[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 8, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7084-S7089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Veterans Day

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, this coming week will mark Veterans Day. It 
is an important time for us to reflect on what veterans do for us and 
what their families do for us. The sacrifices of both those who serve 
and those who support those who serve are incredibly important.
  We have half a million Missouri veterans, and one of the great 
privileges of this job is to get to represent them, their values, and 
the commitment to freedom in our country that they stand for.
  A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to welcome a group of 
southwest Missouri veterans who came to Washington with the Honor 
Flight program. I think the Presiding Officer also does this, but every 
time I get a chance, if there is an Honor Flight from our State, I try 
to get down there because it is a great time to see and to talk to and 
to thank those who have served us.
  When the Honor Flights started 20 years ago or so, there were still 
some

[[Page S7085]]

World War I veterans coming, and then they were almost all World War II 
veterans. Today we see some World War II veterans, Korea veterans, and 
Vietnam veterans, all of whom serve in the great tradition of being 
willing to fight for the freedoms that we enjoy every day. I find it 
humbling and gratifying to know that those veterans get to come here 
and enjoy the day with each other. In many cases it is the first time 
they have ever been to the Capitol, the National World War II Memorial, 
Arlington, and the other places on the trip that now so many tens of 
thousands have taken.
  Many of those veterans whom I saw the other day and whom I have seen 
through the history of the Honor Flight program were just teenagers 
when they answered the call to serve--basically, a little more than 
high school kids who knew that something needed to be done and they 
were able and willing to do it. They fought difficult battles and, in 
some cases, often under unbearable conditions. Some of them lost their 
closest friends in the military. Many of them lost comrades in arms. 
Some of them lost comrades right beside them. Some of them lost people 
who went out on another mission and never came back. Some of their 
families lost a servicemember who never became a veteran.
  I was down in Perryville, MO, a little town between Cape Girardeau 
and St. Louis, on the Mississippi River. They are building an exact 
replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial--the Vietnam wall. We were 
able to present a flag to the group that raised the money and made the 
plan to replicate the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Mall to take it 
back and become part of the Vietnam memorial at Perryville.
  Our veterans are an extraordinary group of men and women. They really 
stand for the best we stand for as a nation. It is important that with 
not just honor them on Veterans Day but honor them every day--every day 
that we live in this free and prosperous Nation that they helped 
defend.
  Admittedly, it is hard not to take all of the freedoms that we enjoy 
for granted because generations of Americans have been willing to fight 
and die to protect those freedoms. Because of that, generations of 
Americans have benefitted from those freedoms, and it seems to us the 
way people should be able to live everywhere. Maybe too often we think 
it is the way people do live everywhere, but in many parts of the 
world, having the security to walk out the door every morning, to drop 
your kids off at school, to go to work and earn a living, to worship as 
you please, and to build a better life is not available to people in 
other countries the way it is here. That is the debt of gratitude we 
owe to our veterans.
  This year, one of the areas of great legislative success has been in 
the work for veterans. Chairman Isakson of Georgia is going to follow 
me on the floor in just a few minutes. He is the chairman of that 
committee. He has a great committee, but they have a great chairman. 
That committee, with its chairman, and the committee in the House have 
passed eight bills, at least, that the President of the United States 
has signed into law that do a number of things for our veterans.

