Hello, this is Congressman Jim Clyburn.  I proudly represent the Sixth Congressional District of South Carolina, home to more than 61,000 military veterans, one of whom is Joseph H. Washington of Charleston.  Joe, a navy veteran, is my wife's uncle.  He was at Pearl Harbor serving on the USS Arizona on that fateful day, December 7, 1941.  On this Memorial Day weekend I join with all Americans in thanking him and all who have served with dignity and honor. I especially want to thank and ask God's blessings upon those who have suffered life altering injuries, and the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

            President Bush's budget and the Republican Congressional leadership are not treating the nearly 25 million American veterans with the respect and dignity they deserve.  The President's budget cuts veterans' health care programs by more than $15 billion over the next five years and he wants to impose a health care tax on all veterans who earn $25,000 a year or more.

            Just this past Wednesday the Republican led Congress voted down a measure that would have offered TRICARE health coverage to National Guard members and reservists.  Reserve components make up 50% of our forces in Iraq and studies show 20% have no health insurance; a figure that jumps to 40% for young reservists between the ages of 19 and 35.  How can we ask these young men and women to serve on the front lines and not offer them the basic necessity of health insurance?

             The Congressional Black Caucus and our Democratic colleagues are standing up for our soldiers currently serving on the frontlines.  And I am proud that it was a South Carolina reserve unit that brought attention to the lack of adequate armament by refusing to undertake a mission they felt would be suicide.  Their action caused a wholesale reassessment of the conditions in which our armed forces were being asked to perform.  We in the Congressional Black Caucus are working to insure that future military actions are undertaken with sufficient numbers of troops that are adequately armed and equipped for their task. 

            On the battlefield, our soldiers pledge to leave no comrade behind.  Today, I join with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus in pledging that we will leave no soldier or veteran behind.  We are committed to insuring that all Americans willing to fight in our armed services receive the benefits they were promised and deserve. 

            This is Congressman Jim Clyburn asking you to join me on this Memorial Day, thanking and keeping our active duty military personnel and veterans in our thoughts and prayers every day. 

#  #  #