Mundelein Review - U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin's Memorial Day Remarks Address VA Scandal

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By Dan Moran

A Memorial Day held in the shadow of waiting-list controversies at Veterans Affairs hospitals, U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin was among those at Lake County ceremonies calling for a renewed commitment to caring for the nation's veterans.

"As we reflect on those who gave their lives, let us reflect on those who came home and struggled each day. Let us reflect on what we owe them," Durbin told an 11 a.m. gathering at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Waukegan.

"Do you remember what we said to them? We said to them, "If you will hold up your hand and swear to serve this country and be willing to risk your life for America, we will never, ever forget you when you come home. We will be there for you with medical care, help to go to college and a helping hand to start your life.'

"And look at what we have today," Durbin continued. "We are not keeping that promise. We must keep that promise to these men and women."

Earlier in the day, at Libertyville's Memorial Day ceremony in Cook Park, Durbin made direct reference to the VA scandal, in which allegations from Phoenix to Florida center on failures to provide timely care for veterans.

"Beyond those who have served and died, there are those who have returned home and need our help," said Durbin, recalling his Senate work with the late Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who lost an arm in World War II. "(Veterans) come back and they need our help, and we can do better. What we hear today coming out of the Veterans Administration is a sad commentary."

Also in Libertyville, Army Lt. Col. Scott Schroeder, a Libertyville High School graduate who served four tours in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, said the nation's veterans "deserve to be honored (for) their sacrifice just as those who never made it from the battlefield."

"As with all wars, many servicemen and women have returned with severe wounds, both physical and non-physical. As a result of these sacrifices, we will unfortunately be losing veterans for a long time years before their time is due," Schroeder said in his keynote remarks. "The only reason we are not suffering even more losses today as a result of those wounds is because of the unwavering support our veterans have received from their communities back at home."

Abigail Madden from Libertyville VFW Post 8741 gave brief remarks in which she offered a helping hand to former service personnel.

"If there's a veteran in the crowd here today, and you feel like you haven't come home all the way," Madden said, "you need to use our posts as a resource to help you do that."

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-10th, of Deerfield, accompanied Durbin to parades and ceremonies in not only Libertyville and Waukegan but also Highland Park. He told the Libertyville crowd that ongoing care for veterans was a "promise to (our) earliest defenders, and we still make that promise today. It is a promise worth keeping and worth honoring."

"It is our duty as a community to come together and support all those who defend us and our families. That's why we've come together today to remember and support the families of the fallen," Schneider added. "We care for our veterans, and we stand together, shoulder to shoulder, with our military families at home."

In Waukegan, Durbin said politics should be put aside when addressing the needs of veterans.

"My friends, if you truly value the vets, if you truly believe in Memorial Day -- and you wouldn't be here if you didn't -- we have to stand together, put party label aside and say, "We are all Americans, we are all dedicated to our veterans who served our great nation,'" Durbin said.

"We've got to make that our dedication today in Waukegan and across the United States."

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