Ever since General John A. Logan proclaimed that May 30, 1868 would be set aside to decorate graves of the Civil War’s dead, our nation has come together on the last Monday in May to remember the more than 1 million Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom. Their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their loved ones, must never be forgotten. Indeed, without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, this nation, along with its allies around the world, would not live in freedom and prosperity.
For the first time in a generation, local Memorial Day events will commemorate U.S. war dead at a time when multiple battlefield casualties are occurring on a regular basis. Let us support and pay tribute to our troops currently serving in Iraq, as well as Afghanistan, and around the world. The brave young men and women in our armed services are in the vanguard of maintaining our nation’s security and ensuring its continued prosperity.
During this Memorial Day weekend hundreds of thousands of veterans will be in our nation’s capital to celebrate the historic dedication of the National World War II Memorial. The memorial is being dedicated in honor of the 16 million men and women who served in the armed forces during World War II, the more than 400,000 who died, and the millions who supported the war effort from the home front. I am proud to celebrate the belated dedication of a memorial to those who served in World War II. We all are the beneficiaries of the greatest American generation’s bravery and stewards of their sacrifice. The National World War II Memorial will inspire future generations and stand as an important symbol of American national unity.
Amidst the pomp and circumstance of Memorial Day, we must remain vigilant about the needs of our veterans and military families. That’s why I am deeply concerned about the President’s FY 2005 budget for programs run by the department of Veterans Affairs. The budget is billions of dollars short of addressing VA needs and calls for an increase of veterans’ co-payments and new enrollment fees. One of the problems is that the Department of Veterans Affairs must ask Congress each year for increased funding authority. H.R. 2318, The Assured Funding for Veterans Health Care Act of 2003, would correct a major part of VA’s budget shortfall by basing funding for health care on the number of veterans enrolled for services while also factoring in yearly inflation costs.
I strongly support H.R. 2318 as do other veterans groups such as The American Legion, AMVETS, Blinded Veterans Association, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Vietnam Veterans of America.
I also am a firm supporter of legislation to end the veterans’ widow tax, which would stop the current practice of decreasing a spouse’s benefits by one-third upon turning 62. Our nation’s military retirees expect that their survivors will receive a fair portion of the retirement benefit they earned from serving our country. Although legislation to end the widow’s tax recently passed in the House of Representatives, the President still does not support the bill.
I will keep fighting to ensure that our nation keeps faith with our service men and women, their families, and our veterans. Our men and women in uniform fight to protect our freedom and secure our liberty. It is only fitting that we provide them with benefits equal in value to their service to our nation.
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