her angel >> they consider themselves sisters even though kimberly and britney met a week ago at walter reed national military medical center in bethesda. >> the story behind it is just blows my mind >> kimberly came here five months ago from her home in kentucky, suffering from crippling kidney disease. >> i've been praying for so long, you know, and he answered my prayers >> her outlook changed when this pamphlet arrived in the mail, advertising the walter reed transplant program. offered to military families. >> we pay for everything, food, lodging travel and i sat there and i can like this is too good to be true >> after coming to walter reed and its highly regarded transplant center, kimberly made this appea >> the transplant team told me social media, you know, get it out there. then couple days later, i got a mesage saying, i'm o blood type, i'll be willing to be tested. >> back home in utah, britney got wind of kimberly desperation and agreed to give up one of her kidneys >> they sent me a blood kit and i send them blood back, i was here doing testing about a month later, and i was l

here at walter reed national military medical center in bethesda. >> the story behind it is just -- itporter: kimberly came here five months ago from her home in kentucky suffering from crippling kidney disease. >> i've been praying for so long, you know, and he answered moo you prayers. >> reporter: her outlook changed when this pamphlet arrived in the mail advertising walter reed's transplant program an offer to military families. >> and we pay for everything. food, lodging, travel and i sat there and i'm like, it's true? this is too good to be true. >> reporter: after coming to walter reed and its highly regarded transplant center kimberly made this appeal on facebook. >> transplant team told me social media, you know, get it later i got a message saying i'm o blood type. i'll be willing to be tested. >> reporter: back home in utah, brittany got wind of kimberly's desperation and agreed to give up one of her kidneys. >> they sent me a blood kit and i sent them some blood back. they had it tested and i was here doing some testing about a month later. >> and -- you know, i was like, w

so with the help of my family, friends and fellow service members at walter reed, i began my recovery. it was anything but easy. tasks like picking up a pencil -- or even just sitting up without passing out -- were no longer simple. at at first, it was unclear how i would lead a regular life, let alone continue to serve my nation in uniform. i can't tell you how disappointed i was when they told me i couldn't go back to serve in my helicopter battalion. being separated from my buddies ripped my core identity out, just as if that rpg ripped out my heart too when it took my legs. but after every time that i couldn't do something, after every day when i didn't know how i would make it to the next, i made the choice not to give up. it wasn't a choice really. giving up would have been a betrayal of the effort my buddies put into saving me on that day, and i will never, ever betray them. then one day, senator dick durbin from my home state of illinois invited me to be his guest at president bush's state of the union address. even though i was just a few weeks into my recovery, i wanted to s

so after i got out of walter reed, i went to the va, i ran for congress, and then i won my seat in the senate. [applause] sen. duckworth: thank you. so now, i get to bug dick durbin in person every single day. [laughter] sen. duckworth: and i have all his phone numbers. [laughter] sen. duckworth: my life since my black hawk was shot out of the sky has been incredible -- and improbable. there have been highs and unbelievable lows over the last 12 years, but one thing has always remained constant. every time i got knocked down, i got back up. i dusted myself off, and i got back into the arena -- when my face had literally been marred with dust and sweat and blood. and i am so glad that i did. my story has a few years on it more than you do. but i'm really here to tell you that it's not that different from any of you. i've been in that audience. my story has a few years on it i know each and every one of you can get into the arena, too. have already gotten into the arena as well, which is good because our nation needs you now , perhaps more than ever. you've been training for it, but now

on may 30th, 2012, 6 weeks after his injury, we spoke to him by phone from walter reed and here's how he described what happened to him. >> i wish i didn't have a case of the mondays on april 10th and had a bad day at work, but every now and then, people have bad days at work and my bad day at work had me coming back. i didn't get hit in the face. >> jenna: from that time on, we follow his recovery, along with his wife kelsey and his young daughter. he spent 19 months at walter reed and went from being bound to a wheelchair to walking to then running and even beyond that. in the last five years, travis has exceeded expectations at every turn. from starting his own business to inspiring others by writing a best selling book and he has some family news as well. joining us now, staff sergeant travis mills. >> it seems like it flew by. thanks for having me. >> jenna: i don't want to bury the lead. >> my wife is pregnant with a little boy, which is exciting and we can't be more happy about the ability to have a kid and bring one more up. we have chloe already and she's upset that it will b

