On the recordNovember 9, 2011
I stand today, just 2 days away from Veterans Day, to urge my colleagues to support our courageous service men and women, our veterans and their families, by voting for the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. This legislation would have a tremendous impact on every part of our country, but it would be especially significant in my home State of North Carolina, the most military- friendly State in the Nation. In North Carolina we are blessed to be home to so many of our country's heroes. I don't think most people understand that nationwide military servicemembers account for only 1 percent of our country's population. But in North Carolina, more than one-third of our population is either in the military, is a veteran, or has an immediate family member who is in the military or is a veteran. Over 700,000 veterans call North Carolina home. I know that makes our State stronger. I know because, like so many North Carolinians, I too come from a strong military family that instilled in me a sense of responsibility to my community and to my country. My husband, my father, my brother are all Navy veterans. My father-in-law was a two-star general in the Marine Corps, and my two nephews have both served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know because I have traveled my State's eight military bases from Fort Bragg to Cherry Point to Camp Lejeune to bases in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait.…