  We have built on previous progress for improving veterans care. A few 
years ago, we made the decision that veterans need to have more 
choices. A veteran shouldn't have to drive by a hospital they would 
like to go to in order to get to a hospital miles and miles away. They 
shouldn't have to pass three or four facilities that could do as good a 
job or better in order to get to a veterans facility.
  There are some things our veterans facilities should do better than 
anybody else. They should be better at dealing with post-traumatic 
stress better than anybody else, although they may not be as 
accessible. They should be better at dealing with patients who have 
suffered from IED attacks, eye injuries, people who work with veterans 
in prosthetics, and those patients who have lost arms and legs in the 
service of our country. They should be pretty good at that. There is no 
particular reason they should be good at open heart surgery or kidney 
dialysis or all the other things you go to the hospital for, if that is 
where a veteran wants to go. We found out that a lot of veterans would 
rather go closer to home. A lot of veterans would like to go to the 
hospital they are more familiar with when they need their own 
healthcare. They would like to go to the hospital they have been to 
lots of times with other family members and others.
  So we really expanded the Veterans Choice Program and expanded the 
money available for that program. We try to create these opportunities 
side by side with an existing facility. There has to be some startup 
money involved, but, eventually, I think our young veterans will find 
that they can almost always find a hospital they would rather go to or 
a doctor they would rather see.
  We have increased compensation for veterans with service-connected 
disabilities. World War II veterans, such as Arla Harrell from St. 
Louis, who suffered a lifetime of illness because he was part of a 
mustard gas experiment, is finally getting both compensation and the 
recognition that throughout his lifetime his health was impacted by 
something that happened while he was serving his country.
  We have continued efforts to address the problems at the Veterans' 
Administration by passing legislation to modernize the outdated 
benefits claims appeals process to make it easier for VA employees to 
be fired for misconduct.
  We want to protect employees who point out what is wrong. There have 
been plenty of whistles being blown at the VA over the last decade. 
While we want to be sure people can blow those whistles, we also want 
to be sure that the VA can quickly and effectively remove employees who 
are not doing what they ought to be doing and, in fact, are 
aggressively doing, in some cases, things they shouldn't be doing.
  We worked to expand the possibility and the opportunity for education 
benefits by expanding what can happen under the post-9/11 GI bill, 
helping to connect veterans with employers who provide benefits and 
programs. The HIRE Vets Act, a bill I sponsored in the Congress, was 
part of the first major pieces of legislation the Congress passed this 
year. I think that, sometime in the next few weeks, the Department of 
Labor is going to be talking about how we will recognize and evaluate 
employers who hire veterans, who give veterans credit for skills they 
learned in the military, and who promote veterans. To every employer 
who hires veterans, that is a good thing and we should want to do that. 
The HIRE Vets Act, like the LEED standard for energy, creates a 
standard so that we can recognize companies that do that in a 
significant way. I am pleased that Secretary Acosta in the Department 
of Labor has put that on a fast track so these companies can be 
recognized for what they do.
  Our veterans have worked hard and have put themselves in danger to 
keep us safe. As legislators, we owe them, as we owe those who follow 
in their footsteps, our continued efforts to ensure that those 
defending our country have everything they need and to show that we are 
also grateful to those who have defended our country in the past.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I wish to thank Senator Blunt, the 
distinguished Senator from Missouri, for his eloquent remarks on 
veterans and in support of all the things the Presiding Officer and I 
have tried to do on the Veterans' Affairs Committee and for pointing 
out the many reasons we in America are so proud of the veterans in 
service, who allow you and I to be here today. Were it not for our 
veterans, this Republic would not exist.
  I was wondering how I would start out this speech. I did an interview 
with a reporter who wanted to ask me a number of questions about the 
current administration and what we were doing for veterans. It turned 
out to be a 35- or 40-minute interview.
  I said I had to go, and he said: I have one more question for you.
  This was by phone. So I couldn't look him in the eye, and he couldn't 
see me.
  He said: I have one more question for you.
  When you hear that from a reporter, that means the zinger is coming.
  He said: Don't you think we could save a lot of money if we didn't 
fight in any more wars?
  I thought for a minute. I said: We probably could, but there wouldn't 
be any reason for you and me to exist if we didn't fight any more wars, 
because

[[Page S7086]]

