>> guest: and i cannot say enough good things about walter reed. the team, the young captain that came and said i was totally paralyzed and about of third day he said we are going to give you won your feet and start walking i started laughing. you've got to be kidding. and the captain solomon who was a triathlete himself said no i'm not kidding. we are going to give you up, and he did. i passed out and they sounded a code and the next thing you know i've got 20 doctors around me asking 100 questions and i told them my name is hugh shelton and i know i just fainted. let's get on with it. we need to try again, but they were great at walter reed. >> host: people call you at that time, one was ross perot? >> guest: individuals like ross perot and tom brokaw, i mean, a large number. i had a visit from a great secretary defense, bill cohen and his wife janet the first night were second night i was there. lots of people that showed their concern, and you and i both have had a host of lots of cameras for our counterparts, and i found out during my 83 days

>> guest: 83 days and i can't say enough good things about walter reed. the team there and the uncapped in came in. i was totally paralyzed and the third day he said i am going to get you in your feed and start walking. i started laughing. captain zach solomon who was a triathlete himself said i'm not kidding, we are going to get you up and he did. i immediately passed out and they sounded acod. the next thing i know they had 20 doctors surrounding me. my name is hugh shelton and i know just fainted. let's get on with it, we need to try again. >> host: they are the people that -- another person that called you at that time, ross perot. >> guest: a large number. i had a visit from the secretary of defense, bill cohen and his wife janet the first night i believe her second night that i was there. lots of people that showed their concern and you know, you and i'd vote have posted lots of dinners for our counterparts and i found out that during my 83 days what that had really meant to a lot of individuals around the world because the cards and letters that ca

but in this workshop, the elves are members of the walter reed auxiliary. you are like a mrs. claus. >> i guess, i never thought of that. in a way, but my santa claus isn't here. >> reporter: tracy hall, like many military spouses, is home alone this christmas. her husband jonathan is deployed to afghanistan, and she knows how hard the holidays are on soldiers, and especially their children. >> all the soldiers get nice stuff every year for christmas. and it was like, what are the kids getting? >> reporter: so tracy created the gift tree, an online registry at target and amazon. >> i have a son, and i couldn't imagine not being able to afford a few extra things at christmas. >> reporter: new clothes, books and toys donated from those with generous hearts. >> this one's from pennsylvania. >> reporter: and tracy keeps track of every little detail. >> most of them come from the metro d.c. area, but there are ones from arkansas, wisconsin. it's coming from all over. >> reporter: hundreds of presents wrapped with care. sorted and stacked all by a team of cheerful volunteers. one by

it was election year, 1968 and dwight eisenhower leigh at walter reed army hospital. he had suffered seven heart attacks. the last one following the speech he made from his hospital room when he exhorted to the republican convention to nominate richard nixon. between campaign stops, david and i try to visit his grandfather as often as we could and i will never forget the evening that we came into his hospital room. we were a little bit late arriving at the hospital because our plane had and delayed and the nurses told us that the general was quite anxious for us to get there. and when we went through those double doors into the presidential suite, we saw that the nurses had propped general eisenhower up on the bed with some pillows. he was so thin and so frail and the stark white of the sheets made his mesmerizing blue eyes seem even bluer. and the moment he spotted us -- he had stuck a nixon sticker and in agnew sticker. [laughter] he had spirit and courage to the very end. in the eisenhower family graveyard in elizabeth hill, pennsylvania, not far from the gettysbur

