Mary Fallin: “Oklahoma has a proud tradition of men and women who serve in our military and put their lives on the line to defend our…”

“Oklahoma has a proud tradition of men and women who serve in our military and put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms. We have over 350,000 military veterans and more than one in 10 Oklahomans who serve in the military. And we are very proud of our veterans, Madam Speaker, and we believe that the men and the women returning from the war on terror deserve our honor and our respect and a hero's welcome home. It is, however, an unfortunate truth that the military men and women returning to duty do not always return to the jobs that they deserve. In fact, military veterans of various ages, both men and women, face considerably higher unemployment rates than their civilian counterparts. Madam Speaker, this is what I believe is an injustice. America's heroes should not return home from the battlefield to face unemployment and hardships. It is for this reason I wholeheartedly support the creation of a Hire a Veteran Week. The resolution before us today is an important chance for Congress to encourage our employers to help our war veterans returning home by lending them a helping hand in finding employment and supporting their families. We must reaffirm our commitment to our men and women who have served our great Nation.”