Biden commemorates Veterans Day, legislation introduced to help vets

Joe Biden, U.S. President: “Today we pay homage to the unrelenting bravery and dedication that distinguishes all those who’ve earned the title of American veteran. It’s an honor that not only a small percentage of Americans can claim, and one that marks those who are able to claim it as brothers and sisters, it’s a badge of courage that unites across all ages regardless of background, because to be a veteran is to have endured and survived challenges most Americans will never know. You’ve come through the trials and testing, braved dangers and deprivations, faced down tragic realities of war and death. You’ve done it for us. You’ve done it for America.”

“Our veterans represent the best of America. You are the very spine of America, not just the backbone, you’re the spine of this country. And all of us, all of us owe you. So on Veterans Day and every day, we honor that great debt and recommit ourselves to keeping our sacred obligation as a nation to honor what you’ve done. We have many obligations to our children, to our elderly, to those truly in need. But I’ve gotten in trouble way back when I was young senator for saying we only have one truly sacred obligation. We have many obligations, but one truly sacred obligation: to properly prepare those and equip those who we send into harm’s way and care for them and their families while they’re both deployed and when they return home. This is a lifetime sacred commitment. It never expires. And for me and for Jill and for the entire Biden family it’s personal.”

“Jill and I learned what it meant to pray every day for the safe return of someone you love, so many of you have done that. Our grandkids learned what it meant to have their dad overseas in a war zone instead of back at home for a year, tucking them into bed and reading that story every night. Thousands of Americans, tens of thousands have had that experience.”

“I want you to know that our administration is going to meet the sacred obligation that we owe you. We’re going to work with Congress, Republicans and Democrats together to make sure our veterans receive the world class benefits that they’ve earned, that meet the sacred, specific care, specific needs that they each individually need. That means expanding presumptive conditions for toxic exposure and particulate matter, including Agent Orange and burn pits. We’re going to keep pushing on this front to be more nimble and responsive, reviewing all the data and evidence to determine additional presumptive conditions to make sure our veterans don’t have to wait to get the care they need. It also means prioritizing mental health care as necessary to treat the invisible wounds that so many more veterans carry.”

“For us to keep faith with American veterans, we must never forget exactly what was given us, what each of them is willing to put on the line for us. We must never forget that it is the mighty arm of the American Warrior, never bending, never breaking, never yielding, generation after generation that secured for us the blessings of a nation that still stands today as a beacon of liberty, democracy and justice around the world. May God bless you all. God bless all American veterans, those who proudly earned that title and may God protect our troops. Thank you.”