Veterans Day

Floor Speech

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the importance of honoring our Nation's veterans for their service and sacrifice. I hope every American found a moment this weekend to reflect on what veterans have done for us and for our Nation as a whole.

We are now 238 years removed from our Nation's first war, the Revolutionary War. Brave Americans have fought to defend this Nation in wars large and small, from the World Wars to Vietnam to Iraq, and everything in between. Our Nation still has some 54,000 troops in Afghanistan, and we all pray for their safe return as we draw down our forces over the next year.

In each incarnation, brave men and women, often barely old enough to vote, went to war, and returned as veterans. A common thread that binds each generation served by our veterans is that solemn pledge so perfectly articulated by President Lincoln: ``Let us strive . . . to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.''

Living up to Lincoln's words has been the duty of every generation. Our veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most recent to experience the deep-seated physical, emotional, and mental wounds of war.

In recognition, we cannot simply commemorate our veterans' service, but must express our gratitude through action. Supporting and strengthening our veterans' access to health care, education, job training, housing, and other services is every bit about keeping this promise.

Here in Congress, we hold in our hands the legislative powers to improve the treatment, benefit, and assistance programs that already exist and the power to create new programs to meet the changing needs of our veterans and their families. We in Congress have a heightened obligation to service the needs of our veterans.

I am committed to that promise. We know that veterans face unnecessary delays in claims processing and reimbursement. I have worked hard to cut down on the backlog and encourage the VA to address this impending problem.

In Chicago, the VA is rolling out a new electronic records system, and the backlog is dropping. As chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I have also included increased funding to the Department of Defense to ensure the speedy transfer of servicemember medical records, and I will continue to work with the chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee to alleviate the claims processing backlog.

New medical challenges are also facing our veterans. In an age where doctors are better able to save the soldier's life on the battlefield, more soldiers are returning home with loss of limbs. To assist these veterans, I introduced legislation to make sure that the VA and our colleges and universities work together to ensure the next generation of orthotic and prosthetics professionals will be there for these wounded warriors. I'm happy to say that Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Sanders is working with me on this, and we hope to get this program signed into law later this year.

I was also proud to lead the fight for what is now the VA's caregivers program. It provides the families of severely disabled Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with the support they deserve to care for their loved ones.

Treating and attending to a wounded veteran is an incredibly demanding job--often best served by a family member--and the caregiver's program ensures that these families have the training and financial support necessary to care for our wounded heroes.

I am proud to say there are now hundreds of veteran caregivers in Illinois and thousands nationwide taking part in this program--and loving it.

We have come a long way in supporting our veterans over the years and responding to their changing needs, yet our work is far from done.

On Veterans Day in 1961, President Kennedy stood at Arlington National Cemetery, in view of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. On that day he said: ``In a world tormented by tension and the possibilities of conflict, we meet in a quiet commemoration of an historic day of peace. In an age that threatens the survival of freedom, we join together to honor those who made our freedom possible.''

Today, some 52 years later, we too stand together to honor, to commemorate, and to remember the proud ranks of veterans who have defended America and her ideals in every corner of the globe. I am proud to stand for our Nation's veterans and their families every day, but I am especially proud to celebrate them each year on Veterans Day.

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