dunn: i was in my residency here on walter reed. i met my wife, she was working as a contractor for the government. it was fun. militaryvery, very background as well. here we are 35 years later. three children, three grandchildren. host: you are from a military family. did your mom serve? dunn: no, but my father did, her father did. host: what was your lifelike with a father who served in the military? greatunn: we traveled a deal. we just thought everybody did it. we had footlockers and knew where everything went. every year we were just pack up and move to the next station. it was fun. every military family is like that. and outgoing community. you had to be outgoing, new people every year. you to introduce yourself. we were in southeast asia during the war. my wife was, too. she did three years and a caught, so -- : did you serving in the military, do you think that is what inspired you to run for a seat in the house? dunn: that was part of it. i understood what was happening to our military. our military has been gutted by this

>> my residency at walter reed . my wife was working as a contractor for the government. that is how we met. she had a military background as well. we clicked. are 35 years later, three kids, two grandchildren. >> you are from a military family. did your mom serve as well? >> just my dad. my dad did, her father did. we are proud parents of a military officer. great deal. it wasn't painful because we thought everyone did it. we had footlockers then. we knew where everything went. every year you pack them up and move to the next station. it was fun. every military families like that. it wasn't outgoing community. you had to be -- new people every year. you had to introduce yourself. we were stationed all over the world. in southeast asia during the war. my wife did three years in bangkok. up indo her life growing the military, serving in the military as well, do you think that is what inspired you to run for a seat in the house? .> it was part of it the reason wasn't because i had been in the military, it was because i understood what was happening. our military has been gu

she lived near walter reed hospital when walter reed was open and she sent this email journal, i brought charles's home from walter reed, everything had gone to the wash and dry cycle, dropped freshly laundered clothes onto the bed to fold them. it was late and i was weary so i wanted to try for a better night's sleep than i had been having before. i found one sock, just one. i pulled the rest of the clothes and just the one sock. without thinking back to the laundry room, i looked between the washer and dryer and all around the floor to the other stock, unloading process. my tired and preoccupied mind didn't get it. as i walked to the bedroom with one sock in hand it hit me like a punch. there was no other stock. there was no other foot, lower leg. i pushed that one clean sock to my breast in an involuntary moment, came from my throat, originated in my heart. i really could -- i will say something dynamic and important about handwritten letter. when i was in iraq i saw a young soldier who was standing in front of a video camera. i asked -- don't mean to interrupt you, this is not the or

while she spent time with kansas senator bob dole at walter reed army hospital in 2011, she noticed many caregivers around her and the unique challenges they face. following this discovery she established a foundation to raise awareness and serve as a resource for these hidden heroes. i'm a proud member of the hidden heroes caucus which raises awareness and develops legislation in support of caregivers. i urge my colleagues to join this wonderful congressional caucus of hidden heroes. next, mr. speaker, i'm like to address stroke awareness month. it's the second leading cause of dimensiona and one of the leading causes of long-term disability. during this important month of awareness we in congress must realize we have a chance to make a difference. the fast act, the fast fast act would expand access to telly health edge ingible troke services under medicare. i personally witnessed one of can's a greatest victories in health care where my alma mater led the kansas stroke collaborative through telemedicine we saved thousands of lives and prevented literally hundreds, perhaps thousands of

was then 24 hour surgery was completed i was on my way to walter reed for the first three hospitals to spend the next three months of recovery and we have. with very by my side we began the journey together with the spinal cord injury and paralysis is a complex injury note to are the same. there were facts that i never thought of beyond the loss of movement was dignity of bladder and bowel control which is very common and the pain in that never goes away t a very cruel injury. so in those three months removed from walter reed to tampa florida then to theth shepard center in atlanta all the while discovering more about this injury in the new normal of a paraplegic to include poland and vehicle modifications continue therapy and i could go one. together we made a pretty good team. next to was all about learning the reality to the a paraplegic on the phonee coori coordinating with doctors learning how to navigate and january 2010 i was honored for years of service that began to work as the simulator flight instructor knows some time at that point of my life i believe i fell into a depress

