By Denise Ross

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, D-S.D., held a House subcommittee field hearing in Rapid City Monday. (I’m bringing up the rear on coverage, but I promise I have stuff you haven’t read elsewhere.)

(Photos by Denise)

Here was the scene. There’s Herseth Sandlin with the microphone. To her left is Rep. John Boozman (pronounced like the Montana city of Bozeman), R-Ark. On either side of the two congressionals are their lawyers. Seriously.

I post this photo simply to show that the Dems’ counsel also doubled as re-inforcement for the Cobbler banner, which kept falling down. This provided some amusement for spectators. I also was amused at the small Congressional seal that hung over the Cobbler banner. The stagecraft wasn’t the strongest. Whaddya gonna do?

So you probably read in Kevin Woster’s story that SHS blasted the DoD for blowing the hearing off. (That does seem pretty cavalier, no? )

“The continued absence of a Department of Defense official is disheartening,” Herseth Sandlin said. “The participation of those officials would add tremendous value to these hearings.” …

“We’re concerned that the largest federal agency in the country couldn’t find a person from the Pentagon to attend this meeting,” she said.

… in missing the meeting, DOD offered insight into why it does not always adequately serve its personnel and veterans, Herseth Sandlin said.

“For them to not even come is not only disrespectful to the subcommittee, but in my opinion, it’s an abdication of responsibility and a missed opportunity to restore their reputation as it relates to emphasizing the needs of their service members,” she said.

First oil executives. Now the Pentagon. She’s getting tough. That kid of hers had better walk the line!

Aside from the Pentagon-bashing, the generally genteel congresswoman led a quite cordial hearing. And she gained praise from key officials from the Rounds administration.

Maj. Gen. Steven R. Doohen, the adjutant general of the SD National Guard, praised Congress and the members present for the work they’ve done to assist members of the military when they return from active duty and when they leave the military.

I just want to thank you for all the work you have done.

Doohen testfies.

Doohen, who was credited with his work to remove the stigma from soldiers seeking PTSD treatment, opened his testimony by saying he was speaking only for himself and “not representing anybody else.” (You know, when people say this it’s always wierd, isn’t it? In this case, he’s the head of the Guard, speaking about his experience and expertise gained from that position. You can’t separate the two. Did he drive an official vehicle to the hearing? End of only slightly relevant rant.)

In addition to Doohen, Todd Kolden of the SD Department of Labor - who was there representing Labor Secretary Pam Roberts - also had praise for Herseth Sandlin et al.

These field hearings are one of the best ideas to happen in a long time.

Otherwise,  Herseth Sandlin was pushing for ways to get more military folks into the Transition Assistance Program, which helps military grads transfer to the civilian workplace but is not required. Witnesses said the military culture is changing, but some top commanders still resist even allowing their charges to go through the training out of fear they might be so enticed by what the civilian world offers, they’ll leave the service.

Turns out the opposite is true. The training has served as a recruiting and retention tool as military members come to realize that Uncle Sam covers a lot of expenses and provides services that most civilian employers don’t even contemplate. One witness testified that the U.S. Navy improved its retention rate by 30 percent among its members that attended the training.

Spread the word

Hide Sites