live with injuries that may have left them without their limbs, sight, hearing, speech, or ability to even move. All of my colleagues have likely met with these brave men and women in their home States, or right here in Washington, DC, at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. They are fighting for their lives. They are attempting to learn through physical and occupational therapy how to reintegrate back into society. Needless to say, relearning things I and my colleagues take for granted every day--how to walk, how to read, how to simply make breakfast in the morning--can take months or, quite possibly, years.…”