i was on my way to walter reed medical center. the first three hospitals, i would spend my recovery and rehab. with mary by my side, we began our unwanted journey together. a spinal cord injury and paralysis is a very unique and complex injury. there were effects of injury that i never thought of that were then discovered. beyond the loss of movement to my legs, there was loss of control of my bladder. then there's the pain that never goes away. injury -- crueol l injury. in those three months removed from walter reed, to the v.a. and shepherd center. i would learn more about this injury. ands focused on recovery getting home, while mary was focused on what we needed once we were at home, including home and vehicle modifications. together, we made a pretty good team. the next year was really all about learning the reality of being a paraplegic. on theurs were spent phone coordinating with doctors and the v.a. to get things done. yet a learn how to patiently navigate our way through. was medically retired. that summer i began to wo

>> guest: i was in my residency at walter reed medical center. hi wife -- well, i met her while i was doing my residency. she was working as a contractor for the government, so it was fun. she had a very military background as well, so we kind of clicked, and one thing led to another, and here we are 35 years later -- >> host: and how many kids? >> guest: three children and three grandchildren. >> host: and you are from a military family as well. >> guest: i am. >> host: what did your dad -- did your mom serve as wellsome. >> guest: no, just dad. my father did, her father did and one of our sons. so we're, you know, the children of military ousts and proud -- ourselves and proud parents of a military officer. >> host: what was your life like with a father that served in the military? >> guest: so we traveled a great deal, and it was not painful because we thought everybody did it, you know? we just ought, oh, sure, every year here we go. we had foot lockers back then. you didn't have cardboard boxes, and we knew where everything went every years

i was at walter reed hospital not too long ago with one of our servicemembers who had been injured inosul. like all of our courageous men and women, the only thing he wanted to do was get better and get back in the fight. carry them in your prayers. fervent prayernd of a righteous people. we ask yourself to avail yourselves of the opportunity to remember the armed forces because they fight for our freedom across the world. rest assured, anywhere terrorists strikes, america stands with those who are targeted for their beliefs. is committed to protecting people of faith. it will not and with the illumination of isis and the eradication of terror. trump,resident donald america will continue to combat anyecution of any time -- kind in anytime and anyplace. he will stand against it with all our might. god is atm to worship the very heart of who we are as americans. in a very real sense, america was founded by people who had the courage to cross the heretic, motivated to come so that they would have that freedom of religion. the truth is today, for all the , a faith in america , 80% ofr fre

today walter reed celebrated a program that is transforming the way veterans are getting the help theyour derrick ward has the report. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: there are different ways to travel a bath to recovery on a journey back to a brain injury caused by an explosion, captain luis avila helps by singing. >> i was in a coma for three months. >> reporter: tyler also recovered and looks to a positive attitude to continue his journey back from a coma. >> you gotta never stop and just keep running. >> i wasn't ready to give up the army. >> reporter: bruce lost a leg the explosion in baghdad. he knows the way back is never easy. >> learning to receive help is definitely a challenge. learning to ask for help when you need it, can be a challenge too. >> reporter: these soldiers have all been served by the warrior transition brigade. a ten-year-old unit started at walter reed to change the way the severely wounded get support, medical, psychological or social. today, active retired and veteran soldiers, their families and providers were at the d.c. national guard armory to mark a decade of helping

