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Honorable Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey
Tribute To The Department Of Veterans Affairs
On The Thirteenth Anniversary
Of Their Becoming A Cabinet Department

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the thirteenth anniversary of the Department of Veterans Affairs becoming a Cabinet Department. As Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am privileged to work with thousands of dedicated employees of the Department to improve the delivery of benefits and services to our nation's 25 million veterans and their families.

On October 25, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Department of Veterans Affairs Act (H.R. 3471 in the 100th Congress), legislation I cosponsored and strongly supported. This Act led to the Veterans Administration (VA) becoming the 14th federal Department of the Executive Branch.

Subsequently, on March 15th, 1989, thirteen years ago this week, the Honorable Edwin Derwinski, was sworn in as the first Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Finally, the nation's veterans had a full and permanent seat at the President's Cabinet table.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the second largest federal agency in terms of employees, with over 220,000 dedicated men and women providing a range of vital benefits and services for veterans around the country. The VA operates the largest integrated health network in the world, comprised of 163 medical centers, over 800 Community Based Outpatient Clinics, 135 nursing homes, 43 domiciliaries and 73 comprehensive home-care programs. The VA continues to provide quality care to millions of veterans, their families and their survivors.

In addition, the VA operates one of the most important medical research programs in the world, with more than 15,000 research projects at 115 VA medical centers. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is on the cutting edge of research on matters ranging from brain trauma to hepatitis C to Alzheimer's disease. The VHA also pays particular attention to the wounds and illnesses of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen, and recently opened two new Centers for the Study of War-Related Illnesses, one in Washington, DC, and the other in my home state of New Jersey.

The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains a national network of veterans' cemeteries for our nation's veterans, consisting of 119 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and also administers six life insurance programs with 2.2 million policies in force having a face value of $22 billion.

The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), created as part of the new Department of Veterans Affairs, oversees a myriad of benefits programs for veterans, including disability compensation, education and training, job placement, home loans, and life insurance. Over 2.7 million veterans receive disability compensation payments for wounds or illnesses resulting from their service to our nation, and an additional 570,000 widows, children and surviving parents of deceased veterans also receive monthly benefit payments.

Mr. Speaker, the VA also operates the GI Bill program, which has provided college education and training to more than 20 million veterans since its creation in 1944. This historic program not only changed the way America looked at veterans benefits, it also changed the nature of higher education and helped to create the modern middle class. In addition, the VA operates the veterans home loan program, which has helped over 16 million former servicemen and women buy their own homes.

Since the creation of the original Veterans Administration in 1930, our nation has recognized the unique contributions and sacrifices of the men and women who have defended our freedom at home and abroad. Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs, ably led by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi, continues to provide the benefits and services that our nations veterans have earned.

On the wall outside the VA's main office in Washington, DC, the words of President Abraham Lincoln are engraved on the building: "To care for him who have borne the battle, and his widow and his children." This is the mission that draws so many committed men and women to the VA.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to work on behalf of our nation's veterans and I want to pay tribute to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and especially all of their gifted and dedicated employees, on the 13th anniversary of their becoming a full Department of the federal government.

Purpose, Mission, & Vision

VA’s purpose is:

To administer the laws providing benefits and other services to veterans and their dependents and the beneficiaries of veterans.

VA’s mission is:

To serve America’s veterans and their families with dignity and compassion and be their principal advocate in ensuring that they receive medical care, benefits, social support, and lasting memorials promoting the health, welfare, and dignity of all veterans in recognition of their service to this Nation.

VA’s vision is:

As the Department of Veterans Affairs heads into the 21st century, we will strive to meet the needs of the Nation’s veterans today and tomorrow.

We are a more customer-focused organization, functioning as "One-VA" and delivering seamless service to our customers. We benchmark our service with the best in business. We use innovative means and high technology to deliver "World-Class Customer Service." We foster partnerships with our customers and stakeholders, making them part of the decision-making process.

Today's classic warship, USS Devastator (AM-318)

Auk class minesweeper
Displacement. 890 t,
Lenght. 221'2"
Beam. 32'2"
Draft. 10'9"
Speed. 18 k.
Complement. 105
Armament. 1 3"; 2 40mm; 2 20mm; 5 dcp; 2 dct.

