Submit it for the record. I appreciate i knew that, 1 might be the result. The second is your proposed rule creates an actual date on the u calendar. Date we entered world war i but as you nanknow, our archival l ahpduqano y ir t hahp hc archives actually right now. Im sure thats one of them. In general, sir, what i mn will say inco date was to reallywu w4 possible. If we establish th certainly many of our veterans owe economically disadvantaged, there were more broken do families, so i would ask you to take a look 4c if you can have bdf consistency, i think it makes sense. I dont think that april 6msarth me 1917 is th worstdo3w in the world, but i think consistency, one of the rules we need tz by up here÷u is if we can create things that are consistent, it just makes it easier for everybody. So please take ao38 look at that. Theq 1n last thing i would as yout2bn÷ could consider community sort of community of historians. Every state has a state Historic Preservation officer, and if you a about that state governor appointedu astate governorkk z allow those folks to be included in this by name and by spelling them out i think it would bex really helpful. Theres one inzlpqdsx every for federally8 iujtj i Indian Tribes separately from our 50 states and the 4 territories asl well. So, they are everywhere. 8si itwj position that could and should be i thinkwa sure. We would bemo h2j sir. Thank you so much. The]i;cxul 2ua years here in i hadz you regulation and i appreciate w youre doing to implement that. You mentioned it a little bit want to thank you o because it sets forwardg what happened a fewi where some unidentified remainst p of our servicemen cimi andu ended up in a landfill. Happens again. I really appreciate the efforts to say thank you. On congressman,iac my staff, youre most welcome. They exist. Tx is to serveip5 our 4ijjrjj[p n heroes andr nn the people who have worn a uniform. It was a sensitive subject. We understoo we were out front. We worked thebk im happy to updatu c then÷ committee that we will advertise]b n that project in we anticipate a contract beingz awarded in april with 180 e66b[t project. October or november of a a2015, icunyn anticipate havingyqx a tomb ofu c remembrance in i appreciate that. Even our deserve a place of honor and i o youre most fc9uwelcome, sir. Thank you. Last senator clee lan for employing marshall. I certainly good to see john b here, but i really appreciate you and what youcffy dobaquy for our veterans. Thank you for u serving our[4fa veterans that happen to be÷ buried around the globe. I happened to. Places in france one of your cemeteries in france this [÷ gpyear. Gwhx it was very well kept up. I r;f en appreciates0g that you take your missiong sjdbc seriously and honor our heroes regardless of wc qratk happen ex b ut their final resting place. Thank you very ip kmuch, mr. Congreshk8 i yield back thes i want to thank the chairman and wish him great luck on his future. Talcd i know youve got thank you very much. Well miss you as a a thanks. I have oneaxema]÷ more question. af hopeopen it up to the other members if they have another one or five feel f 5 only because the firstncrgfbk meeting that i hadgld with secretarykkln mum down and he said something thatldn really got theeb . Z wheels turning. And i know Strategic Plan. I want to address really,a walters, about kch6nca and Strategic Plan moving forward9s s specifically after these conflicts were coming outvfc ofh9s. Are we prepared to have and what3hjy studies, plans d75 have to be able to deal with this92 a moving forward. J k thank ÷vl1cyou, mr. Chairman. The nande cemetery strategicpmv planning effort. nbn cf1 oets dtqi pah ar as predicting the futureydy . Y grave site need rates, we use the vetd . cn 2011 modelp nq we received from another officex that modelfm provides us with veteran level data atg4cd the countyoea level, using that data which is thatetdi data, we then look at individualc2dymz make and assumptions 20, 30 pz years into the future. I will say that weve been successful with predictions. In most years werptq ua. t a variancekb ofjsx aboutk ÷ 1 froma0 4r our projected intermo so any vy x cohort in the future would be reflected in these models. Tua 4. Reflectbjc]hv thank you for that response t y at puaq i know we all sit with whatt vha and how were unable to predict a lot of that so thank you for thatoqc ienew ,n0up response. Mk÷ rang Ranking Member . If the typhoon that recently hit the philippines had an impact on our cemeteries there and whats happened . sitem2declared a International Heritage