In the United States there is a military veteran population that is almost 23 million strong. These men and women who protect our way of life deserve better... better than the care they currently receive. I am thankful for their service and feel a personal responsibility to ensure that our country guarantees that they receive the best we can offer for their service.

This population has and is experiencing special challenges that the rest of America's population does not confront. As Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki testified, "Veterans are a disproportionate share of the nation's homeless, jobless, mental health depressed patients, substance abusers, suicides,"

• Men and women exposed to combat are more likely than non-combat veterans to be disabled and unemployed in their mid-20s.
• Men and women exposed to combat are more likely than non-combat veterans to be disabled and unemployed throughout their work life.

These veterans face significant socioeconomic challenges as evidenced by the consistency of these higher rates of disabilities; unemployment; homelessness; depression and suicides. We citizens of this country have an obligation to end this.

Our Nation Has an Obligation To Its Veterans

My parents were both veterans of WWII. All of the adults I knew growing up were veterans. My father fought in the Pacific Theater as a beach medical officer in several landings. My mother was a Navy nurse who ministered to the most severely wounded sailors and marines. My neighbor next door had survived the D Day landing of Utah Beach and the Battle of Bastogne. Perhaps some do not know what is significant about what these people did, but a veteran knows.

It is past time that the citizens who are so quick to send our young people off to war, acknowledge that there is a terrible personal cost these young soldiers and military families pay. Each citizen of this county must step forward and do more than wave flags and affix plastic ribbons to car bumpers. Each must do what it takes to restore our citizen soldiers and military families to a normal life.

Repaying Our Debt to Our Citizen Soldiers and Their Families

When I become your U.S. Congressman I will work to establish a comprehensive policy to prioritize and implement legislative, administrative, and funding initiatives to benefit our veterans. A proactive approach is required to address the areas of outreach and advocacy, physical healthcare, mental healthcare, educational benefits, job opportunities, housing assistance, and the eradication of homelessness among Veterans and their families.

I will make it my responsibility to ensure that members of my staff work to inform veterans and military families in my district of the benefits to which they are entitled. I will work to ensure legislation addresses their needs and work with the Veterans Administration to see that the backlog of disability claims processing is eliminated.

I will make certain that legislation aimed to address the research and treatments for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are fully funded.

I will make it my responsibility to work to enact legislation to define veterans and military spouses as a special group, and provide tax incentives and wage assistance to companies and small businesses to hire and train members of this special group.

I will make it my responsibility to work on legislation for disable veterans by providing compensation to family members/caregivers of these disabled veterans.