[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[March 16, 2007]
[Pages 321-322]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Meeting With the President's Commission on Care for 
America's Returning Wounded Warriors
March 16, 2007

    A couple of weeks ago, I announced that Senator Dole and Secretary Shalala agreed 
to chair a commission of our fellow citizens to look into the health 
care that our veterans and those in the military are receiving.
    Today I was pleased to meet the Commission 
members that have been selected. We've got Purple Heart recipients; got 
the wife of a severely wounded troop; we've got a doctor; we've got 
compassionate people who all care about whether or not our Government is 
fulfilling its responsibility to make sure our health care systems, both 
at DOD, Defense Department, and at the Veterans Administration, are 
meeting our obligations.

[[Page 322]]

    And I assured the members of this committee that I will 
support their work and will address the problems that they find. We owe 
it to those who wear the uniform and their families to make sure that 
our troops have the best, and that's what this Commission is meant to 
do. And I thank you for your willingness to serve. You're doing the 
country a great service, because the Commission report will ensure that 
service goes beyond my time in office. In other words, it'll really set 
the stage for this Presidency and other Presidencies, set a standard 
that we expect Government to follow.
    So thanks for being here; appreciate your time.

Note: The President spoke at 9:10 a.m. in Room 180 of the Dwight D. 
Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to 
former Sen. Robert J. Dole and former Secretary of Health and Human 
Services Donna E. Shalala, Cochairs, President's Commission on Care for 
America's Returning Wounded Warriors.