site and howpl3 fvfmz affects our cemeteriesvg6n÷ 2¥sed thank you very much. Thegaa question i dont know the answer a]ertto. And i wilva6k61aujz mike . Ocnq conley who might know an answer to rfcit. The first qus typhoon. Typhoons hitk the philippines from time to ti someoi the treesz ix are blown down, grave sites jfn are impacted, so we are like everyone else. However, we have a great crew kvg w spot in responding and4 n settingj r31 things rar÷ tha 2 i would have to ask mike ]3uw conley, doesil he know anything tk b ja u e heritage sitx norman di . ;n ms. Titus forgive my voice. C½fkf1 o i have a cold. jx we are in contact with the folks over y 3there. Um our overseastnn operation offic1 just outside paris has x6t ereviewed paperwork and we are considering whether we want to endorse that. If it is declared a World Heritage site that theres prevent us from maintaining and improving upon the site as i agree with that. Well, thank you. Mr. Secretary can you identify him for the record please . Btje thatc mike conley, our chiefr thank you very much. Mr. Question 6fls forbz2hu holland. Husband are both eligible for understanding is that the rules do not allow them to reserve a plot next to each other and if they do want to be buried together theyll be buried one on top of another and theyll share a;zg headstone with1 ones name on one side and the x40iwothers on the other. ÷i is that a rule in place because ofkh space,zp in other words, youre not allowed to reserve a plot next to your spouse like you might at another National Cemetery because i think its 2015 that were runningb out of room . Question, there were priorx reservati,w0u arlington under the u. S. Army which ended in 1962 by law, so there are no legal reservationszrjnanymore. Arlingto bv eunique. It is a xay space issue. There are differenthcaq typessn of burial patterns at our nationalvtfyae cemeteries as mr. K former senator cleland are aware of. e that would be a driver to bury people sideaia by if]÷ kj side would plots. Youre 100 . W0i accurate. Both are eligible a takit< that as a be buried together in the same grave site, whoever goes first wow7x go in first. They would share the ih 5q 9 on the government headstone yes. Is there a plan in place touen add additional groundsnny posta 2050 . I dont want to say no, congressman. I believe that when we[ that era of the decade, there may be some0 its very difficult in the area thatptlevfe were in in washington. Weve taken ourigj millennium project,t weve space from ft. Mire. Spaceqeq outr expansion process expansion, you have to look at whats going to be gained, not just a matterl k8dq 4÷n f maximizingk burial space it has a smallj footprint already. And any future expansiona dob will pro cost. There maykc lande cn towardsi 6n where the current memorial is now. Any interest we show beyond our current footprint and where were going to go after 2050 will be ax n rather difficult and sensitive issue. We doh project what comes after 2050 for you for your commitment to work e me. I really appreciate that. And while i feel very strongly about the position that we holdkc]nn aq related to the z your team rpn . The way inqnvv which you take care of it. Nm÷ aga really nice for what it is but i just h heard from too many veterans and their famil 4 u this point who desperately want something that is moref wch t aajt urg for them as they pay tribute to their loved n together to get this. 7g done. I appreciate your willingnessem b to work. We look forward to working with you z 2w sir. With that gentlemen, on behalf of the Sub Committee, thank you for yourb pxn testimony. I wish you all of successi 1 in 2015. You are now wait a few minutes to switch overnqykq the witness table. Thank y pnyou,7ib chairman. w]o 8c vms ÷i÷uwixf q 4 sicfg n4÷÷6 t. ]onph;af x 6cdd u this time we welcomeg[b secondy Berger Miller who isk3÷n the director for ms. Diane, national< adn ef director for am vets. w we appreciate your attend today. Your complete and written statements will be entered into the . A÷n8b hearing record. You are now recognized for five minutes ep vbua for your testimono thank you. ÷z2u2 tragedy assistance programeao for taps iscv a Nonprofit Organization that provides comfortt u4and care to anyone grieves the death ofbh someon awho died08ibf t serving in our armed forces,h÷i÷ regardless of where they died or how they mo died. We appreciate the Sub Committees continuing interest . O in ensuring our nations veterans7g i and Service Members have fina,3 4 resting places that arek maintained. These my brother was killed in