Kay Bailey Hutchison: “On September 11, we were reminded of how real that sacrifice is, and how critical those contributions are... This is why…”

“On September 11, we were reminded of how real that sacrifice is, and how critical those contributions are... This is why I introduced legislation in June [S. 1037] to ensure that all military personnel who die in the line of duly, like those who died serving their country at the Pentagon, are able to receive retirement benefits they have earned. In the military, personnel are not vested in retirement benefits unless they have served 20 years or more, or unless the services medically retire them before death. Clearly, someone who dies in the line of duty cannot fulfill either of these requirements, meaning their families do not receive their pro rata share of retirement pensions. It is horrible enough for a family to lose a loved one-it is an even greater hardship for them to not receive these earned benefits...”