Posted by
Randy
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November 08, 2012
As our nation marks Veteran’s Day this Sunday, November 11th, we honor those who have served our country in the line of duty. Our veterans are all around us in Virginia, where the 4th district is home to one of the highest populations of veterans in the nation. I urge you all to pause and spend some time with a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine. Whether still on active duty, the Reserves, or a former military member, these brave men and women have served their country and sacrificed so much for all of us. It is our responsibility to recognize their sacrifice and commitment, preserve the legacy of their service, and pass this on to future generations.
I hope you will use the opportunity Veterans Day gives you to take time to talk with a veteran and learn more about their service. It could be a family member, friend or someone you live near or work with that you think may have served but never took the time to ask. If you know a war veteran, please consider interviewing them or taking a picture and sending it to me at HonoringVeterans@mail.house.gov. If you are a military veteran, I’d also love to hear from you directly. I look forward to sharing many of the photos or anecdotes I receive. I also suggest you all read and share stories on the Veterans History Project, which collects, preserves and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. To kick off this endeavor, here are two photos and an anecdote dear to my heart. My oldest son, Neil Forbes (below left), spent eight years in the United States Army, serving in Korea, the 82nd Airborne Division and Virginia Army National Guard. My father, Malcolm Forbes, (below right) also served in the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer in World War II. Shortly before the Normandy invasion in 1944, (my father was not a very religious man at the time but he did carry a pocket-sized bible in his chest pocket) he prayed for God’s protection and promised God that if he made it home, he would make sure his family attended church every Sunday. Well, he made it home and he kept that promise. I cannot remember a Sunday that my Dad did not take my mother, my siblings and me to church. Although my father died many years ago, I still have his pocket bible. It is one of my most treasured possessions and it serves as a strong reminder of my dad’s service to his country.
Posted by
Randy
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June 11, 2012
Today, I called on Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki to address the underlying causes of the severe claims backlog plaguing the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Posted by
Randy
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June 05, 2012
“The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you.” – General Dwight Eisenhower, D-Day, 1944.
Posted by
Randy
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February 02, 2012
As you may know, Arlington Cemetery has been under an ongoing investigation regarding burial mismanagement that was revealed in June 2010. Joint Hearing: Update on Accountability at Arlington National Cemetery Friday, February 3, 2012 (Note: Timing of the hearing is subject to change if votes are called in the House.) The Arlington Cemetery burial mismanagement reports continue to be tragic for us as a nation and for the families of the men and women who have selflessly and faithfully served our nation. I’m hopeful that this hearing will prove that the accountability issues are being rightfully addressed.
Posted by
Randy
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January 10, 2012
This weekend, I traveled to Fort Lee to celebrate the return home of the last support battalion to leave Iraq. The 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion served a 10-month mission and became responsible for bringing American troops home -- they directed logistics for the remaining military personnel and supplies until the December 31 complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq. These men and women were a part of the last unit in Iraq, signifying the end of the conflict.
I was filled with gratitude for their service as I shook the hands of our military men and women who were returning and watched as families were reunited. We are so very grateful to be amongst men and women of such courage. Here are some photos of the ceremony as we welcomed home our heroes. Let’s express our gratitude for their service to our nation:
Posted by
Randy
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December 09, 2011
"No religious items (ie: Bibles, reading material, and/or artifacts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit."