USS Devastator (AM-318) was launched 19 April 1943 by General Engineering and Dry Dock Co., Alameda, Calif., sponsored by Mrs. D. A. Shaw; and commissioned 12 January 1944, Lieutenant Commander R. C. Gloss, USNR, in command.

Devastator arrived at Pearl Harbor 30 March 1944 as escort for a convoy. The next day she began convoy escort duty in Majuro and Kwajalein, which continued until 30 July. During 3 to 17 August she swept off French Frigate Shoal, and after one voyage to Eniwetok from 4 to 25 September, served at Pearl Harbor on training duty for the remainder of the year.

Devastator sailed from Pearl Harbor 27 January 1945 as escort for transports bound for the invasion of Iwo Jima. She participated in preinvasion minesweeping for 3 days before the invasion landings of 19 February, then escorted damaged vessel to Saipan, returning to Iwo Jima 1 March to patrol off the island until 7 March.

On 19 March 1945 Devastator got underway from Ulithi for preinvasion minesweeping at Okinawa. She patrolled during and after the invasion and in the heavy suicide attacks of 6 April splashed an enemy plane about 50 yards off her port quarter. On 4 July she cleared Okinawa for minesweeping operations in conjunction with the 3d Fleet raids on the Japanese mainland.

She sailed from Okinawa 15 July for Seattle, arriving 12 August for overhaul. Devastator remained on the west coast for operations except for two extended periods at Pearl Harbor for experiments in hull design development. She was placed out of commission 30 January 1947.

Recommissioned 26 February 1952 Devastator served in the Far East from 8 July 1952 to 5 February 1953 and again from 5 October 1953 to 2 June 1954 carrying out dangerous sweeps in Korean waters. She then operated on the west coast until again placed out of commission in reserve 15 April 1955.

She was reclassified MSF-318, 7 February 1955. Sold to Mexico, 1973, renamed Sabastian Lerdo de Tejada (C-74).

