We Must Support Veterans, When They Need Us Most - Naples Daily News

Naples Daily News - May 31, 2004

We Must Support Veterans, When They Need Us Most

As President Calvin Coolidge once said, "The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten." Veterans should be remembered and honored every day.
Today, there are 138,000 troops proudly serving our nation in Iraq, with tens of thousands more stationed throughout the world protecting our country. We keep them in our thoughts and prayers as they continue to do an incredible job under uniquely difficult and tenuous situations.
For more than two centuries, our men and women in uniform have served this country with great courage and distinction, each generation helping to craft our nation's history and make us the superpower we are today.

With liberty comes sacrifice, and no one in our country epitomizes those words more than our veterans. They have displayed great valor, courage and patriotism. Our nation's veterans honored us with their service when we needed them most, and we must not abandon them now when they need us most.
President Bush and the Republican Congress recognize this fact. We have worked hard to make sure our veterans are taken care of. Just as we believe our troops deserve the assistance they need to win the war on terror, we also believe those who have already served our nation should receive the assistance they need.
That is why Republicans worked hard to end a decades-old problem and passed into law a measure that would, for the first time, allow millions of disabled military retirees to collect both their retirement and disability pay. We have provided significant increases to veteran health care over the past five years - an average of $1.6 billion a year. This month, House Republicans passed legislation to eliminate the penalty imposed on military survivors whose pensions are reduced once they reach a certain age. Also, this Congress passed, and the president signed into law, legislation expanding and improving benefits for disabled veterans, their surviving spouses and children.

I take seriously the sacrifice for freedom our veterans have made and am an ardent co-sponsor of these efforts. I will continue to strongly support ways to improve veterans' lives.

With our troops fighting terrorists across the globe, there may be no better moment to realize the hard truth of war and what our veterans have endured. As we celebrate Memorial Day, may we continue to remember and honor their service even beyond this day. They have set before us a shining example of selfless patriotism and tremendous sacrifice.

We must always remember that the troops of today are the veterans of tomorrow, and they need to know that we support them now and always.

Miami Republican Rep. Diaz-Balart's 25th House District includes eastern Collier County.