KF27 A6466 1994 27.4 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS WILLIAM H. NATCHER, Kentucky, Chairman JAMIE L. WHITTEN, Mississippi, Vice Chairman NEAL SMITH, Iowa SIDNEY R. YATES, Illinois JOHN P. MURTHA, Pennsylvania W. G. (BILL) HEFNER, North Carolina STENY H. HOYER, Maryland BOB CARR, Michigan RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois ALAN B. MOLLOHAN, West Virginia MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio DAVID E. PRICE, North Carolina PETER J. VISCLOSKY, Indiana THOMAS M. FOGLIETTA, Pennsylvania ESTEBAN EDWARD TORRES, California GEORGE (BUDDY) DARDEN, Georgia NITA M. LOWEY, New York RAY THORNTON, Arkansas JOSEPH M. McDADE, Pennsylvania C. W. BILL YOUNG, Florida JOE SKEEN, New Mexico JIM KOLBE, Arizona DEAN A. GALLO, New Jersey BARBARA F. VUCANOVICH, Nevada RON PACKARD, California HELEN DELICH BENTLEY, Maryland CHARLES H. TAYLOR, North Carolina ERNEST J. ISTOOK, JR., Oklahoma DEPARTMENTS OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1995 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 1994. AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION WITNESSES COLONEL FREDERICK C. BADGER, ACTING SECRETARY COLONEL WILLIAM E. RYAN, JR., DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCE COLONEL KENNETH S. POND, DIRECTOR OF PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATION Mr. STOKES. The committee will come to order. This is the first agency to come before the subcommittee as we begin this session's hearings, the second half of the 103rd Congress. We certainly want to welcome the witnesses who are before us here this morning. The fiscal year 1995 request for the American Battle Monuments Commission is $20,265,000, an increase of $54,000 over the amount appropriated in 1994. Of that amount, $700,000 is requested to offset currency exchange losses. Colonel Badger, it is a pleasure to have you here before our subcommittee. And we are going to ask you to formally introduce your associates here, and then proceed with your opening statement. I notice that we have Colonel Kenneth S. Pond, Director of Personnel and Administration, appearing before the subcommittee for the first time. We want to welcome him. We will, of course, put your entire statement in the record and then you may proceed in any way you would like. SUMMARY OF OPENING STATEMENT Colonel BADGER. Thank you, sir. Mr. Chairman and Members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of the American Battle Monuments Commission's fiscal year 1995 appropriation request. As you have copies of my prepared statement and it will appear verbatim in the record, with your permission, I will summarize its contents. First, I would like to acknowledge your generous support of our efforts to reduce the backlog of repair and improvement projects. For the first time in several years, there has been a reduction in (1) the backlog over the previous year. Without your help, this would not have been possible. Including the $700,000 worth of handicap projects that have been added this year, last year's backlog has been reduced from $8.1 million to $7.3 million. Although the problem has not been resolved, I am confident that working together we will be able to provide a level of care which is worthy of our heroic dead whom these shrines honor. During the past year, the Commission has devoted a considerable amount of time to the Korean War Veterans Memorial which is being erected in Ash Woods, across the Reflecting Pool from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We anticipate that phase 2 will commence next month and that the memorial will be ready for dedication during the week of July 27th, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the signing of the armistice ending the war. On August 25th, 1993, Public Law 103-32 was enacted authorizing this Commission to establish a World War II Veterans Memorial in the Nation's Capital with funds obtained through private contributions. We have requested the Secretary of the Interior to petition Congress to enact legislation authorizing its erection in area one, which includes the Mall area. We are awaiting appointment of an advisory board by the President with whom we will consult concerning the scope of the memorial and its location. As the Chairman mentioned, this Commission's appropriation request for fiscal 1995 is $20,265,000, which is $54,000 more than the current year; $700,000 are included in this request to offset anticipated currency exchange losses. To my left, is Colonel William Ryan, the Director of Operations and Finance. Colonel BADGER. And on his left is Colonel Pond, Director of Personnel and Administration. This concludes my summary; we will be happy to respond to your questions. [The information follows:] BIOGRAPHY COLONEL KENNETH S. POND Director, Personnel and Administration Appointed 1 May 1987 Colonel Pond received his commission from OCS in 1958. During his years as a Lieutenant/Captain 1958-65 he served as a Platoon Leader/Company Commander