Veterans Day 2004
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
PAGE S11423
Nov. 17, 2004
VETERANS DAY 2004
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, last week, on November 11, the Nation paused to honor those brave Americans who have so selflessly served our country in the Armed forces. For more than 200 years, men and women have proudly worn the uniform of the United States. In peacetime and in wartime, these men and women have served and sacrificed on our behalf, often far away from their homes and from their families. Too many of them have made the ultimate sacrifice. We owe them-and their families-our deepest, heartfelt gratitude.
As we marked Veterans Day here in the United States with appropriate ceremonies and recognitions, men and women from Wisconsin and across our country were serving on our behalf in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Their dedication to this great country-like that of those who served before them-should inspire us all.
We owe these brave men and women our gratitude, and we also owe them our best efforts to ensure that they know about and receive the Federal benefits and services that they have earned through their service to our country. I have long been concerned that to many veterans and military personnel are unaware of benefits and programs that are available to them through the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense and a number of other Federal agencies. I will continue my work to ensure that all veterans know about the benefits for which they may be eligible. I will also continue to support efforts to fully fund VA health care programs so that all veterans who wish to take advantage of their health care benefits are able to do so. No veterans should have to wait months to see a doctor or should be told that he or she is barred from enrolling in the VA health care system because of a lack of funding.
In addition, I am committed to ensuring that our current military personnel receive adequate health care and transition services, including mental health services, as they return from deployments and when they return to civilian life. I am pleased that the recently enacted defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2005 includes a provision that I authored which represents a first step toward enhancing and strengthening transition services that are provided to our military personnel. My provision requires the Government Accountability Office to undertake a comprehensive analysis of existing transition services for our military personnel that are administered by the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Labor and to make recommendations to Congress on how these programs can be improved. This study will focus on two issues: how to achieve the uniform provision of appropriate transition services to all military personnel, and the role of post-deployment and pre-discharge health assessments as part of the larger transition program.
I have heard from a number of Wisconsinites and members of military and veterans service organizations that our men and women in uniform do not all have access to the same transition counseling and medical services as they are demobilizing from service in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. I have long been concerned about reports of uneven provision of services from base to base and from service to service. All of our men and women in uniform have pledged to serve our country, and all of them, at the very least, deserve to have access to the same services in return. This GAO study will help us to have a better picture of the services that are being provided and what needs to be done to improve these important programs, and I look forward to reviewing it.
We should honor America's brave veterans and their families not only on Veterans Day, but throughout the year. As we reflect upon the meaning of this day, let us keep all of our veterans and their families in our thoughts. These men and women are examples of the best that our country has to offer, and they deserve our support both during times of conflict and after the battles have ended and our troops have come home.