Braley Statement on Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta Receiving Medal of Honor

Washington, DC - Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) released the following statement today after Hiawatha native Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta received the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony. Giunta is the first living soldier to receive the military's most prestigious combat medal for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Braley attended the ceremony.

"Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta represents the absolute best our military has to offer and all Iowans should be proud of his service," Braley said. "At a time when any other person might have taken cover, Staff Sgt. Giunta put himself directly in the line of fire to rescue a fellow soldier. While Staff Sgt. Giunta has described himself as 'average' and 'mediocre,' his courage, leadership and selfless action paint a more accurate picture of the man we honor today. On behalf of all First District Iowans, I want to congratulate Staff Sgt. Giunta on this tremendous honor and thank him for his extraordinary service."

According to the White House, Giunta is recognized for the following action:

Then-Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself by acts of gallantry at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rifle team leader with Company B, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry Regiment during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan on October 25, 2007.

When an insurgent force ambush split Specialist Giunta's squad into two groups, he exposed himself to enemy fire to pull a comrade back to cover. Later, while engaging the enemy and attempting to link up with the rest of his squad, Specialist Giunta noticed two insurgents carrying away a fellow soldier. He immediately engaged the enemy, killing one and wounding the other, and provided medical aid to his wounded comrade while the rest of his squad caught up and provided security.  His courage and leadership while under extreme enemy fire were integral to his platoon's ability to defeat an enemy ambush and recover a fellow American paratrooper from enemy hands.

WASHINGTON - November 16, 2010 - Senator Chuck Grassley paid tribute to Staff Sergeant Salvatore A. Giunta, a native of Hiawatha, at his ceremony to receive the Medal of Honor.  The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest medal for valor in combat that can be awarded to members of the armed forces.  Giunta received the Medal of Honor for valorous actions performed on October 25, 2007, during combat operations in Afghanistan.   Giunta, a graduate of Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, is the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

"It was humbling to watch as Staff Sgt. Giunta received the Medal of Honor.  While he would probably be the last to say so, Staff Sgt. Giunta's selfless and honorable actions are truly deserving of the highest honor given to an American service member. May God bless him and all those protecting our nation."

Click here to watch the video of the Medal of Honor ceremony.

Click here to watch a video blog Senator Grassley taped after the Medal of Honor ceremony.

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Encourages Support for Programs that Help Illinois Veterans, Servicemembers and Their Families

CHICAGO - November 10, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today highlighted programs that benefit Veterans, servicemembers and their families throughout Illinois. At an event in Chicago, Governor Quinn was joined by representatives from the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, the Illinois National Guard and the USO of Illinois.

"We must do everything we can to support our Veterans and servicemembers," said Governor Quinn. "It is our duty to honor the men and women in uniform who have selflessly served our state and country."

At today's event, Governor Quinn highlighted a number of programs that he has established or supported during his time in public service.

Helmets to Hardhats is a national initiative modeled on Illinois' program which connects National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty military servicemembers to high-quality construction industry training and employment opportunities. The program seeks to ease the challenging transition to civilian life for servicemembers and their families. For more information please visit www.helmetstohardhats.org.

The Illinois Military Family Relief Fund allows residents to donate to Illinois military families in need of financial assistance while loved ones are deployed overseas. Since its launch in 2003, the program has distributed nearly $12 million dollars to families across the state. Donations may be sent to Illinois Military Family Relief Fund, 1301 North MacArthur Boulevard, Springfield, IL 62702.

Operation Support Our Troops is devoted to sending care packages with items that are not readily available to servicemembers overseas. Beginning on Veterans Day 2010, OSOTIL will be accepting donated items at MB Financial locations across the Chicagoland area. For a list of needed items and drop-off locations, visit www.osotil.org.

Operation Hero Miles makes airline tickets available to military families for travel related to a servicemember's medical condition. Servicemembers being treated as a result of an injury can also request a ticket to travel home while on medical leave. To donate airline miles for families to visit wounded military personnel at medical centers, please visit www.fisherhouse.org.

For more information about programs for our Veterans, visit www.operationhomefront.org or call the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs at 217-782-6641 or 312-814-2460.

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INDIANAPOLIS (October 26, 2010) - Wartime veterans of Clinton have a better outlet through which to serve the community.  The American Legion, the nation's largest veteran's organization, is inviting all wartime era veterans in the area to join them in revitalizing American Legion, Post 190 to better to provide service to the community and veterans of Clinton.

Officers and staff members of the Indianapolis-based American Legion National Headquarters and Des Moines-based State Headquarters will be in town to kick off this community and veteran service campaign.

Additionally, an open house and "Welcome Home" event for all veterans, present and past, will be held at the Wild Rose Hotel in the conference center on Tuesday, November 2nd from 4-8 pm and on Wednesday, November 3rd from 2-6 pm.  The meetings will be designed to answer questions about The American Legion, VA issues, i.e. benefits, claims, problems, veterans' rights and survivor rights.  State and County Veterans Service officers will be on hand to assist with VA claims or questions.