at Fort Dix, New Jersey; Company Executive Officer and Staff Officer in Panama and Company Commander in the First Battalion, Third Infantry of the Old Guard, Washington, DC. and Senior Advisor to a Vietnamese battalion in Vietnam. Upon return from Vietnam, he served as Instructor in the Ranger Department, Infantry School, 1966-69. He then returned to Vietnam as a Battalion Executive Officer in the AMERICAL Division from 1970-1971. Upon returning to the United States, he served as a Staff Officer and Commander, First Battalion, 29th Infantry, at Fort Benning, Georgia from 1971-1976. This was followed by a tour as Executive Assistant to the Inspector General of the Army from 1976-1978. Colonel Pond's last two assignments were Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Southern European Task Force in Italy and Senior Army Advisor, North Carolina National Guard. He retired in 1987 and was immediately recalled to active duty with the American Battle Monuments Commission. Colonel Pond has served as Director, Mediterranean Region, American Battle Monuments Commission for the last six years. Colonel Pond is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, and has a graduate degree from Georgia State University. He is also a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the National War College. His awards include the Legion of Merit with two clusters, Bronze Star with two clusters, Air Medal, and Presidential Unit Citation. Colonel Pond was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on October 18, 1934. He is married to the former Miriam Yoder of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Ponds have a daughter, Kendall and a son, Kenneth. BEFORE THE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of the American Battle Monuments Commission's fiscal 1995 Appropriation Request. During the past year, a considerable amount of this Commission's time was devoted to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Project. As you will remember, Public Law 99-572 enacted October 28, 1986, authorized this Commission to establish a Korean War Veterans Memorial in the Nation's Capital, using funds obtained primarily through private contributions. Separate legislation subsequently was sought and enacted which authorized establishment of the memorial in the Mall area. Α superb site for it was obtained in Ash Woods, which is at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial across the Reflecting Pool from the Vietnam Memorial. At the request of the Presidentially appointed Korean War Veterans Memorial Advisory Board (KWVMAB), which was charged by Public Law 99-572 with selecting the design, subject to its approval by this Commission, a National competition was held. The architecture/engineering firm of Cooper/Lecky was employed to assist us obtain approval of the design concept by the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission and the Secretary of the Interior, which is required by the Commemorative Works Act, Public Law 99-652. Simultaneously, a fund raising campaign was waged. With considerable assistance from the KWVMAB, $7.8 million were raised in private contributions, $5.8 million were raised from sale of a Korean War commemorative coin by the U.S. Mint, and $2.4 million in interest was raised through investment of the contributions in Treasury notes. Additionally, an Appropriation of $1 million was received, for a total to date of $17.1 million. These funds should be sufficient to establish the memorial. Last year at their June meetings, the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission approved the final drawings and specifications for the memorial. A contract then was let to install utilities and prepare the site for construction. In October, a building permit was issued by the Secretary of the Interior and the construction contract was awarded. We expect construction to commence early this spring and be completed in sufficient time to dedicate the memorial on July 27, 1995, the 42d anniversary of the signing of the Armistice ending the Korean War. On August 25 last year, Public law 103-32 was enacted authorizing this Commission to establish a World War II Memorial in the Nation's Capital with funds obtained through private contributions. Among its provisions is appointment of a World War II Memorial Advisory Board by the President. Because of its great importance to world freedom, a request was submitted to the Secretary of the Interior that the Congress be petitioned to enact legislation authorized placement of the Memorial in Area I, which is comprised primarily of the Mall area. A hearing was held by the National Capital Memorial Commission of the Department of the Interior which *supported the request. The petition, however, has not yet been submitted to the Congress. In the meantime, we are awaiting appointment of the Advisory Board and a new Commission so that the scope of the memorial can be discussed with them. Three World War II commemorative coins sold by the |