Harry Reid: “I worked on this situation a long time. I appreciate the Senator from Georgia coming, lending your prestige, I…”

“I worked on this situation a long time. I appreciate the Senator from Georgia coming, lending your prestige, I underscore that, on this very important issue. As the Senator said, this is a simple issue, whether someone who has put in his time in the military, whether it is 10 or 20 or whatever years it is--20 or 30--whatever it is, and then, I say to my friend from Georgia, the distinguished Senator, then finds himself, because he has a disability--it could be 100 percent or whatever percent disability--he has to make a choice. He can't get both pensions, both of which are earned. If there were ever an example of how a country owes this to these people, this is it. I say to my friend from Georgia, thank you very much. The Senator from Georgia, I know, as I do, goes to VFW halls and the other veterans' organizations, and we see there large numbers of World War II veterans. I am not happy to say this, but a thousand are dying every day. These men--and very few women, from World War II; as we went back, there were more women involved--deserve this. As in Korea. I have a friend the Senator from Georgia knows, who was my high school teacher, the Governor of the State of Nevada, who lost a limb in Korea. He had to make a choice. He cannot do both. He spent time in the Air Force, in the Marines, in the Army and, under this goofy law he cannot draw both pensions if, in fact, he was entitled to them. This is just senseless.”