Washington,
July 7, 2009
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This past weekend, thousands of people across our district traveled near and far to celebrate the Fourth of July. Independence Day is perhaps our nation’s most festive holiday, filled with fireworks, barbeques, good friends, and family. In the midst of the festivities, however, we often lose sight of what the Fourth of July really celebrates: our history, our institutions, and those who have fought and died to protect both. We should not only honor them on this special occasion, but on the fifth of July, the sixth of July, and for the rest of the year as well.
233 years have come and gone since that fateful day in Philadelphia where 56 of our founding fathers declared to the world that that the thirteen colonies “are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.” July 4, 1776 was the first time many heard those words now etched in history – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” On that day, our founders pledged “our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” in defense of that declaration, and while many gave their lives and fortunes in the turbulent years that ensued, not one forfeited his sacred honor.
Take for example the story of Richard Stockton, a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from our great state of New Jersey. Stockton was a graduate of what we now know as Princeton University, and was one of the preeminent lawyers in the colonies. In 1768, Stockton was elected to the governing council of New Jersey, and was later appointed to the State Supreme Court and the Continental Congress. Just four months after signing his name to the Declaration of Independence, Stockton was captured by the British and held under inhumane conditions in a British prison in New York. Upon his release – secured at the behest of General George Washington – Stockton found that his estate had been burned to the ground and most valuable possessions stolen by British soldiers. His health had deteriorated significantly during his time in prison, and he remained both a pauper and an invalid until his death in 1801. Despite the great losses he endured, however, both personal and financial, Stockton still used his few remaining years defending the honor of this nation, both in speech and in deed.
Our history is filled with men and women like Richard Stockton who made great sacrifices for our freedom – some you’ve probably heard of and many you haven’t. From the War for Independence to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, we owe a great debt to those who have fought and died defending our independence.
As a Member of Congress, I believe it is our solemn obligation to support those who protect us and to care for those they leave behind. That is why I was so upset earlier this year when Secretary of Homeland Security designated veterans as “rightwing extremists” and identified them as potential terrorists. I joined many of my colleagues in April demanding justification for her comments, and when none was offered we called for her resignation.
In Congress this year, I am cosponsoring legislation authored by Rep. Peter King from New York that would establish a committee of the House of Representatives to advocate on behalf of prisoners of war and those missing in action dating back to the Vietnam era. This committee would, I hope, bring some of our captured soldiers home, or, at the very least, provide closure for the families and loved ones they left behind.
In recent years, I have sought tax relief for members of the military and their families. In the last Congress, for example, I introduced the Armed Forces Tax Relief Act and the Strengthening America’s Military Families Act. Members of the Armed Forces currently serving in a combat zone are exempt from having their earnings taxed under the federal income tax. However, their pay is still subject to “employment taxes,” such as the significant payroll taxes for Medicare and Social Security. The Armed Forces Tax Relief Act would change this, and would truly allow our fighting men and women to keep their earnings tax free.
I have also introduced legislation this year that would provide an allowance for the spouses of fallen soldiers to be interred in state veterans’ cemeteries instead of federal cemeteries. Allowing soldiers’ families the choice between federal and state facilities gives them greater options in finding the proper way to memorialize their loved ones.
My office has been active in and a constant supporter of the Veterans History Project, an effort that collects oral history interviews, memoirs, letters, diaries, photographs, and other original materials and remembrances from veterans who served in American wars of the 20th and 21st century. The collection of these local histories contributes to the nation-wide project which archives these histories for public viewing at the Library of Congress and online.
President Calvin Coolidge once said, “The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.” It is my promise that I will continue to be an advocate in Washington for our veterans and soldiers, as well as for their families. We owe our freedom and way of life to these patriots and soldiers dating back to that first shot heard ‘round the world, and I will never forget this obligation. I hope that in the days following July Fourth, we all will remember to thank those who have secured, and are still securing, our freedoms and our independence. May God bless them and keep them safe.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
Member of Congress