Devastator received three battle stars for World War II service and two for Korean War service.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on March 16:
1585 Gerbrant A Bredero Holland, poet/playwright (Klucht van de Koe)
1609 Michael Franck composer
1634 Contessa Marie Madeleine La Fayette novelist
1651 Zaccaria Tevo composer
1663 Nicholas Siret composer
1729 Georg W "Franz" Panzer German vicar/librarian (Annales typographic)
1739 George Clymer US merchant (signed Declaration of Independence, Constitution)
1745 Johann Wilhelm Cornelius von Konigslow composer
1750 Caroline Lucretia Herchel Hanover, Germany, 1st modern woman astronomer
1751 James Madison Port Conway VA, (D-R), 4th US President (1809-17)
1757 Bengt Lidner Swedish poet (Medea, Yttersa Domen)
1774 Matthew Flinders English navigator/cartographer (coast Australia)
1776 Johan G Verstolk van Soelen Dutch minister of Foreign Affairs
1787 Georg Simon Ohm physicist (discovered Ohm's Law)
1802 George Archibald McCall Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1868
1806 Norbert Rillieux inventor (sugar refiner)
1812 Henry Dwight Terry Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1869
1814 Jules Eugene Abraham Alary composer
1821 Ernest Feydeau French author (Georges Feydeau)
1822 John Pope Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
1822 Rosa Bonheur French landscape painter (Buffalo Bill)
1823 William Henry Monk composer
1832 Charles Camp Doolittle Bvt Major General (Union volunteer)
1836 Andrew S Hallidie inventor (cable car)
1839 René François Armand Sully Prudhomme France, poet, 1st Nobel winner (1901)
1849 James E Smith became father at 100 with woman 64 years younger
1849 Reverend James E Smith became father at 100 with woman 64 years younger
1856 E Louis YY Napoleon Bonaparte French/English prince
1868 Maxim Gorki USSR, playwright (The Lower Depths, Night Asylum)
1873 Hippoliet Daeye Flemish painter (Sereniteit)
1876 Charles Halton Washington DC, actor (Dr Cyclops, Tugboat Annie Sails Again)
1878 Clemens A Graaf von Galen cardinal/bishop of Munster/anti-Nazi
1878 Henry B Walthall Shelby City AL, actor (Birth of a Nation, Klondike)
1878 Reza Sjah Pahlawi [Reza Chan], shah of Iran
1884 Harrison Ford Kansas City MO, silent screen actor (Just Married, Vanity Fair, Love In High Gear , Rubber Tires)
1885 Giacomo Benvenuti composer
1885 Sydney Chaplin South Africa, actor (Limelight)
1892 César Vallejo Peruvian/French poet (Los Heraldos Negros)
1893 Isobel Elsom actress (My Fair Lady, Love From a Stranger)
1896 Conrad Nagel Keokuk IA, actor (Celebrity Time)
1901 Walter E Schäfer German playwright
1902 Lucie Rie potter
1903 Mike Mansfield (Senator-Democrat-MT) majority whip
1903 Morgan Conway actor (Dick Tracy)
1903 Nicolai Lopatnikoff Revel Estonia, composer (Variaioni Concertanto)
1904 Clive Morton London England, actor (Goodbye Mr Chips, Moonraker)
1906 Francisco Ayala writer
1906 Henny Youngman London England, comedian (Take my wife please)
1908 Robert Rossen director/writer (Hustler All the King's Men, Mambo)
1910 Aladar Gerevich Hungary, sabres (Olympics-gold-1948)
1910 Andrew Miller-Jones British TV pioneer
1910 Iftikhar Ali Khan cricketer (Nawab of Pataudi, England & India)
1910 Martijn Lijnema boer/resistance fighter (WWII)
1910 Norman Wooland Düsseldorf Germany, actor (Hamlet)
1912 Patricia Nixon [Thelma Catherine] Ely NV, 1st lady (1969-74)
1916 Lloyd McBride union president (United Steelworkers)
1918 Aldo E van Eyck Dutch architect (City Hall)
1918 Howard Boatwright composer
1919 Erno Kiraly composer
1920 John Addison Surrey England, composer (Tom Jones-Academy Award)
1920 Leo McKern Sydney Australia, actor (Blue Lagoon, Help, Mouse that Roared)
1920 Percy Mansell cricketer (leg-spin all-rounder in 13 Tests for South Africa)
1922 Geoffrey Freeman Allen railway writer
1922 Harding Lemay North Bangor NY, headwriter (Another World)
1923 George Bean cricketer (92 runs in 3 Tests for England vs Australia)