hours i was on my way to walter reed army medical center. the first the three hospitals with roots in spend the first three months in recovery and rehab. with married by my side when began our journey together. injuries is a unique and complex injury. known to injuries are ever exactly the same. the effects of the injuries i had never thought of that would soon discover. beyond the loss of movement to my legs there was the loss of bladder and bowel control, sexual, dignity. depression is common in the paint never goes away. that pain never goes away. it is a cruel injury. those three months removed from walter reed to tampa, florida, into the shepherd center in atlanta. all the while discovering more about the injury and the skills we needed to survive this new normal of being a paraplegic. i was focused on recovery and getting home while mary was focused on what we needed a we are at home to include all men vehicle modifications, special equipment, continued therapy, in the list went on and on. they made a pretty good team. the next year wa

the height of the wars, the wounded warriors and the care givers have the short coming in the old walter reedmy hospital. >> there were the wonderful non-profits and the moving parts but nobody brought them together. >> the army created the warrior transition brigade. streamlining services with a mission to heal, educate, soldiers. sending them back to the army or beyond. decade later many of the programs alumni and the staff who helped them gather for the reunion. >> to see the wounded warriors and the care givers doing well is a blessing. >> according to the army 44% of the warrior transition by grade soldiers return to duty. including lieutenant colonel bruce ganonawash in develop in iraq was injured by i.e.d. and lost his left leg below the kn in service. i was provided that opportunity. i'm grateful for it. >> the commander of the warrior transition unit. >> it is neat to come back. yes, see folks i haven't seen in a long time. >> a lot has changed to 2007. a lot learned about the combat injuries visible and invisible. all the years later some things never change. >> camaraderie among th

i was out at walter reed hospital not long ago with one of our servicemembers who had been injured been mosul. -- who had been injured in mosul. and like all of our courageous men and women, the only thing he wanted to do was get better and get back in the fight. so carry them in your prayers, the effective and fervent prayer of a righteous people avail of us much. we ask you to avail yourselves to the opportunity to remember our armed forces as they fight for our freedom across the world. and rest assured, in the middle east and north africa, anywhere terror strikes, america stands with those who are targeted and tormented for their belief, whether they're christian, yazidi, druzes, shia, sunni, or any other creed. the president's commitment to protecting people of faith also will not end with the elimination of isis or the eradication of terror. under president donald trump, america will continue to condemn persecution of any kind, of any faith, any place, any time. we will stand against it with our ideals and with all our might. the freedom to worship god according to the dictates of

i was at walter reed hospital not long ago with one of our service members who had been injured in mosul. like all of our courageous men and women, the only thing he wanted to do was get better and get back in the fight. carry him in your prayers. we ask you to avail yourselves to the opportunity of our armed forces. they fight for freedom in the world. rest assured, anywhere terror strikes, america stands with those who are targeted and tormented for their belief whether their christians, silly sunni, shiites or any other faith. it will not end with the elimination of isis or the eradication of terror. under president donald trump, america will continue to condemn persecution of any kind, of any faith, any place. we will stand against it with our ideals and with all our might. the freedom to worship god is at the very heart of who we are. in a real sense, america was founded by people who had the courage to cross the atlantic, motivated come here so they might have that freedom of religion. the truth is, today, for all the prosperity and freedom of faith in america and other free societ

i brought charles close home from walter reed. everything had gone through the wash and dried cycle and i dropped the laundered close onto the bed to fold them. it was late and i was weary. i wanted to finish to get to bed i found one sock, just one. i fold up the rest of the close and just the one sock. without even thinking i want back and search the dryer, nothing was there alike between the washer and dryer in case i drop the other side. still, my tired and preoccupied mind did not get it. as i walked back to the bedroom with one sock in hand, hit me. there was no other sock, there is also another foot, lower leg, or knee. i stood there my bedroom clutched that one clean sock and an involuntary moan came from my throat but it originated in my heart. this was an e-mail, i cannot emphasize enough that when we talk about this project i really do include e-mails. i will say there something dynamic and important about a handwritten letter. when i was in iraq, i saw a young soldier who is standing in front of a video camera. when he