>> guest: i can't say enough about walter reed. the team, the young captain said life was totally paralyzed and about the effort day he said we are going to get you on your feet and start walking. i started laughing and said you've got to be kidding and the captain solomon who was the triathlete himself said we are not kidding we are going to get you up and he did and i immediately passed out and they sounded the code and the next thing you know i've got 20 doctors swarming around me asking me questions and i told them my name is hugh shelton and i know i just fainted and we need to get on with it and try again, they were great. >> host: you had a number of people who called you at that time. ross perot? >> guest: i did. individuals like ross perot and tom brokaw. i mean, a large number. i had a visit from secretary defense, bill cohen and his wife, janet, the very first night i believe for the second night i was there, lots of people showed their concern and it was, you know, you and i both have posted lots of dinners for our coun

walter reed is overflowing with patients. >> you are a wounded warrior in our ranks, in the ranks of journalism. what do you say on this holiday weekend to what she just told you? >> well, i think any time somebody meets somebody that was injured, they want to do everything they can. i've definitely seen that. a lot of times it's in your community or neighborhood you might not know anybody because it's only 1% of the people in the country are serving. if you do meet them you want to do it. it's just i think when people don't want to do something it's because it's a different world. the rest of us have a different world and their world is over here. once it comes together -- >> you have really with your wife lee taken on this mission of raising funds, of raising awareness for the walking wounded who come back. >> there is so much nonprofit help as you're saying, something like jericho, for example, helping the homeless because there's gaps. you know, the government is doing a lot, more and more all the time but there needs all these holes we got to fill up that happens between walter

so i was invited down to walter reed to start talking with warriors and caregivers. >> brown: so when you went through all this finally, when you went through all this 40 years of strips to put this together, did you feel a cohesion to the tale that you had put together? after all, you're doing sort of day by day by day and you add up to, what does it add up to in 40 years? >> yes, it sort of took me by surprise that it had a kind of novelistic totality that certainly was unintentional. i'm a short order cook. i'm just trying to get through the week. i'm just trying to push the story forward a little bit and i do that in the most erratic way possible. i'll do... i do a week at a time and sometimes i'll do a thursday strip and then vile to reverse engineer to figure out how i got to it. so i kind of lurch along telling little bits of the story and try to imagine the next few steps ahead and that's about it. so it was very surprising to step back, to go through the 40 huge notebooks-- one per year-- to edit this book down and to see that it actually told a story of a generational journe

david martin, cbs news, walter reed army medical center. >> couric: tomorrow, we'll take you to sergeant johnny jones' unit in afghanistan and you'll meet the man in charge of finding i.e.d.s before they cause any more american casualties. >> couric: it has been a dangerous kay for drivers in the deep south. freezing rain and icy roads are blamed for five deaths in mississippi and alabama. much of the eastern half of the nation is still dealing with bitter cold temperatures, in some cases 30 degrees below what's normal for this time of year. an update on dr. jon lapook's story about those silver amalgam dental fillings. millions of people have them and there are questions about whether they're safe. today an expert panel recommended to the f.d.a. that the fillings, which contain mercury, come with warnings about unknown risk for some people, including children and pregnant women. facebook founder mark zuckerberg had quite a status update today. the 26-year-old c.e.o. was named "time's" person of the year. "time" says with half a billion administration facebook has revolutionized the way

wounded service members who are currently recovering at walter reed were invited to view the lighting from the speakers balcony along with their >>> san francisco city hall today hosted a big holiday party for hundreds of children. members of the firefighters union and the department of child support services helped santa claus pass out toys. some 1,500 children were expected making it the largest toy give away at city hall ever. a lot of smiles out there. >> yes. for good reason too? -z joe is here tonight, mark is off, there's disappointing news again for warriors fans. >> starting to feel familiar isn't it. different city, same sold story for the warriors. once again fell short in dallas. play the mav, you know you have to deal with dirk nowitzki. pretty move here, two of his 25 points. the warriors trailing in two of his 25 points. then it's too easy for jason perry at the other end, two of his 20 points. warriors still hanging around down the stretch, monte ellis was within three where 20 minutes to play. then pinned down by five with a half min left. they need a stop here. inste

