WASHINGTON  -  As we thankfully welcome home the first Missouri reservists, National Guard, and U.S. military personnel from their Middle East deployments, many of them are no longer soldiers.  When their service to our nation has ended and they have received honorable discharges, they become America’s newest veterans.

We are prone to think of our veterans as parents and grandparents.  Our Veterans of
Foreign Wars and American Legion Posts have long been composed of veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  But after completing missions in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the ranks of our veterans are noticeably younger.  Many of the veterans from recent conflicts are  young and many of them have families; they have
all sacrificed and all of them deserve the thanks of our nation.

For the most part, they took part in new, untested types of warfare.  Their expertise is more likely to be in engineering, supply systems, or computers than in simple soldiering.  Each of our new veterans fought with methods and technology largely unknown to their predecessors.

But there are similarities, too.  The status of serving our nation, the fight to bring freedom to distant shores, and the proud patriotism of our men and women in uniform have not changed over the years.  The debt we owe our veterans for these sacrifices, if anything, has grown.

They face the same uncertain transitions of returning to the land they love, the land for
which they put their very lives on the line.

As Americans, we repay that debt in many ways: with holidays to honor our veterans, with neighborly acts of kindness, with community support, and through the federal government.

Accordingly, the House of Representatives will soon consider funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is charged with the pensions, health care, and special needs of our veterans.  Many times, this bill passes through Congress with little notice.  This year, as our troops begin to return from the Middle East, it deserves special attention.

This year, Congress has appropriated $27.2 billion dollars for the Veterans Health
Administration.  New emphasis has been placed on categorized medical needs, especially eye care.

At the same time, modernization of services is an essential improvement for the
existing VA system.  Medical professionals must be equipped to handle the care of young men and women who leave the field of battle and require ongoing care for physical and psychological ailments.  Post traumatic stress disorder is an
increasingly common concern for young veterans.  The Veterans Administration is committed to providing care for these young heroes, but they must also have the funding to face these new challenges.

In addition to their age, the American population of veterans is changing in another
important way – our veterans are increasingly female.  Right now, women make up 14 percent of our soldiers in uniform and six percent of our veterans.  Over the next five years, however, that figure is expected to rise so that one in ten veterans is female.  

Just one month ago, I spoke with women veterans in Poplar Bluff who have faced many
unique challenges.  From menopause management and mammography to

osteoporosis, the VA has refined its health services to serve women as well as men from the moment they set foot in a medical facility.  Outreach to women is a new priority for the VA.

We still have more to do before our mission is complete, though.  The challenges we
face in caring for our veterans are as unique as the individual Americans who enlist in service to our country.  Thanking them is the easy part. 

Young men and women in the uniform of our nation, I am glad to start welcoming you
home.  Just as the face of our military is changing, so are the faces of our veterans.  You have done the hard part, and now you pass the torch to us.  We are charged with the debt of gratitude to you who served – it is a serious obligation, and we will fulfill it.