when a gentleman volunteering at walter reed said i'm just going to take one of these guys fishing, i think it would be good for him and out of that four years ago it has grown into chapters all over the country. they vascularring a tournament here today that teams up -- they are having a tournament here today that teams up pros and guys, teaching them a new skill and livin giving them a e to learn something new. we talked to two in the program. >> it is an honor and privilege to spend the day with these guys and gals. they have given so much to protect our country and it is great to be able to give back to them. >> it is liberating. i come out here and they teach you what they know and you just come out and have fun. and the people you get to meet, you know, you can't beat that anywhere. >> and so many of these troops that i talked to today have said after their injuries, many of them very serious, they thought their lives would never be the same. some of them who like to hunt and fish and do outdoor

president, i yesterday had the honor of visiting walter reed hospital where i visited with the wounded who had returned from afghanistan and from iraq. it was a very difficult moment for me, mr. president, to meet with a young man, very, very young man, who had lost two arms and legs. it was heart rendering and there were others wounded, too, just like i have seen in afghanistan. this shows the commitment that the united states has to bring security to afghanistan and by extension to the united states and the rest of the world and the difficult task we have had a generations a better and more secure life. for the excellent meeting this morning. president obama and i discussed the entire structure of afghan/american relationship, the issues that we have together in afghanistan, the progress we have made together, the pain that goes on and gives terrorism, the successes of the past years which are numerous and great for which i express gratitude on behalf of the afghan people and to the american people and to you, mr. president. i also thank president obama for adding considerable resour

we follow up with a visit to walter reed where have the honor of visiting some of your soldiers.they had returned from afghanistan with serious wounds. some have lost limbs just like i had seen some of our soldiers lost limbs. this is a very touching part of the trip. it was one that reminds us once again that we need to do a lot more to have these soldiers come back home without injuries and happier. we had also an extensive talks yesterday with the president's and his team. today, he was busy with the congress and yesterday he was busy with the congress. i went to arlington cemetery this morning to pay respects to the dead ones buried there. in short, the trip was meaningful, substantive, and has all the right tones and objectives. going back home with this in the background, the conclusion of the trip would bring me to the implementation of all that we discussed during our trip. that means falling up on my speech during my inauguration address, the london conference, the promises we made to the afghan people, the commitments to our international partners, and to follow up on a

we did visit the london warriors here at walter reed and brooke army medical center where the burn patients are in san antonio often. whenever we could then of course, we meant with the fallen at all different times i remember especially during the 2004 campaign we would go to a big event then afterwards we would go backstage to the other room and meat with the family is that have fallen from that part of the country where we were. that is a grief that is very, very difficult to share or to see with each family. what i always saw was how the families of people who died both in september 11 and those we met with after the terrorist attacks than after that, how they wanted you to know about their loved one how they lost and they wanted to tell a story. one sister of someone who had died had written a story that she read to george and me about her brother and their rice something so moving about every one of those visits and how precious. how our country is a rear so fortunate to have men and women who volunteer to serve our country like those of united states military. >>host: absolutely. [ap

mentioned i was expelled from college, and when i was i got my draft notice and i went over to walter reed, and that arthritis in the legs and so i was four f. for that. that was five years before the announced build up which was 1965, at which time i was 27 is old and beyond draft age in any event. so no, there was no draft evasion. >> host: and you are able to run do? >> guest: i can still run. i could run then. but when you have other with me that you can't move left to right, and you have had arthritis with it. >> host: speaking of former, daniel, hero or traitor? i've had argument with daniel. i think what daniel did, and i'm sure he believes for a higher motive, i think he betrayed his commitment to his country to maintain the security of the secrets that he didn't like the war. understandably a lot of people didn't. he was an early enthusiast about the war. i think what he did was wrong and i think what he did was criminal misconduct. and i think he was legitimately indicted, and, of course, that was the after the break-in at the psychiatrists office because of what was done. and th

