Weekly Column: Veterans Day--Honoring Idaho Veterans

Idahoans come together each Veterans Day to honor Idaho Veterans, because you clearly understand the importance of what veterans give each of us as Americans.  We are born free because of the servicemembers willing to back our extraordinary Constitution with their lives. 

Gratitude for their service grows as we think about what people in many parts of our world endure as they strive for the security and freedom routine in America and as we vote on Election Day, knowing our right as Americans to self-governance, carried out through voting, has been secured by the bravery, sacrifice and strength of the extraordinary Americans we honor on Veterans Day. 

I join in paying tribute to the more than 119,000 Idaho Veterans for their steadfast service.  Veterans enrich our communities with a deep sense of commitment to their fellow Americans, and federal policies must adequately address their needs.  I continue to work to ensure veterans related policies effectively support veterans and servicemembers who choose to make Idaho home:

• I co-led the reintroduction of the Major Richard Star Act, which would provide combat-wounded veterans with less than 20 years of service both their disability compensation and retirement pay; 

• Co-led the reintroduction of the Helping Unleash Benefits and Services (HUBS) for Veterans Act, which would streamline access to essential resources for veterans and their families;

• Joined fellow U.S. Senator for Idaho Jim Risch and others in introducing legislation designating U.S. Highway 20 (US-20), which stretches across our country from Oregon to Massachusetts, as the “National Medal of Honor Highway.”  The Senate unanimously passed this legislation last December, and I look forward to the enactment of law cementing this national designation to honor each of them across these many miles;

• Introduced legislation and taken other steps to prevent the closure of Air National Guard (ANG) fighter squadrons in order to maintain 25 ANG fighter squadrons across 22 states, including Idaho;

• Co-led a bipartisan, bicameral letter with a total of 51 Members of Congress, including Senator Risch and Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher (all R-Idaho), to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall urging the Air Force to consider using fleet leveling as a stopgap measure to ensure there is no loss of Total Force fighter capability or combat capacity;

• Reintroduced the Bring Our Heroes Home Act that would help eliminate obstacles preventing families and caseworkers from accessing the records needed for recovering America’s prisoners of war (POW)s and missing in action (MIA);

• Supported the Senate’s unanimous passage of a resolution acknowledging the courage and sacrifice of veterans of the Vietnam War and expressing regret for the mistreatment of veterans returning home from the War; and more.

Thank you, Idaho Veterans.  May we continue to work together to ensure our country remains worthy of the cost of our freedoms you and your loved ones have borne.  God bless you all.

# # #