action arlington National Cemetery and my fatherinlaw is alsor 4w÷ buried we hope you will. G review[mxnc submitted testimony which includes opinions on legislativeez initiatives cemeteries and arlington. Rmv department of veteranshmtpt affairs also touched the nath4];l cemeteryf7r[ adp year. Unfortunately the previous under s12 u h oraomn Memorial Affairs revealed he haddn prohibited practices andv5p aa preferential treatment, but new leadership is now in place ando kq opportunities we have had to meet with vab d6hug secretary Robert Mcdonald sloan gibson. We know h t aa y commitment to assisting survivors and it2 is will move forward in akoz positive andh season last year and the3pfs u compromise was extended into the growing. Ko 9 and is still currently in place. The families are veryq fzjz7mt grateful for thissbocompromise. They have9cn worked to educate each other about the rules and thn while the membersu7qeq c0jqtee all have kplem÷ Service Credentials and the chairqa testified on the previousx jfpanel we believe their deliberations would benefit from the insight of a survivorscy perspectiver÷ [dw and we thank you for the opportunity to submit our testimony a. X fa wez4hkn cx at any questions. Thank you. With hbik 2c that, idgh z recognize6tun ÷ on behalf of you for the opportunityk2vnp tovi assistj i÷ you in the important job of cemeteries. Previously my3 testimonylha jut c this comm limited to a repetition of facts andpastatistics. However, todays3uj sjan will be much more heartfelt and personal because i love history am 8r trained Historic Preservationist, love my country and grew up documentingal vfh,z cemeteries in theo new england area todays topicrj6mn is important to me bothsg personally and e in everybody in this rooms2zzq knows and apprc p uj National Cemetery administration to honor theu dy memory of ci americas military men and women. I would like to setcn nk theotrw stagel n hc bka y togwid[ conveyp u e importance of our national cemeteries, not only to our nations veterans,83pxen to allo americanuwid citizens. Historically, nsn cemeteriesf s especially military m were much more sites of burial with regimented internal layouts hnlp s conducive to both the expression2ab÷1 grief and accepted societal jcf9r funiary rituals. Fu arec n aware of the social and political aspects2up nof8b cemeteries ÷z7÷ n including promotingnfaczdopd and preserving the;bqb 9 y 1 qeandi statsb÷ . n boundaries. The omqb icommemoration of rem eventsd2x qg]oy persons. Serving asfc fk places of beauty and tranquility where friends and family can gather. Mfn u u5 expressions of National Identity in the case5hjt military cemeteries. And asn x n sites of pilgrimage and ke permanence. Imfeen hopeful th greater appreciationkn bxs of Historic National value of the many unique aajk and irreplaceablexfh1 ene nca system. The monuments, architecture, landscape andc related memore kbralbikst mormoriadhu] xuadw each nca cemetery are richlyi[n steeped in history pmh and represent the very foundations of these united states. 6i p solute bestg q to develop and maintain these Truly American shrines . After having spenti several weeks this summer visiting nationalhajfg cemeteries, there were seven that i wasduhub able tor getg5 to iky four different hissens, my ml impresqh its employees isinh higher than ever. C6 having for indepth visits where i was able to observenbm very facet of moved÷ vz and z care and professionalism atjmv everyeg level of the organization. None of the h cemeteries i visited mh at q anyj equally acknowledge that cs continually rig strives to meet its most important obligation, providing dignified restingbwen places for our nations veterans and their eligible family members. This concludes mys4 ÷ testimony. And ill be happy to 2ttuqaurjj p r t hahp hc thank you very nf much. Well begin2 round < questions. 06u resulting in accesslfn÷ constraints during major holidays and time when many families choose to visit their fallen lovedo ones. Ihn how successful has taps 6vanac÷ outreach beenna several areas where taps has volunteered to assist in spreading word and do you think how do you think w while alsozw mn51wt well, sir, i think for us its abouthzf0k reaching out to ourrmfgwvoccm families and distributing information. Weve made improves in our survivor data basedezq so we bettx si orpy bt1wi familieslnf around burial location of theirab one. One of the challenges is that many of the families whod i bury their loved ones at arlington do not live in the washington area, so unlike people who reside here theyre not familiar