Those words were included in a memo issued September 14 by Walter Reed Medical Center, one of our nation’s primary medical facilities for thousands of wounded military men and women. The policy was brought to the attention of my colleagues and me, along with valid concerns that family members or pastors would not be able to bring Bibles or other religious materials to visit their wounded sons or daughters or husbands and wives. My colleague Rep. Steve King pointed out that “It means a priest that might be coming in to visit someone on their death bed couldn’t bring in the Eucharist, couldn’t offer Last Rites. This is the most outrageous affront.” Our troops have risked their lives for our freedoms and liberties - including our religious liberties. To deny them this freedom when they return home is deplorable. This week, I hosted a meeting with officials from Walter Reed regarding the policy. The officials said that the policy was not properly vetted and has been rescinded. The following apology has been posted on their website: We are in the process of rewriting our policy and would like to offer the following statement: Bibles and other religious materials have always been and will remain available for patient use at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The visitation policy as written was incorrect and should have been more thoroughly reviewed before its release. It has been rescinded. We apologize for any confusion the policy may have caused. Please know that at admission, all patients are asked for their religious preference and a chaplain associated with their preference visits them regularly to provide spiritual services. In addition, their families may also bring religious material and we will not refuse any religious group entrance. WRNMMC provides multiple venues at WRMNMC for religious expression and worship. There is daily Catholic Mass as well as Protestant, Hindu, and Muslim services. Eucharist is also available at the bedside. There are weekly Torah studies, multiple weekly Christian bible studies, as well as weekly Qur'an study. Furthermore, chaplains coordinate spiritual needs for those whose faith groups are not represented by staff chaplains (such as Latter-Day Saints, Buddhist, and Christian Scientist). Walter Reed National Military Medical Center remains committed to supporting the religious preferences of all our patients and we will continue to ensure their spiritual needs are met. I have requested background information about the policy, how it was implemented without proper vetting, and what forces were behind its implementation. Additionally, Rep. Steve King was featured on Fox and Friends this week to discuss the situation. You can view his comments here.
Posted by
Randy
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December 07, 2011
It is a marker that defines the Greatest Generation. It is one of the darkest days in the pages of our nation’s history book. It has indeed become a day that “live[s] in infamy.”
70 years have passed since the message rang across the Oahu naval base: “AIR RAID ON PEARL HARBOR. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Today, the first-hand experiences from the day are becoming increasingly rare (the youngest survivors are in their late 80s). But as our immediate connection to the day flickers, we are resolved to remember. We are resolved to pay tribute to the members of the Armed Forces and those civilians who died in the attacks, and the subsequent 320,000 Americans who sacrificed their lives in World War II for freedom across the globe. As we remember the attacks on Pearl Harbor, I want to share with you some online resources that help tell the story of the day: Timeline, Videos, Interactive Maps, and Photos History.com The USS Arizona Memorial National Park Service United States Naval Base, Pearl Harbor National Park Service After the Day of Infamy - "Man on the Street" Interviews Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor Library of Congress The Pearl Harbor Radiogram National Archives “Day of Infamy” Speech National Archives Stories from the Veterans History Project Library of Congress
Posted by
Randy
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November 23, 2011
Last week, I had the opportunity to celebrate America's heroic lineage of veterans and Armed Forces members at a DAR luncheon in Chesapeake. We are grateful for the many years of service represented at that luncheon and throughout Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District. Here’s a look at the luncheon.
Tell us in the comments section -- who in your lineage has served our nation as a member of the Armed Forces?
Posted by
Randy
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October 24, 2011
I am happy to share with you that both the nation's largest congressionally chartered Veterans Service Organization and the nation's only veterans organization comprised of wounded veterans have put their support behind my resolution, H. Res. 441, that recognizes further cuts to national security funding may cause irreparable harm to United States interests. The American Legion and the Military Order of the Purple Heart have championed the resolution for recognizing that any decision on spending levels should be based upon a strategic determination of threats, capabilities, available resources, and risk.
National Commander, Fang Wong of the American Legion has said that the resolution shows a "willingness to truly meet the commitment to protect vital budgetary resources for our veterans and defenders” and National Commander William Hutton of the MOPH has called legislation "very timely and very much on target." You can read the letters of support here and here. While this resolution alone cannot stop the onslaught of looming cuts to our national security budget, it nonetheless sends a clear signal to lawmakers considering further cuts that our national defense will only be weakened and our nation's ability to protect vital interests will be significantly limited. Any decision on spending levels should be based upon a strategic assessment of threats, needed capabilities, available resources, and risk--not budgetary constraints. Members of Congress would be wise to reject the long-term damage these cuts would inflict on veterans, service members and their families, and our ability to defend U.S. interests. Learn more about my efforts to ensure a strong defense and a strong America here: www.forbes.house.gov/strongamerica
Posted by
Randy
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September 01, 2011
I want to share with you this editorial from the Virginian-Pilot that highlights the importance of the current military retirement system.