. >> we did visit the wounded warriors here at bethesda, and walter reed and then, at brooke army medical center where the burn patients are. in san antonio, often, whenever we could. and then, we met, of course with families of the fallen, at all different times. i remember especially in the 2004 campaign, we'd go to big events, and them, after the big event, were over, big campaign rallies, we'd go back stage or in other rooms and meet with the families of fallen from those -- from that part of the country, wherever we were. and, that is a... you know, a grief that is very, very difficult to share with or to see with these families, and what i always saw was how the families of people who died, both in september 11th, those families that we met with after the terrorist attacks and then the families of the fallen after that, how they wanted you to know about their loved one they had lost and what they really wanted to do was tell us stories and, in fact, one sister of someone who died in iraq, had written a story that she read to george and me about her protbro and there was something mo

right now, senator dole is over in walter reed recovering. he is doing very well. i want to say a thingdole thes -- i want to say dol queue to thees -- i will thank you ought to say doles the and all of the veterans wounded. host: this is available in our video library. there are all sorts of programs on world war ii ii. there is a video on the dedication of the memorial. in the last year as the i the last world war veteran died both here and in the u.k.. when that happened, what thoughts went through your head? guest: when i was working for the va in dayton, the french foreiin embassy when around giving medals to i world war i veterans. the call went out asking the we had in world war i patients. one of them had alzheimer's and was oblivious to what was going on. that left only one that could appreciate this. i think this country has fallen way behind in properly recognizing these people for their efforts and sacrifices. now it is coming of around. i do not want the world war ii memorial to be something that looks more like a tomb or a mausoleum simply because the

right now, senator dole is over in walter reed recovering. he is doing very well. i want to say "thank you" to the doles and all of the combat veterans who are over there at walter reed. host: a believe that senator dole was one of the speakers at the dedication of the memorial back in 2004. you can take a look at online. it is available in our video library. if concerts for world war ii programs. i am sure that on is in there as well. it has not been that long, in the last year or so, that the last world war i veteran died, both here and in the u.k. as well. when that happened, what thoughts went through your head? guest: when i was working for the va in dayton, the french foreign embassy went around. they're giving medals to world war i the actions. this was in 1999. the call went out asking for world war i veteran patients. we were able to find two. one had advanced alzheimer's disease. he sat in a wheelchair oblivious to what was going on. that left one that could appreciate this. i think that this country when it comes to world war i and ii have fallen way beh

the va does not run walter reed medical senator -- center. the va is part of a different picture. it is true that the wars that we have been fighting have presented us with a very difficult patient load. part of it is that due to our success in a rapid medical evacuation, a lot of people in a different war who would be dead in the field, are coming home, often with injuries that take many months and years to treat. we also have the phenomenon of a traumatic brain injury. we have become much more sensitized to post-traumatic stress syndrome. i think we have a bit of a generation of trade -- change in the percentage of returning soldiers that want mental health counseling. the seven big challenges. host: it reports that the rapid air evacuation system has resulted in the lowest mortality rate compared with other u.s. wars. guest: yes. i have been at the pauly, a unit in minneapolis. it is quite a traumatic thing to be there and see all of the toys for children that they have, because many of these veterans will be there for many months. they have children. they have to come and visi

she testified at the first congressional hearing to investigate the conditions at walter reed medical center and her reviews were critical in understanding where changes needed to be made. since we passed the recovery act last year, the g.a.o. has been preparing reports every 60 days on how funds are beings used. cynthia has been working recently as the g.a.o.'s state lead in illinois, carefully reviewing every dollar from the recovery act being spent there. madam president, employees at the g.a.o. continue to ensure that government programs work for the american people. they remain ever vigilant to ensure that all of our public funds are spent wisely and carefully. i hope my colleagues will join me in thanking cynthia burk, kathleen burk and cynthia beshetti and all of the outstanding servants at the g.a.o. office, they are all truly great federal employees. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. dodd: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. dodd: before our colleague from delaware leaves the floor, i said this once before, madam presiden

system and at walter reed army medical center. there is participanting reporting regular sleep pattern feelings of personal safety and reduced anxiety and reduced -- and also socialization. madam speaker, this bill would allow us to further study this innovative new treatment beyond the existing anecdotal evidence and help assess its place in the v.a. system. i urge support of all my colleagues and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from indiana. mr. buyer: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. buyer: i rise in support of h.r. 3885, to direct the secretary of veterans affairs to carry out a dog training pilot program. it would assess the effectiveness of treating postdeployment mental illness such as ptsd, through assistance dog training. the pilot would allow veterans battling these invisible wounds by training assistance animals. the veterans will work with the dog in its care. the trainer w

