Franks Statement on Phoenix V.A. Scandal

Statement

Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-08), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today in response to the recent revelation that as many as forty veterans may have died while waiting for medical care from the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System, and that long waiting lists were intentionally kept secret:

"Military personnel in countless countries all around the world are often associated with oppressive dictatorships that rule by brutality, cruelty, and corruption. Yet here in the United States, our military consistently ranks as the most honored institution in American society.

"Why? Because the bravest, most noble men and women America has to offer stand prepared to lay down their lives on 'the altar of liberty,' as Abraham Lincoln called it, so that every American, including my little five year old twins, can continue to walk awhile longer in the sunlight of freedom. Our military personnel don't do this because they are coerced, but because they believe in the same ideal that drove our founding fathers -- that all men were created equal and were endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.

"These are American heroes and they deserve so much better than this debacle. I will continue working to get answers from those responsible, as well as to ensure we never let this happen again."

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