Kay Granger: “Throughout my years in public service I have had the pleasure of meeting and becoming acquainted with many of the fine…”

“Throughout my years in public service I have had the pleasure of meeting and becoming acquainted with many of the fine men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. Their strength has allowed America to be an agent for change and courage. They have helped us win the Cold War, and several hot ones. In the process, they have helped open doors for democracy and torn down walls of oppression. We have an obligation to do anything and everything we can to defend our shores and protect our citizens. We must also show the same strength and support for our troops. I have introduced H.R. 4208, the Recruiting Retention and Reservist Promotion Act. This legislation focuses on three things: one, improvement for recruiting through expansion of junior ROTC, sea cadets, young Marines and civil air patrol youth programs; two, retention through enhanced bonus pay for lengthy and numerous deployments; and, three, reservist promotion through tax credits and loans for businesses that employ National Guardsmen and reservists who are called to duty. I hope my colleagues will join me in cosponsoring 4208. To our friends who say we cannot agree and we argue over we cannot afford to have the best military, I would simply say we cannot afford not to.”