. >> reporter: he was flown to the old walter reed campus on leaders, medical staff, and families work together to give wounded warriors the medical and support services they deserve. >> it's a big turning point in your life. you're now other abled. it is a life altering event and you have to decide what you're going to do and really decide that you want to get better. >> reporter: the unit helps raise men and women in their transition back into the army or into a new civilian life. >> and one of the important things i think is it gives you the time to try. it's a safe place while you're still in recovery to try something and even if it doesn't work, that's okay. stop back and reassess and try again. >> reporter: lieutenant luis is an example of that. suffering severe brain injuries and now support from his family to learn how to talk again. fighting to make a full transition after fighting for the country he loved. ♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ >> reporter: reporting at the d.c. armmy michael quander wusa 9. >> despite injuries many wounded warriors want to remain in the u.

i brought charles clothes home from walter reed. everything had gone through the squash dried cycles and i dumped the freshly laundered clothes on to the bed to fold them. it was late and i was trier and i wanted to get to bed. i found one sock, just one. i folded all the rest over the clothes and still just the one sock. without even thinking i walked back to laundry room and searched the trier for the mate, nothing was there. i looked between the washer and dryer and all around the floor in case i dropped the other sock during the loading and unloading process. still, my tired and preoccupied mind didn't get it. as i walked become to the bedroom with the one sock in hand, it hit me like a punch to the gut there was no other sock. it was also no other foot, no lower leg or knee. i stood there in my bedroom and clutched that one clean sock to my breast and involuntary moan came from the throat but originated in my heart. this was an e-mail, and i can't emphasize enough that when you tack about the project, when i say her its include

. >> today a reunion was held for those treated at walter reed.coming up, the celebration of the warrior transition million americans maybe more want to get rid of the time share. why is it so hard? they are reaching out to "7 on your side" the find a way out wow paying thousands. >> i have frustration, goose egg. attitude. >> bills in the mail. kimberly suiters looks into how to do this to get the promise from the organization that represents the time share. dumping your time share at 11:00. larry: i want wait to be on the beach. that would be nice. >> there wa >> it's warm this weekend. in west miami and palm beach but not here. we have the rain west of the metro area. this is moving north. hagerstown was nailed. more coming up to the west. the track is established of the shower answer and thunderstorms that are ranking up to winchester and martinsburg to pennsylvania. there are a for more. there are flood warnings in effect. west of 81. the future cast does a nice job. they keep most west. later tonight coming through. but the atmosphere is suc

>> i was in my residency studying any urology here at walter medical reed. i met my wife. she was working as a contractor for the government. and so it was fun. we met and she had a very, very military background as well. so we kind of clicked. one thing led to another and here we are 35 years later. >> how many kids? >> three children, three grandchildren. >> and you are from a military family as well. >> i am. >> what did your dad -- did your mom serve as well? >> no, just dad. my father did. her father did. so they were -- and when one of our sons. so we're -- the children are military. military ourselves and proud parents of a military officer. >> what was your life like with the father that served in the military? >> so, we travelled a great deal, and it was not painful because we thought everybody did it. you know, we just thought, open, sure, every year, here we go. we had foot lockers back then. you didn't have card board boxes. we knew where everything went. every year just pack them up and move to the next station wherever it was. it was fun. every military famil

. >> news4's amy cho went to walter reed hospital to capture the story. >> i like this one. >> reportervicky, to her right, her daughter jennifer. you may have noticed they are sitting alike. >> we always coordinate. >> of course we do. >> reporter: the colors on their clothes almost always compliment. >> no, i'm not wearing pink. one thing they didn't plan for, last year dick ki was told she had stage 5 kidney failure. >> for jennifer, that was all she needed to hear. >> mom said, i didn't know you would want to do it. i said, how can you n >> reporter: the doctors warned them it was not that simple. >> children are typically not a match. so they kept saying, don't get too excited. >> reporter: for a mom and daughter who spent their lives alike, it was only fitted when they were a match for that, too. >> you just don't know if you'll have one child who is willing to give you a kidney. that's incredible. >> she brought me into the world and gave me the two kidneys to begin with, right? i'm just giving her one back. >> reporter: she gave that gift a few weeks ago. they did it in their si

