Dr. Boozman's Check-up

In a recent interview with "60 Minutes" President Obama said that U.S. intelligence agencies underestimated the threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In this edition of 'From the Mailbag' Senator Boozman discusses the need to confront these terrorists and the threat they pose to our national security.

Last week the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the number of Ebola cases could hit 21,000 by early November unless efforts to curb the outbreak are ramped up. I recently participated in a Senate committee hearing on the global challenge and public health threat of the Ebola crisis in West Africa and what our country can and is doing to help. In this edition of "From the Mailbag" I answer a question about the threat of Ebola. 

Time is running out for Arkansas students interested in applying for an excellent opportunity to spend an educational week in our nation’s capital and earn money for college.

Established in 1962, the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is a unique educational experience for outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service. The program gives an opportunity to two student leaders from each state to spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government in action.

USSYP’s next Washington Week will take place March 7 - 14, 2015 and each student delegate will receive a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship to the college or university of their choice.

During Washington Week, student delegates will hear major policy addresses by Senators, cabinet members, officials from the Departments of State and Defense and directors of other federal agencies, as well as participate in a meeting with a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

All transportation, hotel and meal expenses will be provided by The Hearst Foundations.

The deadline for Arkansas students to apply for the program is October 3, 2014. Interested students should contact their high school principal. Arkansas’s USSYP delegates will be chosen by the state department of education.

For more information on USSYP, please visit www.ussenateyouth.org

Arkansas boasts a rich history and significant role in helping preserve law and order to our developing nation. Through the legacy of famous Hanging Judge Isaac Parker and great lawmen like Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, Fort Smith established itself as the center of the U.S. Marshals Service history. Today we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the creation of the Marshals Service. I can’t think of a better way to honor the men and women who served our nation’s oldest and most versatile federal law enforcement agency than with the groundbreaking of a national museum dedicated to the work they have done since 1789. 

I’ve been proud to play a part in bringing the U.S. Marshals Museum home to Fort Smith and joining with other members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation to honor the service of our Marshals with a commemorative coin. This has all been the result of the vision, hard work and dedication of Fort Smith residents. We should be proud of our history and I’m happy to see us embracing our past to provide opportunities for the future.   

Read about the groundbreaking
Times Record - Ground Broken For $50 Million Marshals Museum In Fort Smith

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Marshals Museum on its way to fruition

The City Wire - Large crowd gathers in Fort Smith for U.S. Marshals Museum groundbreaking

Last week, President Obama announced that a large-scale U.S. military-led response to the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2,800 people have died in the worst outbreak of Ebola virus in history. In total, over 5,800 people in West Africa have been infected in the outbreak.

On the same day of that announcement, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions and the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health & Human Services, Education and Related Agencies held a joint full committee hearing on “Ebola in West Africa: A Global Challenge and Public Health Threat.”

Among those testifying at the hearing was Dr. Kent Brantly, a U.S. missionary who put his medical expertise to use to help Liberians suffering from Ebola. Liberia is the West African nation hit hardest by the outbreak, with over 3,000 known cases and almost 1,600 deaths.

Along with running the treatment center in Liberia’s capital city, Dr. Brantly is also an Ebola survivor himself having contracted the disease while treating patients in Monrovia.

In his testimony, Dr. Brantly laid out why the U.S. needs to take a larger leadership role in West Africa, saying that the WHO’s efforts to stop the outbreak are “so bound up by bureaucracy that they have been painfully slow and ineffective in this response.”

He believes the U.S. needs to be in charge of the mission, saying that it “is imperative that the U.S. take the lead instead of relying on other agencies. The U.S. military is highly trained with a clear chain of command. They are experienced in responding to complex international crises such as what we are facing now. I believe they are the only force capable of mounting an immediate, large-scale offensive to defeat this virus before it lays waste to all of West Africa.”

I agree that U.S. assistance is necessary to quickly take charge of the situation as it continues to spiral out of control. The reality is we live in a small world and we need to eradicate this threat before it escalates to an even bigger crisis. While I believe the President’s proposed strategy can be successful, I do think more must be done to ensure that we do not fall into the same trap as the WHO’s operation.

One easy way to prevent our mission from becoming a bureaucratic failure is to appoint a central coordinator here in Washington. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is handling the public health aspects, the Defense Department and USAID have lead on logistics and materials, and the National Security Advisor is helping to coordinate. However, there isn’t a single individual in charge of the entire operation. That was one of the points I raised at the hearing.

We need a point person in charge to avoid ending up in the same bureaucratic quagmire that currently exists.  

During the hearing, I also pushed officials to ensure the public that the proper steps we are being taken to prevent individuals infected with Ebola from bringing it into the US.  Clearly that is a concern for the public and we must be able to reassure Americans that every precaution is being taken to protect public health at home.

You can watch my questions at the hearing by clicking the video below.

The following column was published in the Southwest Times Record on September 21, 2014. 

SW Times Record

As the son of a Master Sergeant in the Air Force, I grew up in a family that had values rooted in military tradition. My dad’s service was a source of pride for us and I knew that wearing our nation’s uniform made him proud too.

