Let us honor our veterans

tmarket · Nov 11, 2009

The mark of a great nation is how they treat their soldiers and veterans, not only while they are at war, but also how they are treated once they returned. The great cost of war is reflected in the lives of these brave men and women for many years to come.

By Rep. NICK JOE RAHALL
U.S. Congressman
Veterans Day is a national call for pause and reflection on the devotion and gallantry of our nationâs distinguished veterans. However, every day we should be reminded of the commitment made by the thousands of brave men and women who answered the call to duty and made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedoms.

I hold our faithful and courageous veterans in the highest regard. They have earned our gratitude, respect, and admiration. It is why I am proud of the accomplishments made by Congress to assist the 51,500 Veterans in the 3rd Congressional District, and veterans across this great Nation.

Let us honor the memory of the 4,300 Americans who have died in Iraq and nearly 900 who have died in Afghanistan. We also honor the sacrifices of our wounded: more than 31,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 4,300 in Afghanistan.

As we remember the patriotic sacrifices of all men and women in service to our country, let us renew our commitment to keep our promises to the nationâs 3 million troops and reservists, their families, and 24 million veterans nationwide.

Our nationâs veterans are never far from my mind, which is why I have supported critical measures to expand educational opportunity and economic relief for them. The new Post 9-11 GI Bill, which took effect August 1st of this year, provides for a full, four-year college education, allowing up to 2 million American soldiers of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts to be included in our nationâs economic recovery efforts, as we did after World War II.

Veterans returning home today are facing double digit unemployment, so Congress has enacted incentives for businesses to hire those who are unemployed. Furthermore, as part of the American Recovery Act, which I supported, Congress provided each of our nearly 2 million disabled veterans a $250 payment to help make ends meet.

But soldiers are not the only Americans impacted by their service to this great Nation. Many of our troops have served multiple tours of duty putting great strain on their families and substantially impacting their financial futures. That is why Congress has provided special $500 payments to the 185,000 service members and veterans forced to serve under stop-loss orders since 2001. Congress also has taken steps to reduce the backlog and delays for veterans trying to access their earned benefits.

In this yearâs budget, we increased the investment in veteransâ health care and services by 60 percent since January 2007 -- including the largest single increase in the 78-year history of the VA. This funding has strengthened health care for more than 5 million veterans â adding 17,000 new doctors and nurses, and more Community-Based Outpatient Clinics and new Vet Centers. These are critically-important measures to accommodate the needs of our 363,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan over the last three years. This funding also expands mental health screening and treatment â a vital service for the many veterans suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury -- and strengthens access for veterans in rural areas. Congress also ended the Bush Administrationâs ban on enrolling modest-income veterans for VA health care.

In addition, I commend the VA on the recent unveiling of its comprehensive plan to end homelessness among Veterans by utilizing partnerships between resources of government, business and the private sector. This plan is a good platform from which we can strive to ultimately end homelessness among our nationâs most dedicated and loyal patriots in part by helping them get off the streets, but moreover enhancing efforts to prevent their homelessness to begin with. Next year alone the VA will spend $3.2 billion to prevent and reduce homelessness among Veterans. That includes $2.7 billion on medical services and more than $500 million on specific homeless programs.

Veterans represent the best of America, and while we offer them our heartfelt thanks for their service to a grateful nation, we must honor them today and every day for their sacrifice. It is because of our veterans that we can continue to live each day as free citizens of this great Nation.
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Let us honor our veterans

tmarket