Each year, we set aside one day in which we honor the selfless sacrifices of the brave men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces.  On this day, we thank our veterans for their service, show our appreciation for their contributions to national security and highlight the sacrifices of all those who serve in times of peace and in times of war.

This Veterans Day, November 11, is of particular importance for many Arkansas families because thousands of our loved ones are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.  On the forefront of everyone’s minds are the over 3,000 members of the Arkansas National Guard 39th Infantry Brigade scheduled to come home in a little more than a month.  I know all Arkansans join me as we pray for their safe return home.

Since entering Congress, I have made veterans a focus of my work in our nation’s capital.  I firmly believe our veterans have given the ultimate contribution to their country and it is essential that we support them and their families. 

Throughout the 110th Congress, I worked with both Republicans and Democrats to ensure we kept our promises of health care and other services to our veterans, including the new generation of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  One important legislation I worked to pass was the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2008, which represented the largest investment in veterans health care funding in the 77 year history of the VA.

We also modernized the GI Bill for the first time in over 20 years to help cover the cost of college and allow soldiers and veterans to transfer these education benefits to their spouses and children. I worked particularly hard to ensure Reserve and National Guard soldiers also qualified for this new college benefit when they return from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Regardless of your feelings on the wars abroad, I think we can all agree our troops deserve our support and respect.  So, as we recognize those who serve on this special day, please seek out your family, friends and coworkers in uniform and thank them. 

I remain committed to serving the needs and concerns of the more than 60,000 veterans in the Fourth Congressional District and to our troops currently serving across the world.  As your United States Representative, I will continue working in our nation’s capital to ensure our veterans have the support they deserve from their government.

Sincerely,

 
Mike Ross

Mike attends a tree planting event on the playground of Prescott Elementary School on Oct. 30.  He joined the students to talk about the importance of voting and taking care of the environment.