Military service ran in the family. A picture of my grandpa and great uncle as young soldiers in France during WWI overlooks my desk in Washington and reminds me of the service and sacrifice of all of our nation’s past and present servicemembers. Like my dad, my grandpa and great uncle were members of the 142nd Fires Brigade Charlie Battery during their military careers.

I know many Arkansans can trace the military service of members of their family to Charlie Battery and the 142nd Fires Brigade. Exploring the history of the 142nd is like reading a book of our country’s military operations. Having been created in 1917 from the former 2nd Arkansas Infantry, members of the 142nd have a long history of supporting military operations at home and abroad. The unit participated in nearly every war and conflict since the Mexican Expedition. Most recently Charlie Battery received the Meritorious Unit Commendation award for its service in Iraq. 

Based in Ozark since 1963, Charlie Battery is part of community’s identity. To recognize its role in the community, and to honor the men and women who served and shaped our history, Ozark is bringing those whose lives have been touched by Charlie Battery together.

This unique reunion will bring together former commanders, members, family and descendants to reminisce and share memorabilia. I’m proud to join the community in celebrating the accomplishments of those, like my family, who served in Charlie Battery. I’ll be bringing some of my own keepsakes that have been passed down to me through the years.

Collecting and preserving these stories, memories and artifacts is important to recognizing the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their important role in our history. Providing future generations the opportunity to learn from their experiences is essential.

Arkansas has a rich history of service to our nation. Arkansans have always been willing to do their part to serve and protect. Our units stationed in the state are some of the best assets in our national defense made up of dedicated patriots. We have a proud tradition of honoring our state’s 250,000 veterans and we owe it to these men and women to ensure that their contributions to our country are preserved.

I’m looking forward to celebrating Charlie Battery, the role it’s played in my family and sharing stories with other Arkansans who have a connection to this unit.

For more on the reunion go to www.ozark142.org

In June, EPA announced its plan to mandate states restrict the amount of carbon emissions from existing power plants and change how electricity is generated.  These heavy-handed rules target Arkansas for cuts stricter than 44 other states. In this edition of “From the Mailbag,” Senator Boozman answers a question about what he's doing to fight this overreach.

In case you missed our interview this morning with Jonesboro’s KASU radio, you can listen to the interview here. We covered a wide range of issues including the threats of ISIS and Ebola to our national security and discussed the overreach of the EPA’s carbon emissions mandate.

Arkansans have a long and proud history of serving our country in uniform. We are a state of patriots. Our nation’s flag serves as a reminder of the sacrifices of our families and friends who’ve ensured that our nation’s flag continues to fly. Old Glory represents our values and fortitude as a country. 

During the War of 1812, our nation’s capital was burned by British troops and after two years of fighting, hope seemed to be lost. The Battle for Fort McHenry in September 1814 would turn favor for Americans and serve as an inspiration for one of our most honored traditions – the national anthem. 

Early in the morning of September 14, 1814, the stars and stripes served as inspiration to our soldiers fighting the British in Baltimore, American citizens seeking a victory and lawyer negotiating the release of American prisoners. 

That lawyer, Francis Scott Key, witnessed from a ship several miles away from Baltimore the attempted siege by the British of Fort McHenry – the fort that protected Baltimore harbor. Key saw our nation’s flag flying proudly over Fort McHenry – a signal that we had won the battle. While aboard his ship and inspired by America’s victory, he wrote the poem, Defence of Fort McHenry, more commonly known as The Star Spangled Banner. 

This week we celebrate the 200th year anniversary of Key’s writing of The Star Spangled Banner, which resonates and invokes national pride among all Americans. We sing his poem before sporting events, at the beginnings of many ceremonies and programs and in celebration. I am proud and thankful for Francis Scott Key’s victorious spirit, which inspired him to write the poem that lives on through the American spirit. 

The flag that inspired Key continues to move us today. It’s on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Learn more about it here.  

As Arkansans, we understand what it means to give back to our communities – particularly during times of hardship. As a state and a community, we support each other and lift each other up. 

AmeriCorps offers Arkansans an opportunity to further engage in community service through intensive service positions. Many of these roles include community rebuilding efforts after tornadoes and storms, improving schools, providing health services, and supporting our military families and veterans. More than 820,000 men and women serve in AmeriCorps, committing over 1 billion hours of service. 

This week we celebrate the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps. Since its founding, more than 80,000 Arkansans have been affected by the service of AmeriCorps members. I’m proud that AmeriCorps operates in all of Arkansas’s 75 counties. I am grateful to the dedicated men and women who provide life changing services to members of our community and would like to thank them for their commitment to Arkansas and AmeriCorps. 

These volunteers are our friends, family and neighbors. They exemplify true humanitarian spirit and impact the lives of Arkansans and other Americans. We are proud of their commitment and their devotion to serving others through their efforts. I offer my sincere appreciation to all of the men and women who have served and are serving to make a difference in our communities.