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Congressman Paul served for five years as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard during the Vietnam War. Currently, he serves as a member of the International Relations Committee in Congress.
Congressman Ron Paul and the U.S. Congress have passed the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2006.
The bill is designed to help military veterans cope with the rising cost of living by tying increases in benefits to inflation.
The Act increases rates for veterans’ disability compensation and dependent compensation. It also increases dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children of veterans, while raising the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children. The rate increases are based on the cost-of-living adjustments established for Social Security Benefits.
On May 19, 2005, Congressman Ron Paul introduced legislation designed to postpone military base closures here in the United States, HR 2511.
Similar legislation was introduced by U.S. Senator John Thune (R - South Dakota). One of the conditions of the legislation was that military cuts could not occur until after U.S. troops in Iraq were back in the United States. Upon introducing the bill, Congressman Paul said, “We should not be talking about shutting down military bases here in Texas and across the U.S. while we are building bases and fighting wars overseas. We should not be shutting down domestic bases that provide critical support for our troops who are fighting in places like Iraq and Afghanistan”
A number of other key bills and amendments supporting the U.S. military and military personnel have been enacted into law with the support of Congressman Paul:
- HR 889, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2005 - including project assistance for Galveston, as well as authorizing general expenditures to defend our coastline.
- An amendment to extend veteran’s preference to individuals who served on active duty in the armed forces for a period of more than 180 consecutive days between 9/11 and the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- A “Sense of Congress” to deny funding to any college or university that denies equal access to ROTC programs or military recruiters.
- An amendment establishing the employment of National Guard and Reserve personnel as one of the evaluation factors in awarding defense contracts
Congressman Ron Paul
“The Best Friend Local Veterans Have”
The Baytown Sun
by Jessica Robertson
August 27, 2006
Congressman Ron Paul is known as “the taxpayers’ best friend,” but he may also be the best friend local veterans have. Paul met with a group of veterans Saturday for lunch and then toured the Veterans’ Memorial in Mont Belvieu.
A veteran himself, Paul served as a flight surgeon from 1963 to 1968 in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. Only about 5 percent of congressmen today are veterans, he said.
“The U.S. government tends to ignore veterans,” he said. “They’re anxious to get us in the military, but they forget about us when we come back.”
Paul said protecting veterans’ rights to medical benefits is a major priority for his office.
“That’s something we haven’t done a good enough job on,” he said. “As a doctor and a Congressman, that puts me in a position where I can help people who have been denied benefits. My goal is to try to save money in places where I think we spend too much so we can spend it there.”
This year, Paul helped to pass the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2006 in Congress. The act is designed to help military veterans cope with the rising cost of living by tying increases in benefits to inflation.
The bill increases rates for veterans’ disability compensation and dependent compensation as well as dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children of veterans.
For Vietnam-era veteran Warren Fitts, Paul’s experience as a serviceman gives him an edge over other politicians. Fitts served in Korea from 1972 to 1978 and is now vice president of the Baytown chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
“He’s been a very good supporter of veterans past and present,” he said. “I like his views. He does research on current events overseas, the war on terror, the economy and keeping jobs stateside. He makes policies that are better for our country.”
On behalf of veterans past and present, Fitts presented Paul with a letter of appreciation and an eagle sculpture.
Fitts’ 20-year-old son, Stephen, is following the footsteps of his father, Paul and other veterans. He is serving in the Air Force and is stationed in Little Rock, Ark. Future veterans like him will also likely need political support, Paul said.
“I’m sure that even in the current war, they’re going to come back and need to get help in getting benefits,” he said.
In 2005, Paul introduced legislation designed to postpone military base closures in the United States. Domestic bases, he said, should not be shut down because they provide critical support for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A condition of the legislation was that military cuts could not occur until after troops in Iraq returned to the United States.
Awarding long-deserved medals and commendations to veterans is also important for Paul and his staff. Last week, he said, he presented commendations to 19 veterans in Victoria.
“A lot of veterans are never awarded their medals,” he said. “They were just worried about getting home, but later on, they may wonder if they were awarded with anything.”
Through a veterans’ coordinator in his office, Paul can assist veterans in determining which commendations they are set to receive.
“It’s more emotional than you’d ever believe,” he said. “When we finally get to award them their medals, they’re filled with such pride and emotion. A lot of them end up in tears because they just didn’t realize what they’d earned because they wanted to get it all behind them.”
Paul and his office are working with World War II veteran Harry Daves to retrieve an overdue commendation. Daves has already received a Silver Star, Purple Heart and Navy Combat Ribbon for his service in Africa, but he has never been awarded a Navy Cross, the second highest medal a naval officer can receive.
Daves, now a resident of Old River, said he earned the commendation by leading a risky mission on the beach.
“They’re trying to get it for me,” he said. “I was on that beach barefooted, and after pulling people out of the water, I swam in the ocean and got back in the ship. There were 40-foot waves and 40 mph winds.”
After sharing war stories with Daves and other veterans, Paul visited the Veterans’ Memorial in Mont Belvieu and headed to Beach City for a reception in his honor.
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