Friends, we come together today, as we do each Memorial Day, to solemnly honor all Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice – with their own lives – in defense of our great nation.

These brave men and women have nobly served our country – as the veterans with us here in the audience today have so nobly served – so that all of us can live free from tyranny and oppression.

We must never, ever, forget this. Indeed, the sacrifices of each soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and Coast Guardsman contributes to freedom’s foundation.

So today, on Memorial Day, we pause to honor the sacrifice of so many so that we may live in freedom.

As we honor the fallen today, I am reminded of a very special memorial that was dedicated several months ago.

Last October, I was proud to sit alongside veterans, military families, Jewish community advocates and chaplains as we unveiled the Jewish Chaplains Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

For years, Arlington National Cemetery has showcased memorials for Catholic, Protestant, and all World War I chaplains, but until now, there has never been a monument for the Jewish chaplains who served in our military.

Many of you know the story of the U.S.A.T. Dorchester in World War II.

The ship suffered an explosion at sea while carrying more than 1,000 soldiers and workers, including four Army chaplains.

These four brave men, two Protestant, one Catholic, and one Jewish, gave up their life jackets to soldiers on board the ship.

They stood strong, sharing words of healing and peace with those on board, and they resolutely held hands until the ship went down.

This is a true story of faith and courage, and now, all four of these men are honored together on Chaplains’ Hill.

A dedicated group of Jewish war veterans, some of whom are here today, set their minds and their hearts to making sure Jewish military spiritual leaders were similarly honored in our nation’s military cemetery.

I am so pleased to have been part of the effort to finally make this memorial a reality!

As we honor the memory of those we have lost, we must also honor the sacrifices of our returning warriors, including those wounded in action.

Following each war conflict we face difficult and diverse challenges in helping all our veterans, whether they are fifty years removed from their service, or fifty days. This has never been more true than it is today.

We have more troops returning home each day with the end of the war in Iraq and the wind down in Afghanistan, which is certainly welcome news.

We now have 23 million veterans living across our country. In Florida alone we are home to more than 1.6 million veterans and here in my Congressional district there are more than 36,000.

But as our men and women return home, we must ensure that they have access to the help they need to transition to civilian life, whether its access to quality health care, assistance with housing, or caring for their families.

From 2007 through 2010, during the Democratic-controlled Congress, I’m proud to say we made historic progress for our veterans.

Legislative successes include a G.I. Bill for the 21st Century, a nearly 60 percent increase in the baseline of the VA’s health care budget, and a program for veteran caregivers which was the top priority of many veteran service organizations.

We also provided large funding increases to care for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.

However, in this difficult economy with so many out of work, we must do more to help.

After serving our country honorably and courageously, the last thing our veterans should have to worry about when they finally come home to their loved ones is whether or not they will be able to find a job.

That is why I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 1941, the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011 which would help get veterans back to work. Several components of this bill were enacted as part of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law last November.

I also applaud the Administration’s efforts to relieve unemployment among our veterans, and to support our military families.

The President announced new commitments to service members and veterans as part of a comprehensive plan to lower veteran unemployment. This plan includes:

• The Returning Heroes and Wounded Warrior Tax Credits for businesses that hire unemployed veterans and veterans with service-connected disabilities.

• My Next Move for Veterans, a new online resource that allows veterans to search for civilian jobs for which they are well qualified.

• The Administration launched the Veterans Job Bank, a National Resource Directory that is an easy-to-use tool to help veterans find job postings from companies looking to hire them.

To support our military families, the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden have also launched a Joining Forces Initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to give service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned.

This initiative has been instrumental in streamlining the benefits process for veterans by coordinating with different federal agencies to ensure that our veterans are receiving assistance in a timely and efficient manner.

In February, the Administration also challenged Community Health Centers to hire 8,000 veterans – approximately one veteran per health care center – over the next three years.

Finally, the Administration has teamed with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to host 100 hiring fairs for veterans around the county over the next year.

Florida needs to do its part and we need to work together to encourage Florida businesses to make hiring veterans a greater priority.

That’s why I co-hosted a Jobs Fair for veterans in December with my good friend and colleague, Rep. Ted Deutch. The event was well attended and allowed veterans and military families to learn about employment opportunities in South Florida and have a chance to meet with potential employers.

While we have a lot of work left to do, I am very pleased to tell you that we are making progress.

A few weeks ago the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans fell more than a full percentage point – to 9.2 percent. This is the lowest rate since 2008.

The Administration’s initiatives are working, but we must not rest until every veteran looking for a job finds one.

In our ongoing work in Congress, we know that freedom is never won, but something that must be earned each and every day.

America's brave men and women in uniform should be able to count on the full and unwavering support of their government.

As a Member of Congress I will always honor their service and that of the fallen and I am proud to stand with you today to reaffirm our commitment to all our veterans.

With that, I leave you on this Memorial Day with some thoughtful words by Carl Sandberg about how easy it to forget our fallen heroes:

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work--
I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the
conductor:

What place is this?
Where are we now?
I am the grass.
Let me work.

We must not let the grass cover the memory of their service.

Thank you for having me here today!