with the security precautions thatiejtr t hahp hc occur when the president or the Vice President travel to an event and so sometimer families especially when f coming in from out of town÷ get caughto on the bridgeh< very ser eiahp hc areyr ot familiark 2o with the security lockdown 6b n s procedures. And so our role has beenw n to,0 on compile the information and district it by email to families. I would1 improvements that were trying at that and weve also met with the cemeteryqr÷ administration over ther l summer to actually make some additional improvements because of some concerns over memorialr day. And veryn20g similar to information i wanted to thank taps for participating inbxjv discussions with gold star families in section 60 in q particular. You said in you2 its an agreementq ÷s and itsi4in hn notj formal. Do you have any suggestions on how to move forward and kind easeu its been about keeping lines ofq52csn2zo÷j;g communication bu 9xopen. You know thev ago we had z a group of very families and for ourt families to really talk with the administration, to seec i them asg o 2at for the administration to meet them as people and to look them in ta0÷ti u z and say we want to work with you onpa÷ this that vbnwnt a long way. And so i think it became about how to[yx and then hoa. Could work recognizing that the cemetery has to be at a certa j standard as a National Shrine but also recognizing that grieving is different ,rvqctoday. And for some people leaving an uyox object or a photograph is and so how could we workgj]n out something thati2 visited rc4wn and they were not just brief run6oqh in and 8 hcnout. I usually spent am days or more at each site. P . X i just did not i mean, i wasntibw going 2,bw through their records. This was more instance, at jefferson baricsqu9n i trainingbcn center. I scheduling office, so i could seew theg e process. Cemetery itself, but every sitek n÷w e0q thiz ,bjo i wentd to i wasgi p truly i was j9 ]surprised8en iz < think by the care of the chain of custody, if you will. I had no was like until i went1s,r jeff9sdn baricsxwhere i started. And point to ensure that it was the right veteran. Z n÷ri they were going to be < interred was the right site. Idjm mean, there is they use maps. They draw this stone is here. [jwvi hahp hc thislk k dqv pu just thel4[ hdetail so that i i aree one of the things that really struck me. K,4 that and as i was6 v riding aroundz withx. Different employees during my visits i would see 2rn they would1 vehicle if they saw somebody Walking Around who lookedubmi like they2. A piece of6 trashd in the cex just got out and took care of it. It was just really very reassuring to see0 n that level of care at every stepyns u e way. Thank you. Good to hear. With that, ill yieldur to the c Ranking Member ms. Ti tr t hahp4rdy thank you. Thank you both for all the good work you do with families during this most difficult44 n ztime. I would ask ms. Neiburger miller, if you have this same e ÷ dealing with people and talking to8÷ families that we heard reported in the surveys that z e the nca does, they say3kn their surveys show that 95 of thebe people arey got the best marks of any is that3, xtwhat you hear on the ground fromyr kx families . We÷n hearbqiw from families that they are often veryt1. T satisfied with the burialf pn process. Esyea unfortunately we do 2l i with people whohb many of these people are struggling with shortterm memory loss issues or some othern nxuo issues ldv going on. Uem theyre often inx1ngreat state these are peoplepagn who died young, who were not expected to die,n t hahp hc whoiiu died in very1h6n iolent ways. A great w deal of shock. The burial is not a wait typically for an actiil2 duty service thats extremely long, so the family bye is sometimes even needs the photographs or other things from the service to really6f recall m÷ it very ell. And thats unfortunate, but they always will say that they feel their loved one was honored. And 7pi83hui÷ii that they feel2ov0 that loved ibvcones service ukmncountry. Do you ever talk touif ÷ families who feel like they dont live close now have a national cemt ÷y to be able toocfak access it to cbc[sfrtresort so some other more deu private funeral . Well,c there are families who have to make very difficult decisions. Also because this wasm thank you. ; npr t hahp hc whenx u you visited those se2qc cqf8jt hahp hc cemeteries, didc m you visit any state cemeteries or justspu] national . I have not yet opportunity to visit a State Cemetery no maam. Do you think some of your veterans would like to see c