America is the place where everybody wants to be because we are safe 
and we are free and we are independent, because we fight and defend 
what we have as a country. I thought I would bring that up in my speech 
today because that is the reason we celebrate veterans today. So we 
give thanks to the men and women who volunteer, who served our country 
in the wars overseas, in the battles overseas, and, sometimes, in the 
challenges domestically to protect us and keep us free.
  America is a great country. We don't find anybody trying to break out 
of the United States of America. They are all trying to break in and 
for a very good reason. It is a safe and free place to raise a family, 
to start a business, and to serve in many other ways.
  So this year, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour and the 11th minute 
of November, when we celebrate Veterans Day, pause for a minute to say 
thanks for those who have come and gone and for those who are still 
here who fight to serve and protect us.
  Always remember that the Congress, shortly after the end of World War 
I, decided that the 11th day--the day the armistice was signed--of the 
11th month, November, with the 11th hour being 11 o'clock in the 
morning, would be the time the bell would toll to celebrate and pay 
tribute to those veterans. So at 11:11:11 this November 11, we are all 
going to toll that bell one more time to give thanks for our veterans 
for all they have done for us and for all they will do for us in the 
future.
  It is best, when you talk about veterans, to talk about them as the 
people they were and the people they are, whether they are alive or 
whether they have passed on. I want to talk about two veterans whose 
paths have crossed my life to point out why we owe them so much and why 
we have so much to be thankful for. One of them is Jackson Elliott Cox, 
III of Burke County, GA, which is the Bird Dog Capital of North 
America. It has raised and trained more bird dogs than anywhere else in 
the country. It is the home of a nuclear power plant, the Plant Vogtle. 
It is a beautiful rural county in Georgia.
  Jack was my best friend in college. We met in 1962; we graduated in 
1966. I will never forget that the last time I saw Jack was when he was 
shipping out to go to OCS in the Marine Corps. Jack had decided when he 
graduated that it was more important for him to volunteer and fight for 
our country because of what was going on in Vietnam than do anything 
else, so he voluntarily joined the Marine Corps, went to OCS, got his 
commission as an officer, and became a captain in the U.S. Marine 
Corps. He fought and he died in Vietnam.
  I will never forget the last words he told me when we put him on the 
bus from Waynesboro, GA, to Atlanta, ultimately, to be shipped out. 
What he said is: Johnny, I am sure I am coming back. Don't worry about 
me. Just pray for me. But in case I don't, make sure people remember 
who Jackson Elliott Cox III was.
  I said: Jack, I will do that.
  Sure enough, 2 years later he was shot and killed by a sniper in 
Vietnam. He lost his life at the age of 24. He was the finest human 
being I had ever known, the nicest guy I had ever met, and my favorite 
friend in all of my life. He was taken from me because he volunteered 
to serve and fight for our country.
  I am going to keep today on the floor of the U.S. Senate the promise 
I made to him at the bus station. I want you to know who Jackson 
Elliott Cox III was. He was a good old country boy from South Georgia 
who volunteered to serve his country and risked his life and gave his 
life so that you and I could be here today.
  There are thousands of Jackson Elliott Coxes all over the world. In 
fact, there are millions all over the country. There are hundreds of 
thousands of them, and we have so much to thank them for because less 
than 1 percent of our population has worn the uniform, been in the 
battle, and fought to save us and protect us as Jackson Elliott Cox 
did.
  When you have your chance to meet and become friends with a veteran--
and all of you will--remember you owe them a debt of gratitude. At some 
time, when you get the chance to pay that debt back, do what I am doing 
today. Don't let their memory ever be lost or forgotten no matter where 
