Fighting for Our Veterans

Every November 11th, we rightly honor the men and women who have fought to keep us safe and free. We need to do a better job of fighting for them, both while they are in the service and when they join the ranks of our veterans.

Today, our nation faces a new terrorist threat. While we prepare to defeat it, we must not forget those who have already been in the war on terror, and have already made sacrifices to protect us, our freedoms, and our way of life. The veterans of our longest war are among us, our friends and neighbors, family members and coworkers. And their numbers are growing.

They deserve our thanks, but also our commitment to addressing their needs now and into the future, and they need to be recognized for the tremendous resource they are, both to our nation and to our workforce. Their military experience makes them valuable employees and through their service, many have developed skills that are in critical demand in today’s economy.

I am proud to have veterans in my office, my family, and as colleagues in Congress who served in the war on terror. Many of them fought overseas—from Kandahar to Fallujah—and some had comrades who gave their lives for our freedom.

I have made it a priority to spend time with our wounded warriors in Ohio and in Washington, D.C. Over the last decade, one activity that has been particularly gratifying is my participation in Team River Runner USA, a whitewater kayaking program that not only helps wounded warriors maintain an active lifestyle, but also introduces them to a support system that can help them conquer the challenges they are facing.

Organizations like Team River Runner and Wounded Warriors are doing great work throughout our country for our veterans, but Washington can do more, too. Over the past few months, I have hosted five town hall meetings to hear from Ohio veterans about the best way to reform the VA healthcare system and reduce the backlog for disability claims.

I received good input on my legislative efforts to improve the way the military identifies and assesses mental health issues through the Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers (MEPS) Act. Not all battle scars are visible, and we must ensure that we provide the same level of quality care to all our servicemembers, whether they are suffering from the physical or the mental wounds of war.

We are all indebted to our veterans, and as our nation is once again tested by enemies abroad, we should do what we can to ensure that when they return home, they aren’t forced to struggle. As employers look at stacks of resumes and we work to create new jobs in America, we must remember the invaluable experience and skills that veterans bring to the workforce. The current unemployment rate for those who have served since the events of September 11, 2001 is 9 percent—much higher than the national average. That’s simply unacceptable. Whether their military background is in radio communications, heavy equipment operations, or leading people to accomplish a specific mission, these are hardworking, patriotic, and selfless men and women among us today that deserve a chance.

Young Americans have proven again and again that they can successfully make the transition from citizen to soldier. Now it is our job to do more to help them go from soldier to mechanic, student, software engineer, police officer, or whatever path they set their hearts on.

As our mission to destroy ISIS and other terrorist groups continues, we must also remember the over 20,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines still in Afghanistan, and the hundreds of service personnel in Iraq and deployed around the world. These men and women left behind their jobs, their homes, and their families to defend our country and our values. ISIS and other terrorist groups continue to take the lives of innocent Americans, Iraqi Christians and many others—including many Muslims. That is the enemy our brave men and women in uniform are fighting to defeat. And when they come home, we must be sure that we are just as ready to fight for them.