By Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski

On this Veterans Day I would like to encourage everyone to fully consider why this occasion warrants a federal holiday and why it is so significant.  Veterans Day is the one day that we take out of the year to honor and remember those who chose to put this country above all else.  It takes considerable courage to make such an action.  I would like honor the 209 soldiers in Pennsylvania and 4,673 soldiers nationwide who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as those Americans who gave up their lives fighting in past wars, including WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the first Gulf War.

As we honor our fallen and living veterans, we must also take this opportunity to renew our efforts to keep the promises we made to the 24 million American veterans of today and tomorrow. 

To fulfill that pledge, Congress passed, with my support, a new GI Bill to provide full, four-year education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, just as was done after WWII.  With many of our troops having served multiple tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, this action is long past due as current benefits pay only about 70 percent of a public college education.  The original GI Bill launched millions of families on a course toward achieving the American Dream, and helped stabilize the economy after a draining war.  

Additionally, Congress recently made an unprecedented commitment to veterans health care.  Last year, I, with my colleagues, voted for the largest increase in veterans health care in our nation's history, strengthening care for more than five million veterans.  We are continuing to work to build on this progress and expand healthcare even more for our veterans who will need better care to successfully rebuild their lives here at home.  

In the next Congress, we will redouble our efforts to strengthen our military, support our troops and their families, and provide services to our veterans worthy of their sacrifices and valor. 

These men and women all fought for the same cause: to protect America.  We must continue to support our current troops, and protect our living veterans, and remember the sacrifices of those who gave up everything to defend our way of life.  Today is the perfect day to remind ourselves of these obligations.