Political Quotes

“A couple of weeks ago we received reports from inquiring UPI reporter Mark Benjamin and a very active veterans advocate Steve Robinson, director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, that there was a significant problem with the care and treatment of returning guardsmen and reserves coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan to Fort Stewart, GA. There were, at the time, indications that some of the Guard and Reserve perceived they were not getting the same priority of care, treatment, and housing as was received by those who had been on active duty before they were sent to the combat theater. So working with my colleague, Senator Leahy, with whom I cochair the National Guard caucus, we sent our military LAs to visit Fort Stewart, GA, and on to Fort Knox and Fort Campbell, KY. We wanted to visit other sites and will continue to visit other sites to see if the problems at Fort Stewart were isolated or were they present at other Army mobilization and demobilization sites. What Senator Leahy and I found is detailed in the report.”