Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I joined up in the military during the Vietnam conflict, and at that time, and still today, we don't have human resource departments in the U.S. military. You tend, as a young division officer, to take care of the challenges that your young men and women have, and their families yourself, whether it's an eviction notice or whether it's a health issue, or whether it is, as thousands at that time and through the eighties used to have to go out and get their food stamps in order to continue their quality of life, you took care of them. This bill takes a significant step, I believe. As Mr. Rangel insinuated, it's a small step, but it is a significant step. I say that because the most moving picture I have ever seen in the Pentagon is one that is across from the Secretary of Defense's office. It's of a young servicemember kneeling in church and alongside of him is his wife and a young child. And under it is this great saying from the Bible, where God turns to Isaiah and says, ``Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?'' and Isaiah replies, ``Here am I. Send me.'' We send them, and we need to welcome them when they come back. The commissary bags also used to have on them, ``The hardest job in the military is a military spouse.'' What this bill does is takes care of the cost of life. But it also is significant that it takes care of the cost of loss of life.”