Veterans Day

VETERANS DAY

Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, as the country marks the Veterans Day holiday, I wish to take a moment to express my thanks to the people of Wisconsin and to our Nation's veterans and their families.

I urge my colleagues and all Americans to take a moment today to reflect upon the meaning of this day and to remember those who have served and sacrificed to protect our country and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

Webster's Dictionary defines a veteran as "one with a long record of service in a particular activity or capacity" or "one who has been in the armed forces." But we can also define a veteran as a grandfather or a grandmother, a father or a mother, a brother or a sister, a son or a daughter, or a friend. Veterans live in all of our communities, and their contributions have touched all of our lives.

November 11 is a date with special significance in our history. On that day in 1918, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, World War I ended. In 1926, a joint resolution of Congress called on the President to issue a proclamation to encourage all Americans to mark this day by displaying the U.S. flag and by observing the day with appropriate ceremonies.

In 1938, Armistice Day was designated as a legal holiday "to be dedicated to the cause of world peace" by an act of Congress. This annual recognition of the contributions and sacrifices of our Nation's veterans of World War I was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 so that we might also recognize the service and sacrifice of those who had fought in World War II and the veterans of all of America's other wars.

Our Nation's veterans and their families have given selflessly to the cause of protecting our freedom. Too many have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country on the battlefields of the Revolutionary War that gave birth to the United States, to the Civil War which sought to secure for all Americans the freedoms envisioned by the Founding Fathers, to the global fight against nazism and fascism in World War II.

In the last century, Americans fought and died in two World Wars and in conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf. They also participated in peacekeeping missions around the globe, some of which are still ongoing. Today our men and women in uniform are waging a fight against terrorism and, at the same time, are participating in ongoing military operations in Iraq.

As we commemorate Veterans Day, 2003, we should reflect on the sacrifices-past, present, and future-that are made by our men and women in uniform and their families. We should also resolve to do more for our veterans to ensure they have a decent standard of living and adequate health care.

This is especially important as we welcome home a new generation of veterans who are serving in Iraq and in the fight against terrorism. Today's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are tomorrow's veterans. These men and women selflessly put their lives on the line as the countless military personnel before them whom we honor today. We must ensure that their service and sacrifice, which is much lauded during times of conflict, is not forgotten once the battles have ended and our troops come home.

For that reason, I am committed to ensuring that the Department of Veterans Affairs makes every effort to educate our veterans about benefits for which they may be eligible through the VA.

Our veterans and their families have made great personal sacrifices to protect our freedoms. Making sure our veterans know about the benefits they have earned is an important first step in starting to repay this debt. That is why I am fighting to overturn a VA policy that prevents the agency from reaching out to veterans who may be eligible for health care benefits, and that is why I have introduced legislation to improve the VA's outreach to veterans.

In addition, I continue to hear from many Wisconsin veterans about the need to improve claims processing at the VA. These veterans are justifiably angry and frustrated about the amount of time it takes for the Veterans' Administration to process their claims. In some instances, veterans are waiting well over a year. Telling the men and women who served our country in the Armed Forces that they "just have to wait" is wrong and unacceptable.

Last month, the VA issued a press release declaring "partial victory" in its efforts to reduce the number of pending claims. The release noted that the VA has reduced its claims backlog from 432,000 to 253,000 over the last 2 years. I am pleased the VA has made claims processing a priority, but there is much more work to be done. I urge the Secretary to continue this effort to reduce the claims backlog. The more than a quarter of a million veterans who are still waiting to have their claims processed, coupled with the thousands of new veterans returning from the battlefield of Iraq and Afghanistan, deserve the concerted effort of the VA and the Pentagon to process claims quickly and to educate new veterans about their benefits in an effective and clear manner that may help to prevent the filing of additional claims in the future.

I am looking forward to continuing to meet with veterans and their families around Wisconsin to hear directly from them what services they need and what gaps remain in the VA system.

So on Veterans Day, and throughout the year, let us continue to honor America's brave veterans and their families.

I yield the floor.