Virginian-Pilot September 1, 2011 One of the defining characteristics of military bureaucracy, as any soldier or sailor will tell you, is a disposition toward caution. Safe solutions are unlikely to set off a superior or endanger a career. The downside of that caution, of course, is that it doesn’t exactly encourage innovation. So the military has, in the military’s way, set up a variety of systems to circumvent its own tendency to play it safe. Among them is the Defense Business Board, chartered to provide “independent advice and recommendations on effective strategies for the implementation of best business practices on matters of interest to the Department of Defense.” That creates problems of its own. Businesses exist to make profits. The military exists to fight wars - to break things and kill people, to quote the cliché. That difference creates a sometimes stark tension. It can also create major changes. The DBB, for example, was the entity that recommended the end of Joint Forces Command, which it concluded had outlasted its usefulness. Now the DBB has turned its eye to the military’s pension system, which faces obligations so expensive that it may cripple the nation’s ability to fight. There’s no dispute: When compared with the private sector, a soldier gets a generous retirement. As soon as age 38, a 20-year sailor can retire at 50 percent of his most recent salary. Health care is covered. Meantime, a military “retiree” is free to find a job or a second career. Similar retirement benefits don’t exist anywhere else in the public or private sector. That’s because there are no other jobs like military service. Soldiers and sailors have hazardous duty. People shoot at them. Try to blow them up. They handle dangerous equipment and work ridiculously long hours. They are forced to spend months away from their families in spartan conditions. They must follow orders, including ones given by fools. They must adhere to strict rules, whether at work or at home. They are required to be physically fit. They must volunteer to live like that for 20 years before they can retire. In exchange, the military pays a barely living wage, covers housing and food and necessities. And, at the end of 20 years, it promises to pay retirement and medical care and a few other benefits. That makes the military different. Few businesses today provide pensions, which guarantee a retirement income based on a worker’s length of employment and salary. Businesses instead are more likely to offer 401(k)s and similar programs, which send money to an account to which a worker also contributes. That money is then invested — usually in bonds or stocks — and the resulting nest egg can be used to finance retirement. If the stock market tanks, the money dwindles. If it explodes, it can mean more money. No retirement amount is guaranteed. The DBB’s proposal would turn the military’s retirement into something similar, at a time when research shows most 401(k) accounts are going to be inadequate to fund their owners’ retirements. It’s a horrible idea. If a worker chooses a company with a crummy retirement plan, that’s the way the free market works. He is free to choose another company, or to start his own. A soldier has no such freedom. What’s more, the freedom of an entire nation depends on making sure military service remains attractive to the nation’s finest volunteers. The Pentagon’s retirement system could certainly stand reform. Eligibility could be changed and probably should be. But the men and women who guarantee America’s freedom shouldn’t be placed in the hands of a Wall Street incapable of keeping promises. |
SEARCH BLOGRECENT POSTS11/08/2012 - This Veterans Day - E-mail me your Veteran’s picture and/or Anecdote11/02/2012 - A Memo on Jobs in Virginia's Fourth District 10/27/2012 - Hurricane Sandy Resources 10/23/2012 - What do you believe are the most serious negative impacts of having a Navy that is at its smallest size since 1917? 10/19/2012 - A Game Changer for Virginia 10/12/2012 - Question of the Week: Do you support the administration using taxpayer dollars to re-imburse legal fees to defense companies for failure to comply with the WARN Act? ARCHIVESBy YearBy Issue
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