you go or where life takes you because you wouldn't get to where you 
are going, had they not allowed you to be safe and free to travel that 
route.
  The second name I am going to mention is Noah Harris. Noah was from 
Ellijay, GA. Noah was a cheerleader at the University of Georgia. On 
September 11, 2001, he turned on his television to see 3,000 innocent 
citizens, most of them Americans, die in the Twin Towers when al-Qaida 
and Osama bin Laden and the axis of evil attacked our country, took our 
innocence, killed our people, and changed the world forever.
  Noah was a cheerleader. We don't have a mandatory draft anymore. You 
don't have to serve, and he was not serving. He was going to graduate 
in a year and a half. He wanted to be an architect.
  The next morning, after 9/11, when he left his dorm, he went to the 
Army ROTC building at the University of Georgia campus. He walked in 
and said: I want to go to OCS. I want to go. After what I saw on TV 
last night, I want to go fight and get the people who did that to my 
country and my friends.
  They said: No, Mr. Harris you can't do that. OCS is a 2-year program 
at the university, and you are graduating next year. You don't have 
enough time to do it.
  He said: I will double up on my studies. I will do whatever. I want 
to go. I want to fight for my country and fight the axis of evil.
  They let him in, and he did. He graduated with honors. A few months 
later, he graduated as second lieutenant from the U.S. Army at Fort 
Benning in Georgia. Before too long, he was in Gazaria in Iraq, a 
suburb of Baghdad, handing Beanie Babies out of one pocket while the 
other pocket of his field jacket had his ammunition. He was trying to 
win over the hearts of the Iraqi children while he was fighting to 
preserve freedom for them and return their country to some form of a 
democracy or republic, away from the captives of Saddam Hussein.
  I knew Noah casually. I know his parents well--Rick and Lucy Harris. 
I know they have mourned every day since they lost Noah in Baghdad when 
he died in an IED accident, but I know how proud they are of what he 
did and why he did it. I am proud he was my friend, and I am proud to 
have known him as well. I am proud to be able to stand on the floor of 
the U.S. Senate today and talk about Noah Harris and talk about Jackson 
Elliott Cox, who were exemplary of all the others who have served in 
the military--men and women, rich and poor, Black and White, who have 
gone and fought the battle and borne the battle for us so that we could 
be where we are today.
  It kind of reminds me of the person who went to Benjamin Franklin in 
Philadelphia shortly after the Constitution was adopted in Constitution 
Hall and said: Mr. Franklin, what have you given us?
  He paused for a minute and said: ``A republic, if you can keep it.''
  We have kept it. We have kept it because we have subscribed to the 
Constitution but also because we have a militia and a military. We are 
willing to fight for what we believe in, protect our citizens, and keep 
our country free. The country that our Founding Fathers gave to us, 
that was nurtured in the early days of this Republic, which now is 
hundreds of years old, is still there today for lots of reasons but, 
principally, the undergirding foundation is a strong and vibrant 
military.
  When Veterans Day comes, give thanks for the veterans you know. 
Mention a couple of them, as I have done here, so their memory and 
their names never die, but also so we can lift them up at a time when 
we pause for just a minute to say thank you for the greatest country on 
the face of this Earth.
  Senator Blunt talked about our committee and what we have done this 
year. I want to take just a minute to reiterate some of the things he 
said. There are no Democratic veterans and no Republican veterans; 
there are only American veterans. They don't go to the battlefield as a 
partisan; they go to the battlefield as an American, and they fight for 
us whether we are Republicans or Democrats. They risk their own life 
and sometimes sacrifice it so that we can do what Ben Franklin said: 
Keep that republic. We owe them a lot. In fact, in many cases, we owe 
them everything.