wounded service members who are currently recovering at walter reed were invited to view the lighting from the speakers balcony along with thei lightning fast. lightning strong. verizon 4g lte. rule the air on the most advanced 4g network in the world. >>> san francisco city hall today hosted a big holiday party for hundreds of children. members of the firefighters union and the department of child support services helped santa claus pass out toys. some 1,500 children were expected making it the largest toy give away at city hall ever. a lot of smiles out there. >> yes. for good reason too? -z joe is here tonight, mark is off, there's disappointing news again for warriors fans. >> starting to feel familiar isn't it. different city, same sold story for the warriors. once again fell short in dallas. play the mav, you know you have to deal with dirk nowitzki. pretty move here, two of his 25 points. the warriors trailing in two of his 25 points. then it's too easy for jason perry at the other end, two of his 20 points. warriors still hanging around down the stretch, monte ellis was within

in 1956 anna may mccabe was the head nurse at the emergency room at walter reed army medical center. when she was pulled by the chief nurse, reassigned, to stand a special watch on the president of the united states, dwight d. eisenhower. during that long illness, eisenhower and mccabe became friends, and as a result of that, mccabe was a friend of the eyesen hours -- eisenhowers, really, for the rest of her life. when anna may mccabe-hayes became the first woman in the united states' history of military history to reach the rank of brigadier general, mrs. eisenhower presented the stars that had been pinned on her husband when he made general years before. anna may hayes told us, i was very touched by mrs. be eisenhower's kindness and generosity. now, years later coast guard captain jane hartley had laughed at the very idea that she would ever have joined the military. she told us, i'm a child of the '60s. the thought of going into the coast guard or any other military branch was about as far from my be mind as it could get. however, during a dinner party at their home her husband's

check one, friday laura ingraham filled in because i was visiting troops at walter reed hospital with geraldo and colonel hunt. that night i was lucky enough to go to the annual white house media christmas party. decorations were stunning. everybody was nice of the i even posed for a picture with joy behar. who i urged to sing joy to the world. she declined. it is christmas. any way, we are hoping the president will come on the factor soon. we chatted about that with his guys and gals. i even said merry christmas to mr. obama. the president's house was magnificent as it always is, especially at christmastime. it was a privilege for me to be there no matter who is in the white house. check two, "saturday night live" weighed in on the tax compromise. >> i kind of agreed with the republican philosophy of trickle down economics. that's why to me the tax cuts for the wealthy aren't a big problem. they are the best part of the bill. so, if house speaker nancy pelosi or as i now like to call her san francisco nancy, would stop her obstructionist tactics and let this bill come to a vote we ca

. >> the players helped the kids write letters and box care packages for wounded veterans at walter reed hospital and d.c. homeless people in need. and today it was a complete surprise for boys and girls. they were told they would be joined by a white house dignitary and a few vips. so when preside obama walked in with the lakers, who were they more excited to see? >> i don't know. i would say the president. he is kind of -- >> you never expect people so busy to take time out of their personal lives to come help and unfortunate d people tat don't really have it. it means a lot to me. >> reporter: in southeast d.c., john schriffen, news4. >> and look is one of the few places in the country has se warm weather right now. >> yeah, yeah, kobe got off the plane and almost got back on. at areat thing for those kids though. er the next couple days, we are talking about the coldest air of the season. yes, i did say that last week, too. but this wee will be colder. 26, the current temperature. look at the windchill. this is in d.c. the windchill is currently 12. 12 degrees. we can expect windchil

reed hospital as well as d.c. homeless in need. the question for these kids, who re they more excited to see? the president or the los angeles lakers? >> i don't know. >> the president of the united states. you never think i'm going to meet the president. i met the president. >> he looks the same way, talks the same way. it's amazing. >> reporter: what a day for these kids. talking to the players, they got a lot out of it as well. coming up at 6:00, we'll hear from kobe bryant, former guard, former maryland guard as well as the head coach phil jack. what they had to say about this day and why they decided to show up. >> who were you most excited to see? >> reporter: i was mostxcited to see the kids' faces. the kids are the ones so excited and their smiles. it was amazing. >> thank you, john. let's turn to sportssince we're on the subjec let's talk about the redskins. >> lindsay has more on the disappointing loss to the tampa bay buccaneers. >> reporter: no surprise the redskins told us today that they are bringing

