The United States is blessed with the best trained and most powerful voluntary military force in the world. Our men and women in uniform are the envy of the world, not for the power they can unleash, but rather for the peace and liberation they bring to those threatened by tyranny in every corner of the globe. As Americans we must commit to ensuring that we provide the necessary resources to those willing to volunteer their service. But we must also pledge to each of them and their families that we will support them unequivocally at all times. We must heed the sage advice of George Washington when he said “The willingness of young people to join the military is directly related to the way a country treats its veterans.”
As a Member of Congress I honor and support our fighting men and women, whether reserve, active, deployed, or retired, and I will ensure that their families are not forgotten during periods of separation.
We must improve the Veterans Administration (VA) and make it more responsive, comprehensive, and accessible in the care of all veterans. As a Member of Congress I plan to continue the efforts of Mark Kirk to ensure that the North Chicago VA Medical Center remains and provides the best care possible for our veterans.
We must not allow the newly-passed healthcare law to draw from military healthcare resources in a political shell game that leaves our soldiers with anything but the best care. I support efforts to better detect post-traumatic stress disorder and treat those wounded or adversely affected by combat. The weapons confronting our fighting men and women have made warfare more complicated. Chemical and biological weapons are now a great danger to our soldiers, and their effects can be latent and long lasting. We owe it to them to invest in science and diagnostic technologies that can readily identify their exposure so that they may be treated and compensated for all types of injuries.
Our obligation to those who commit to protect and defend us does not end when their deployment ends or when they retire. I support the bipartisan effort to provide our veterans an opportunity to receive a college education. We must do everything we can to help transition our fighting men and women back into civilian careers.
One of the greatest experiences of my life was my participation in the Honor Flight program. The program gives World War II veterans the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC and visit the World War II Memorial. I have had the honor of accompanying groups of these heroes on their Honor Flights. The sacrifices made by this great and selfless generation should serve eternally as a reminder of the price of freedom and our responsibility to all of our veterans.
We are bound to the men and women who serve by a sacred contract. They serve to protect us, and we repay them with our honor and support.
