Honoring America’s
Veterans
In this week’s address, President Obama commemorates
Veterans Day Weekend by thanking the brave men and women who have worn this
country’s uniform. The President says he is proud of their service and will do
everything possible to ensure America
always has their back and always honors their sacrifice.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/11/09/weekly-address-honoring-america-s-veterans?utm_source=snapshot&utm_medium=email&utm_content=110913-topper
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
November 9, 2013
Hello everyone.
Veterans’ Day Weekend is a chance for all of us to say two simple words:
“Thank you.” Thank you to that greatest
generation who fought island by island across the Pacific, and freed millions
from fascism in Europe. Thank you to the heroes who risked everything
through the bitter cold of Korea
and the stifling heat of Vietnam. And thank you to all the heroes who have
served since, most recently our 9/11 Generation of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now that more of them are coming home, we need to serve them
as well as they served us. That requires
more than a simple “thank you” – especially from those of us who’ve been
elected to serve.
I’ve often said that my top priority is growing the economy,
creating new jobs, and restoring middle-class security. And a very important part of that is making
sure that every veteran has every chance to share in the opportunity he or she
has helped defend. In addition to the
care and benefits they’ve earned – including good mental health care to stay
strong – that means a good job, a good education, and a home to call their own.
If you fight for your country overseas, you should never
have to fight for a job when you come home.
I’ve made sure the federal government leads by example, and since I took
office, we’ve hired about 300,000 veterans to keep serving their country. Our new transition assistance program is
helping veterans and their spouses find that new job and plan their
career. And I’m going to keep calling on
Congress to do the right thing and pass the Veterans Jobs Corps. Put our veterans to work rebuilding America.
Our troops gain unmatched skills while serving in harm’s
way. So we’re also doing everything we
can to connect more businesses with highly-skilled veterans. More help with job searches. More tools to connect veterans to job
openings. More chances to earn licenses
and credentials for civilian jobs. And
new tax credits for companies that hire veterans and wounded warriors – tax
credits which Congress should make permanent.
And America’s
businesses have worked with Michelle and Jill Biden’s Joining Forces campaign
to help returning heroes find jobs in the private sector. They’ve already hired or trained 290,000
veterans and military spouses, and they’ve committed to hiring over 400,000
more.
We’re also committed to giving today’s veterans and their
families the same shot at a great education this country gave my grandfather
when he came home from World War II.
We’re helping more of them earn their degrees under the Post-9/11 GI
Bill. We’ve worked with thousands of
schools across the country to set new standards to protect against dishonest
recruiting and predatory lending practices that target our veterans. And we’re helping hundreds of community
colleges and universities do more to welcome and encourage our veterans on
campus.
Thanks to these efforts, and the efforts of the private
sector, we’ve made progress getting our vets back to work. But we’ve got a lot more to do. And as more than a million of our troops
return to civilian life, we’re going to have to work even harder. Because the skill, dedication, and courage of
our troops is unmatched – and when they come home, we all benefit from their
efforts to build a stronger America
and a brighter future for our kids.
So to all our veterans, on behalf our entire nation, thank
you for everything you’ve done and will continue to do for our country. As your Commander-in-Chief, I’m proud of your
service, and grateful for your sacrifice.
And as long as I'm your President, I will make it my mission to make
sure that America
has your back, not just on one day or one weekend, but 365 days a year.
Thanks. God bless
you, and have a great weekend.