A Column By Congressman Chet Edwards

For 139 years, we have paused on the last Monday of May to remember and honor those Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to country. On May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic established Memorial Day or Decoration Day as the national day to decorate the graves of the Civil War soldiers with flowers. Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant presided over the first observance of Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery where over 20,000 Union dead and several hundred Confederate dead had been laid to rest. May 30th soon became the official day of observance and in 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by the Congress, designating the last Monday in May as the official day of observance.

This year, as we salute more fallen heroes from a new generation and those who have gone before, we should pledge to them and to ourselves to honor their sacrifice every day. One of the most meaningful actions the nation can take is for Congress to keep the many promises that have been made to our service men and women, our veterans, military retirees, reservists, National Guard, and their families.

Currently, more than 1 million have served thus far in Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. And our National Guard and Reserve personnel have made an unprecedented contribution in the effort – providing nearly half of the troops in Iraq. These troops have served our nation with distinction, and Congress and a grateful nation must honor that service when they return home.

As Chairman of the House committee that funds the Department of Veterans Affairs, I am proud that our subcommittee has recently passed a bipartisan bill that includes a $6.7 billion increase in VA budget for 2008, the largest annual increase in VA health care spending in the 77 year history of the Veterans Administration. Thus far, the 110th Congress has voted to increase veterans’ health care programs by $11.9 billion in increased investments in our veterans’ health care and benefits compared to where we stood when this Congress was sworn in on January 4th. In February, Congress passed the final 2007 spending bill signed into law by the president that included $3.4 billion increase for VA healthcare above the 2006 level and the House has passed $1.8 billion in additional funds for VA healthcare this year under the war funding bill.

Increased funding for veterans is a significant accomplishment, but this isn’t about dollars. It’s about fulfilling a moral obligation to those who have served. It’s about recognizing that supporting our veterans is a real cost of war, just as real as guns, tanks and bullets. It is about remembering that our veterans’ sacrifices don’t end after they return home, and neither should our commitment to them. For some, that timely care could be the difference between health and depression, for others, the difference between life and death.

We can never fully repay our troops and veterans for their sacrifice, but we have a moral obligation to keep our promises and provide those who serve with the quality health care and benefits they have earned. Our servicemen and women have kept their promises to us. It’s now up to us to keep our promises to them.

This Memorial Day, take time to honor and remember America’s soldiers, veterans and their families. They are bearing the heaviest burden for us and we must never forget it.

Edwards is the Chairman of the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee.