[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 28, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORTING VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CANDICE S. MILLER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 27, 2009

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 483 Supporting the goals and Ideals of Veterans of Foreign 
Wars Day.
  Nearly 110 years ago, what was then known as the American Veterans of 
Foreign Service was established to advocate for the rights and benefits 
for veterans of the Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection. 
That organization later became the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which was 
chartered by Congress in 1936.
  Since then, the VFW's voice has been instrumental in establishing the 
Veterans Administration, creating a GI bill, developing the national 
cemetery system and the fight for compensation for Vietnam vets exposed 
to Agent Orange and for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome.
  Today, the VFW is a strong advocate for today's servicemen and women 
returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan--assisting 
combat wounded veterans receive compensation for their injuries and 
helping to create a 21st Century GI Bill.
  VFW's Operation Uplink hosts free call days every month of the year, 
so troops can call home--at no charge--from Internet cafes throughout 
Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.
  The VFW provides grants to meet the needs of servicemen and women 
faced with hardship as a result of military service--they award more 
than $3.4 million in scholarships and incentives to worthy students and 
VFW Posts often sponsor Farewell and Welcome Home Activities.
  The reason that we are free today is because brave men and women have 
answered our nation's call in our time of need. They have sweated, bled 
and sacrificed for our freedom.
  And as it is written on the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C, 
freedom isn't free--the cost is readily apparent in the rows of crosses 
in Arlington, where many generations of American warriors have been 
laid to rest.
  We owe our veterans a debt that can never be fully repaid, but I 
personally want to thank them for your service and sacrifice. I will 
continue to work to ensure that our veterans get the care, help, and 
benefits they so richly deserve.
  Let us remember our obligations to our nation's veterans, as Abraham 
Lincoln said in his Second Inaugural Address, ``to care for him who 
shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan.'' The 
VFW has been there for our nation's veterans for over 110 years, and 
I'm proud to support this resolution.

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