>> president donald from will announce his nominee for the supreme court, filling the vacancy left by retiring justice anthony kennedy. watch the announcement live monday at 9:00 p.m. eastern on listen onspan.org, or the free c-span radio app. affairs under for memorial affairs ready reeves -- randy reeves testified at a house veterans affairs subcommittee for about an hour. >> good morning and welcome. this oversight hearing of the of disabilities and

assistance and memorial affairs will come to order. before we begin, i want to welcome the full committee chairman to the committee today. we will be discussing how our -- how honored veterans our nation honors veterans who have passed on. it is appropriate where holding this hearing so close to memorial day and yesterday's anniversary of d-day and the 100th anniversary of the atdliest day of battle belleau woods. when general john j pershing ordered a counter to drive the germans out of belleau woods during world war i. i recently had the privilege to travel to visit some of the most hallowed ground in the world, including that very battlefield and others.

on june 6, 1918, the u.s. ofines, under the command general james harvin, led the attack against for german 4visions and belleau wood -- german divisions in belleau wood. bo would is very important to me, not just because i'm a marine, but one of the marines who fought at belleau woods was born in jackson county, illinois, right near my hometown . he survived the battle, but he fell july 19, 1918, less than a marinester while the were advancing through the french countryside. my american legion post, my home andican legion post bears the name of private stout. i thought of private stout and

those determined and bullheaded 6,il dogs who spent june 1918, repeatedly charging entrenched german forces with no thought of regret and too many men are still there. by the end of that day, marines had suffered more than 1000 casualties. it was the bloodiest day of the battle which went on for almost four weeks. eventually, the marines trolled the germans out, but at a horrible cost. -- the marines drove the germans out. walking among the graves of those brave men who fought and died so far from home was one of the most moving experiences of my life. it was overwhelming to think was aach headstone monument to a husband, a father, a son, or a brother did not make it home. it was unforgettable.

it was also incredibly inspiring. that visit reminded me of how much i go to these fallen heroes, and i am very grateful that i was able to honor them. every american should have that experience. we all need to be reminded that the freedom we enjoy is because of the brave men and women who serve and our armed forces. we also need to ensure that future generations understand that our freedom will always depend on the service and sacrifice of our nation's veterans. the nca and the a bmc -- the abmc are responsible for maintaining national cemeteries, not just a display our gratitude but to inspire children and grandchildren to display the thesey embodied by

cemeteries. countrythe only way our will continue to be a free country. i do not hear many complaints about the nca and abmc taking care of our national cemeteries, but there is almost -- always more we can do, and certainly, i have ideasa and abmc for improvements, so i look forward to hearing from our witnesses ways that we can better on of these heroes, so thank you again for being here today. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i, two, note it is very appropriate we are having this hearing today, a day after the 74th anniversary of d-day. and i must note, my husband's

birthday. it's very easy to remember. f this committee to the respectful and dignified memorization in perpetuity of mechanic's military veterans. to welcome under secretary reeves to his new , looking forward to his further improve how the agency deals with veterans' families. i want to let you know, like dost, i hear good reports, and we want to ensure serving veterans and their families in a way we'd all want to. i want to acknowledge the workforce in florida and puerto following the hurricanes last year.

this committee was receiving daily updates on the operational status, and on the first day the reports were that cemetery foroyees were reporting in duty within hours of the storm passing in each case. scheduledntinued as within 36 hours despite power damage.and it was heroic. it was heroic that these people, were damaged homes or flooded, whose families were distress, and i don't think they've ever credit andtten the thanks from congress and the american people that they to doe for continuing their duty and to ensure that we properly memorialize and care for those who have served this country. to know how much we appreciate that. no amountze there's of compensation that can provide

except for that devotion to duty. i wanted to make sure we our hearingat in today. want to welcome secretary matz. congratulations on the work you ensureover the world to that the cemeteries and memorials honoring fallen american service members be as beautiful and hallowed places of remembrance as we would them to be, but more more as places to educate no directho have memory or knowledge of the battles fought nearby. recently visited the american cemetery in normandy. i understand that there's a new visitors center, and if the site is to be preserved, the to design has plans and install new pedestrian walks. having visited that cemetery with my children about 15 years as, i can tell you for them, young americans, it was so

visit, seeingt row after row after row and young men whothe fell who are now younger than my now, was striking and overwhelming. it's very different than what textbooks. it is vivid and remarkable. so those preserving shows sites, and the education aspect is part of our what nation needs, to therializes, and understand consequences of war, what our responsibilities are in the world. i look forward to hearing from matz, about these plans, what is planned for next commemoration of d-day. i also welcome our good friends from the v.f.w. and american our witnesses here today. you always join us and provide important perspective and feedback about what's happening on the ground. it's not just the laws we pass, the regulations and funding.