we followed up with a visit to walter reed, up where i have the honor of visiting some of your soldiersave turned -- webb returned from afghanistan with serious wounds. this was very touching. it reminds us once again that we need to do a lot more to have these soldiers of yours come back, without injuries. we also had extensive talks yesterday with the president and his team. in short, the trip was a meaningful, substantive, and had all the right tones and objectives. the conclusion of the trip would bring me to the implementation of all we discussed. falling on my speech during the inauguration address -- following on my speech during the inauguration address, the pledges and made to the afghan people, the commission that we have with our international partners, and to follow up all that we have in mind and promised. the peace process -- this will have at least 1500 afghans from all over the country, from all the people from all of the province, including 20% of women. they will advise us on how to move forward with the peace process. what pace should it have? how do we time it? how t

one of the things that this goes back to is an oversight subcommittee hearing we had after the walter reed building 18 fiasco in 2007. at that hearing, retired lieutenant general chip rodeman, a former air force surgeon general and a member of the independent review group told me, we recognize the cost is immense and it is our moral obligation to address those issues in independent review group report, the four signature injuries of these wars were identified. post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, increased survival of severe burns and amputation were the significant wounds. recovery from these can take years and include extended rehabilitation and all the life complications that emerge over time from such trauma. we don't have a good understanding today of how much it's going to cost to take care of these wounded veterans and we need to acknowledge the true cost. already over 1,300 service members have suffered amputations as result of their service in iraq and afghanistan and more than 243,000 have been treated for mental heth conditions. over 129,000 have been diagnose

american people will keep in their minds and their hearts, not just the killed, but we also went to walter reed this week and we up and visited wounded and life-changing wounds also affect individual families as well. before we came over, president karzai and i also went to the medical facility where we visited afghan forces, police, civilians and coalition casualties as well. so it's important we keep all of that, casualties, our casualties, our afghan partners, our coalition partners and americans and then, of course, afghan civilians. they all matter. but i think everybody is committed to the task. let me go toward the back. sir. >> yes. the u.s. government has been investigating possible links between the times square bombing attempt and the pakistani taliban. i know that's not in afghanistan, but obviously related. can you give us some sense of your view of whether or not the pakistani taliban may indeed have more global reach? this morning there were additional arrests or detensions here in the u.s. of pakistani nationals in massachusetts. talk if you can broadly, how much have you been b

, i was expelled from college, and when i was, i was -- got my draft notice, and i went over to walter reed i had arthritis in the legs, and so i was 4fed there. that was five years before vietnam's buildup took place, which was 1965, at which time i was 27 years old and beyond draft age. so there was no draft evasion. >> host: you were able to run in 1985? >> guest: yaw, -- yeah. i can still run. but you have other problems with the knee you can't move left to right. and you have had arthritis when i was in the nixon white house and elsewhere. >> host: mr. buchanan, supreming as a former member of the nixon white house. daniel elsberg, hero or traitor? i'm sure he believes it was for a higher motive. i think he betrayed his commitment his country to maintain the security of its secrets. he didn't like the war. understandably. a lot of people didn't. he was an early enthusiast of the war. i think what he did was wrong and what he did was criminal misconduct, and think he was legitimately indicted, and that was thrown out after the break-in at the psychiatrist's office, and that was probably

combrafle wounded and ultimate -- grateful wounded and ultimately succumbed to his injuries while at walter reed medical center. he is a shining example of the united states army service and sacrifice. as a former member of the united states army and as a retired marine corps officer, my deepest sympathies go out to his family and to all who knew him. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. hoyer: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. hoyer: thank you, mr. speaker. ladies and gentlemen, we will soon bring to the floor a defense authorization bill that invests in our most important security needs. disrupting terrorist networks, countering nuclear proliferation, strengthening cooperation, preparing the iraqi government to stand on its own and investing ithe needs of our troops and their families. this bill builds on democrats' stro

president, i yesterday had the honor of visiting walter reed hospital where i visited with the wounded from afghanistan and from iraq. it was a very difficult moment for me, mr. president, to meet with a young man, very young man, who had lost to arms and legs. it was heart rendering and there were other wounded just like i had seen in afghanistan. this shows the commitment that the u.s. has to bring security to afghanistan and the difficult task that we have ahead of us in securing our future generations are better and more secure lives. i t y again for the excellent meeting this morning. president obama and i discussed president obama and i discussed the entire factor of the progress we have main together and the campaign that is going on against terrorism, the successes of the past years, which are numerous and great, for which i again expressed gratitude on behalf of the afghan people to the american people and to you, mr. president. i also thank president obama for adding considerable resources to the success in afghanistan on becoming the president of the united states for which