1925 Cornell Borchers [Cornelia Bruch] Heydekrug Germany, actress (Big Lift, Floodtide, Istanbul)
1926 Jerry Lewis [Joseph Levitch] Newark NJ, entertainer/fund raiser (MDA), especially loved in France
1927 Daniel Patrick Moynihan US ambassador to UN/(Senator-Democrat-NY, 1977-2001)
1927 Karlheinz Böhm Darmstadt Germany, actor (Face of Fear, Peeping Tom, Unnatural)
1927 Olga San Juan New York NY, actress (Variety Girl, 1 Touch of Venus)
1927 Vladimir M Komarov Moscow Russia, cosmonaut (Voshkod I Soyuz 1)
1928 Christa Ludwig Berlin Germany, soprano (Vienna State Opera)
1928 Ramon Barce composer
1929 Edwin London composer
1930 Minoru Miky composer
1931 Betty Johnson Guilford County NC, singer (Jack Paar Show, I Dreamed)
1931 Don Richard Carpenter novelist
1932 Ronnie Walter Cunningham Creston IA, Colonel USMC/astronaut (Apollo 7)
1933 Ruth Bader Ginsberg justice (US Supreme Court)
1936 Thelma Hopkins England, high jumper (Olympics-silver-1956)
1937 Constanca Capdeville composer
1937 David Del Tredici Cloverdale CA, composer (1980 Pulitzer)
1940 Bernardo Bertolucci Parma Italy, director (Last Tango in Paris)
1940 Jan P Pronk Dutch politician (PvdA)
1940 Jan Schaefer Dutch Assistant Secretary of State (PvdA)
1942 Chuck Woolery Kentucky, TV game show host (Love Connection)
1942 Jerry Jeff Walker composer (Mr BoJangles)
1945 Börries von Münchhausen writer, dies
1946 Erik Estrada New York NY, actor (CHiPs, Cross & Switchblade, Lightblast)
1948 Margaret [Edith] Weis US, sci-fi author (Dragons of Spring Dawning)
1948 Michael Bruce rocker/actor (Rudy-Rainbow Drive)
1949 Bertha Knox Gilkey welfare & tenement rights for urban women
1949 Elliott Murphy US singer/songwriter
1949 Victor Garber Montréal Québec Canada, actor (Days & Nights of Molly Dodd)
1951 Kate Nelligan London Ontario, actress (Bethune, Eye of the Needle)
1951 Ray Benson Philadelphia PA, country singer (House of Blue Lights)
1951 Ritchie Teeter rocker
1954 Dav Whatmore cricketer (Colombo Australia bat 1979, Sri Lanka coach 1995-)
1954 Hollis Stacy Savannah GA, LPGA golfer (US Open 1977, 78)
1954 Jimmy Nail singer/actor (Evita, Spender, Howling II)
1954 Nancy Wilson San Francisco CA, rocker (Heart-These Dreams, Never, What about Love)
1955 Isabelle Huppert Paris France, actress (Cactus, Heaven's Gate)
1956 Ozzie Newsome NFL tight end (Cleveland Browns)
1957 Pearl Moore WBL guard (New York Stars)
1959 Michael J Bloomfield Flint MI, Major USAF/astronaut (STS 86)
1959 Stan Thorn Kenosha WI, singer (Shenandoah-Sunday in the South)
1961 Mel Gray NFL wide receiver/kick returner (Houston/Tennessee Oilers)
1962 Marcel Brands soccer player (RKC)
1963 Phung Vuong Saigon Vietnam, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List)
1965 Cindy Brown US, basketball player (Olympics-gold-1988)
1966 Brad Bergen Prince Albert Saskatchewan, hockey defenseman (Team Germany 1998)
1966 Catarina Pollini WNBA forward (Houston Comets)
1966 David Nascimento soccer player (Roda JC/FC Utrecht)
1966 Rodney Peete NFL quarterback (Philadelphia Eagles)
1967 Dan Owens NFL defensive tackle (Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions)
1967 John Mangum NFL safety (Chicago Bears)
1968 Jason van Blerk soccer player (Go Ahead Eagles)
1969 Ottis Gibson cricketer (Barbados fast bowler, West Indies 1995)
1969 Pat Harlow NFL tackle (New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders)
1969 Steve Israel NFL cornerback (San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots)
1970 Kelli James Medford NJ, field hockey forward (Olympics-96)
1971 Brett Carolan NFL tight end (San Francisco 49ers)
1971 Eric Ravotti NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1973 Bert Zuurman soccer player (SC Heerenveen)
1974 Heath Streak cricketer (Zimbabwean pace bowler 1993-)
1974 Lamont Burns guard (New York Jets)
1976 Michelle Rae Collie Miss Bahamas-Universe (1996)
1991 Wolfgang Van Halen son of Eddie Van Halen & Valerie Bertinelli

