Why Veterans Matter

President John F. Kennedy taught us:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.“

As we celebrate Veterans Day, we must acknowledge that today is more than about giving thanks. It is about demonstrating a commitment to those who have so honorably served all of us—showing the men and women who have nobly worn our country’s uniform that we will stand up and in turn serve them.

Today is also about living out a commitment to the families who stand at the ready as their loved ones experience what most of us will never comprehend. We are a better country for what our veterans, active-duty military, and their families sacrifice—but we do no good if we do not recognize the continuing strains of war once our service members return home.

This Veterans Day, we remember. As Democrats, we have also committed to doing more. We are living by these words through:

• Passing legislation to employ veterans;
• Actively ending homelessness among our most honorable and at times, vulnerable, population;
• Creating Vet Centers for both male and female veterans;
• Providing peer-to-peer support networks to aid the invisible wounds of war;
• Training service dogs for TBI and PTSD treatment assistance;
• Easing the bureaucracy in the home buying process; and
• Reversing policy and recognizing that suicide, too, kills in the line of duty.

Our work is not done—and will continue long after all troops come home. But today, we are reminded to never forget why veterans matter.