Keeping Our Promise to America’s Service Men and Women

Today we laid to rest the 13 Americans who were killed at Fort Hood last week, in an incomprehensible and painful tragedy for which we are still seeking answers. Tomorrow, Veterans Day, the power of their memory will live on as we honor our nation’s heroes for their valor, their service and their sacrifice. In addition to the formal ceremonies and celebrations planned in cities and towns across the country, this is also a time to highlight the ways in which President Obama and our Congress are honoring our veterans through action.

Too many times we have failed to fulfill our commitment to our veterans, with wounded warriors not getting the care they need and others not receiving the support they've earned. While we still have considerable work to do, under President Obama’s leadership we have made historic progress towards fulfilling our commitment to our country’s veterans.

• President Obama requested a 16 percent percentage increase in the 2010 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the largest one-year budget increase in over 30 years.
• Under the leadership of General Shinseki, the VA has begun to institute the changes necessary to create a first-class, 21st century Department that will work towards modernizing and improving the way health care is delivered and benefits are administered. One example: the VA is implementing an automated paperless system that will help to alleviate the current backlog and bureaucratic delays, allowing the VA to more efficiently serve veterans and their families.
• We know that thousands of soldiers who served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, an all-to-common consequence of modern warfare. President Obama is committed to meeting our veterans’ mental health needs and his Administration will continue to improve services for cognitive injuries and ensure our veterans receive the on-going care they need.
• Like the generation of veterans that returned from WWII, service members who return from Iraq and Afghanistan and other far off places, deserve the same chance at an affordable college education. The Post 9/11 GI Bill is the most generous educational benefit for veterans since the original GI Bill of 1944. In the first two years of implementation, the VA estimates more than a quarter-million veterans will receive education benefits from this bill.
• Just this week, President Obama announced the launch of the Veterans Employment Initiative for the Executive Branch. This new program is designed to transform the federal government into the model employer of America's veterans, by increasing the number of veterans who are employed within the Executive Branch, and helping recently hired veterans adjust to service in a civilian capacity.

Tomorrow a grateful nation will thank our brave men and women who serve and have served with honor and courage to preserve and protect our nation, our way of life and our freedom. And we must use this opportunity to renew our commitment to them not only on the field of battle, but once they return home.

The DNC Veterans and Military Families Council will continue to be a strong voice for veterans within the Democratic Party and is committed to strengthening our outreach to our nation's veterans and their families.

Please take a moment today to stand with those who served our nation by getting involved with one of the following organizations: USO, Fisher House, and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.