reed where he is and will be amongst many soldiers and others who had similar experiences. it is without question the greatest orthopedic rehabilitation center in the world. he will have the comfort to call it that along with others who say the same thing and fight their way back to health. i think we will see rob silver -- no braver man or more popular ever carried a camera into battle. i will put my money on him being back there, carrying a camera back to battle before anybody can imagine it. >> there were about 100 people involved in the baghdad bureau. how big is it now? >> if as much of a great deal. -- it has not shrunk a great deal. i think that our ambition -- our hope had been to do the same thing. there is a critical mass that you need because we have to provide air of security. -- provide our own security. this is another kind of bravery on the part of "the new york times" and the people that make the decisions. as you know, foreign coverage by american newspapers and american television has shrunk considerably. it was already shrinking before the recession. it h

we will spend christmas at walter reed. these are incredible kids. all you moms and dads and sons and daughters who have someone in harm's way now, keep them in your prayers. they'll be home next year. >> thank you so very much. >> thank you. >> they will be home next year. president obama says the military's exhaustive review of the afghan war strategy proves progress is being made. the u.s. forces have four more years of fighting ahead. savannah guthrie is nbc news correspondent. you have had a lot of briefings, what is the prognosis for afghanistan? >> look, i think this review was portrayed as something exhaustive looking how this counterinsurgency strategy is working and executed ed id in t possible way. it is whether the strategy we have is working. the ultimate conclusion from the administration is progress is being made. they identify areas they need to improve, getting insurgents out of the tribal areas. there was a lot of emphasis on how far pakistan has come and how much it has done. the administration is highlighting the way the al qaeda

my brother in law is a doctor, rehabilitation doctor and work in walter reed and the national rehabilitation hospital for a number of years. i have had experience and feedback from them. we clearly have to make sure we are taking care of our returning veterans. are all the programs that we have in place, are all of the spending policies and procedures, can we tighten those up? the answer i think is yes. i talked to former and active military people that i know and they are all telling me that we have to look at this and this has to be on the table. or zero anything dumb that will put this in risk or at danger. please, make sure that the military is held to the same standards we withhold social security or any other administration. use those dollars of efficiently and wisely. >> you said you are serving on the financial services committee. is there someone you look forward to meeting or maybe questioning as you said, financial services committee? >> not necessarily, there is not anybody that i want to pull in. i will modify that. i want to talk to dave transit. in all seriousness, we need to

we have got marines at walter reed's with no limbs. this is the statement of general amos. let me repeat that first sentence. he said, "when your life hangs on the line, you don't want anything to distract. mistakes, inattention and distractions cost marines' lives." we're talking about marines' lives in this case, and that's the significance of this thing. we could go on -- we have been talking about this now for a long period of time as to some of the real serious problems. i had a letter that i read some time ago with the -- from 41 retired chaplains that sent a letter to president obama and secretary gates, stating that normalizing homosexual behavior in the armed forces will pose a significant threat to chaplains and service members' religious liberty. the letter warned that reversing the policy would negatively impact religious freedom. it could even affect military readiness in troop levels because the military would be marginalizing deeply held religious beliefs. now, i know that we're very short on time, the votes are going to be coming up, but i have to respond to

reed. they called for him. he came in and said here is what i can it i can raise your blood pressure up to astronomical levels for six or seven hours. we will force blood in around the injury and if we are lucky, long term it may help you. you won't feel it immediately. and i said what's the downside. he said a massive heart attack or stroke, one of the two. he said but you got a strong heart. you know, what do you think he said we got to hurry. i said the let's go for telephone. my wife said let's go for it. >> rose: is that your philosophy, the game favors the bold, let's go for it. >> i always operated under that principles and this was no exception. it was time to take a bold move. >> rose: there is really an extraordinary story. how did awe approach this. because there is candor, there's appraisal am you didn't pull away from making judgements about people. >> i was planning to tell the story the way it unfolded. a very frank and candid manner. i did not like saying anything disparagin

