American Heroes COLA Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. I thank Mr. Takano for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 677, a bill that honors American veterans disabled for life. I thank my friend from Florida, Chairman Jeff Miller, for cosponsoring this bill with me and shepherding its passage.
As the mother of a United States Marine veteran, I want to first start by thanking all our veterans who have served us. Thankfully for my family, my son returned safely from two wars.
But, sadly, there are many for whom leaving the battlefield does not mark the end of a conflict, for them or their family. Jeff Colaiacovo is one of those people. I am proud to say he is a constituent and one of my heroes.
On his 18th birthday, unlike many young men of his generation, he volunteered for the Army to go to the Vietnam War, and it would be brutal.
A few months into his tour, in 1967, Jeff's tank hit a mine, and shrapnel exploded into his eyes, blinding him. Miraculously, the doctors were able to recover his vision, and soon after, he was back on the battlefield.
Then, on August 30, 1967, Jeff's tank was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, trapping him inside, his body engulfed in flames. He spent 5 months in burn units around the world.
He left the Army with an honorable discharge. And, again, he was not to be deterred. He got married. He raised children. He started a small business.
The thing is, Mr. Speaker, the injuries he sustained during his service left him disabled for life. And to this day, Jeff is under heavy medication for PTSD. He bears the scars of duty that remind us all of what he and many others gave in serving us.
Now, this bill recognizes that October 5 is the anniversary of the dedication of the Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial, a magnificent memorial that sits just steps away from the Capitol.
On one of its walls reads a quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower: ``Each of you bears upon his body the permanent, honorable scars of dangerous service: service rendered in order that our great nation might continue to live according to the expressed will of its own citizens.''
In honor of Jeff, and so many others, let's pass this bill.
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