[[Page S7087]]

  We have had a mess at the VA in the last 10 years. They have been the 
lead story on USA Today more than any other agency in the government 
for failures of the VA to do the job that should have been done. Under 
David Shulkin, the Secretary of the VA appointed by President Trump, 
under the leadership of our committees in the House and the Senate, and 
under a commitment to bipartisan service by all our Members--which 
means we do almost everything unanimously and, if not unanimously, 
almost unanimously because it is not about getting Republican credit or 
Democratic credit; it is about doing the right thing for the right 
people who have done so much for us--we passed the Whistleblower 
Protection Act this year to give whistleblowers in the VA the 
protection they need to go and turn in to the authorities those 
employees in the Veterans Administration who are not doing their job. 
We have given them the safe harbor they need to encourage them to help 
us root out problems, and we are doing that.
  We passed the accountability bill to shine the light of sunshine on 
the employees of the VA and to give the authorities in the VA the 
ability to terminate and fire, if you will, for cause an employee who 
is not doing the job they should be doing for our veterans. So we hold 
a standard of accountability up a little higher for our employees in 
the Veterans Administration.
  We are magnifying choice so that our veterans can have more choice in 
their healthcare. We can use the private sector as a force multiplier 
so that the government doesn't have to hire all the doctors and 
physicians and assistants to service the VA. We can get them in the 
private sector as well.
  In the 21st century GI bill, we finally made sure that the GI bill 
applies to everyone, not just World War II or Vietnam war-era veterans 
but veterans of all conflicts and of all times.
  We have done everything we can to see to it that the benefits, which 
we promised them would be there when they left the military, are there 
for them in retirement and in their later life. The sacrifices they 
make are great, and the sacrifices we have made to save our veterans 
are great.
  Today veterans come home from the battlefield 90 percent of the time 
when they are wounded. They come home, whereas, in World War I, 10 
percent came home, and 90 percent died on the battlefield. But because 
of the advancements we have made in armor and protection and healthcare 
services, a lot of veterans today live when they would not have lived 
just 25 or 30 years ago.
  The injuries they sustain are far greater than any injuries we have 
known in warfare before. The signature illnesses are PTSD, post-
traumatic stress syndrome, or traumatic brain injury or a prosthesis 
for an arm or a leg or an eye or some part of the body that is lost in 
battle. But the trunk of the body is protected by new Kevlar vests that 
are impenetrable by a bullet, so most of them succumb to IEDs and 
explosives and things of that nature.
  We have the healthcare to provide them with the best possible 
rehabilitation we can, but you can never really replace a leg or an eye 
or a body part. Once somebody has sacrificed it forever, they wear the 
burden of the battle and of war.
  We have an obligation, as the Veterans Administration, as the 
Congress of the United States in the House and the Senate, to see to it 
that we back up those promises our recruiters made when they came to 
join the military, to see to it that they get those services from their 
Veterans Administration.
  Dr. David Shulkin is doing a phenomenal job. My ranking member, Jon 
Tester, Democrat from Montana, is doing a fantastic job. The House 
committee is doing a great job. The Members of the Senate are doing a 
great job.
  In a week and a half, we are going to have our final bill of the year 
which, when we pass it, will make us 8 for 8. We will have totally 
reformed the VA and worked with the VA to reform it in such a way that 
our veterans get better service, our taxpayers get more accountability 
for the dollars we spend, and America remains the great country it has 
always been--safe and free because of those who volunteer to fight and 
are willing to die on behalf our country.
  So sometime on the 11th day and, hopefully, at the 11th hour and the 
11th minute of that hour on November 11, you will pause for a minute 
and remember I told you that is when we celebrate Veterans Day because, 
at the time the armistice was signed in World War I, our country 
decided that would be the perfect time to remember all those who have 
fought in the past.
  Let's look around, and every time we see a man or woman in uniform, 
stop and say ``Thank you for your service'' because those are the 
people who are risking their lives so that you and I can do whatever it 
is we choose to do in this land of the free and home of the brave.
  There are lots of things to be thankful for but nothing more 
important than the men and women of the U.S. military. May God bless 
our country, may God bless our veterans, may God bless the United 
States of America.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cotton). The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I am very pleased to have the opportunity 
to speak today on the floor of the Senate after my esteemed colleague 
from the State of Georgia. My colleague is the chairman of the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee, and I just want to express my appreciation 
for his commitment and his work on behalf of all of our great veterans.
  Like him, I rise today to speak in tribute to our veterans and men 
and women in uniform and all that they do for us.
  This weekend at events across the country, we will pay tribute to the 
fine men and women who have served in our Nation's Armed Forces. Every 
day--but especially on Veterans Day--we honor these soldiers who have 
left the comforts of home and family to defend our freedoms and fight 
for our way of life.
  Our freedoms have been secured by the sweat and sacrifice of 
courageous men and women who, throughout our history, have bravely done 
what was needed to protect our great Nation. We also recognize that 
those who serve do not serve alone. We appreciate, too, the sacrifices 
of the families and the loved ones who have supported our veterans in 
their service.
  This Veterans Day, we will honor military members from our ``greatest 
generation'' to those men and women fighting in the War on Terror 
today. These Americans understand best the words of President Ronald 
Reagan when he said:

       Freedom is never more than one generation away from 
     extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the 
     bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on 
     for them to do the same.

