Why former Congressman Roe was so passionate about veteran legislation
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Most people know Phil Roe as the Congressman who served Northeast Tennessee for six terms.
During his time in Washington, D.C., he passed several bills to benefit veterans and servicemembers. He even chaired the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
'I was one of the last people drafted in the army. I drafted in 1971,' he said.
Roe was in Memphis for medical school when his first orders for Da Nang, Vietnam, were deferred for a year because so many doctors had been drafted from the area, leaving insufficient personnel to run the hospitals.
He ended up going to Korea and was stationed 11 miles south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
'When you're in an infantry division like I was, you're divided into battalions. You have infantry battalions, aviation armor,' he said. 'I was in a medical battalion, and my medical battalion was right next to the armored battalion.'
Roe was in the Second Infantry Division and the captain of the medical battalion.
'There were three of us young doctors that were in charge of taking the health care of an infantry division with 10,000 men in it,' said Roe.
When he got out of the army, the $300 a month he received from the GI Bill helped support his young and growing career, as well as his family.
'I was having to work extra shifts in the [Emergency Room] to just pay the bills. I mean the rent was almost as much as my check was for a month, and I had a family to feed,' he said. 'To this very day, that made an impression on me.'
Roe went on to become one of the most well-known OBGYNs in Johnson City, where he later served as the mayor before heading to Congress.
'I never thought I would ever do what I ended up doing,' he said. 'I never dreamed that, but I thought if I can ever do anything, I'm going to. And so I did.'
SEE MORE: Fmr Congressman Roe discusses passage of Blue Water Navy Act for Agent Orange effects
When chairing the House Veterans Affairs Committee, he visited VAs across the nation. He spearheaded bills aimed at helping his fellow veterans, including making the GI Bill a lifetime benefit and securing care for Blue Water Navy Veterans.
'They also have committed that service. And that's why I said, you know, I'm going to take care of them now,' he said.
Roe says the Army set him up for success in many ways, but there is one thing that has stuck with him every day.
'I get up every day if I'm going somewhere, I polish and shine my shoes,' he said. 'You had to have shiny shoes in the military. If you'll notice, my shoes are polished.
He hasn't slowed down since leaving Congress five years ago. He continues to volunteer with several local and national boards and occasionally participates in speaking engagements. However, he now has more time to play his guitar and pick his banjo.
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