we have got marines at walter reed with no limbs. general casey said i believe that the implementation of the repeal of don't ask, don't tell in the near term will add another level of stress to an already stretched force. two, be more difficult in our combat arms units, and three, be more difficult for the army than the report suggests. general schwarz basically said the same thing. i have heard from thousands, thousands of active duty and retired military personnel. i've heard from them, and they're saying senator mccain, it isn't broke and don't fix it. so all of this talk about how it's a civil rights issue and equality, the fact is the military has the highest recruiting and highest retention at any time in its history, so i understand the other side's argument as to their social-political agenda, but to somehow allege that it has harmed our military is not justified by the facts. i hope everybody recognizes that this debate is not about the broader social issues that are being discussed in our society, but what is in the best i

gathered on the speaker is bound up any, are many men and women in uniform from walter reed hospital with their families. let's give them a round of appreciation. [cheers and applause] i told them that you would appreciate their presence. this is a highlight for the year. the gift and the lighting of this magnificent tree and the ornaments, we are exhibiting the quality for the entire nation to see. last month, as it has been mentioned, at the heart of the national force, people came from jackson came together to look at the tree. parents brought their children keep brother -- parent procter children to see the capital tree. it went to 22 sittings with in wyoming. 22 cities within wyoming? [laughter] and towns before heading across the country. the tree even has its own memorabilia, mugs and magnets, tins and patches, teachers and tote bags that you will all want to have. it is a source of pride for wyoming. it is a source of joy for the united states congress and for all americans. daniel has been mentioned, but his sister mia -- held a she? >> she is 13. >> she is 13. she is here w

he's in the walter reed army hospital in washington. he has lost both his legs. he is a remarkable character. truly remarkable, the first conscious words he spoke, at least to our photo editor, were i'm good. he was born in portugal. raised in south africa. we in experiencing this, and tragic instances of this close hand, it's interesting, we've seen it a thousand times occurring to others. now it's happened to us. and it's a very, very educational experience. and i must say that we're all extremely happy that juwar has by the -- general rosty of the united states military been taken in to walter reed where he will, is and will be among many soldiers and others who have had similar experiences. almost without question i would think the greatest orthopedic rehabilitation center in the world. and he will have a company if one would call it that with others who have been through the same thing and who fight their way as he certainly will back to health. i think we're going to see juwar silver, no braver man, i wrote in a forward to one of his books, no braver man no

., area, particularly walter reed. we see these incoming veterans, soldiers who are about to become veterans, who have been injured in battle and faced many grievous injuries, come home who get the very best in medical care so that they can return, as much as possible, to a normal life on the civilian side as veterans, having given so much to this country. the first person i ever visited at walter reed was after the invasion of iraq. he was a young guardsman who lost his left leg below the knee, and it was amazing to me as i talked to him thinking how his life would be changed now. he said the one thing he couldn't wait to do is to get his prosthetic leg, return to his unit in iraq. what great comment that is on the training and dedication of the men and women who serve us. i wanted to come in this afternoon and talk about one aspect of that that is being discussed near washington and try to add some perspective to it. ier remember the early days of e war in iraq. they were controversial and we followed, as our young m

a i was visiting a wounded soldier at the walter reed army a member of a eighth parachute regiment of the 82nd airborne 18 division. he had beenhe wounded arounded fondahar by a iain ied. fortunately, he was under recovery. we joked for a moment, talkedot, about his experiences, and then i turned to his mother who was sitting their watching her son,l her life like a slow recovery, ery i said how are you doing? v and she said to me very simply, i am doing fine. eaee, i was able to takel l family medical leave and be with now, she probably doesn't know who you are or what you did, bur she along with 50 million other americans were by the hospital bed of a wounded son or a sick child or ailing parents, and to that, to me, is the greatest tribute to what you have done. there is a great line recall about franklin roosevelt windins its way through washington. and the man was sobbing and a reporter rushed up to him. you are so effective. and ?id you know the president? pret he said no, i never knew the president, but he knew me.nd chris dodd knew the people of cuecti connecticut and the peop

