PRESCOTT, AZ – Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, the daughter and niece of Veterans and a member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today released the following statement commemorating Veterans Day and honoring those who fought for this country:

“Today, all Americans are coming together to recognize and honor our fighting men and women. Their courage and sacrifices have kept this great Nation safe and free, and we cannot thank our Veterans enough for their willingness to put their lives on the line to preserve our freedoms.

“But recognizing all our service members have done for this country will take more than just one day. We should always be working to pay our eternal debt of gratitude to our Veterans. We have a sacred obligation to keep our promises to them, and we simply must meet that obligation.

“I am honored to represent so many of those who gave up so much to protect us, and I am humbled by their dedication and service. I pledge to continue to fight to make sure they receive the treatment and respect they have earned.”

BACKGROUND:

Representative Kirkpatrick is staunchly committed to our service members. In her first months in office, she has led efforts against the White House’s consideration of plan to charge Veterans’ personal insurance for care of service-related disabilities, writing a letter to President Obama saying the policy “ignores the mission of the VA” and emphasizing that “in the desire to cut costs we cannot lay the burden on those Veterans who have already given so much.” A copy of that letter is available upon request.

The Congresswoman also introduced a comprehensive measure to increase health care access to Veterans living in rural areas and passed a bill to increase benefits for disabled Veterans, their families and their survivors to help them keep pace with the rising cost of basic needs.