Each November 11th our country comes together to remember our veterans who have served and sacrificed in the name of freedom. But it is each and every day that we, as American citizens, enjoy the fruits of liberty born through blood, sweat and tears of our servicemen and women.

Patriot Thomas Paine recognized the importance of these sacrifices when he said: "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country. But he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."

Unfortunately, we have a lot of "sunshine patriots" and "summer soldiers" in Washington who, despite their claims to be friends of veterans, are all too quick to throw promised benefits on the chopping block.

This year alone, the Bush Administration underfunded veterans' medical care by more than $1 billion. Fearing that veterans would see their medical services cut off or delayed, Senator Byrd, myself and a number of our colleagues went to work to fill the funding shortfall, and Congress approved our work. But our work is not finished. With the growing number of returning service members from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, we must now turn our attention to taking care of the shortfall for next year and we need the rest of Congress to get behind us.

To salute our veterans and soldiers I am also supporting a comprehensive New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century. In 1944, Congress enacted the original GI Bill of Rights to honor the Greatest Generation. In doing so, the federal government supported our returning troops with educational benefits, loans to buy a home and medical assistance. And in each major military conflict since, we have honored the service of those who wore the uniform with a new GI bill.

I will continue my efforts this year to fight for an end to the Disabled Veterans' Tax. While we have succeeded in getting a partial repeal, this unfair tax should be repealed for the remaining 400,000 disabled military retirees. Those who have sacrificed so much should receive all of their promised benefits and I am working to force action on this critical issue.

On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no solider behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind. I sincerely believe our primary duty as citizens of this great nation is to secure the liberties delivered by those who came before us and to pass along those same liberties, untarnished, to those who will, in coming generations, heed the call for military service.

This Veterans Day, I am honoring those who have fallen in our most recent wars by becoming a cosponsor of H.Con.Res.287, which honors each of the fallen from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom by name, so their families will know that we will never forget the service and sacrifice of their loved one.

For as Walt Whitman wrote, "Brave, brave were the soldiers (high-named today) who lived through the fight; but the bravest pressed to the front and fell, unnamed, unknown."

The challenge to pass the fruits of liberty from one generation to the next has been met by our veterans and current service members. Now, let us honor and recognize this service by providing our nations' heroes the respect, benefits and services they have earned.

On this Veterans Day and every day may God bless all West Virginians who have served to protect our freedoms. I will continue devote my all to those who wear or have worn the uniform in the name of freedom, liberty and the United States of America.