Michael Waltz: “As a combat veteran and as a Green Beret, this is personal for me. I know firsthand the seriousness of the call to serve…”

“As a combat veteran and as a Green Beret, this is personal for me. I know firsthand the seriousness of the call to serve our country, and I know that when soldiers take their place on the battlefield, they are prepared to defend America and lose their lives for our freedom. The families of our servicemembers wait for their loved one's safe return nervously and anxiously await hearing their voice and feeling the comfort of their warm embrace once more. Unfortunately, for some, the knock on their door instead initiates them into a fraternity no family wants to join. That knock changes them forever and makes them part of the Gold Star family. When our servicemembers pass, many of their spouses put their benefits in their children's name. As if the loss of a mother or a father isn't and wasn't painful enough, some of our Gold Star children's pain is worsened by an unintended oversight in our Tax Code which forces them to pay thousands in additional taxes on survivor benefits and raises their tax liability from 12 percent to nearly 40 percent. This is not just a financial issue; it is a strategic issue for our Volunteer military. It affects recruitment and retention. Some people may not want to volunteer with the possibility of a large financial burden on their loved one if the worst happens. The bottom line is, if our family support starts cracking, the entire foundation of our modern military is in trouble.…”