I am committed to honoring our Nation's veterans. As George Washington said, "the willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their country."
My concern that the families of those who have sacrificed their lives to serve our country have adequate support led me to sign on as a cosponsor of H.R. 1115. This legislation would amend section 1477 of title 10, United States Code, to provide for the minor children of veterans who are killed in action in cases where there is not a surviving spouse. In cases where a member of the Armed Forces dies while serving on active duty or inactive duty for training, his or her death gratuity will be paid to a parent or sibling, as designated by the service member.
You may also be interested to know that I had the privilege of placing in the Congressional Record an article written by Vietnam Veteran Dexter Lehtinen to mark the 60th commemoration of V-E Day. A copy of Mr. Lehtinen's article is available here or by calling my office.
Please be assured that I am committed to the obligation we have to those who have put their lives on the line for our nation. We must respond to their sacrifice and the sacrifice of their families with an appropriate level of gratitude.