Deaths which occurred on March 16:
0037 Tiberius Claudius Nero emperor of Rome (14-37), dies at 77
1072 Adalbert archbishop of Bremen-Hamburg, dies
1536 Ibrahim Pasha grand-visier of Osmaanse Rich, murdered at about 45
1629 Emilia of Nassau daughter of Willem of Orange, dies at 59
1736 Giovanni B Pergolesi Italian composer (Stabat Mater), dies at 26
1738 Georg Baehr German master builder (Frauenkirche, Dresden), dies at 72
1804 Francisco marquis Albergati Capacelli Italian playwright, dies at 75
1806 Giuseppe Colla composer, dies at 74
1819 Nicolas Sejan composer, dies at 73
1838 Nathaniel Bowditch astronomer & navigation expert, dies at 64
1841 Félix Savart French surgeon/physicist, dies at 49
1843 Anton R Falck Dutch minister of Education/Colonies, dies at 65
1867 Benjamin Hanby composer, dies at 33
1878 William Banting English undertaker, dies
1881 Modest P Mussorgsky Russian composer (Boris Godunov), dies at 42
1882 Charles R Darwin English naturalist (Origin of species), dies at 73
1887 Emanuel Kania composer, dies at 59
1898 Aubrey (Vincent) Beardsley English illustrator (Salome), dies at 23
1909 George Thorndike Angell lawyer (ASPCA), dies at 85
1910 Eduard FW Pflüger German physiologist, dies at 80
1914 Gaston Calmette editor (Le Figaro), killed by Madame Caillaux at 55
1914 Sir John Murray piloted HMS Challenger to Christmas Island, dies
1919 Sigurd von Koch composer, dies at 39
1930 Miguel Primo de Riveray Orbaneja Sp dictator (1923-30), dies at 60
1933 Alfred Her Hungarian mathematician, dies at 47
1935 John J R Macleod Scot/Canadian physiologist (Nobel 1923), dies at 58
1937 J Austen Chamberlain English Minister of Foreign Affairs (Nobel), dies at 73
1938 Egon Friedell writer, dies
1940 Selma O Lagerlöf Swedish author (Nils Holgersson, Nobel-09), dies at 81
1941 John Murray Canada oceanographer (Challenger), dies at 73
1942 Alexander van Zemlinsky Austrian composer (African Dance), dies at 69
1945 Pierre Drieu la Rochelle French writer/poet, commits suicide at 52
1946 Marius HLW "Max" Blokzijl Dutch Nazi propagandist, executed at 61
1955 Mayhew Lake composer, dies at 75
1956 Joseph John Richards composer, dies at 77
1957 Mosa Pijade Yugoslavian MP (communist), dies at 67
1958 Leon J Cadore pitched the 26 inning game, dies at 65
1959 John Sailling last documented Civil War vet, dies at 111
1962 John Owen Jones composer, dies at 85
1964 Nicholas Joy actor (Boss Lady), dies at 80
1967 James Friskin composer, dies at 80
1968 Bengt Gunnar Ekelöf Swedish poet (Nun Serviam), dies at 60
1968 June Collyer actress (June-Stu Erwin Show), dies at 60
1968 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco composer, dies at 72
1970 Arthur Adamov Russian/French playwright, dies at 61
1970 Tammi Terrell singer (Ain't No Mountain High Enough, You're All I Need), dies from brain tumor at 23
1971 Bebe Daniels actress (Silver Dollar, My Past), dies at 70
1971 Chuck Fleetwood-Smith cricketer (Victoria & Australia), dies
1971 Thomas E Dewey US Presidential candidate (R 1944, 48), dies at 68
1972 Harold "Pie" Traynor hall of fame 3rd baseman (Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 72
1973 Carl Benton Reid actor (Trap, Underwater City), dies at 79
1973 M Revis [Willem Fisherman), author (People that Mutiny), dies at 68
1975 T-Bone Walker blues guitarist (Funky Town, Well Done), dies at 64
1978 Aldo Moro 5 times Prime Minister of Italy, assassinated by terrorists
1979 Jean Monnet French economist/CEO (ECSC), dies at 90
1983 Arthur Godfrey TV host (Arthur Godrey Show), dies at 79
1985 B V A Röling Dutch lawyer (WWII Tokyo trials), dies at 78
1985 Roger Huntington Sessions US composer (Black Masks), dies at 88
1987 Scott McKay actor (Guest in House, 30 Seconds over Tokyo), dies at 71
1988 Dorothy Adams Foulger actress (Laura, Devil Commands), dies at 88
1990 Ernst Bacon composer, dies at 91
1991 7 members of Reba McIntire's band killed in a plane crash
1991 Jan H van Roijen Dutch diplomat/Foreign Minister, dies at 85
1991 Wim van den Brink Dutch actor (Turkish Fruit, Red Sien), dies
1992 Renzhong Weangn China politician (1934-45), dies
1993 Chishu Ryu Japanese actor (Autumn Afternoon), dies of cancer at 86
1993 Djilalli Lyabès Algerian minister of Higher Education, murdered
1993 Don Randolph actor (Harem Girl), dies of pneumonia at 87
1993 Giovanni Testori Italian writer (Arialda), dies at 69
1993 Mohammed Hussein Nagdi Iran diplomat/resistance fighter, murdered
1995 Albert Maurice Hackett playwright/screenwriter, dies at 95
1995 Clan Fraser of Lovat soldier/Landowner, dies at 83
1995 Lord Lovat [Shimi], Scottish landowner, dies at 83
1995 Sydney Simone band leader, dies at 80
1996 Joseph Lee Pope singer, dies at 62
1996 Olive Netta Parsons co-founder (Collet's bookshop), dies at 104
1996 Peter Clemoes Anglo-Saxon scholar, dies at 76

