Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1585, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1585, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008 -- (Extensions of Remarks - May 17, 2007)
* Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Chairman, the amendment I offer today seeks to bring hope from tragedy.
* CAP Patrick Damon, who lived in Falmouth, ME, with his wife and two children, was a loyal public servant, both in State government and in the Maine National Guard.
* In early 2006, Captain Damon was deployed with the Maine Guard's 240th Engineer Group to Afghanistan. On June 15 of that year, Patrick collapsed in his bunk after a run. Initial reports were that he died of a heart attack, even though he had no previous or family history of heart problems.
* Captain Damon's mother, Barbara Damon-Day, has been persistent in seeking to get more information from the Army about the cause of her son's death. The Army lists the death as ``sudden unexpected,'' and the exact cause remains inconclusive.
* Based on her own investigation, Ms. Damon-Day believes her son's death was brought about by an adverse reaction to multiple vaccinations in a 24-hour period. Her investigation has revealed a lack of clarity in the Defense Department's guidelines and regulations on administering multiple vaccinations in a 24-hour period.
* My amendment seeks to focus needed attention on this issue. It requires the Defense Department to report to Congress on its policies on administering and evaluating multiple vaccinations within a 24-hour period to members of the Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserve. It requires information on whether the department's policies conform to the regulations and guidelines of federal health agencies.
* The amendment also requests data on the number of deaths that have been investigated for vaccines-related causes, and information on how medical records are shared with the Adjutant General of the states.
* Finally, the amendment requires the Department to perform a study on the safety and effectiveness of administering multiple vaccines with a 24-hour period to service personnel.
* Since her son's death in June 2006, Mrs. Damon-Day has worked tirelessly to improve the Defense Department's medical screening of Armed Forces prior to their deployment overseas. The Maine Legislature is currently considering legislation to create a commission to improve medical screening of Maine Guard personnel before they go overseas.
* Barbara Damon-Day has honored her son's memory by making it her mission to improve the health screenings given our military, and to improve the information they receive, before they leave to serve on our behalf in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the globe. We owe her our gratitude for her efforts and our support to help advance her cause. I hope that my amendment can play a part in that mission.
* I urge support for the Allen amendment.
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