Veterans Affairs

With the array of advances we have made in medical technology, many soldiers that would have perished in the days of Vietnam are returning home from battle today and requiring life-long care.

A decision to commit troops into harm’s way must take into account the care that many will need when they return from battle.  If they’re prepared to give all, we must be prepared as well.

Because America’s healthcare system has enabled the greatest advances in medicine, many of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that would not have survived Vietnam have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. We as a nation are thankful for that.

Fortunate to have survived their wounds, these same men and women who would have died on the battlefields of wars past require treatment for months, years, and in some cases decades.  For those who prepared to give their lives for us, we must be prepared to fully honor their sacrifice.

In addition to strongly supporting administrative and substantive changes to VA benefits for our current recipients of care, I will pursue legislation that looks forward.

The next time Congress considers its Constitutional role to declare war, or the President weighs a decision to commit troops into harm’s way, the cost of caring for our wounded warriors must be taken into account.

Medics offload critically wounded personnel from Lally’s C-130 at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan