75th anniversary of VA’s establishment held in Capitol rotunda

Washington, D.C. — House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) made the following remarks at a ceremony held today in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the VA, established in 1930 as the Veterans Administration and now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs. Buyer was joined by Speaker Dennis Hastert, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson. Among honored guests at the ceremony were veterans of every war in which Americans have served since World War I.

“Good afternoon and welcome to this very special place. The Capitol rotunda is reserved for two very special uses. The first and most important use is the visits every day of Americans who come to see their capitol and experience their unique history. The second use is more formal – reserved for only the most special and solemn occasions.

It is that second use that brings us here today, to commemorate the establishment in 1930 of an agency charged “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” Those words, spoken in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln in his Second Inaugural Address, have been adopted by VA as the department’s enduring motto.

Since those words and since establishment of the Veterans Administration in 1930, the VA has come a long way. Today’s VA provides what some now call, “The best medical care in the U.S.” We care for more than five million patients in more than 1,300 sites of care, including 154 medical centers and over 600 outpatient clinics.

Approximately three million veterans depend on VA for disability compensation and pension payments, and nearly 600,000 spouses, children and parents of deceased veterans receive benefits. More than 21 million veterans have used the GI Bill and other VA educational benefits, helping them take advantage of the opportunities offered by the system of free enterprise they served to defend.

Our revered dead lie in honored repose in 123 national cemeteries administered by VA as national shrines in 39 states and Puerto Rico. VA medical research has won the Nobel Prize and it has been instrumental in developing the CT scan, the pacemaker, improvements in prosthetics, the nicotine patch and even Gatorade. The nation’s first liver transplant was conducted by a VA surgeon, and VA has pioneered treatments for schizophrenia, high blood pressure, and tuberculosis.

Today America is engaged in a global war on terror. VA’s professionals and volunteers are at their stations in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, offices, and clinics ensuring that our newest veterans and their families have the best support. Veterans returning from combat with severe injuries that may include traumatic brain injuries, amputations, wounds, blindness or hearing disorders, complex orthopedic injuries, and mental health concerns are getting state-of-the-art care at four new VA polytrauma rehabilitation centers, in Palo Alto, Calif.; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Richmond, Virginia; and Tampa, Florida. I have seen the work done in these centers and there is none better.

Veterans are receiving education, training and vocational rehabilitation and employment programs so they can achieve economic success, and a sense of accomplishment and personal worth. Our veterans deserve no less. VA has been caring for those who have borne this nation’s burden for many decades.

On March 15, 1989, the contribution of VA and the importance of support for America’s veterans were officially recognized, with the agency’s establishment as a Cabinet-level department. Hailing the creation of the nation’s 14th cabinet-level position, President George H.W. Bush said, “There is only one place for the veterans of America, in the Cabinet Room, at the table with the President of the United States of America.”

Ladies and gentlemen, today that one place is here in this revered rotunda of our Capitol. Please join me in offering congratulations and thanks to the men and women of our Department of Veterans Affairs on this the 75th anniversary of a remarkable agency.

Thank you.”

Please visit our website at http://veterans.house.gov