Political Quotes

“Our national military cemeteries are hallowed ground. And I ask my colleagues to agree and support my bill, H.R. 2490, Bertie's Respect for National Cemeteries Act. On October 15, 1969, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a man named George Emery Siple shot and killed Bertha Smith, known to everyone as ``Bertie.'' Siple was convicted of the murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Thirty years later, he died in prison. Because he was a military veteran, he was buried in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in 1999. He was buried there despite a Federal law that was passed in 1997. That law said that veterans convicted of Federal or State capital crimes are not permitted to be buried in Veterans Affairs national cemeteries or Arlington National Cemetery. For Bertie Smith's family, this is a heart-wrenching situation that has gone on for three decades. Jackie Katz, Bertie's daughter, has called it ``hell'' and a ``horror'' to live with the fact that George Siple was memorialized and buried with full military honors. When I first began to look into this issue, it was clear to me that it was as frustrating as it was heartbreaking. Back in 1997, led by our Pennsylvania Senators, Congress passed a law that said that veterans found guilty of capital crimes could not be buried in our national veterans cemeteries. At the time, you may remember, the country was still reeling from the Oklahoma City bombing.…”