“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”
That’s a quote from John Wayne that’s hanging on the wall in my office. It reminds me to continue the good fight in Washington on behalf of our community — no matter what obstacles stand in the way. This is perhaps a more fitting statement for the men and women serving in our military because the courage it takes to stand up to Washington pales in comparison to the true grit of our troops. Despite the global instability and efforts of those who wish us harm, these patriots answer the call, put on our nation’s uniform and serve to defend and protect us.
This week on Veterans Day, our nation will join together to honor and celebrate our veterans for their courage, commitment and service to our nation. We honor the heroic men and women of the United States military who have put themselves in harm’s way and sacrificed to guarantee our freedom. Although we are thankful each and every day for these patriots, we set aside Veterans Day to come together with our community to remember their service. As we remember our veterans, let us also keep in our thoughts and prayers the men and women who are currently serving and recommit ourselves to caring for our active duty troops, veterans and their families.
I’m working to ensure our government keeps its promises to our veterans. I consider it one of my most sacred responsibilities. This year, the House has passed more than a dozen bills to improve the quality of life for our veterans and take steps to ensure they are cared for once they leave the front lines.
— Some veterans face post-traumatic stress and depression, which is why I am fighting to improve mental health care and address the tragedy of veteran suicide. I was proud to cosponsor the Clay Hunt SAV Act (H.R. 203), which was signed into law on Feb. 12, 2015. to address the tragedy of veteran suicides.
— Small businesses should hire more heroes, so I helped champion a law that exempts veterans from being counted towards Obamacare’s employer mandate. The Hire More Heroes Act (H.R. 22) was signed into law on July 31, 2015. and is just one small part of our efforts to help veterans get good jobs.
— Veteran Affairs bureaucrats must be held accountable, which is why I fought to make it easier to fire VA managers who aren’t doing their jobs. The VA Accountability Act (H.R. 1994) passed the House in July and will streamline the process for removing VA employees for poor performance or misconduct and establish whistleblower protections. I encourage the Senate to act swiftly and pass this bill.
This is progress and I am proud the House passed these bills, but there is still much more work to be done. I will not rest until we have broken the bureaucratic stronghold at the VA to allow veterans the option of seeking private care in their own community. We have to end the backlogs, wait times and red-tape nightmare that too many veterans face every day.
As always, my office stands ready to assist every veteran in our district with problems they are having with the VA or any federal agency. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact my office in Concord at 704-786-1612 or my office in Rockingham at 910-997-2070.
To the members of the United States Armed Forces, past and present, thank you for your service. Thank you for standing up when your nation needed you. May God bless our troops and may God bless the United States.
