Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and contributions of veterans from the great State of Texas, and for other purposes.

Honoring the heroic military service, sacrifices, and contributions of veterans from the great State of Texas, and for other purposes.

Whereas the United States owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who have served in its Armed Forces, safeguarding liberties and upholding the democratic principles upon which the United States was founded;

Whereas the country observes November 11 of each year as “Veterans Day”, a Federal holiday honoring the men and women who served and sacrificed for the United States;

Whereas Texas boasts a proud tradition of producing remarkable veterans who make extraordinary contributions to society;

Whereas Texas is home to more veterans than any other State, totaling close to 1,600,000 veterans;

Whereas Texas has a larger population of women veterans than any State in the United States, totaling over 203,000 veterans;

Whereas people of color comprise roughly one-third of the veterans in Texas;

Whereas 11 of the 80 veterans serving as Members of the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress represent congressional districts in the Lonestar State;

Whereas Texas veterans have served with distinction in all military conflicts involving the United States, including World War I, World War II, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom;

Whereas more than 22,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in World War II;

Whereas more than 1,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in the Korean war;

Whereas more than 2,000 Texan lives were lost while serving in the Vietnam war;

Whereas more than 100 Texan lives were lost while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom;

Whereas more than 400 Texan lives were lost while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom;

Whereas Texas veterans have earned high military honors, including 102 Texas veterans being awarded the Medal of Honor;

Whereas veterans across the country continue to face challenges in accessing essential resources supporting their successful transition to civilian life;

Whereas Texas is home to many medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, the Kerrville VA Hospital, Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic, and the Dallas VA Medical Center;

Whereas nearly half of patients served by the Veterans Health Administration have been diagnosed with a mental illness or substance use condition;

Whereas post-traumatic stress disorder has accounted for the majority of disabilities women veterans suffer from as a result of their military service;

Whereas the mental health struggles of veterans have led to staggering statistics in veteran suicide rates, with roughly 17 veteran lives lost each day as a result of suicide;

Whereas, in 1994, Congress established the Center for Minority Veterans and the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans as part of the Veterans’ Benefits Improvements Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–446) to advise to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on administering Department of Veterans Affairs benefits for minority veterans by reviewing reports and studies on compensation, health care, rehabilitation, outreach, and other benefits and services administered by the Department, and to ensure all veterans receive equal service regardless of race, origin, religion, or gender;

Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that more than 32,000 veterans are homeless, with nearly 14,000 experiencing unsheltered homelessness;

Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs has developed several housing assistance initiatives, including integrating increasing voucher use and accelerating housing placements, increasing veterans’ access to legal services through legal services grants and community partnerships, as well as assisting with advancing veteran employment within the labor force to address the complex problems surrounding homeless veterans;

Whereas Texas leads the Nation in both the overall number of veteran-owned and women-veteran-owned businesses; and

Whereas, despite growing numbers of veteran-owned businesses, roughly two-thirds of veterans struggle with the transition from military service to civilian life, and many report that finding a job is one of the greatest challenges in making that transition due to the difficulty in transferring military skills to a civilian work environment: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) honors the service, sacrifice, and contributions Texas veterans and their families have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world;

(2) commits to working with, where proper, the Department of Veterans Affairs and appropriate executive agencies to ensure that veterans are provided timely care and are given the benefits and compensation to which they are entitled because of their service;

(3) reaffirms the commitment of Congress to assisting veterans with their transition to civilian life upon concluding their service in the Armed Forces; and

(4) recognizes that Congress must continue to invest in vital programs and resources to support the brave men and women veterans who have safeguarded the Nation’s liberties and upheld democratic principles at home and abroad.