jonathan: i went time at walter reed with the prosthetics over there. they do miracles for people. and this is for the animals. what a great thing. nancy: how she ran. alison: great story. jonathan: good stuff. coming up next for us at 4:00. >> that shows that we have a deeply insecure president who understands that the noose is tightening. introducing the fios gigabit connection with download speeds up to 940 megs that are 20x faster and more powerful than most people have. incredibly, it's $79.99 a month for one year. switch to the most powerful internet at the most revolutionary price. get fios gigabit connection for $79.99 a month and we'll give you tv, hbo for one year and multi-room dvr service for 2 years all with a 2 year agreement. so act fast. go to fiosgigabit.com announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 4:00". on your side. jonathan: our top story at 4:30, the firing of f.b.i. director james comey. michelle: reaction coming in all day including from congressional leaders. for that we turn to richard reeve. richard: surprise, shock, and questions about the timing of the

in 1956 anna may mccabe was the head nurse at the emergency room at walter reed army medical center. when she was pulled by the chief nurse, reassigned, to stand a special watch on the president of the united states, dwight d. eisenhower. during that long illness, eisenhower and mccabe became friends. and as a result of that, mccabe was a friend of the eisenhower administration for the rest of her life. when anna may mccabe-hayes became the first woman in the united states' history of military history to reach the rank of brigadier general, mrs. eisenhower presented the stars that had been pinned on her husband when he made general years before. anna may hayes told us, i was very touched by mrs. eisenhower's kindness and generosity. now, years later coast guard captain jane hartley had laughed at the very idea that she would ever have joined the military. she told us, i'm a child of the '60s, the thought of going into the coast guard or any other military branch was about as far from my mind as it could get. however, during a dinner party at their home her husband's boss kept insisti

it tax takes place at walter reed.has transformed the way veterans get the support they need. >> to receive help is definitely a challenge, learning to ask for help when you need it can be a challenge, too. >> you've got to never stop and never give up and just keep running. >> some of those wounded warriors were able to join family and other military members at the d.c. national guard armory to celebrate that milestone. >>> a lot of folks heading out today hoping to enjoy some of the day before the rain starts to move in including the 78th annual flower mart. >> that's right. it's hapni the washington national cathedral. that's where we find news 4's derrick ward. i see him snooping around. >> where do we find him? >> i think that he is looking for the perfect flower. >> okay. we will go to -- >> derek, are you ready? i saw you browsing all those flowers there. >> reporter: i'm just taking aback by all of the greenery here. on a day like today it's so nice to be around something that looks good and even smells good. t

it takes place at walter reed national medical center.d the way veterans get the support they need. >> to receive help is definitely a challenge, learning to ask for help when you need it can be a challenge, too. >> you have to never stop and never give up and just keep running. >> some of those wounded warriors were able to join family and other military members at the d.c. national guard armory to celebrate that milestone. >>> this next story is one that i'm still hearing from folks about, it's a polarizing issue. you hear folks from both sides reaching out. it's in fairfax county and has to do with schools there when they're trying to work through what is a sensitive subject. it all centers around the rights of transgender to gender policies and gender identity could impact other school districts. >> as lauren miller took the mic you could tell in her voice this is an emotional issue. >> i think it is so dangerous and i need help from national calorie people because right now we're just like a little ragtag band, militia, holding out i

in those months we moved from walter reed to tampa, florida and the shepherd center in atlanta. all the while we were discovering more about this injury, the new normal of being a paraplegic. i was focused on recovery and getting home while mary was focused on what we needed to include home and vehicle modification, special equipment, continued therapy, the list goes on and on. together we made a pretty good team. the next year was all about learning the reality of being a paraplegic. many hours were spent on the phone coordinating with doctors to get things done. we had to learn to patiently navigate our way through an immense bureaucracy. in january of 2010, i was medically retired with 23 years of service. that summer i began to work as a simulator flight instructor teaching our new aviators to the 160th. sometimes that summer if i remember correctly, the time at this point of that time in my life, pretty much a blur of change and i believe i had depression. i fell into depression. i know i took out a lot of my anger and frustration on mary. i was angry. i was ashamed of what

