Max Baucus: “I rise to recognize the sacrifice of the thousands of men and women serving in harm's way overseas and to introduce…”

“I rise to recognize the sacrifice of the thousands of men and women serving in harm's way overseas and to introduce legislation that will help these brave men and women when they return home. I recently led a congressional delegation to Afghanistan. During my visit, I was deeply impressed by the service and dedication of our brave troops. These men and women work under the most difficult conditions. They serve every day. Weekends, holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays. They serve 24 hours a days, seven days a week. Our troops are some of the hardest working Americans. They patrol the mountains, fix trucks and fire artillery. They are not only warriors, but diplomats as well. They organize meetings known as shuras with local leaders and village elders. I was awestruck by our troops' professionalism, courage and tenacity. Many of these troops are from Montana. Montanans volunteer for duty at among the highest rate in the country. Montana's military recruiting rates are roughly 50 percent higher than the national average. Tragically, Montana has the highest per capita rate of service members killed or injured fighting overseas since 9/11.”