Washington, D.C. - (November 9, 2012)–  Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson released the following statement honoring our veterans and their families on Veteran’s Day, which will be observed on Monday, Nov. 12, 2012:

“Veteran’s Day is a day when Americans come together to recognize and remember the sacrifices of servicemen and women of America’s Armed Forces. The brave efforts of our Armed Forces is the sole foundation of freedom and democracy.

I express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the brave American men and women in uniform and recognize the families of our fallen. Their dedication to protecting our country’s freedom is truly appreciated and can never be forgotten.

On this day, we remember the contributions of those who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world. President Barack Obama ended the war in Iraq responsibly, and brought home our troops that were stationed there. We are working towards the same goal in Afghanistan and plan for our troops to return home in 2014.

Now, more than ever, we must renew our commitment to our veteran’s and ensure they receive the benefits they so rightly deserve when they come home. Our soldiers are in desperate need of employment and medical treatments. In the 30^th Congressional District, over 30,000 veterans reside and it has the 2^nd largest VA Medical Center in the nation. The national unemployment rate for our post-9/11 veterans is at 9.7 percent. Specifically in the state of Texas, the average unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans was 13.5 percent in 2011, according to the latest finding by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

Congress and President Obama have made great strides in helping our veterans succeed. The new Post 9-11 GI Bill has already helped over 700,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars to afford college.  We have strengthened health care for more than 5 million veterans by providing better access to treatment. The support for military families has fortified buy building more military child care centers and better military housing. While we are on the path to decreasing these unemployment figures, we must continue to push forward to ensure our veterans have the tools they need to successfully enter the workforce.

As we reflect on this Veteran’s Day, I ask that all Americans take a moment and thank our veterans and active duty members for their unwavering service. We appreciate all of their hard work and dedication to keeping our country safe, and we have an obligation to ensure a return to normalcy when they come back from service.”

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Turtle Creek, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.