May 11, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E 1007

request of Director Rostropovich, to commemorate his last season as director of the

Washington, DC, National Symphony Orchestra.

Gould served as president of ASCAP

[American Society of Composers, Authors and

Publishers] from 1986 to 1994. He has been

an ASCAP member since 1935 and a board

member since 1959.

Certainly we have all benefited over the

years from his work and know that future generations will benefit as well. Please join me

today in honoring one of America’s truest

virtuosos.

SALUTE TO MR. ROBERT HEENAN

fHON. THOMAS M. FOGLIETTA OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, May 11, 1995

Mr. FOGLIETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today

to honor Mr. Robert T. Heenan, the business

manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 542, who is the 1995 recipient of the Salute to Labor Gold Medal

Award.

Mr. Heenan joined the Operating Engineers

Local 542 in 1948 after completing his service

with the U.S. Army. He has served as the

business agent, collection manager for the

welfare and pension fund and the business

manager for local 542.

In addition to his work with local 542, Mr.

Heenan has served with distinction on the

Pennsylvania State Housing Authority, the

CETA board of Bucks County, PA and the

Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority. Mr.

Heenan is the current vice president of the

Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades

Council and the Pennsylvania State AFL–CIO

Council.

Mr. Heenan’s commitment to community

service has led to significant strides in neighborhoods throughout the Philadelphia region.

Under Mr. Heenan’s leadership, local 542’s

apprenticeship program has donated a great

deal of assistance to local nonprofit groups.

For example, Mr. Heenan is responsible for

the reconstruction of two ballfields at seventh

and Packer Streets in Philadelphia.

Mr. Heenan is also a long-time supporter of

UNICO Charities the American Diabetes Association, and the Marine Corps League’s toys

for tots campaign.

I join the Philadelphia chapter on UNICO,

Bob’s wonderful wife Mary Heenan, and the

Heenan children and grandchildren in recognizing Mr. Robert Heenan for his fine contributions to his country and community. I wish

him the best of luck in his future endeavors

and am confident that he will continue to be a

great contributor to communities throughout

the Delaware Valley.

ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1995

THE MILITARY HOUSING

f

HON. G.V. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY OF MISSISSIPPI

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, May 11, 1995

Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, I am

today introducing H.R. 1611, the Military

Housing Assistance Act of 1995. The purpose

of this measure is to enable active duty military personnel to purchase homes for themselves and their families in areas where the

supply of suitable military housing is inadequate. As a result, the Department of Defense’s on-base housing costs could be significantly reduced. This joint Department of Veterans’ Affairs/Department of Defense [VA/DOD]

program would be an excellent example of

Federal agencies working together to enhance

the lives of our armed services personnel

while reducing DOD construction expenditures.

Under this program, DOD would be authorized to buy down the interest rate for certain

active duty personnel purchasing off-base

housing using the VA guaranteed home loan.

This buydown would lower the monthly mortgage payment during the first 3 years of the

loan. Loans covered by this proposal would,

as is currently the case with VA home loans,

be made by private lenders. The escrowed

funds needed for the buydown would be provided to the lender by the VA. DOD would

then reimburse the VA. These loans would be

processed in the same way as any other VA

loan which includes a buydown except that

these loans would be underwritten at the second-year rate rather than at the full note rate,

thus enabling more individuals to qualify for

the loans. Additionally, DOD would be authorized to indemnify mortgagees against any

loss, thereby covering the difference between

the VA guaranty and any actual loss on the

sale of the property.

Eligibility for these loans would be limited to

all enlisted members and officers in the pay

grade 0–3 or below who are first-time users of

the VA home loan program. Application for

participation in this program would be made

within 12 months of assignment to a housing

shortage area. The service Secretaries would

designate those bases that have a housing

shortage.

An important component of this bill would

require individuals participating in the program

to participate in comprehensive prepurchas

counseling. It has been demonstrated that

counseling of this type results in borrowers

who are better prepared to assume the responsibilities of homeownership. Additionally,

VA would be authorized to assign qualified VA

loan guaranty personnel to the bases designated as having housing shortages. These

VA personnel would provide prepurchase

counseling and loan servicing assistance and

assist GI’s with the purchase and subsequent

sale of their homes.

After consulting with and obtaining the

agreement of the VA, DOD would be authorized to transfer its property management jurisdiction to the VA. Thirty VA FTEE would be

authorized to fulfill these responsibilities.

Under this bill, DOD would be authorized

$104 million and $6 million would be authorized for the VA. VA estimates these amounts

would provide for 32,000 loans per year.

I believe the Military Housing Assistance Act

of 1995 would establish an excellent program,

and I urge my colleagues who would like to

cosponsor this measure to contact Bo Maske

at 225–5031 or Beth Kilker at 225–9756.

REMARKS BY MAJ. GEN. VANG

PAO AT THE VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL CEREMONY IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF SAIGON

HON. ROBERT K. DORNAN OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, May 11, 1995

Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday,

April 30, I was at the Vietnam Memorial here

in Washington. I met personally with many

Vietnam veterans and their families at the Wall

there to remember the sacrifices of our soldiers and the 20th anniversary of the tragic fall

of South Vietnam to communism.

One of the important ceremonies that I attended at the Wall was held by the Counterparts organization where thousands of

Montagnards, Hmong, Laotians and Vietnamese attended to mark the 20th anniversary of

the tragic and bloody Communist takeover of

their homelands. Some of those in attendance

at this somber and important event were Grant

McClure, Commanding Officer of Counterparts

and former advisor to the Montagnards in the

Central Highlands of South Vietnam, Ambassador Bill Colby former director of the Central

Intelligence Agency; Maj. Gen. Homer Smith

head of the Defense Attache ́ Office during the

fateful last hours in Saigon; Brig. Gen. Kor

Ksor, a Montagnard leader; Maj. Gen. Vang

Pao, Commander of Military Region II for the

Royal Lao Army and head of Hmong Special

Forces; General Thonglit Chokbenbun, Royal

Lao Army Commander; Dr. Jane HamiltonMerritt the distinguished Lao/Hmong scholar,

author and photojounalist; and Philip Smith,

Senior Legislative Assistant to former U.S.

Congressman Don Ritter and current Director

of the Center for Public Policy Analysis.

Mr. Speaker, I believe it is crucial for the

United States and Thailand not to forget the

tremendous sacrifices of our former Vietnamese, Montagnard, Hmong and Laotian allies

during the Vietnam War. I call upon all Vietnam veterans and Americans to oppose the

current U.S. State Department and Thai policy

of forcibly repatriating many of these former

Hmong and Vietnamese Special Forces Commandos and combat veterans from refugee

camps back to the repressive Communist regimes that they fled.

Mr. Speaker, it is important to make a part

of the public record the speech that Maj. Gen.

Vang Pao gave at the 20th Anniversary Ceremony which describes so well the major contribution made by many of our former allies

and so many American soldiers during the

Vietnam war.

STATEMENT OF MAJOR GENERAL VANG PAO

Dear Honorable Guests, Fellow Veterans,

Ladies and Gentlemen: We are gathered here

today at this ceremony to mark the 20th Anniversary of the tragic fall of South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to invading Communist forces. But, we are also gathered here

to recognize and honor those men and

women who sacrificed and lost their lives in

the Vietnam War—the Second Indochina

War—fighting for freedom, democracy, and

for the peace and security of Southeast Asia

and the United States.

Tens of thousands of Lao and Hmong soldiers and their families who fought against

the invading Soviet-backed North Vietnamese Army during the war are buried in unmarked graves in Laos and Vietnam. They