Political Quotes

“today, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am proud to introduce the Dignified Burial of Veterans Act of 2012 with Senator Burr, Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and my Senate colleagues from the state of Florida, Senators Nelson and Rubio. When America's heroes make a commitment to serve their country, we make a promise to care for them. One of the many ways in which we care for our veterans is by helping to provide them with a burial that honors their service. That is why I was concerned when I learned that a veteran at a VA National Cemetery had an inappropriate burial. This veteran, with no known next-of-kin, was buried in a cardboard container that later disintegrated to the point where the veteran's remains were exposed and found during a raise and realign project at the cemetery. The veteran's remains were later placed in a bag and reburied with what was left of the cardboard box. This defies logic. There is no reason why the remains of a veteran should ever be treated with this lack of dignity. Yet, under current law, VA is not authorized to purchase a casket or urn for veterans who do not have a next-of-kin to provide one, or the resources to be buried in an appropriate manner. We must take steps to prevent this from occurring again.…”