  These men and women who have fought for and protected our country 
have given so much, and we cannot do enough to thank them, whether they 
returned from Active military duty 7 days ago or seven decades ago.
  Although we can never repay our debt of gratitude, one of the most 
tangible ways we recognize our veterans' service is by providing these 
men and women with quality healthcare and support services, including 
education and work opportunities. With that debt in mind, let me 
briefly outline some initiatives that we have been working on to 
provide for our veterans. Congress has passed significant veterans 
bills this year, including legislation that holds the VA accountable 
and ensures that VA employees are putting our veterans first and 
legislation that updates and modernizes the VA's benefit claims and 
appeals process, reducing wait times for our veterans.
  Additionally, one of my top priorities is ensuring that our veterans 
have access to healthcare options closer to their homes and their 
families.
  This includes improving veterans' access to services under the 
Veterans Choice Program and building on the success of the Veterans 
Care Coordination Initiative at the Fargo VA Medical Center in my home 
State. This effort has decreased the wait time for scheduling an 
appointment under Veterans Choice from 24 days a year ago to 5 or 6 
days at present. This initiative can serve as a model to help address 
delays in scheduling appointments through the Veterans Choice Program 
across the Nation.
  We invited Secretary Shulkin, from North Dakota, to see this 
firsthand, and our Veterans Care Coordination Initiative has since been 
expanded to

[[Page S7088]]

the VA facility in Helena, MT, as well. We believe it will be expanded 
to other locations across the country.
  We also passed an extension of the Veterans Choice Program earlier 
this year and secured $2.1 billion in additional funding for the 
program. This gives us time to work with the VA on the next phase of 
the program. In addition to Veterans Choice, we are working to improve 
local access to long-term care for our veterans.
  We secured a commitment from Secretary Shulkin to work with us on the 
Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act. We have now 
introduced this legislation in the Senate, and a companion bill has 
been introduced in the House of Representatives. The legislation would 
remove burdensome redtape that prevents nursing homes and other 
healthcare providers from accepting veteran patients. Our bill allows 
the VA to enter into provider agreements with qualified healthcare and 
extended care facilities, bypassing complex Federal contracting 
requirements. This will give veterans more options to access long-term 
care services closer to their homes, their families, and to their loved 
ones.
  In addition, earlier this year, Congress passed--and the President 
signed into law--the forever GI bill, which improved and extended 
veterans' access to education and workforce opportunities. This is part 
of our efforts to ensure that we are supporting our veterans as they 
transition back to civilian life and work here at home. These are just 
a few examples of our efforts to ensure our veterans have the resources 
and the support they have so richly earned. While we cannot say thank 
you enough, in this way, we can honor their courage and their 
sacrifice.
  We honor Veterans Day because we have the greatest veterans in the 
world who have committed themselves to protect our Nation, and in so 
doing, they have transformed this country into the greatest the world 
has ever known. May God continue to bless our veterans and this great 
Nation that they have been protecting and make sure we honor the 
selfless service of all our men and women in uniform, of all our 
veterans, not only on Veterans Day but every day.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
  Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I appreciate the kind words of Senator 
Hoeven and his affinity toward veterans. I am here to talk about our 
veterans as well.
  I come at it from three different perceptions. I chair the Military 
Personnel Subcommittee in the Senate Armed Services Committee. We are 
trying to work on things to make sure that when somebody goes out of 
Active Duty into veteran status, we make it as productive as it can be, 
making sure they enter back fully into the workforce, the education 
opportunities, and all the kinds of opportunities that are afforded 
them as a result of serving in our armed services.
  I also want to take a minute to talk about the person who served but 
never wore a uniform, and that is the husband or the wife or the 
children whom, on this Veterans Day, we should also thank.
  A lot of times, when I have an opportunity--I live in Charlotte, NC, 
where we have nearly 800,000 veterans. It is one of the largest 
populations of any one State--I make a point to get to the airport a 
little bit early so I can go up to the USO and just spend a moment 
meeting with people who are there transitioning from Active Duty and 
veterans to thank them for their service. Oftentimes, I will thank a 
man or woman, and they will say: I didn't serve; my husband or my wife 
did. I will say: By virtue of your being a military spouse, you served, 
as did your children.
  On this Veterans Day, let's make sure we expand those thank-yous to 
include everybody who is affected when somebody is deployed in a 
dangerous place or even serving in peacetime. It is a great sacrifice, 
and it is one we should always show our gratitude for.
  As I said, in North Carolina, we have about 800,000 veterans. We also 
