Veterans Day is a chance for our Nation to reset – to pause and honor those who served and recognize their sacrifices to ensure the freedom and safety of others.
In John Chapter 15, verse 13, Jesus tells us: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” It is humbling to know that roughly 19 million veterans living in the United States today, and the countless others who have come before, not only have this love but are willing to act on it.
Our nation makes a promise to the men and women who raise their hands to be steadfast in their commitment to our country. When these people put their lives on the line for you and me, they should know we will take care of them when they return. As a former fighter pilot who served for 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, I have come to know many incredible service members and veterans, and the people who support them. Our warfighters are heroes to this country.
We must do better for our veterans — both in preparing them for combat and when they return from their finished missions. Unfortunately, pilots and aircrew have been found to have a higher risk of contracting various forms of cancer. I am proud that my bill, the ACES Act, which directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to study cancer incidence and mortality rates among military aviators and aircrew, was included in the House version of the defense bill (FY23 NDAA).
“We must do better for our veterans — both in preparing them for combat and when they return from their finished missions.”
As a former fighter pilot, I know first-hand the risks that airmen take every day when they step into the cockpit. These heroes knowingly put their lives on the line for their country. This legislation protects our service members and ensures they are provided the healthcare benefits they earned.
I am also supporting legislation like the Major Richard Star Act, which would ensure roughly 42,000 combat-disabled service retirees can concurrently receive veterans’ disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation. Legislation like this and the Captain James C. Edge Gold Star Spouse Equity Act, which ensures surviving spouses of service members receive the benefits their late spouse earned, are basic provisions we can and should guarantee.
The selflessness of veterans serves as an inspiration for all Americans. To our heroic veterans: your valiance is not forgotten, and your sacrifices are valued. Because of you and your bravery, my wife and I can raise our daughters in a country that is safe and secure, and full of countless possibilities and boundless opportunities.
I am praying, and I am believing, that through moments like Veterans Day when we are thankful for our blessings and united in patriotism, we can begin to heal our Nation and work towards a better tomorrow. The sacrifices of service members and their commitment to our country have given our nation the freedom that so many around the world hope for. I am committed to working on behalf of our veterans every day in Congress and ensuring we are implementing common-sense policies that support our servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
August Pfluger represents the 11th District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Pfluger served his country in uniform for nearly two decades – commanding hundreds of combat airmen and serving in the Pentagon and NATO Command. Today, Colonel Pfluger is a decorated combat veteran with over 300 hours of direct action against radical jihadists in the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.