[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16838-16839]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              VETERANS DAY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the importance 
of honoring our Nation's veterans for their service and sacrifice. I 
hope every American found a moment this weekend to reflect on what 
veterans have done for us and for our Nation as a whole.
  We are now 238 years removed from our Nation's first war, the 
Revolutionary War. Brave Americans have fought to defend this Nation in 
wars large and small, from the World Wars to Vietnam to Iraq, and 
everything in between. Our Nation still has some 54,000 troops in 
Afghanistan, and we all pray for their safe return as we draw down our 
forces over the next year.
  In each incarnation, brave men and women, often barely old enough to 
vote, went to war, and returned as veterans. A common thread that binds 
each generation served by our veterans is that solemn pledge so 
perfectly articulated by President Lincoln: ``Let us strive . . . to 
care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his 
orphan.''
  Living up to Lincoln's words has been the duty of every generation. 
Our veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the most recent to 
experience the deep-seated physical, emotional, and mental wounds of 
war.
  In recognition, we cannot simply commemorate our veterans' service, 
but must express our gratitude through action. Supporting and 
strengthening our veterans' access to health care, education, job 
training, housing, and other services is every bit about keeping this 
promise.
  Here in Congress, we hold in our hands the legislative powers to 
improve the treatment, benefit, and assistance programs that already 
exist and the power to create new programs to meet the changing needs 
of our veterans and their families. We in Congress have a heightened 
obligation to service the needs of our veterans.
  I am committed to that promise. We know that veterans face 
unnecessary delays in claims processing and reimbursement. I have 
worked hard to cut down on the backlog and encourage the VA to address 
this impending problem.
  In Chicago, the VA is rolling out a new electronic records system, 
and the backlog is dropping. As chairman of the Senate Defense 
Appropriations Subcommittee, I have also included increased funding to 
the Department of Defense to ensure the speedy transfer of 
servicemember medical records, and I will continue to work with the 
chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee to alleviate the claims 
processing backlog.
  New medical challenges are also facing our veterans. In an age where 
doctors are better able to save the soldier's life on the battlefield, 
more soldiers are returning home with loss of limbs. To assist these 
veterans, I introduced legislation to make sure that the VA and our 
colleges and universities work together to ensure the next generation 
of orthotic and prosthetics professionals will be there for these 
wounded warriors. I'm happy to say

[[Page 16839]]

that Senate Veterans Affairs Chairman Sanders is working with me on 
this, and we hope to get this program signed into law later this year.
  I was also proud to lead the fight for what is now the VA's 
caregivers program. It provides the families of severely disabled Iraq 
and Afghanistan war veterans with the support they deserve to care for 
their loved ones.
  Treating and attending to a wounded veteran is an incredibly 
demanding job--often best served by a family member--and the 
caregiver's program ensures that these families have the training and 
financial support necessary to care for our wounded heroes.
  I am proud to say there are now hundreds of veteran caregivers in 
Illinois and thousands nationwide taking part in this program--and 
loving it.
  We have come a long way in supporting our veterans over the years and 
responding to their changing needs, yet our work is far from done.
  On Veterans Day in 1961, President Kennedy stood at Arlington 
National Cemetery, in view of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. 
On that day he said: ``In a world tormented by tension and the 
possibilities of conflict, we meet in a quiet commemoration of an 
historic day of peace. In an age that threatens the survival of 
freedom, we join together to honor those who made our freedom 
possible.''
  Today, some 52 years later, we too stand together to honor, to 
commemorate, and to remember the proud ranks of veterans who have 
defended America and her ideals in every corner of the globe. I am 
proud to stand for our Nation's veterans and their families every day, 
but I am especially proud to celebrate them each year on Veterans Day.

                          ____________________