Date: 2010-05-27
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: S
State: Texas

Mr. Chairman. I rise today. as we debate the defense authorization bill. to discuss the concept of humanity because I believe the men and women of the United States military have a sense of compassion for humanity and courage. and the broadness of their humanity causes them to sacrifice on behalf of the American people. Today I stand here and thank them. And then I want to acknowledge. as well. the vast civilian support staff that are found on the Nations military bases and bases around the world. I got a good sense of that when I joined. sadly. my fellow colleagues at Ft. Hood a few months ago. mourning the loss of a civilian and soldiers at the hands of a terrorist. I was able to see civilians and soldiers coming together expressing concern for each other. I saw the mourning of those families who had lost their fallen heroes. their soldiers. And. yes. I saw the civilian staff mourn. as well. over the losses that had occurred amongst their fellow workers and colleagues. soldiers. and a civilian. and those who were also injured. As we mourned. it came to my attention that we must take care of all of them. Sergeant Kimberly Munley. who was a sergeant. a Fort Hood police sergeant to whom was attributed the success of bringing down this particular dangerous person. despite being shot herself. or a 19yearold nutritionist who put a tourniquet on a wounded soldier and carried them out for medical care. even though she was also wounded. So I am grateful that the committee has accepted my amendment. and I ask my colleagues to support the idea of more or continued posttraumatic stress disorder counseling for the civilians on this base. and to ensure that that happens. if ever such a tragedy occurs again. to be able to provide Airborne staff on military bases with that kind of support system. I have promised the Fort Hood community that I would return. and I intend to do so to check on how theyre doing. But it is important that we stand here today as we look toward Memorial Day. mourning those lost. to be able to say to those here that we will counsel or provide them with the services necessary to support those possibly suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues due to workrelated violence on our military installations. I started out quickly. Mr. Chairman. by talking about humanity. and I finish by saying. Ive heard all of the talk about Dont Ask. Dont Tell. It is interesting to note that the Secretary of Defense. the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. as well as the President. recognize the importance of acknowledging this necessary change in our military. But I am reminded of the history of integrating the military when President Truman said it was the right thing to do to provide the opportunity for Americans who happened to be of African American heritage to serve. We know it is distinctive. but there is a reason for Dont Ask. Dont Tell to be eliminated. and it is that every decent human being needs the right to serve his or her country if they are willing to take the Oath of Service. This is the right thing to do. Repeal it. Its time. The Murphy amendment is right and the process is in keeping with the respect of the opinion of those active duty soldiers who will be surveyed for their view. However now is the time to end this discrimination. My constituent Ensign Provost might have lived if his sexual orientation had not been misused to create an atmosphere that it was alright to take his life because he lived in fear of reprimand and dismissal. He was willing to serve his country but our country did not respect his humanity or his service. Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of my amendment (#25) to H.R. 5136-"National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011." My amendment would make available posttraumatic stress counseling for civilian victims of a shooting on a military installation base in the United States. including the shooting at Fort Hood. Every branch of the United States Armed Forces has a civilian workforce. The civilian workforce. also called "civil service." provides stability in various types of jobs at a military installation. That allows for the continuation of military operations in a peace or wartime environment. Civil service personnel serve in roles that provide an important support system allowing the Armed Services to operate at the highest levels. There are many ways to serve our country without actually enlisting in the military. One of those ways is to work in a military civilian job with the Armed Services. There are many. many thousands of individuals serving in jobs in fields such as medicine. recreation. education. engineering. food services. and many other important areas in which civilians provide valuable support for our military operations. The Army alone employs more that 250.000 civilians on its bases and installations around the world. Civilians. like soldiers. are sometimes placed in harms way and many work in challenging environments. One incident that recently presented unimaginable challenges and consequences for both soldiers and civilians was the shooting at Fort Hood. We understand that civilians stand in the same vulnerable shoes as soldiers when events like the Fort Hood event occur. Enlisted personnel. National Guards. reservists and veterans with PTSD have lived through traumatic events that caused them to fear for their lives. bear witness to horrible things. and feel helpless and hopeless. PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event. but they may not manifest until months or years later. If provided proper medical care. about half. 40 percent to 60 percent. of people who develop PTSD get better at some time. Although veterans who served in combat are most frequently afflicted by PTSD. events such as the Fort Hood shooting highlight the physical and psychological dangers facing military personnel in all roles. Consequently. it is vital to extend to our civilian personnel the same benefits and support that we give to our active duty military. Civilians and military members on Fort Hood have equal responsibility to protect our Nation and. as such. it is morally imperative that we honor these civilians by providing them with equal support in the aftermath of such traumatic incidents. Mr. Chairman. I urge my colleagues to support this simple but important amendment.