i had him opportunity to visit walter reed. i still cannot get out of my mind the one time i saw a soldier who lost both his legs at doing crunch is trying to get his torso strength so that he could have a viable and fulfilling life. men and women have not only given their lives but also their lives. i've been to many funerals in my home state for the soldier. one thing in never ask is if they are gay or straight. this never crosses my mind, actually. this is very uncomfortable, this whole situation. i know for a fact that there are good people on both sides of these issues. i want to try to zero in for our viewers and for the people in the audience, a couple of things regarding the legal part of it. first of all, has there been any instance where a soldier has said that for the purposes of only getting out of the military, and do you have any records or documentation of people trying to avoid this service as a result of that action? >> yes. there are very strong indications, particularly during time when the economy happens to

he's in the walter reed hospital in washington. he has lost both his legs. the first conscious words he spoke, at least our photo editor were, i'm good. that's him for you. born in portugal. raised in south africa. we in experiencing this, tragedies are very close hand. we've seen it a thousands times occurring to others. now it's happened to us. and it's a very, very edge kay -- educational experience. we're extremely happy that he has the generosity of the united states military been take on the walter reid where he will be amongst many soldiers and other who is have had similar experiences almost without question, i would think the greatest orthopedic center in the world. and he will be comforted with other who is have been through the same thing and who fight their way as he certainly will back to health. i think we're going to see him. nol braver man, i wrote in the forward in one of his book, no braver man put -- gone into battle. i'll put my money on him going back before anybody can imagine it. >> you were there in 2007. how big is it now? >> we, it

reed and i know i'm getting out soon, it's on my shoulders to start researching this as well. and they can certainly come to us, call us, we do hundreds of career counseling sessions a week with these veterans who may not be ready to find a job yet. they're still months from getting out but they have all these questions. they have hundreds of questions for us. and we've been there. we've walked in their shoes, we've walked down that road. we have those answers. we work with tons of organization that is can help them in any different field they're looking for wlrks financial assistance, education assistance, g.i. bill assistance, we can point them in all you will -- all the right directions. host: fort worth, texas. thanks for waiting. independent line. caller: good morning. and i'm a vietnam veteran. i served special forces in vietnam and i came to the conclusion a long time ago that the government really isn't going to do that much to help us out long term. short term they may do a little bit, but long term they really aren't. the only president that really went out of his wa

we have got marines at walter reed with no limbs. general casey said i believe that the implementation the repeal of don't ask, don't tell in the near term will add another level of stress to an already stretched force. two, be more difficult in our combat arms units, and three, be more difficult for the army than the report suggests. general schwarz basically said the same thing. i have heard from thousands, thousands of active duty and retired military personnel. i've heard from them, and they're saying senator mccain, it isn't broke and don't fix it. so all of this talk about how it's a civil rights issue and equality, the fact is the military has the highest recruiting and highest retention at any time in its history, so i understand the other side's argument as t their social-political agenda, but to somehow allege that it has harmed our military is not justified by the facts. i hope everybody recognizes that this debate is not about the broader social issues that are being discussed in our society, but what is in the best inter

all of this was put into perspective for me one day on a visit to walter reed army hospital. i was visiting wounded soldiers. there was a young sergeant from georgia. he had been married three weeks before deploying to iraq. he was missing his left arm and both legs. his wife sat by his side. a look of dignified calm was upon his face. i asked if he was receiving the care he needed. yes, he said, he was. i asked if there was anything that i could do. no, no, there was not. anything he needed? no. i had never felt so helpless or so insignificant. i left his room, made my way to the hospital front door, walked outside into the bright sunshine, sat upon the curb and cried. all i could think of was what can i do, what can i do to be worthy of him? what can each of us do? look at what he sacrificed for america. what are we prepared to give? is it too much to think that while soldiers are sacrificing limbs on our behalf that we can look across the aisle and see not enemies but friends, not adversaries but fellow citizens? when servicemen and women lay down their lives, can we not l