people. to work for you enensure that we understand our good intentions are being realized for the families and veterans we're honored to serve. your work with the committee is greatly appreciated and greatly needed. mr. matz, we appreciate your work on topic exposure. mr. wiseman. i'm sorry. we know you're moving on to be virginia state v.f.w. commander. please know our gratitude to in, because of your work part on your fears advocacy.

we appreciate your hard work. >> thank you. i wish you good luck with your next endeavor. >> thank you. withm feeling outnumbered these marines. we want to ensure that our

nation's veterans receive a resting place. last month, i and others on the committee, were honored to visit several overseas cemeteries and monuments to the brave men and served in world wars ii.and but most of war i, our fallen heroes were on the battlefield. most would love to bring their loved back to united states want them buried overseas where they fell in service to our country. the chairman mentioned, in wood, ile of bellow can't imagine the machine those men faced. also the emmitt criteria, where marbled namess of they never found, that were

that's really remarkable. this particular battle, the second entry division, which i in, was stood up in 1917, last year.ars old >> there was a lot of history for me that i hadn't passed over school, and got deep into it. most people don't realize the voracity of those battles, hand-to-hand combat, when you look at four divisions. a small pieceat of real estate. it wasn't very big at all.

since overseas cemeteries are thousands of miles away from soils.n it's assured those graves are properly maintained. you, they are properly maintained. the cemetery and memorials are a symbol our nation's commitment democracy i will never forget visiting these monuments. one experience that still resonates with me personally i visited the graves of three of tennessee brothers. they were buried side by side.

they came from nine children in in afamily, and grew up community called new victory, tennessee, which is in washington county, where i live. seeing they were laid to rest, reminded me of the sacrifices future of our the country. i'm forever grateful for their patriotism. i remember these men were more than soldiers, but men who left homes andt of their tragically never returned. i couldn't stop thinking about what their mother and other members must have felt when they learned about the three deaths. i can't imagine how hard it must mother tofor their have made the choice to bury from home. yet i can't help but think that she made the right choice. the cemetery is beautifully

and respectfully maintained, an appropriate the testerce for brothers and their comrades in arms. i encourage you to visit these sites and be inspired by those there now. i ask the other members to waive their opening remarks. i want to welcome the witnesses who joined us this morning and thank you for taking the time be here today. our first witness is the undersecretary of memorial affairs, accompanied by mr. ronald e. walters.

well, thank you for your service and everything you have done here. mr. ken wiseman, the associate director of the national legislative services. thank you to all of you. i want to remind witnesses that your complete written statement will be entered into the record. we need to understand that undersecretary reeves graciously reworked his schedule so he could be here for most of the hearing, but due to a

long-standing commitment, he has to leave early to catch a plane and we will understand that, but principal deputy undersecretary walters will remain here at the hearing and be able to be .vailable to answer questions undersecretary reeves, you are recognized for five minutes. i'm deeply honored to be here to update on the national cemetery administration. appreciate being here with strong partner of the v.a. the monuments commission continues to do great work. you for that. here with our be key partners from the american from the v.f.w., who provide critical support to us the veteran community. here with me also is ron walte

walters, my principal deputy under secretary. greatest honor to serve the veterans. months i'vet few traveled across the station, and continue to be awe in the commitment and dedication of our professionals. one vision for veteranto ensure no ever dies. you die the first time when very lastves you for time, but you only truly die the future when no your story or speaks your name. committed to ensuring that our veterans don't suffer that second death. from this mission we've three key priorities that align with v.a.'s core mission and the long-range

plans. are preserving the legacy, which is ensuring no veteran dies, providing access and choosing v.a. for our veterans partnering to serve veterans. i'm moved to note that in conversations i've had members youongress, i've found that share these priorities. again, you're helping us ensure that no veteran ever dies. we're dedicated to preserving the legacy of our nation's and v.a.'s veterans legacy program supports v.a. andips between academic institutions and engage students to research veterans story and reach our by teachingeration k-12 students about the sacrifices. there's an interactive website to upload letters, pictures, videos to be shared with the public, and one day able to usel be

