Upgrading care, support honors those who serve year-round
JOHN CORNYN U.S. SENATOR

Every November, we pause to acknowledge those who have put on a uniform and defended our country. The 25 million living American veterans include about 1.7 million Texans. All who have risked their lives for our freedom deserve our respect and gratitude.

When the U.S. is at war, there are constant reminders of the sacrifices made by our men and women in the armed services, especially as they take the fight to our enemies abroad. Each member of our military is a volunteer. Each has taken an oath to defend America. Each is attempting to fulfill his promise with decency and honor.

Over the years, the American military has been the greatest liberating force in world history. Our veterans have also placed our nation's security and well-being above their own.

Their sacrifice creates a debt that can never be fully repaid. But there are steps, tangible and intangible, that our government and our society can take on their behalf. I'm proud that we are continuing to work on the obligation we owe to those who have served. In the past seven years, we have increased funding for veterans by 77 percent. For veterans' medical care, the increase has been even higher-87 percent. In the wake of serious shortcomings found at Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., we have moved to upgrade the care of those recovering from injuries received in the field. Our military medicine is already the best in the world, and our delivery of veterans care must match it.

Shortly before Veterans Day, Congress passed a bill that includes provisions of the Dignified Treatment of Wounded Warriors Act, which I co-sponsored. It will greatly improve care for our troops, particularly those most recently wounded. And we continue pushing for legislation I introduced that will improve care for burn victims, and ease their transition when they return from war.

Earlier this year, while in San Antonio, I again visited wounded warriors recovering at the Brooke Army Medical Center-perhaps the finest military medicine facility in the world. In early September, I joined the groundbreaking for a new community center facility, the Warrior and Family Support Center. This latest effort is part of a trend. It's being built not via government funding, but through the generous private contributions of grateful Americans.

The Brooke complex now includes the Center for the Intrepid, a world-class physical rehabilitation facility, which opened earlier this year, and a Fisher House to help house relatives as they visit their family members during recovery.

I was recently privileged to join in awarding Gold Medals of Remembrance at Fort Bliss to eight children who have lost a father or mother during the war on terror. This is a relatively new award, the first honoring children, and recognizes that sacrifices in defending freedom are not limited to those who volunteer.

The fight to make certain our veterans are remembered, and receive the care they have earned, is a continuing one. I am pleased to work with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and our state's congressional delegation to extend availability of care in fast-growing areas of our state, such as the Rio Grande Valley. Many local veterans, including retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, are working hard to see this effort become a reality.

For many of us, Veterans Day is a very personal reminder. My father, who helped defeat Hitler and served for 31 years in the Air Force, is one of countless men and women throughout our history who have sacrificed so that we can remain free. They all should be remembered, on Veterans Day and every day of the year.