and went to walter reed and saw our heroes there. we have seen a lot of wounded heroes and they've paid a great price for us. >> when santa shows up, he has goodies from guys and gals. >> we have great gifts. we're carrying drew brees' game jersey from the all star game and it's -- it would fit you to your toes. he's a big man. and we have been so blessed. senators, governors, members of the house of representatives and a lot of companies have given us great gifts to give to the troops. >> so -- this year for the first time, you're going to go to camp spiker, right? >> that's right. we're looking forward to it. i was happy to kiss the camel a couple of minutes ago. i know we'll have some over there. >> you have a letter from john mccain? >> we have letters from john mccain. john is, of course, one of the greatest supporters of our armed forces and we're carrying cards that he's personally signed to give to each and every one of the troops. >> that's very nice. >> how does gary factor into this? gary? >> well, i'm providing transporta

they can see you gathered on the speaker's balcony are men and women in university from walter reed hospital and members of their hospital. let's give them a wonderful expression -- [cheers and applause] >> i told them that you would appreciate their presence. this is the highlight of our year. and the fact that the tree is from wyoming is just such a joy. to the gifts and the lighting of this magnificent tree, and the ornaments, we are showcasing the beauty of the equality state for the entire nation to see. last month as has been mentioned, from the heart of the bridger-toton national forest, crowds came together to glimpse this tree. parents brought her children to see the capitol christmas tree as it began its journey through 22 cities in wyoming. 22 cities woim -- within wyoming? and towns before heading across the country. the entire state produced to uses of ornaments. the tree even has its own memorabilia, mugs, magnets, pins and patches, t-shirts and tote bags that you will all want to have. it is a source of pride for wyoming. it is a source of joy for the united states congress an

i was visiting a wounded soldier at walter reed army hospital, a member of the 108. he had been wounded around kandahar by an i.e.d. fortunately he was on the road to recovery. we joked for a moment, talked about his experiences and then i turned to his mother, who was sitting there, watching her son, her life, her hope, make a full recovery. and i said, how are you doing? and she'd said to me very simply, i'm doing fine, you see, i was able to take family medical leave and be with my son while he recuperated. now she probably doesn't know who you are or what you did, but she, along with 50 million other americans, were by the hospital bed of a wounded son or sick child or ailing parent and that, to me is the greatest tribute to what you've done. there's a great line that i recall about franklin roosevelt, his cortege was winding its way through washington, the man -- a man was sobbing, a reporter rushed up to him and said, did you know the president? he said, no, he never knew the president, but he knew me. chris dodd and the people of connecticut and the people of

reed and i know i'm getting out soon, it's on my shoulders to start researching this as well. and they can certainly come to us, call us, we do hundreds of career counseling sessions a week with these veterans who may not be ready to find a job yet. they're still months from getting out but they have all these questions. they have hundreds of questions for us. and we've been there. we've walked in their shoes, we've walked down that road. we have those answers. we work with tons of organization that is can help them in any different field they're looking for wlrks financial assistance, education assistance, g.i. bill assistance, we can point them in all you will -- all the right directions. host: fort worth, texas. thanks for waiting. independent line. caller: good morning. and i'm a vietnam veteran. i served special forces in vietnam and i came to the conclusion a long time ago that the government really isn't going to do that much to help us out long term. short term they may do a little bit, but long term they really aren't. the only president that really went out of his wa

you've got marines at walter reed with no limbs. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: we the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the motion to concur on the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r. 2965, the sbir-sttr reauthorization act signed by 16 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is is it the sense of the senate that debate on the motion to concur on the house amendment to the senate amendment to h.r. 2965 shall be brought to a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber who wish to vote or change their vote? if not, on this vote, the yeas are 63, natures are 33. they-fifths of the senate dual chosen and sworn -- duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, the motion is a