A Tribute to Bill Rolen

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I inform my colleagues of the recent death of John William "Bill" Rolen on September 14, 1999.

Bill is perhaps best known for his outstanding advocacy on behalf of our Nation’s former prisoners of war. Since March 1994, Bill served as the Executive Director of the American Ex-Prisoners of War. In this important position, with outstanding support from his wife Mary, Bill Rolen had a major role in assisting the Congress to respond more effectively to America’s servicemen and women who were prisoners of war, their dependents and survivors.

After graduation from high school in Sevierville, Tennessee, Bill entered the U.S. Army in October 1943 and spent four months in basic training at Camp Blanding, Florida. Bill subsequently joined the 45^th Division in March 1944 at Anzio Beach, Italy, participated in the liberation of Rome and the invasion of Southern France. Following six months of combat, Bill was captured and spent seven months in a prisoner-of-war camp. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, the European Campaign Ribbon with three battle stars, and the Prisoner of War Medal for his distinguished military service.

At the end of World War II, Bill returned to Tennessee, then later trained at Coyne Electrical Training School in Chicago, Illinois. In 1950, Bill moved to Washington, D.C. and began his successful 34-year career with the Army Strategic Communication Command at the Pentagon.

Following retirement in 1984, Bill organized the first American Ex-Prisoners of War Chapter in Northern Virginia. He continued his service to his fellow POWs throughout the remainder of his life, serving on the National Legislative Committee of the National Capitol Office for many years.

Bill continued his dedicated work on behalf of POWs and their families until his last days. When the House approved H.R. 2280, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 1999, on June 29^th, this bill included a provision which would allow surviving spouses of former prisoners of war to qualify for dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) benefits without requiring that the veteran have been 100% service-connected for ten years prior to death. This provision was recommended to the Committee by Bill Rolen and, as a result of his committed and articulate advocacy, an inequity in law which unintentionally penalizes spouses of former POWs will be corrected when this measure is enacted into law.