William Pryor: “as Veterans Day approaches, we pay homage to the soldiers who once stormed the beaches of Normandy, reclaimed the…”

“as Veterans Day approaches, we pay homage to the soldiers who once stormed the beaches of Normandy, reclaimed the mountains of Korea and crossed the sands of Kuwait. We pay homage to our veterans' sacrifice and courage, and also to the brave men and women who now follow their example in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. In paying respect, we must also follow through on our Nation's commitment's to ensure our veterans receive the benefits they earned and deserve. Arkansas has a long and distinguished record of service, one that my State is proud of, and one that we will continue to build upon. In addition to honorable service by our active duty soldiers, marines, seamen and airmen, the Arkansas National Guard has mobilized more than 8,000 of its guardsmen since Sept. 11, 2001. In fact, this Veterans Day is an especially poignant one for families in Rogers, AR where 180 guardsmen have just been deployed to serve in Iraq. Arkansas is not alone in its commitment to military service. Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are 393,000 new veterans to care for, including 103,000 who are currently seeking health care from VA hospitals. We can never truly repay our veterans for their service to our Nation, but we can care for them just as they cared for us.…”