Representative Heather Wilson: “In January of this year, I introduced the companion to the Senate measure that we're considering today, and I wanted to…”

“In January of this year, I introduced the companion to the Senate measure that we're considering today, and I wanted to thank both my colleagues from New Mexico, Mr. Pearce and Mr. Udall, for their support of that legislation. I'm very happy today that the House is taking up the Senate version of this bill, which is supported both by Senator Bingaman and by Senator Domenici. I am also very pleased that the governor of New Mexico, Governor Richardson, and a wide variety of veterans' organizations in New Mexico, have supported this legislation. Jerry Murphy passed away on April of this year, on Good Friday. He was a hero in Korea, as my colleagues have pointed out, but it's the way he chose to spend the rest of his life that makes him so special to New Mexico's veterans. He was a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserves. He volunteered to go into the Marine Corps when it looked as though he was going to be drafted and sent to Korea in the Army and he thought the Marine Corps might suit him better.”