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Hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee - ICYMI: Inhofe Opening Remarks at SASC Hearing on the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service

Hearing

Date: March 11, 2021
Issues: Military Personnel

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today delivered opening remarks at a SASC hearing on the final recommendations and report of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.

Witnesses include: the Honorable Joseph J. Heck, Chairman; the Honorable Debra S. Wada, Vice Chair, Military Service; and Mr. Alan Khazei, Commissioner.

As Prepared for Delivery:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I commend you for holding this hearing today.

I am very interested in the report of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service. Your findings and recommendations have the potential to touch the lives of every American.

I believe strongly that the policy recommendations in the Commission's report must be subject to open, public debate and discussion.

I think the American people deserve that, and this hearing today is an excellent start.

Chairman Heck, Vice Chair Wada, and Commissioner Khazei, welcome and thank you for being here today.

I want to thank you and all of the Commissioners for the hard work and commitment that is plain in every page of your report. Your work is important to the future of our national security.

I have a unique perspective because I was a product of the draft. I know how military service -- especially when you hadn't planned on it -- can change a person's life for the better.

Even our current crisis shows that the spirit of service is part of being an American.

But we must do a better job of educating people about what it means to be a citizen of this great Nation.

We also need to inform people about the many opportunities to serve--whether in the military, as a civil servant, or in their local communities--and of the benefits of such service to themselves and others.

I look forward to hearing from you about the Commission's wide-ranging findings.


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