i have recently, in the past ten days, visited walter reed. i've talked to them about this. we are looking at the science. i would like to see the results of the air force study as we are becoming aware because basically if there is evidence in science suggesting this is helpful and effective, especially in noninvasive technology, we absolutely want to use it. today i am not aware of evidence that suggests that mertz adds advantages over the transcranial magnetic stimulation that the va and walter reed and others are using. i have talked to my dod colleagues. with new information coming out of the air force, i am open to seeing that. >> thank you again. >> at this time i recognize the gentleman from west virginia for five minutes, mr. jenkins. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. secretary, thank you for the opportunity to visit with you in advance of this meeting d to talk about your leadership.bout let me start off with a word of complement. i learned yesterday from the discussion yesterday about your push to provide transparency and quality data, information about wait times,

patients across the united states, including a gastroenterology fellowship serving our veterans at the walter reed army medical center here in washington. he's a pioneer in the field of gastroenterology and almost single-handedly responsible for bringing freestanding endoscopy to louisiana, because of him patients can get these important lifesaving procedures in a cost efficient and convenient outpatient basis. he's admired among the pearce, me being one of those. mr. abraham: not only for his professional accomplishments but also for the way he has cared for others, including mentors new -- mentoring new doctors. congressman johnson and i wanted to take a moment today to thank dr. raines and his career to his service, to patients throughout louisiana. he has saved many, many lives in our state is a better place because of him. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized

. >> went to walter reed and today and yesterday we're meeting all the representatives. >> we'll gethat do you think about a present issue we should know. >> border security and north korea. >> where are you taking me here. >> armed services hearing. >> how often do you find these hearings to be very productive? >> they are all productive actually. >> how do you mitigate the risk of atrophy when it comes to facing peer competitor countries? i'm looking for one word. >> training. >> that's it. >> so it's training. >> when i think who is an advocate for the war fighter on capitol hill i automatically think of you. you are lieutenant and captain in the marine corps and combat. now you are grilling generals in committees about what they are doing. >> what makes it work is the war fighters are on our side and we're the war fighters side. >> war fighters like dieng core rated green beret goldstein under investigation for admitting he killed a taliban bomb maker. goldstein says it was strict rules of engagement that left him no choice and releasing the insurgent put american lives at risk.

he asked that poor guy at walter reed, how can i get one. >> congratulated him. >> one question, hashown concern for others? >> i don't think so. the speech was there, maybe someone from the administration will send it over so we can play it before we're done. you have a president that seems more comfortable around autocrats than democrats, he is comfortable with the saudis, happy with duterte, comfortable with the general assisi from egypt, comfortable with turkey, he he is blatantly uncomfortable with the germans, uncomfortable with the canadians, and in france with the weird shake they were doing. can you conceive why that would be? >> vladimir putin is a great influence on donald trump's life, wrote that in my book. vladimir putin views donald trump as an ally. he intends to establish a series of global autocrasies, link the world through that, not through the old communism he was brought up with. donald trump never promised democracy in this election. if you go back, he's always promised autocrasy. you could in fact argue that jefferson, you know, i'm going to lead this, donald

i have recently in the last ten days visited walter reed and talked to them about this. we are looked at the science. i would like to see the results of the studies. if there is evidence and science suggesting this is helpful effective and a non-invasive technology we absolutely want to be using it. i am not aware of studies showing it offers advantages over the transcranial stimulation being used. with new information coming from the air force, i would be very open to seeing that. >> thank you. >> thank you. i would like to recognize the gentlemen from west virginia, mr. jenkins. >> thank you for the opportunity to visit with you in advance of this meeting to talk about your leadership and direction. i applaud your effort. let me start off with the award of compliment i learned about your push to provide transparency and quality data, information about wait times, our veteran's satisfaction. you shared with us the website accesstocare.va.gov -- >> thank you for that plug. >> you didn't ask for it but i give it to you. i did look after you made mention and as i understan