doctors used 30 units of blood before stabilizing him enough to head to walter reed.not sustain brain damage, after five months of recovery, he continued to iraq to finish his deployment. and joining us is captain joshua duemont. let's go back to that day april 21st, 2007. you were on patrol at sadr city in iraq. hit with a high powered bullet. your comrade was killed in the same instant. describe what you remember after the bullet hit you. the bullet exited staff sergeant harper's chest ricochetted into my upper right thigh and severed my femoral artery. and i lasted. held off fighting for my life 20, 30 minutes and did get to the initial fob and once i was there lasted another ten minutes, but we are taught in emergency situations, in catastrophic injuries your body will pull blood to the vital or begans to the chest cavity. >> away from the extremities. about tulled up from the legs and the legs cramped up. >> you ceptionly felt yourself dying. >> i felt myself dying, a pro depression over 20 minutes, complex emotions and went from frustration to determination, lik

representatives from texas and across the country and in addition will find time to visit soldiers at walter reed army medical center. i'm pleased to welcome people from businesses in denton county as well as denton county local officials here to the nation's capitol. mr. speaker, ski unanimous consent to submit the names of the denton county delegation for the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. burgess: i thank the speaker and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: mr. defazio of oregon. mr. grayson of florida. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from florida, ms. wasserman schultz, is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader. ms. wasserman schultz: thank you, mr. speaker. tonight and beginning each week we will begin the week talking about the accomplishments of the president -- of both president obama as well as the democratic leadership in the legislature. the efforts of the democratic caucus over the last year and a half, particularly since president obama was sworn in have truly been rem

economics and army and reconciliation and governance, and then followed up with a visit to the walter reed where i had the honor of visiting some of your soldiers who had returned from afghanistan with wounds and some had lost limbs, this was a touching part of the trip. and one that reminds us that we need to do more to have these sons and daughters of yours to come back home. without injuries and happier. and we had an extensive talk with the president and his team. and today was busy with the congress. and yesterday was busy with the congress. and i visited the arlington cemetery this morning, paying my respects to the dead ones buried there. in short the trip was meaningful, substantive, and had all the right tones and objectives. going back home with this in background, the conclusion of the trip would bring me to the implementation of all that we discussed during our trip. that means following up on my >> and what pace should it have. how to time it and how to model it as we move forward. with one thing taken for granted, that is that the peace process will be those of the taliban or

but we also went to walter reed this week and went up and visited wounded. and life-changing wounds also effects the individuals and families as well. before we came over, president karzai and i also went to the bagram medical facilities where we visited afghanistan army forces, police, and civilian casualties as well. it's important that we keep all of that, casualties, are casualties. our afghan partners, our coalition partners of americans and afghan civilians. and they all matter. and i think everybody is committed to the task. let me go through that. >> yes, sir. you know, the u.s. government has been investigating possible links between the time square bombing attempt and pakistani. i know it's not in afghanistan, but it's related. can you give us some sense of your view of important the pakistan taliban indeed may have more global reach. this morning there were additional arrests or detentions here in the u.s. of pakistani nationals in massachusetts. if you can, just broadly, how much have you been briefed on this investigation, but also the other big

american people will keep in their minds and hearts, not just the kilduled, but we also went o walter reed. life-changing moods also affect individuals and families as well. -- life-changing wounds also affect individuals and families as well. it is important we keep all of that, casualties are casualties. afghan partners our coalition partners. they all matter, but i think everyone is committed to the task. >> as you know, the u.s. government has been investigating possible links between the times square bombing attempt in the pakistani taliban. can you give us a sense of your view of whether the pakistani taliban may indeed have more reached? this morning there were more detentions in the u.s. and pakistani nationals in massachusetts. talk if you can, broadly, how much have you been briefed on this investigation and the other bigger question about the pakistani taliban -- if indeed they are connected to these operations is that more of a threat than some of the insurgents who are fighting in afghanistan? >> i only know some of the intelligence on this. i think what this does point out is

i visited injured service members at walter reed and in arkansas and witnessed firsthand that more andmore of our troops are affected by service-connected mental health issues, such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. to address this issue madam president, i've introduced legislation to ensure that our troops receive proper mental health assessment before and after they enter a conflict zone. the issue of mental health, madam president, does not just affect our troops. with more national guard and reserves from our rural communities serving abroad families have expressed concerns to me about the impact increased military deployments have on our children and particularly their children. and whether schools have sufficient resources to meet these challenges. to meet these concerns, madam president, i've also introduced legislation to increase the number of school counselors, school social workers and school psychiatrists and psychologists in high-need school districts, many of which are located in our rural areas all across this great nation. all of our veterans