ceremonies to scan a veteran's headstone. that's the future and i've seen it. tested and it works. continue to improve burial access for their families. or expand open existing v.a. national existing cemeteries while recognizing the to provide burial options to rural and urban veterans. we will new cemeteries over the five years. we appreciate the great support of congress by passing the boundary expansion act signed by the president on may 25th, allowing us to obtain land from the bureau of land management adjacent to our existing cemetery. we're appreciative of other which legislation, expanded the benefit for benefits buried in

state and tribal cemeteries. cemeteries in 47 states, guam, and saipan. look for your assistance for these valuable programs. we want to provide reasonable burial access to 95% of eligible also working on what i call the hardest 5%, those that are hard to reach in

areas, and those that have long distances to travel they may alsoat be honored. i urge you to visit our national cemeteries anytime. me tok you for allowing being here today, and i look look forward to answering any questions. thank you for opportunity to discuss the mission, operations, the american battle commission. is so appropriate to our agency mission. that sentiment inspires the

thoughts i want to share with this morning. since the agency's establishment not923, our purpose has changed. it is to commemorate the service america'shievement of armed forces. first chairman set the tone for the commission when he wrote that -- and i quote, time does not dim the glory of their deeds. these simple but very powerful foundationn fact the of everything we do. when the president elected me to serve as secretary of the commission he presented me with an opportunity of a lifetime, one that i don't take for granted. preserving these national treasures as symbols of selfless beacons of freedom, this is not a job for me, folks, it is a reverent calling.

a duty for this former infantryman. on the 27th of may, 10, 12 days a podium in the oneican cemetery in france, of the cemeteries that i had an opportunity to visit recently. memorized there 2600der-to-shoulder are soldiers and nearly 500 marines who died during that campaign. then on sunday afternoon, three hours later, we were over at another american cemetery. i understand your visit did not

one,t you to go to that but we want you to visit that one at sometime. cemetery where thanks, there are thosewar dead buried in thetiful grounds and 241 on walls, most of whom who lost their lives on the nearby battlefields. the dead that cemetery is a soldier that rested in plot b, grave 15. probably best known for writing the poem "trees." wrote these poetic words taken from a poem. earth nothere is on worthier grave to hold the bodies of the brave than the pride wheren and they noblebly fought and

noblebly died. in july 1918, his 42nd rainbow to breakwas attempting german defensive position just a few kilometers from the cemetery. fighting thatof rainbow division lost 5500 men. one of those men was sergeant joyce kilmer. then on sunday evening of that stood at the a toument, which you were able visit, and we appreciate very much. we were there to dedicate a new thetors center, telling story that provided context for events that occurred there 100 years ago. 27th, threeay, may historic sites, in honor and commemoration, underscoring, in my view, the importance of this morning's themes are honoring memorizing our nation's veterans.

what motivates a man to leave safety of his trench? howe do we ensure that we never courageous service and sacrifice? of our opening normandy american visitors center, we've recognized its to answer those questions by telling the stories of the men and women honored at these cemeteries and monuments, historical context for visitors now far removed from the events of the war years. one had to tell our first visitors the story. they were the mothers, the widows, brothers, sisters of the war dead. seek nor require context. they knew all too well the story. not tome to grieve, learn in the 1920's, 1930's.

they came to say farewell. three more are in development, andwith a common purpose, that is enrich the visitor's and understanding of the importance of these sacred educate our young children. an educational outreach program in the united states. throughing this partnerships with universities and organizations like the theonal history day and

national world war ii museum in new orleans. folks, i invite you to visit our wealth of view the stories and lesson plans that fordeveloped by teachers teachers. we've begun to partner with the administrationry on world war ii content, tying the stories of national theteries to those from overseas cemeteries. through all of this, we've not mission ofur core building monuments to commemorate service and sacrifice. we dedicated a monument in dartmouth, england, commemorating the ally build-up, training and actual launching of thed-day invasion from shores of england, and the commemorative bronze plaque in the royal naval college the amphibious headquarters in world war ii which oversaw the entire

invasion force. later this year, we're going to memorial ands. national war memorial park in new zealand and a monument in iceland commemorating u.s. primarily naval operations there theorld war ii is also in early stages of development. so these two commemorations will number oftotal memorials and monuments to 31. i will tell you we are able to

this as a result of congress' 30 million one-time in 2016.tion believe me, i think we're good stewards, putting all of that to good use. at the point did you hock ranger monument west of normandy, we are developing a site master plan to address the challenges posed by the dual need of visitors a positive and safe experience while thiscting the integrity of historic cultural landscape. the support of the ownership we assumed inthe cemetery outside paris january 2017. pioneers, 49ation of whom who are interred in a monument nextthe to two french aviators.