In keeping with the 92-year tradition of The American Legion, the Clinton American Legion Post is dedicated to refocusing on community service and assistance to veterans.  The scope and nature of the Post's community service will be determined by its members and inputs from local civic and community officials.

"Service!  That's what The American Legion is all about," said Jerry Sebben, Department Commander, The American Legion, Department of Iowa.  "We exist to help each and every veteran, their families and the communities they live in.   Clinton is an ideal place to strengthen partnerships between the veterans and the community.  The people here care about their community and practice good citizenship every day.  Now, wartime veterans have a special place from which they can make a difference."

Since its inception in 1919, The American Legion has been a key advocate for veterans' benefits, children & youth, patriotic American values, a strong national defense and quality-of-life issues for those serving in today's armed forces.

The organization, which spearheaded the original GI Bill, has been advocating reform of the veteran's health care system under its GI Bill of Health.  Creation of the federal forerunner of the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as the agency's ascent to cabinet-level status is due in part to The American Legion's advocacy.  The American Legion was also instrumental in the establishment of the Veterans Home Loan, veterans hiring preference and just compensation to veterans suffering from illnesses related to their military service, including those whose ailments stem from exposure to Agent Orange and mysterious Persian Gulf origins.

Equally aggressive are The American Legion's efforts to instill values in young people through numerous programs, including American Legion Boys State, American Legion Boys Nation, Junior Shooting Sports, the National High School Oratorical Contest, American Legion Baseball, Teenage Suicide Prevention, Child Health and a McGruff Safe Kids Program.  The American Legion has supported Scouting since 1919.  Many American Legion Posts also support Junior ROTC high school units, fund-raising for handicapped children, the Children's Miracle Network and partnerships with other nonprofit organizations such as Special Olympics.

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Keeping Government on a Short Leash

by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

The health of the U.S. economy typically serves as a good yardstick to gauge the public's approval or disapproval towards Washington. This year, the public's distaste for Washington's appetite to tax, spend and borrow our way back to prosperity exposes a major disconnect between the political leadership and the grassroots.

Inch by inch, Washington's cure for fixing health care, the economy, the environment, higher education, housing, Wall Street and Detroit has involved unprecedented taxpayer bailouts and unrealistic promises.

Many Iowans share how fed up they are with this Washington-knows-best approach to governance. From mandating individuals to buy health insurance to phasing out conventional light bulbs and shutting local lenders out of the school loan market, Washington is taking American consumers out of the decision-making process.

A Washington-knows-best philosophy undermines personal responsibility and weakens genuine accountability and effective transparency that are fundamental to upholding our government "of, by and for the people."

I work to keep Washington on a short leash.  It's not always popular, but I relish my job as a watchdog in Washington. It demands long haul oversight work that I have pursued as a representative for Iowa in the U.S. Senate. Holding the federal bureaucracy accountable, protecting the integrity of hard-earned tax dollars and keeping the people's business open to the public are non-negotiable principles.

Recently, I've focused my oversight work on several federal agencies to give voice to the concerns of Iowa farmers, retirees, taxpayers and investors, including:

·         The EPA's proposed federal rule that would dictate how much dust could reach beyond the ditch to the roadside when farmers harvest their crops;

·         Inadequate scrutiny of health care contractors by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Fraudulent claims and improper payments paid by Medicare siphons scarce tax dollars and further weakens the long-term solvency of this important health insurance program for retirees and disabled individuals. Consider one example in which a durable medical equipment supplier in Florida was ordered by a federal court in February to repay $445 million to the U.S. government. I want to know why CMS failed to detect suspicious billing activity (the investigation was launched by the FBI) and have serious concerns regarding how many cases of fraud go undetected.

·         The internal auditors at the Department of Defense are failing to follow the "money trail" and conduct full-scale contract audits. Unless the Inspector General commits to returning to the core mission of connecting the dots between a contract and a payment, the taxpaying public and military readiness risk losing even more to waste, fraud and abuse.

I also use legislative tools to establish accountability and transparency in government.

·         More than a decade ago, I secured passage of the landmark "Congressional Accountability Act" which holds the legislative branch of the federal government to the same civil rights, workplace safety and employment laws as the rest of the country.

·         My bipartisan effort to end the practice of so-called "secret holds" would end the ability of a single lawmaker to anonymously hold the people's business hostage by preventing a nomination or bill from coming to a vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

·         My Witness Sunshine Resolution would require individuals who testify before Senate committees to disclose outside affiliations and financial interests in organizations which have ties to the issue under consideration. The public deserves to know about special interests witnesses might have that could influence the outcome of public policy.

·         The president signed into law my bipartisan legislation to repeal blanket exemptions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the Securities and Exchange Commission. Considering the SEC's failure to investigate the ponzi scheme cooked up by Bernard Madoff, it's obvious the American public deserves more disclosure, not less.

It's pretty clear that Washington sticks to the adage "if you give an inch, it'll take a mile."  Considering the $13 trillion national debt and fragile economic recovery, it's more important than ever to make sure the federal government measures up to the highest standards of service, integrity and accountability.

 

Friday, October 15, 2010