. >> little i actually am currently retiring through the military on active duty at walter reed in thegram i was diagnose with ptsd depression and anxiety back in 2015 and one of things that i came to realize is that there's great and tremendous support while i'm in but once i'm out, some of the programs are limited to what i can access or who i can go to for support a lot of veterans that have gotten out that have had not very good success with some of their traumatic issues or being able to speak to someone they are more likely to talk to individuals that have been exactly where they are. i like to kind of compare it to anyone can walk by and say, hey, you really need to get out of that hole. but only someone that's been in the hole that's willing to climb down in there and say, hey, i'm with you, brother or sister, i know the way out. >> right unfortunately you know rob you brought up the unfortunate number of suicides which is a number that is way too high. any time you hear about one you just say man i wish they would have reached out or done something. how do you get them to come

. >> reporter: zach was air-lifted to germany and then to walter reed.irlfriend jillian, who he proposed to from his hospital bed. >> he said, i don't feel it's fair to you to go through all of this. >> reporter: their marriage helped the healing enormously. and rhyner's decision to go back to school in medical care. >> i would like to get a job working with the v.a. that would be the ultimate goal. >> our community welcomes you to be our newest resident. >> reporter: and the final moment of magic that would make this soldier feel at home again, an organization called helping hero hearn rhyner's story and helped him and his family make a fresh start in a new custom-designed house. >> it's a major problem that these warriors are forgotten about. we want to make sure they are able to not have so much attention on where they live, how they're living. and that they can move forward with whatever game they want to play in life. >> helping a hero provides financial assistance, offsetting the cost of customized houses for deserving veterans throughout the natio

and i'm going to walter reed next week to hand these out to our wounded.hank you very much. god bless you. we really appreciate it. >> god bless you too. and i'd just like to say to all the troops out there, if you're considering some bad things, please don't -- you have purpose in your life. thank you for your service. call us if you need us, thank you. chicago charles thank you very much. more "varney identities after this. ♪ ♪ . . . . charles: the dow couldn't do it. it tried on several attempts to get in the green. nevertheless we have a few hours left. neil cavuto takes it away. neil: i'm surprised, charles, on hillary clinton speaking at wellesley. i had a bet here if any conserve students walked out on her and shouted at her how much media coverage would that get? charles: not that it would happen, if it happened it would be biggest news story of the rear but it is not going to happen. neil: that would be a youtube moment. but again, we're not holding our breath. thanks, buddy, have a wonderful weekend, not only focusing on hillary clinton speaking

i've visited walter reed recently. i've talked to them about this. we're looking at the science. i would like to see the results of the air force studies as they were coming aware. basically if there's evidence and science suggesting that this is helpful and effective and especially a noninvasive technology, we absolutely want to be using it. today i am not aware of evidence that suggests that mert has advantages in terms of scientific advantages over the transcranial magnetic stimulation that others are using. i have talked to my dod colleagues. with new information out of the air force, i'd be open to seeing it. >> thank you. >> thank you. at this time i'd like to recognize the gentleman from west virginia for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. mr. secretary thank you for the opportunity to talk about your leadership in advance of this meeting and i applaud your efforts. let me start off with a word of compliment. i learned yesterday from the discussion with you about your push to provide transparency, quality data. information about wait times. our veteran satisfaction,

gynoi joining me is joy reed, and charlie sykes and amy walter of the political report. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press ". >> this is meet the press with chuck todd. >> good sunday on this me mourl day weekend. the president came home last night and when he did the russia investigation got much closer to home as well. so much closer in fact it now involves the son-in-law jared kushner. it threatens to overshadow his agenda and perhaps his entire presidency. just consider what has happened in just the last week. monday washington post reports that mr. trump had asked his sbilhiefs to push back on the russia investigation. john brennan testifies he saw intelligence revealing contacts that he thought deserved investigation. thursday, nbc reports that kushner is now under fbi scrutiny though he is not a target and late friday night the washington post bomb shell, that he discussed setting up a secret back door channel using russian communication facilities. that last item was so explosive that the trump administration went out of the way to field reporters' questions