finally, i'm happy to report the restoration of the clark veterans segment in the haveppines, where we interred 8600 americans is progressing well. we're in the final stages of improvement in areas where the partially have been buried and unreadable really since the volcanic eruption in 1991. al of these programs have

singular focus to honor theira's heroes for dedicated service and sacrifice. served as an ambulance artilleryter as an officer. his poem, the young dead eloquentincludes this and timeless challenge. they say we were young, we have died. remember us. they say we leave you our death. them their meaning. many have given us their deaths. it is for us and our children for generations to come to give them meaning. now that is, and will remain the mission of the american battle monuments commission. before chairman, that concludes .y remarks,

traced mission can be back to president abraham lincoln. he signed legislation the president of the united states the power to purchase lands and establish national cemeteries to bury soldiers who died in service of their country. thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important document.

for interredible veterans of every war and conflict and family members. provide funding to establish improve cemeteries in the states. we provide headstones, markers, medallions. we've conducted over 171,000 and state in national cemeteries, provided more than 361 headstones and markers, 14,000 bronze medallions, and 670,000 presidential memorial certificates.

respect forng final their loved ones. families often share the nca is well-managed and respectful. contradetectivery. we maintain a professional staff dedicated to form late and

recommend to our national committee through the veterans affairs and rehabilitation commission, policies, plans, and programs as we relate to the national cemetery administration, and service members and their dependents. in response to issues and the american legion at our two resolutions national convention. this resolution was created seen a number of cases where a deceased veteran receive a grave marker due to damage simply because a relative did not make request. the american legion created a resolution allowing us to support the transfer of land from the bureau of land management to expand black hills

in southcemetery dakota. two weeks ago, on may 25th, signednt trump legislation transferring 200 acres to expand the cemetery. the passing of this legislation the commitment and obligation we have to honor the served.f those who have awareerican legion is not of no access to a veteran buried in ae cemetery by n.c.a. it is our hope that v.a., n.c.a. closers committee take a look, identify, and take the necessary corrections between between veterans are authorized a headstone and marker in their private cemetery that are not, and ensuringng wait times, that they receive a honorable

resting place they deserve. by the actions of the committee for you asthat it is well. thank you for the community to share the position of 2 million members of this organization. i look forward to any questions have.ght >> thank you, mr. avila. mr. wiseman, you're recognized five minutes. >> on behalf of veterans of the wars and its auxiliary, thank you for the opportunity to issuey on the important recognizes ouron veterans. it's a top priority for the v.f.w.. national cemetery administration and american battle monuments commission do a also ways tore are improve the memorial benefits to veterans. we appreciate this opportunity several areas. we hear from v.f.w. posts around the amazing work doing.mc is

one in paris, france, reports that the care of cemeteries and have resulted in the emotionally moving experiences a could have. we encourage you to support efforts by abmc to establish visitor centers, allowing visitors to properly honor and remember those buried in the cemeteries. the centers will allow for better use of staff so they can focus on other management their job. abmc management of the isetery in the philippines proud to report it. maintenance of the cemetery are superior and burials can continue that allows thereans to be buried with honor. the v.f.w. is very supportive of the veterans' legacy.

this is unacceptable. the v.f.w. calls for a review to ensure proper staffing is in place so that burials can be scheduled in a timely manner, the undersecretary we appreciate matter and his outreach. we support the passage of legislation that would transfer the naval cemetery to n.c.a. for management. the u.s. navy uses this cemetery as a final resting place for more than 800 veterans.

this number are three medal of honor recipients. cooney,hem is james and emig great, to the united states. private cooney was awarded the highest honor, the medal of honor that can be bestowed for his distinguished service in the face of the enemy. of headstonesos at the naval cemetery. unacceptable. the v.f.w. wants to see, and willing to work with the ensure that proper steps are taken. the mayor island naval cemetery the v.f.w.pair, and will not rest until it's fixed

maintained. the lasting legacy who served our country is a testament to the cost of freedom. our nation remembers the service of veterans who are no day,r with us on memorial we want to ensure that a daily reminder withstands the test of time. concludes my this testimony. i want to thank you and the ranking member for the kind the beginning of the hearing. your staff was key to all of the success that we have had so far water navy billed. i want to particularly thank caroline, chris and maria if help. they have represented you well, and i personally thank them. of my key projects next year is to find every blue water sailor and surviving spouse in the commonwealth of virginia. january 1st, the v.a. will get a whole lot of claims from virginia. back.d thank you for your questions. >> thank you. i'll start the questioning. i will yield myself five minutes for questions.

secretary matz, in your testimony, we know that congress passed legislation to take jurisdiction over the cemetery memorial outside of paris. this memorial and cemetery, which i had the opportunity to last month, includes a for 49esting place american aviators who helped train french pilots before we entered world war i. understand the site was in rough shape when we took it that but let me tell you it looks very good and obviously headed toward looking even better. you please describe work that you're doing there right now? >> yes, sir. took ownership in january of 2017. that we partnered with heretofore had been a french foundation, the french

actually owned the cemetery and the land. partnership we got $1.7 million from the french government, and from those and did a lot of restoration there, sir, 2015 through '16. cleaned and repaired the stone work. we did releveling. repointing. repaired plaster. of course, if you got down into vault, that was leaking. so we put a lot of money into that and upgraded that. also painting, metal work, etc. planned now -- and you say you went through have a project, as i mentioned very briefly in my comments -- to turn the old caretakers cottage into a visitors center. i will report that's going along very nicely. nextetion is anticipated memorial day. that should be a very nice

dedication. we're also in process of looking at waterproofing and repaving the memorial surface there at a $1 million. improving a disabled access ramp that we need there for folks. paths and curb stones. have our horticulturist in the paris office has been the grounds ton bring the grounds up to a standard, the woodland areas up to a standard. are the things we're looking at there. that's wonderful. it has an unbelievable potential. i know you'll do well with that. you, sir. >> under secretary, can you

preserving the legacy program? you, theairman, thank veterans legacy program itself is set up to have both an educational component that i discussed before and also what i my primeook at as mission. i'm the under secretary for memorial affairs. memorialize and remember those who have served our country so well. through a number of different partnerships, and also that wereps with ambc discussed earlier, we have year.d nine grants this the original program awarded three. got that many, you know, universities and others doing the research, and learning about those veterans, areg the lesson plans that used in middle schools, high schools and others, but the

is theomponent compossibility that we're doing youru can walk up with smartphone, as i said, and be able to put that smartphone in will of the headstone, it decipher the arrangement of the letters on the headstone, and pull up the information about that veteran a and their servic. cases, where we're able to, the service they provided, the things they did after service. when i said that the future is the, i've seen demonstration at the university of central florida, and i was headstone,k up to a access the database, and able to that veteran had done both before and after. to a littleing this bit of reality about what it's doing for students out there. i spoke to a graduate student at university of central florida. i asked, what does this program mean to you? at me with tears in his eyes, and he said i was able

veteran back to life. thishe meant by that is world war i veteran, amp, who whoed -- african american served, lost to history, and through his research he was able to tell his story and now that veteran will never die. >> thank you. my time has expired. you, mr. chairman. i want to thank you for your hard work joining us today, making yourselves available to help ensure we fulfill our duty honor and memorialize those country.served this under secretary reeves, i have three areas i hope to cover in less than five minutes i have. one is a question about forifying the criteria headstones in private cemeteries. ast's questions we often get members of congress. i think that would be helpful.

wait times, which i know you're working on, but that by both mr. wiseman and mr. avila. again, i know you have plans. your proposalse going forward, that's helpful and encourage, veterans watching or reading about this, about how important it is to bring the concerns forward. only way we can fix things, if we know about them. on mayor island. i'm familiar with that. site ine seeing the next week or two. mr. reeves, we talked about this, under secretary reefs, if you can talk about your proposal tothis point to begin address the sorry state of etc.r of the headstones, mr. bill richt is not with us

the cosponsor of that bill, and i'd like you to address all three of those, if can. >> absolutely. first of all, i'll address the weight times first if that's okay. thing i want to tell you, i called the call center myself this morning before i at what would normally be a peak time. i went into a call queue, and talking to a representative in less than five minutes. okay? i asked questions because i want to know what's going on in the field. i went to the call center. return to the call center later this month. we provided copies of our plan that we're working on. transparent.fully we provided it to our partners willour staffs, and provide it to anybody that would like to see what we're doing to issues that we've got there.

