ms. ami neiberger-miller who is the director of outreach and education for the tragedy assistance program and for survivors and miss diane zumatto national legislative director for amvets. we appreciate your attendance here today, your complete and written statements will be entered into the hearing record. ms. neiberger-miller you are recognized for five minutes for our testimony. >> the tragedy assistance program for survivors. this is a nonprofit organization that provides comfort and care to anyone grieving the death of someone who died while serving in our armed forces regardless of where they died or how they died. we appreciate the subcommittee's continuing interest in insuring our nation's veterans and service members have final resting places that are honorable and well maintained. these issues touch my family, my brother was killed action in iraq and is buried in arlington national cemetery and my father-in-law is also buried at arlington. we hope you will review our submitted testimony, which includes opinions on legislative initiatives related to national cemeteries in arlington. the scandal that envelopes the depart

ms. zumatto, really appreciate all the work, and time that you took to go to these different cemeteries,g the one at ft. bliss in el paso, texas. i want to note for the record appreciate. the fact that you're listening as well to gain insight. ms. zumatto i really appreciated your remarks in your testimony, in your written testimony, about the national cemetery at ft. bliss. you describe it as serene and beautiful and very well maintained and a little bit of a surprise because you had heard that there was some discontent in el paso about the cemetery. i really can't argue with your conclusions. i think it is a very serene, a very beautiful place. again, so clean and well maintained and for the resources that they have, if you're going to have that crushed rock and some small areas of grass, some small areas of trees and landscaping, it is excellently maintained. i think the disconnect might come when we talk to the families, the survivors, who can also appreciate everything that but then that act of actually kneeling at the grave site or this is, you know, their experience as they relate

ms. diane zumatto, a national legislative director for amvets.th those introductions complete, i also thank the members not on this committee but it was -- but who has ex pressed an interest in today's topic. i ask unanimous consent that representatives neighbors who is not here yet be allowed to participate in this hearing. hearing no objections to orderh, to. allo thank you all for being with us today and i now yield to theheao orred.g member for her o opening statement. >> well, thank you, mr. chairmad and thank you for holding this hearing. i guess this is our grand finale.statemen i suspect this'll be the lasthe. time that are subcommittee meets during the session and i want to nale thank you for your leadership waings se and tell you what a pleasure to been to work with ou what a pleasure it's been to work with hinkite and tstaff on this you ålñ!ifwell served approach to these issues. >> i want to thank you for that also, because it'sd&bñ a two-wa street. thank you for your commitment and your passion. >> i also want9&0vç to+f"wx tha speake