On this day...
1079 Iran adopts solar Hijrah calendar
1190 Jews of York England commit mass sucide rather than submit to baptism
1345 Holy spirit glides above fire; "the miracle of Amsterdam" (legend)
1517 Pope Leo X signs 5th Council of Lateranen
1521 Magelhaes' fleet discovers Zamal (Samar)
1521 Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reaches Philippines
1527 Battle at Khanua: Mogol Emperor Babur beats Rajputen
1621 Native American chief visits colony of Plymouth MA
1641 General court declares Rhode Island a democracy & adopts new constitution
1660 English Long Parliament disbands
1690 French king Louis XIV sends troops to Ireland
1730 Willem Charles Henry Friso installed as viceroy of Drenthe
1731 Treaty of Vienna: Emperor Charles VI of England & Netherlands
1792 Murder attempt on King Gustavus III by count Ankarstrom at opera
1802 Law signed to establish US Military Academy (West Point NY)
1802 US army Corps of Engineers established (2nd time)
1815 Willem I proclaimed king of the Netherlands, including Belgium
1822 Composer Gioacchino Rossini marries Spanish soprano
1827 1st US black newspaper, "Freedom's Journal" (New York NY), begins publishing
1829 Ohio authorizes high school night classes
1830 London's re-organised police force (Scotland Yard) forms
1830 New York Stock Exchange slowest day ever (31 shares traded)
1833 Susan Hayhurst becomes 1st US woman grad of a pharmacy college
1834 HMS Beagle anchors at Berkeley Sound, Falkland Islands
1836 Texas approves a constitution
1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" published
1861 Arizona Territory votes to leave the Union
1861 Confederate government appoints commissioners to Britain
1862 Battle at Pound Gap KY: Confederates separate battles
1865 Battle of Averasboro NC (1,500 casualities)
1869 Hiram R Revels makes the 1st official speech by a black in the Senate
1871 1st fertilizer law enacted
1872 1st FA Cup Final: Wanderers-Royal Engineers 1-0 in Bolton
1876 Nelly Saunders & Rose Harland fight 1st female boxing match (New York)
1877 Charles Bannerman completes 1st Test cricket century, 165 vs England
1882 US Senate ratifies treaty establishing the Red Cross
1894 Jules Massenet's opera "Thaïs" premieres in Paris France
1896 Premiere of Mahler's "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen"
1897 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of The Devil's Foot" (BG)
1900 American League meets in Chicago, Ban Johnson announces that an American League teams will be in Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland & Buffalo
1900 Sir Arthur Evans finds old city of Knossus
1907 1st first-class cricket game between New South Wales & Western Australia
1910 Barney Oldfield sets land speed record of 131.7 mph at Daytona
1911 Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators beat Port Arthur (Ontario) 13-4
1912 Mrs William Howard Taft plants 1st cherry tree in Washington DC
1915 British battle cruisers Inflexible & Irresistible hit mines in Dardanelle
1915 Federal Trade Commission organizes
1916 James Barries' "Kiss for Cinderella" premieres in London
1916 US & Canada sign Migratory bird treaty
1918 Geoffrey O'Hara's "K-K-K-Katy" song published
1919 Frank Wedekind's "Elius Erweckung" premieres in Hamburg
1920 1 Acre Park also known as Baby Park in the Bronx renamed Melrose Park
1922 Sultan Fuad I crowned king of Egypt, England recognizes Egypt
1922 WKY-AM in Oklahoma City OK begins radio transmissions
1923 Hugo von Hofmannsthal's "Der Unbestechliche" premieres in Vienna
1926 Robert Goddard launches 1st liquid fuel rocket, goes 184' (56 meter)
1929 WHP-AM in Harrisburg PA begins radio transmissions
1930 USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) floated out to become a national shrine
1931 Genootschap Onze Taal (Our Language) organizes (Netherlands)
1933 Hitler names Hjalmar Shaft, president of Bank of Germany
1934 Congress passes Migratory Bird Conservation Act
1935 Hitler orders German rearmament, violating Versailles Treaty
1937 All but one senior fouls out of a scrimmage game between seniors & sophomores, but he holds on to win the game 35-32
1938 Noël Coward's musical "Operette" premieres in London
1938 Temple defeats Colorado to win 1st NIT
1939 Germany occupies Czechoslovakia
1939 Hungary annexes republic of Karpato-Ukraine
1939 NHL record 10 goals in 1 period-New York Rangers (7), New York Americans (3) & a record 26 points in the 3rd period
1940 German air raid on British fleet base Scapa Flow
1941 Blizzard hits North Dakota & Minnesota killing 60
1941 Dmitri Shostakovich receives the Stalin Prize
1941 National Gallery of Art opens in Washington DC