first of all, one of the problems that we had that was showing, you know, peak -- you than peak call times, had to do with our phone system. with our i.t. folks, getting good support from that. we've corrected some of that, corrected some of the issues. also to the issue that mr. wiseman specifically, the specific case, i'm going to be talking to that individual. it's six weeks, whether weeks, and my numbers be wrong, and i'm not assuming anything. talking to that individual myself. we only have one time to get it right. the one time we don't get it many.is one time too i'm going to correct that, i can assure you.

we'll work with the committee staff to provide any further information that you need. i'll be very detailed in those responses and the information that i gave you. okay? secondly, i'll go to mayor island, because that's more complicated. inst of all, i was california last week for some other events. because this means so much to went to mayor island myself. i'm going to tell you, mr. wiseman, thank you for the that you and v.f.w. have to bring the attention to this. my heart is broken. i got pictures too. and i don't like them. what i saw.et by but beyond that, now i have to look at what's really needs to be done. as soon as we found out about and this was in the news, national cemetery administration, reached out to city of vallejo, california, and reached out to the navy.

navy been working with the to bring forth a grant that cemetery.rbish that i believe that should be approved fairly quickly. navy.t speak for the i'm not going to speak for their process, but i believe it should be approved fairly quickly. there's a good chance of that. secondly, we've committed to tong whatever we need to do replace headstones or anything else there to bring that to a standard where those veterans members, andily others that are there, will be appropriately honored. i do realize that mayor island was transferred to the city of there'sin 1996, and been nothing to keep it in repair since that time as far as tell. i'm not here to cast aspersions anyone. rocks at i'm here to tell you that we -- what we need to focus on is what steps we can take immediately and those things we are doing that i've just described to make sure that those veterans that are there

are appropriately honored. i will say one thing, and this is not anything other than the fact that i feel personally that we need to be careful about every time someone -- because there was an mou between the navy and vallejo to keep this cemetery up. i would recommend that we be careful about immediately going to say we should take over something every time someone doesn't meet their obligation because, because that could set a precedent that mean we don't want to. that is a matter for the committee and for congress to consider. if i've answered that, then the headstones, i'm going to have to get a little information on the headstones. i think the question was the inscription for the spouse, right? is that correct?

we can't provide inscription for a spouse or dependent on the headstone that is currently in a private cemetery, and that's based upon the statute. so, we are following the law. suggest -- ask or if that's something congress might take up, that might be appropriate. we do have a legislative proposal that would allow us to do that, and i would like to be able to talk to your staffs and others and our vso partners to be able to get more information on that for you and more detailed information. ranking member esty: thank you very much. went over time. under secretary reeves: i'm sorry. ranking member esty: i think we need to start with getting mare island to an appropriate state where it should be, then we will continue to stay at the table and do our best to get it right. i want to thank you for your effort. under secretary reeves: thank you for that. in any case, we need to focus

first on honoring our veterans. >> mr. secretary, i would like to stay until 12:30. they will just have to go fast, sir. radewagen,en -- ms. you are recognized for five minutes. ms. radewagen: thank you for your testimony. honoring our fallen heroes is an important, sensitive issue, and i'm glad we can hold this hearing today to ensure that we get it right. i'd like to focus on services for our veterans and families in remote and rural areas. for example, my home district of american samoa is thousands of miles from the nearest veterans cemetery, and the families of these veterans do have options for honoring their fallen loved ones in the form of v.a.-issued

grave markers. this is a very good program. however, i believe it is being underutilized and could benefit from some improvements. american samoa is beautiful, but small, small enough that we don't have street addresses for mail to be delivered and we instead have to rely on po boxes. v.a.-issued grave markers cannot be delivered to po boxes and need to be delivered to a physical address. as you can see, this presents a problem for my district. fortunately, our local vso's and the good folks at our local v.a. clinic have established a workaround and will help facilitate the delivery by holding the marker at the clinic for pickup. however, this workaround process is not always immediately press -- a parent to my constituents. apparent to my constituents. i believe the initial confusion

