Column: Remembering Our Heroes on Memorial Day
5/28/2007
Washington, D.C.
News
Congressman Reyes' weekly column: "Remembering Our Heroes on Memorial Day"
"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example."
This iconic quote by British statesman Benjamin Disraeli invokes the spirit and substance of Memorial Day, which we celebrate this coming Monday, May 28th. Here in El Paso, we have mourned the loss of service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and pray for their families and loved ones. Yet, in the midst of this sorrow, we lift up their courage and selflessness, and will forever remember them as true American heroes.
This spirit and bravery is also evident in those who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with life-altering injuries. These men and women will honor their fallen comrades on Memorial Day, and are furthering their legacy by working hard, through emotional and physical pain, to rebuild their lives. A disturbingly large number of these veterans have lost limbs, and it is the responsibility of my colleagues and me in Congress to do all we can to facilitate their recovery.
This sense of responsibility led me earlier this year to introduce the Veterans Amputee Assistance Act of 2007. In March, Major L. Tammy Duckworth, a decorated Iraq War veteran who lost both legs when her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, and who is now the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, testified on the challenges of amputees when transitioning from Department of Defense to Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) care.
I have met with Major Duckworth and an El Pasoan who is now an amputee, and all injured servicemen and women who face these challenges will require VA care for the rest of their lives. At this point, it is apparent that the VA does not have the tools they need to care for them, and we need to ensure we have the technology and personnel to provide for these men and women. Director Duckworth, whom I met in May 2005 when she testified before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, worked with me on the final language of this bill.
This legislation I have proposed would require the VA to: complete a review of its prosthetic laboratories, clinics and prosthesists; certify its orthotic/prosthetic laboratories and clinics; allow disabled veterans to obtain new devices and seek care for repair and servicing from outside the VA system if not provided within the VA; and develop a plan for informing disabled veterans on recent technological advances in the field of prosthetics.
As I referenced above,"[t]he legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example," and it is so important that we remember the stories of those we have lost and live in a manner that honors their sacrifices. Our injured veterans do this day in and day out as they seek to rebuild their lives, and on Memorial Day and always, our fallen heroes and these courageous men and women serve as inspiration and encouragement to us all.
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