1943 Elin K (No) & Zaanland (Netherlands) torpedoed & sinks
1944 Vichy Internal minister Pucheu sentenced to death
1945 US defeats Japan at Iwo Jima
1946 "Would-Be Gentleman" closes at Booth Theater NYC after 77 performances
1947 Convair Liner, 1st US twin-engine pressurized airplane, tested
1949 KFMB TV channel 8 in San Diego CA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1950 1st annual National Book Awards
1952 1870 mm rain in Cilaos, Réunion (world record)
1952 Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship
1953 American League rejects Bill Veeck's request to move St Louis Browns to Baltimore
1955 Josephine Kroesen appointed as 1st Dutch female judge
1955 President Eisenhower upheld the use of atomic weapons in case of war
1956 US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Tenley Albright
1956 US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Hayes A Jenkins
1957 9th Emmy Awards: Phil Silvers Show, Robert Young & Loretta Young
1957 Patty Berg wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship
1957 Toronto Maple Leafs tie NHL record 37 points beating New York Rangers 14-1
1958 Beverly Hanson wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship
1959 Iraq & USSR sign economic/technical treaty
1962 1st launching of Titan 2-rocket
1962 US Super-Constellation disappears above Pacific Ocean, kills 167
1964 KCOY TV channel 12 in Santa Maria CA (CBS) begins broadcasting
1964 Paul Hornung & Alex Karras reinstated in NFL after 1 year suspension
1966 "Man From Uncle" star David McCallum receives huge welcome in London
1966 Gemini 8 launched with Armstrong & Scott, aborted after 6.5 orbits
1967 Pirate Radio Station 333 (Radio Britain) ship breaks down
1968 My Lai massacre occurs (Vietnam War); 450 die
1968 Robert F Kennedy announces Presidential campaign
1969 Boston Bruins scores a NHL record 8 goals in 1 period
1969 Peter Stone & Sherman Edward's "1776" premieres at 46th St Theater NYC for 1217 performances
1969 Viasa DC-9 crashes at Maracaibo's Grano de Oro airport, killing 155
1970 New English Bible published
1970 WNIN TV channel 9 in Evansville IN (PBS) begins broadcasting
1971 13th Grammy Awards: Bridge over Troubled Water, Carpenters win
1971 KDCD TV channel 18 in Midland TX (IND) suspends broadcasting
1972 John & Yoko are served with deportation papers
1974 1st performance at new Grand Ole Opry House at Opryland in Nashville
1975 "Lieutenant" closes at Lyceum Theater NYC after 9 performances
1975 US Mariner 10 makes 3rd & final fly-by of Mercury
1976 British premier Harold Wilson resigns
1977 US President Carter pleads for Palestinian homeland
1978 Amoco Cadiz tanker spills 68.7 million gallons of oil off French coast
1978 Red Brigade kidnaps former premier Aldo Moro in Italy, 5 killed
1978 Soyuz 26 returns to Earth
1978 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1978 US Senate accepts Panamá Canal treaty
1979 CBS-TV airs "Wings Over the World" with Paul McCartney
1980 Joanne Carner wins LPGA Honda Civic Golf Classic
1983 Smallest crowd at Cleveland Coliseum (Cavs vs Nets-1,814)
1984 Gunmen kidnap William Buckley, CIA station chief in Beirut
1984 South-Africa & Mozambique sign non attack treaty
1985 Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson taken hostage in Beirut
1985 Denny McLain, pitcher; convicted of racketeering, sentenced to 25 years
1986 Chris Johnson wins LPGA GNA/Glendale Federal Golf Classic
1988 Federal grand jury indicts Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North & Navy Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter in Iran-Contra affair
1988 North-Ireland Protestant fires on Catholic funeral, 3 killed
1988 US sends 3000 soldiers to Nicaragua's neighbor Honduras
1991 7 members of Reba McEntire's band are killed in a plane crash
1991 Members of Irish Gay & Lesbian Organization march in NYC parade
1991 New Jersey Net coach Bill Fitch is 4th coach to win 800 NBA games
1991 New York Lotto pays $33.3 million to one winner (#s are 18-21-32-33-35-38)
1992 Matt Keough, in the dugout, is hit flush in the head by a batted ball
1994 Moravcik forms Slovakia government
1994 Tonya Harding pleads guilty to felony attack on Nancy Kerrigan
1995 Dow-Jones hits record 4069.15
1995 Manhattan upsets 4th seeded Oklahoma 77-67
1995 Mississippi House of Representatives ratifies 13th Amendement-formally abolishes slavery
1995 World best 7th wicket stand 461 by Bhupinder Singh Jr & P Dharmani
1996 Mike Tyson KOs Frank Bruno in 2nd round
1997 Donna Andrews wins LPGA Welch's/Circle K Championship
1997 New Jersey Devils' Dave Andreychuk is 26th NHL to score 500 goals
1997 Stuart Appleby wins Honda Golf Classic
1997 Toshiba Senior Golf Classic

