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Of all the responsibilities I hold as a Member of Congress, none is held more dearly than making sure our government keeps its promise to our veterans. Since taking the oath of office on April 10th, 2008, I have had the privilege to vote on a number of important issues concerning veterans and the brave and selfless men and women who are currently members of our armed forces.
Perhaps my proudest vote in my short time in Washington was helping pass a new GI Bill. H.R. 5740, the "Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act" passed with a large bipartisan majority and was signed into law by President Bush on June 30. It guarantees a college education to any member of our armed forces who has served a proscribed amount of time.
Members of my parents' generation benefitted from the first GI Bill and as a result, returning World War II GIs were more educated and upwardly-mobile than any before them. Contrast this with Vietnam veterans, who had no GI Bill, and so often returned from their service with little or no opportunities waiting for them.
H.R. 3819, the "Veterans Emergency Care Fairness Act" passed on May 21 and provided for reimbursement of veterans' medical expenses if they receive emergency treatment at a non-VA hospital.
The budget passed by Congress this year fully funds veterans' health care by providing $48.2 billion for 2009, which is $3.3 billion more than the President's budget for 2009 and $39 billion more over five years. This allows the VA to treat 5.8 million patients in 2009, including an estimated 333,275 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, or blast-related injuries.
There are many more improvements to veterans' healthcare that still need to be implemented and I will continue to do whatever I can to see that we never forget the service that these men and women performed for our country.
Congresswoman Speier's Memorial Day, 2008 Address
Golden Gate National Cemetery
San Francisco National Cemetery (The Presidio)
Cypress Lawn Memorial Park
It is with an abundance of humility that I join this gathering of American heroes to pay homage to the men and women who have honored our nation with their service and indeed, their lives.
Memorial Day is a special holiday. We have celebrated it, in one form or another, since 1868 when General John Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, ordered that flowers be placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. This act set the tone for Memorial Day to be a celebration of service and remembrance, regardless of personal or political feelings, or even which side of the battlefield you might be on.
While Veterans Day, on November 11th, allows us to salute all who served in uniform, this day has special meaning - and special weight - because of its focus on those whose sacrifice for the cause of freedom was complete and total.
For many, Memorial Day is synonymous with the start of summer - a signal that school is almost out, warm weather is just around the corner and family vacations are just weeks away. While, on the surface, this might seem out of step with the solemnity of the holiday, it is fitting that we celebrate Memorial Day at this most beautiful and hopeful time of year.
These grave markers before us represent not deaths, but lives. Lives full of hopes and dreams and plans for the future. Lives that all too often were cut short well before their prime. Lives that, but for a wrinkle of fate, might still be with us today.
This cemetery is not about a graveyard of regrets, but rather a cathedral of ideals. Whether drafted or enlisted, the forces reposing beneath us joined their battles with confidence that their service was for the greater good of the world, the nation and their community.
The brave souls who we honor today are not relics of the past, but a reminder to future generations that vibrant, promising young Americans thought enough of their country to answer its call at a time of need.
There are more than 116,000 men and women at eternal rest here at Golden Gate National Cemetery. Most were soldiers, sailors, Marines, reservists or members of the Air Force, Coast Guard or National Guard. While today, they are represented by solemn white markers respectfully delineating their final resting place, we are well-served to remember them as our neighbors, our classmates, the kid down the street or the friend from Little League.
Among the many resting here, from Generals and Admirals and Members of Congress, to foreign fighters who died as prisoners of war and were granted an honor befitting a soldier who answered the call of his nation, there are also many thousands who served, not overseas, but here at home. These are the spouses and family members of our armed forces who held down the homefront while their husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, were a world away. They, too, deserve our honor and respect.
To all of you gathered here this morning, my sincerest thanks for taking the time to remember those who made it possible for us to live in freedom. Today we honor the brave and unselfish men and women who put more than their hands over their hearts when they pledge allegiance to our country. They put their boots on the ground and their lives on the line. And for that, we are forever grateful.
HON. JACKIE SPEIER
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 14, 2008
Madam Speaker, there is no greater sacrifice one can make for their country than leaving their family to fight in a foreign land. Our fighting men and women have served admirably in Iraq and Afghanistan, doing all that was asked of them and asking little in return. But the way our government has neglected these returning warriors is deplorable.
The administration has simultaneously asked for more Americans to make the ultimate sacrifice while cutting veterans benefits for those who survive.
Not only do they oppose a new GI Bill, but they have turned their backs on the estimated 30% of returning troops experiencing emotional or mental setbacks caused by the stress of combat.
Yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on the growing menace of suicides among veterans. In 2006, 666 California veterans committed suicide. That accounts for 21 percent of all suicides in the state, even though veterans represent just 6 percent of the population.
A recent report by CBS News, supported by the VA, found an average of 18 veterans commit suicide every day in this country. At this rate, we equal the death-toll of September 11th ever one hundred and eleven days.
This is a national disgrace. For all the lip-service this administration gives to "supporting the troops", on this matter their silence has been deadly. So much so, that the top Mental Health official at the VA received an e-mail documenting the rash of suicides, he simply replied, "Ssh".
Madam Speaker, there is no place for "ssh" when American heroes are taking their own lives. I urge every American to demand that our government keep its promise to our veterans."
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