on the instructions for grave marker application regarding po boxes means that not all families are taking advantage of this service. so, under secretary reeves, what improvements could the v.a. make to ensure that families in remote and rural areas who may not have access to a nearby burial option have the ability to honor their deceased loved ones either with a grave marker program or other initiatives? under secretary reeves: thank you very much for that question. i understand, having been briefed on this a little bit ago , that in the case of samoa, that, i believe, is a misinterpretation both on our part, and i'm going to take that for action, on what a po box actually means. in samoa, you can correct me if i'm wrong, a po box is in most cases of physical address. we are now delivering them based

upon the fact that those are actual physical addresses. we are in the process of clarifying how we need to do that for our workforce also, so that people won't go through that. because it says po box, we were interpreting that as what we would normally see as a po box, centrally located po box, like here in the mainland, but that is not really the case, i think, there. so, the reports i've gotten is that we have been successfully delivering them to po boxes because they are actually physical addresses. the biggest thing we have to do is make sure we clarify that both on the form and that we clarify that for our folks, so there is no misunderstanding. ms. radewagen: thank you, mr. chairman, i yield back the balance of my time. chairman bost: thank you. ms. esty had to leave. the marines are now in charge. mr. lamb, you are recognized for

five minutes. mr. lamb: they are going to give us an army infantry division next, mr. chairman. thank you for being here. thank you in particular for giving us some poetry this morning. i really enjoyed that. it reminded me of a story about the building of the world war ii memorial. washington, d.c. when that was being built, the man who was the overall manager of the construction site stayed in a trailer on the site where they were building the memorial, and he told a story afterward about getting a knock on the door of the trailer after hours one night. there was an older gentleman on the other side of the door who had driven across the country by himself for two days from kansas or someplace like that. and when he opened the door, the man just handed over his dog tags from world war ii and he told the construction manager, i just want you to throw those down in the ground underneath

one of those big pillars that are going in the world war ii memorial. he didn't want anything else. he didn't want his name on a plaque. he didn't want a ceremony or anything special. he just wanted to know those would be down there forever. i think that's consistent with some of the things that you gentleman had which is -- gentlemen said, which is we owe to veterans to let them know that we will never let their service be broken. that's what i took from your comments. just know that you have a partner here in that effort. with the passage of time, you placed the folks in the right place, which is that we need to tell the people of this generation and of future generations about these men and women who came before us and what they did to allow us to still stand on this ground today. so, with that, i'm interested in hearing a little bit more, mr. reeves, if you don't mind, about the educational program and the mobile app that you talked about.

how widely in use is that right now? where are we going time wise with that? under secretary reeves: thank you very much for that question. where we are at right now is, as i said, we have nine institutions across the country right now that are doing that. each one of those institutions has multiple cemeteries that they are actually working with, and it's actually happening right now in our national cemeteries. what i will do is, for the sake of time, have my staff provide the full list, who is doing what, what the program in each area specifically entails, if that would be acceptable. mr. lamb: that would be great, thank you. under secretary reeves: what i would love to say is, as you memories of congress are back in your districts, if you have universities that have research and history components, encourage them to seek out and apply for these legacy grants,

so that i can take that to more parts of the country. i will tell you that the timeline will move, as everything does with the amount of funding that is available for grants -- we have to be realistic about that. but my vision is that there will be at least one educational affiliate, meaning university or other affiliate, in every state by the time i'm done with this. mr. lamb: excellent. i'm from the 18th district of pennsylvania, which has the national cemetery of the alleghenies there. you had a chance to visit that one yet, mr. reeves? under secretary reeves: i have not been to the alleghenies yet. one of my senior colleagues at v.a. actually went and spoke there on memorial day. that's what we do is we ask our senior folks to go out to all of our cemeteries. and she came back raving about the beauty of the cemetery and the outpouring, mainly, of the community, for that program. i'm impressed with what they are

doing there and i am impressed and glad that you mentioned that, because that's one of the highlighted places that i had. mr. lamb: i'm thrilled to hear that. i'm running out of time. i'd like to personally invite you out there the next chance you get. i'd love to have you there and explore ways to expand the educational offerings. i think there are some infrastructural needs there as ewl -- well, with it being a newer cemetery that just came online. i yield back the balance of my time. under secretary reeves: i ask pleasing encourage the schools in your area to apply. chairman bost: if it's all right with the blessing of the committee, i have a couple more questions i'd like to ask. mr. avila, your testimony highlighted a new ncaa initiative, pre-need eligibility determination. in your experience, has this program successfully reduced delays and red tape for veterans

