Joe Crowley: “I strongly support H.R. 3293, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Authorization. I congratulate Congressman Elton Gallegly…”

“I strongly support H.R. 3293, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Authorization. I congratulate Congressman Elton Gallegly, the sponsor of this important legislation to commemorate those brave men and women who fought in Vietnam. I signed on to this legislation because I believe the time has come to commemorate those brave veterans of the Vietnam War who gave up their lives for their country but have yet to receive any public tribute. But this legislation should only be a starting point in this Congress. We should all work together to advance the priorities of all our nation's veterans, including providing a fair distribution of health care resources to veterans regardless of where they reside in our nation. We should make the term 'homeless veteran' an oxymoron. And we must keep letting our nation's veterans know--the people who fought to allow us to come to the floor every day and debate issues both large and small--that we do value their service. Our veterans have provided so much while requesting so little. In my opinion, a memorial should be constructed in honor of these brave men and women. I am pleased the House of Representatives is debating this legislation today and would again like to thank my friend and colleague Representative Elton Gallegly for bringing this legislation to the floor today. This is a good bill. It is long overdue and I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation today.”