Honoring Those Who Have Sacrificed

On Memorial Day, families all across the country take time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. For many of our friends and neighbors here in San Antonio, honoring the memory of our fallen heroes is personal.

San Antonio is called "Military City USA" not only to salute those in uniform today, but also for the many veterans who call San Antonio home. Our veterans make American great, and our country is stronger when veterans promptly receive the benefits they earned for their service to our great Nation.

Last month, I had the pleasure of joining City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, State Senator Jose Menendez, the Highland Park Neighborhood Association, the Band of Brothers, Commander Krystal Nerio of VFW Post 837, and John Rodriguez of VFW District 20 to rededicate the Schley Avenue Veterans Memorial, with a new light pole and a U.S. flag that I had flown over the U.S. Capitol. At the Schley memorial, day and night, light will now shine on the flag recognizing the service of our veterans and the memory of the fallen.

Our vets deserve quality healthcare – Ensuring our veterans prompt access to quality healthcare has long been one of my top priorities. More than 13 million veterans receive some form of health care coverage outside the Veterans Administration (VA) – and repealing the Affordable Care Act would leave too many with more limited coverage or worse benefits, and might leave some with no coverage at all.

The same is true for millions of veteran family members. This is one reason that I strongly oppose Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Our veterans should not be discriminated against by being denied access to health insurance tax credits and critical mental health benefits. Eleven million veterans rely on Medicare and another two million are enrolled in Medicaid – any changes to these critical programs could negatively impact our courageous vets.

And though we have come a long way in the last several years, we still have much work to do to improve access to care for those who use VA. While the VA is likely to come under further attacks by those determined to privatize it, I believe this would be a mistake. Such a dramatic change would shift more health care costs to veterans and alter a unique service for those who have served our country. I stand with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled Americans Veterans, American Legion and many others who say: Fix it, don't break or sabotage it.

Though progress has been made, too many of our vets are still waiting far too long to receive the care they have earned. I welcome the continuing advice from vets on this and other issues and want to hear from constituents who have experienced problems.

Global impacts of those who serve — Just last month, Libby and I were in South Korea. We went to the 38th parallel in the Demilitarized Zone, a neutral territory between North and South Korea. Massive North Korean artillery is as close to the 25 million residents of Seoul, including thousands of our military who continue to serve there, as Boerne is to San Antonio.

While the loyal sacrifice of many Americans has helped keep Korea stable and secure for so long, tensions on the Korean peninsula continue. I believe a pre-emptive strike would only result in the deaths of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of South Koreans, and I remain committed to always speaking out against any actions that would put our brave men and women in unnecessary danger.

Paying tribute to those who sacrifice – Every week I serve in Washington, I pass the imposing, inspiring World War II Memorial, where an inscription by President Truman reads, "Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our Country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices."

My work as your representative in Congress is to fulfill that shining commitment to our veterans. On the battlefield, the pledge is to leave no service-member behind and on their return home we must leave no veteran behind. May our courageous military spark a fervor in all of us to continue to persevere through troubled times and bring about progress in achieving a more inclusive, just, and responsive government. I will continue to fight for our vets and military families.

Memorial Day is not merely a three-day weekend that marks the start of summer. It is a moment for us to step back and honor our fallen heroes. And we should remain committed to thanking our veterans for their dedicated service and honoring their commitment with our gratitude every day of the year.