and their families? mr. avila: the program started several years ago. a veteran can file an application. it doesn't guarantee them a slot, but it eliminates the initial eligibility criteria that -- done, the biggest thing we see is that the veteran has that conversation with the family, which is a very important conversation to have. most of the calls we receive is when next of kin or spouse or family member saying my father or brother or sister is a veteran who passed away, what do we need to do. they never had the conversation. find this program extremely helpful. we think it does reduce the waiting period. like i said in my remarks, my testimony, it's not an emergency

as far as the waiting. states what we've been hearing, the wait time is 32 to 45 minutes, and this is for the scheduling, the verification. preneede able to do the eligibility determination and take out the first step, it will increase and expedite hwen -- when the veteran can be interned and buried. -- interred and buried. what is thet: status of the restoration in the philippines? mr. matz: we are making good headway. as i covered very quickly in my opening remarks, what i've done since we took it over, we are working very closely with the honorable reeves' agency. they are providing the headstones for us, so we are still doing that. we've done a lot of work in

putting pass -- paths in, some security, etc. i have not been out there yet myself. that's on my visit list in the next two months to get out and visit the pacific and our superintendent there, but i will tell you, sir, i've seen photos of it. it's coming along fine. and we've certainly got the dollars for it right now to do what we need to do. sisteryou know, its right there in manila, which is our largest cemetery of all 26, we are doing a lot of work there on irrigation systems and also putting a new visitor center there. and also we are doing irrigation systems there, too. chairman bost: it's good to hear. thank you. with that, i want to thank the witnesses again. i would recognize mr. lamb as the ranking member, if he wants to make any closing remarks? mr. lamb: no, thank you, mr.

chairman, but thank you for recognizing me. chairman bost: i want to thank the witnesses again for being here today. as i said earlier, your statements for today will be entered into the hearing record. i want to close out by saying this, thank you so much, both of you, for what you are doing. and when you say that we need to make sure that our veterans are -- that their history is not forgotten -- when wee were at american planters field, watching and hearing their memorial day services, that they take students from right there, that come in and take the names of those veterans and study their history and, on memorial day, students, not from this nation, from that nation, because of the liberation that they received by our american --

they actually study those histories and give testimony about that individual that they have studied that year for that memorial day. what an amazing thing, and i think our children should do the same and understand what it is abroad,orth not only but in the united states with the cemeteries that are there. this stuck -- this is something i held onto. orn you leave the museum visitor center at arlington, one of your predecessors has a quote on the wall, general mark clark. and he was the chairman of the american battle monuments commission from 1969 to 1984. everis what he says, "if proof were needed that we fought for a cause and not for a conquest, it could be found in these cemeteries, here where our

only conquest -- here is our only conquest. all we ask was enough soil in which to bury our gallant dead. that is followed -- hallowed soi l." we need to make sure that ground, which we do hold with our most gallant men and women, is never, ever first taken, and i thank both of you for doing that -- ever forsaken, and i thank both of you for doing that. with that, with unanimous consent, all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks, including extend u.s. material. hearing no objections, this hearing is now adjourned. [gavel] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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church in pennsylvania is a combing going of a lot of undercurrents in the country of religion, politics and guns, to a degree we have not seen before. following,worldwide my guess would be maybe 200 people in the congregation total up in pennsylvania, and 500,000 worldwide. is you can follow the church on youtube. all the sermons are webcast every week. but it is that combing going of america -- co-mingling of passion in america, and what this says about us as a culture. is this a precursor of what we might see down the road? ofn you let the genie out the bottle of mixing guns and

religion, in almost any society it has been problematic. >> sunday night at 8:00 on c-span's q and a. >> president donald trump will announce his nominee for the filling thet, vacancy left by retiring justice anthony kennedy. watch the announcement live monday night at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span or c-span.org or listen on the free c-span radio app. a hearing examines the state of alzheimer's research and the economic toll of the disease. we hear from federal and state officials, as well as actress -- marcia gayn harden, who shares her experiences with a mother who suffered from the disease.