have one of the highest military concentrations of any State. It is the 
home of the Global Response Force at Fort Bragg, with over 65,000 men 
and women serving and 38 generals. You go down closer to the coast and 
you get to Jacksonville, NC, where we have Camp Lejeune. There is a 
debate over the pronunciation so I will pronounce it both ways, but 
there we have nearly 45 percent of the Marine Corps. Many people don't 
realize that. Stationed out of North Carolina, we could go to Seymour 
Johnson, we could go to New River, or go to Cherry Point and see these 
men and women serving every day--and the ones who served before them 
who are now part of our veteran population. We should thank them all 
for their current service or their past service.
  I say to the Presiding Officer, the Senator from Arkansas, I want to 
thank you for your service because you served bravely in combat 
positions before entering the Senate. That is another amazing thing 
about the veterans. They continue to serve. If you go to a coffee shop, 
you may see a huddle of veterans around somebody who is organizing the 
event. That is probably a veteran making sure veterans are speaking 
with each other and working through some of the challenges some of them 
have when they are put in very difficult situations or, if you go into 
a community center, you will almost always see a veteran there 
continuing to serve, even after they ended their Active-Duty service.
  On Veterans Day, we should make it a point to go to every person we 
know who is a veteran and thank them. We should make sure that 
everybody we see in uniform--I will be at the airport probably Thursday 
evening or Friday. I will make it a point to go to every single person 
I see in uniform and thank them for their service. We owe that to them 
for all they do for us.
  I think, on the one hand, we need to think about veterans, especially 
on Veterans Day, but as Senator Hoeven said, we need to think about 
them every day. As a Senator, the way we do that is not just by 
thinking but by doing. What more can I do in my capacity on the 
Veterans' Affairs Committee or in my capacity on the Senate Armed 
Services Committee to make service easier and safer? After they move 
out of Active status to veteran status, what more can we do for them? 
There are a lot of things we can do; one is to make sure they get an 
opportunity to have a job that, in many cases, will leverage the skills 
they learned when they were in the military into private sector jobs.
  Mr. President, you and I sponsored a bill--the VALOR Act--that will 
be brought up before the Senate that helps to actually expedite the 
process of having those who have served in the military to get hired. 
It makes it easier for employers to put them in apprenticeship 
positions, where maybe they leverage some of the skills they learned 
while on Active Duty but get them in good-paying jobs to support 
themselves and their families.
  There are a number of other things we have to do for others who are 
veterans that I think are particularly important. When we talk about 
post-traumatic stress or talk about traumatic brain injury, those are, 
in some cases, invisible wounds of war. We need to make sure and 
understand why it is that nearly every day 20 veterans take their lives 
through suicide. To what extent could that be something we just simply 
didn't know about that veteran? Why are they disproportionately more 
likely to do it? Many of them, incidentally--the veterans today who 
have this disproportionately high amount of suicide incidents--are 
veterans from the Vietnam war. We need to figure out how to reach back 
to that population--a significant number of whom never seek VA medical 
services--to provide them with the resources they need to work through 
these sorts of challenges.
  We need to make sure healthcare is available across the map. We need 
to recognize that challenge in North Carolina is vastly different than 
the same challenge in, say, South Dakota.
  We have a State population of 10 million people--almost approaching 1 
million veterans. When you include the spouses and families, it is well 
above it. We need to make sure they are getting healthcare and services 
where it is most convenient for them. I think some of that will be 
providing them with a choice to go to the doctor who makes the most 
sense for them. A lot of it will be providing a brick-and-mortar 
presence of the VA so they can be

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among other people who are actually dealing with the same sorts of 
circumstances, and they are actually being served by--about half the 
population in our veterans hospitals and our healthcare centers are 
veterans themselves.
  This is a very important part of the broader solution we need to 
provide to our veterans as we continue to build a relationship with 
them for the rest of their lives. We will never finish all the work we 
should do. We will keep on making installments into a debt we can never 
repay, but what we need to do on November 11 is support our veterans by 
showing our gratitude and our thanks for their service. On this 
Veterans Day, make an extra effort to thank a veteran. Thank a veteran 
spouse. Thank the child of a veteran for their service to this great 
Nation. We will never be able to fully repay the debt we owe them, but 
we can make a lot of installments as individual citizens and as Members 
of this Congress. As long as I am in the Senate, that is what I intend 
to do.
  I say to the Presiding Officer, thank you, again, for your service, 
and thank you to all the men and women who served before.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.