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Surinam : Holi Phagwah
Umatilla OR : Curlew Day

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of fictional St Urho, patron of Finland
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of SS Abraham, hermit, & Mary, penitant
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St John de Brébeuf & companions/martyrs

Religious History
597 BC According to certain archaeological calculations, the first conquest of Jerusalem by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar occurred. In the Bible, the event is recorded in 2 Kings 24:1ff. and in 2 Chronicles 36:5-8. It is also implied in the early chapters of Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
1621 Birth of George Neumark, German educator. Twice in life he lost everything: once by robbers and once by fire. As a poet, Neumark is best remembered as author of the hymn, "If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee."
1915 Birth of Dr. Robert H. Bowman, missions pioneer. In 1945, along with John Broger and William J. Roberts, Bowman helped found the Far East Broadcasting Company. Today FEBC reaches thousands of Pacific island clusters with the Gospel through Christian radio.
1952 The first religious program on TV, "This Week in Religion," debuted on Dumont television. It was the only ecumenical program of TV's early religious offerings, and ran for two years, last airing in October 1954.
1970 The complete text of the New English Bible was published, simultaneously, by the Oxford and Cambridge Presses. (The New Testament of the NEB had been first published in 1961.)

Thought for the day :
" He is truly wise who gains wisdom from another`s mishap. "

FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

To be removed from this list, please send me a blank private reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line! Thanks! Jen

Just thought I'd pass this along SAM. I am reading a book called Waking The Tiger by Peter A. Levine. Published by North Atlantic Books. It is for anybody dealing with trauma and stress, be it veterans or otherwise. Truly a great book.

Demonstrators Rally In Support Of War, Troops http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/866529/posts

Flag-raising In Support Of U.S. Troops
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/866530/posts