Tom Latham: “I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1025. I join my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota, in introducing…”

“I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1025. I join my colleague, the gentleman from Minnesota, in introducing this bill. My colleagues, you may not be aware that a member of the Guard and Reserve can complete an entire career without earning the title of veteran of the armed forces of the United States if they have never served on Federal active duty for other than training purposes. As a result, National Guard members protecting our skies and airports, or protecting our Southern border--technically under State orders--may one day retire from the Guard but not qualify to be classified as a veteran of our Armed Forces. Our military increasingly depends on the National Guard and Reserve to keep our country safe. Men and women who served our country faithfully for decades deserve full recognition as veterans, even if they were never deployed overseas. Current law does not consider Guard and Reserve members to be veterans unless they were deployed for more than 30 days. The policy excludes many who deployed for long periods of time, carried out critical support roles during times of war and peace, engaged in frequent and often dangerous training exercises, and stood ready to risk their lives to protect our Nation during military careers that spanned decades. This legislation recognizes the service and sacrifice of National Guard and Reserve retirees and grants them the full honor of being called veterans, which they've earned.…”