[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 74 (Thursday, May 26, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S3402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              MEMORIAL DAY

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor to honor and 
commemorate the men and women who died fighting for our great country.
  Memorial Day is a day to honor those American heroes who made the 
ultimate sacrifice for our Nation. It is because of their sacrifice 
that we can safely enjoy the freedoms our great country offers. It is 
because of their unmatched commitment that America can remain a beacon 
for democracy and freedom throughout the world.
  Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, but it is also a day of 
reflection. When our brave men and women volunteered to protect our 
Nation, we promised them we would take care of them and their families 
when they return home.
  On this Memorial Day, we need to ask ourselves: Are we doing enough 
for our Nation's veterans? Making sure our veterans can find jobs when 
they come back home is an area where we must do more.
  For too long, we have been investing billions of dollars training our 
young men and women to protect our Nation, only to ignore them when 
they come home. For too long, we have patted them on the back and 
pushed them into the job market with no support. That is simply 
unacceptable, and it does not meet the promise we made to our 
servicemembers.
  Our hands-off approach has left us with an unemployment rate of over 
27 percent among young veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. 
That is 1 in 5 of our Nation's heroes who cannot find a job to support 
their family and who do not have an income to provide the stability 
that is so critical to their transition home.
  That is exactly why earlier this month I introduced the Hiring Heroes 
Act of 2011, which is now cosponsored by 17 Senators and has garnered 
bipartisan support. This legislation will rethink the way we support 
our men and women in uniform when they come home to look for a job.
  I introduced this critical legislation because I have heard firsthand 
from so many veterans that we have not done enough to provide them with 
the support they need to find work.
  I have heard from medics who return home from treating battlefield 
wounds who cannot get certification to be an EMT or drive an ambulance. 
I have heard from veterans who tell me they no longer write that they 
are a veteran on their resume because they fear the stigma they believe 
employers attach to the invisible wounds of war.
  These stories are heartbreaking and they are frustrating. But more 
than anything, they are a reminder that we have to act now.
  My legislation will allow our servicemembers to capitalize on their 
service. For the first time, it will require broad job skills training 
for anyone leaving the military as part of the military's Transition 
Assistance Program. Today, over one-third of those leaving the Army do 
not get any of that training.
  My bill will also require the Department of Labor to take a hard look 
at what military skills and training should be translatable into the 
civilian sector and will work to make it simpler to get those licenses 
and certifications our veterans need.
  All of these are real, substantial steps to put our veterans to work. 
All of them come at a pivotal time for our economic recovery and our 
veterans.
  I grew up with the Vietnam war. I have dedicated much of my Senate 
career helping to care for the veterans we left behind that time. The 
mistakes we made then cost our Nation and our veterans dearly. Today, 
we risk repeating those mistakes. We cannot let that happen again.
  Our Nation's veterans are disciplined, they are team players who have 
proven they can deliver under pressure like no one else. So let's not 
let another year and another Memorial Day go by without us delivering 
for them.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my time that 
would expire at 6:15 be extended to 6:30, and other times adjusted 
accordingly.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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